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Who is (or was) the worlds best guitarist?


Jillianne

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More than likely the best of anything never becomes famous.

It's, on all occasions, the best to be anonymous.

Thats very ture.

Probably the best guitarist is some unknown studio musician, who's job is to play guitar, not to entertain. But you never know.

But as for the best famous guitarist, I'm sticking with Hendrix.

:guitar:

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I think one of the greatest guitarist is the classical guitarist Andres Segovia. He is a legend that was more revolutionary than Hendrix or Page. He took the guitar a somewhat simple intrument and embellished it with beautiful rhythms worthy of a sitar player. Also the man never stopped(he played from the age of 4 til' 94), his last concert was played a month before his death. So you can thank the Robert Johnson for the Blues but don't forget the father of guitar, Andres Segovia. :guitar:

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Well, I wouldn't list Link Wray, Keith Richards, John Lee Hooker, whoever the guy was who did the awful solo on the Kinks' "All Day and All the Night," or "outsider" artist Jandek.

Rock journalists, however, have a track record of praising lousy guitar work--the Byrds' "Eight Miles High," for example. Or the Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil." So, what does "best" mean, really, in a rock context?

I should mention that I love Hooker and Wray. However, they weren't exactly nimble-fingered pickers! (Is Wray still around? I hope.)

Lee

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I've said this before and I'll say it again.

The way to judge a guitarist: ingenuity, sound (how good and how unique), speed, and delivery. I therefore nominate Trey Anastasio (Phish). Does anyone else in the world sound like Trey? No. No one can imitate the sound that comes out of his guitar--the only other person who I can really think of who is similar on that level is Jimi--and listen to "Weekapauge Groove" (preferrably live) to hear what I am talking about. Trey's innovativeness in writing is quite well exemplified in many songs but one to take a look at are "Guyute" and "You Enjoy Myself". As for speed and delivery, "RUN LIKE AN ANTELOPE" (in my opinion, the jam in that song is the epitome of jamming). Also, for a little bit of all the great elements, especially sound and delivery, a wonderful song to listen to is a live version of "Divided Sky". In addition, keep in mind that virtually none of Trey's solos are in one key, that he can somehow hear the seemingly random notes his bassist and pianist (Mike and Page, respectively) are playing while simultaneously playing perfect correlating notes. It's quite impressive. Finally, I'm not saying Trey is THE greatest, just one of them.

Also take a look at Tim Reynolds(acoustic masterman)--not just for what he does with Dave Matthews but on his own "Turn it Into Love," "Kundalini Bonfire," "You are My Sanity," and "Stream."

Al Schnier and Chuck Garvey (Moe.) also have amazing talent. Try listening to Meat (a great version is from their L live album). to see their talent (as well as their bassist's).

Jake Cinninger and Brendan Bayliss (Umphrey's Mcgee) are constantly improving wonderments of the guitar. Listen to "Nothin Too Fancy" by Umphrey's McGee to see.

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For great non-famous guitarists, I would pick

Andy Timmons

He plays mainly around Dallas, but was invited to participate in the Crossroads Guitar Festival several weeks ago. Possibly a 'hometown' selection. His band didn't even get to rehearse because the bass players wife went into labor when they had scheduled the rehearsal. They no longer play regularly. I remembered him from seeing him in the late 80's and early 90's. He was even more impressive than I remember.

My favorite all-time is Eddie Van Halen with Eric Johnson coming in second.

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Steve Vai, without a shadow of a doubt. (You can argue about Hendrix all you want, but he's not nearly as good as Vai)

I must say i do agree with this though i think Joe Satriani is just as good, but then again Vai "tutored" Satriani, so it makes sense. Hendrix, Clapton , and Page are all up there on the list too though. :guitar:

My mom saw Clapton live and says his live show was the most mesmerising event of her life.

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More than likely the best of anything never becomes famous.

It's, on all occasions, best to be anonymous. The greatest rewards are the ones never seen.

I understand where you're coming from but I have to disagree. I feel there are guitarists who became famous because they were so damn talented and other guitarists who were very talented but just followed someone elses lead. Jimi Hendrix is the greatest and everyone else followed his lead. He did things no one else could do....it took a while to set in with music fans. He was considered a freak at first then he was the coolest thing ever. After that, everyone and their brother wanted to play like him.

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Steve Vai, without a shadow of a doubt. (You can argue about Hendrix all you want, but he's not nearly as good as Vai)

I love Vai. Saw him live...he was unbelievable and he is better technically than Hendrix or even Eddie Van Halen but, again, without Hendrix to open the door, there wouldn't be a Vai, Satriani (who I also love) or a Van Halen accessable to the world as they are today.

I go on a different premise. I look at not just pure talent but the relevance a guitarist has in the world of music. Vai is original but Hendrix was beyond original.

And, by the way, I'm not even a HUGE Hendrix fan like I am of Eddie Van Halen, Vai, Satriani etc....I'm just trying to look at from an objective view point. It's like Van Halen is my favorite band ever but I don't believe they're the greatest band ever.

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In response to DLR 1:

I understand where you're coming from as well. It's my thought that there are many extremely talented individuals who choose not to become famous or be in a band. Being famous is not all it's cracked up to be and some realize this before it ever happens.

I like to remember that there is always a better gunslinger or, in this case, axewielder.

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In response to DLR 1:

I understand where you're coming from as well. It's my thought that there are many extremely talented individuals who choose not to become famous or be in a band.

I like to remember that there is always a better gunslinger.

Understood. I think it's all how each person approaches it. Everyone has their own opinion. Thank God...otherwise these forums wouldn't be interesting!

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Mark Knopfler!!!!! Also, Robert Johnson, Jimmy Page, Steve Howe (of Yes), Clapton, Gary Moore, and all those old blues guitarists are awesome too. Django Reinhardt too.

Btw, what makes Hendrix the best guitarist of all time? Is it just because he's widely accepted as The Greatest? Or because he influenced so very many other musicians? How do you quantify greatness anyway?!

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I must say i do agree with this though i think Joe Satriani is just as good, but then again Vai "tutored" Satriani, so it makes sense.

I'm sorry for correcting you and probably you just got them mixed up ...

It was Joe Satriani who taught Steve Vai. :)

:guitar:

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