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Guitar Players - Who's the best?


Elvis

Guitar Players - Who's the best?  

19 members have voted

  1. 1. Who's the best?

    • Mark Knopfler
    • Jerry Garcia
      0
    • Dave Matthews
      0
    • Eric Clapton
    • Other


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Wow. Ok.

Edit: There has to be some angle to this post. Elvis had always seemed like a mostly sane actually grown up human, especially when he’s posting pics of his woman. Was this the top 4 in some new Rolling Stone poll or something?

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Wow. Ok.

Yeah it’s a list of who isn’t.

Just terrible.

We all know there is no “best” guitarist, and most of the metrics one could come up with would be very subjective.

If I got to sit and watch any guitarist in his prime for a full set who would it be?

SRV

So I’ll throw this out there -

1. if you could pick any guitarist right now to sit front row and watch a full set who would it be?

2. If you could pick any drummer to play a full set with you (for you guitarists) who would it be?
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6 minutes ago, Handcruser said:

So I’ll throw this out there -

1. if you could pick any guitarist right now to sit front row and watch a full set who would it be?

Agreed, SRV.

Quote

2. If you could pick any drummer to play a full set with you (for you guitarists) who would it be?

Jimmy Chamberlin, and I'm nowhere good enough to share that stage.

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good questions. 

1.  Is this in the guy's prime?  Or now (so no dead people)?  I think either way I'd probably still say Jimmy Page.  

2.  I can play the guitar, but I wouldn't call myself a guitarist.  Now, if I'm building a band around the guitarist and drummer, I'd say Ginger Baker, John Bonham, or Patrick Carney.  If you're talking like "accompanying drummer" like "accompaniment piano", from all inside baseball reports---you want  Bill Bruford, Jim Keltner, or Hal Blaine (hon. mention to Bill Kruetzmann).  

Going back to John Mayer as best Dead-Adjacent guitarist?  You're not that far off.  The couple times I saw him with Dead & Co. live, I was blown away, and have watched hundreds of hours of sets over the last 8 years and was really impressed.  Hard to say if he could have written/improvised that same stuff without the multi-decade blueprint laid out before him.  I don't know if he has the originality bones to match Garcia/Weir, but the execution was certainly there.  Bob is an underrated guitarist, but he's not in Mayer's orbit.  Garcia #1.  Then at #2-Trey Anastasio (Fare Thee Well).  I'd say #3 comes from the pool of Warren Haynes, John Mayer, and Jimmy Herring.  (with the other 2, in no order being #4 & #5).  Then Bob Weir.  And then any of the dozen or so guys who've sat in/toured with Other Ones, Furthur, Phil Lesh Band, Ratdog, Wolf Bros., the Dead, Planet Drum/Rhythm Devils, et. al.    

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In pretty SRV wouldn't be a great show right now since he died 30 years ago.

 

I'd honestly have a hard time with this question as I'm a much bigger fan of songs than guitar playing. I've seen Slash, Jimmy Page multiple times. Saw Dime a bunch when he was alive. Would probably be someone esoteric like Richard Bennett or Vernon Reid.

 

As far as drummers, Glenn Graham, full stop. Steve Gorman honorable mention

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How are we going to see them right now? Are they frozen at the moment they died, do they get to be their 20 year old selves? Do the guys still alive have to be their current selves.or can they be 20 years old?

 

How would that possibly work?

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Just now, Celery Man said:

Personally I would see Jesus play

Not play baseball though. I heard he couldn't hit a curveball

3 minutes ago, Handcruser said:

Anyone dead or alive. In their prime.

Well then Hendrix and anyone who disagrees is wrong

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3 minutes ago, Rimbo said:

Also: How the everliving fuck did Edward Van Halen not even warrant a single mention on page 1?

Ahem.

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The best part of it is it's not even limited to "players who are still alive".  Forget the fact that Jerry Garcia doesn't belong, he's dead, just like Jimi and Eddie and Duane and Stevie Ray and and and . . .

 

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but for real alive or dead guitarist front row whole set, Robert Johnson. Not even making the case that he's the all time greatest (seems like an easy case could be made for most influential), but it would be the most illuminating. If I have sole rights to record the thing it would also be immensely profitable.

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7 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

but for real alive or dead guitarist front row whole set, Robert Johnson. Not even making the case that he's the all time greatest (seems like an easy case could be made for most influential), but it would be the most illuminating. If I have sole rights to record the thing it would also be immensely profitable.

Funny you should mention that, friend.  I happen to know the man who has the sole rights to the music of Mista' Johnson.  You may know him.  Real ear for talent.  

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12 hours ago, YGIFS said:

 #2-Trey Anastasio (Fare Thee Well).  I'd say #3 comes from the pool of Warren Haynes, John Mayer, and Jimmy Herring

My deadhead friend dragged me to a Dead show with Herring on guitar and Joan Osborne on vocals. Not my type of music but Herring was outstanding. I've only ever seen Trey on youtube and to my ears he's nowhere near Herring.

Maybe Trey is better for that type of music which as I said is not my thing.

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Honestly “Mike Campbell is the best Fleetwood associated guitarist” may be the perfect framing for the conversation on “what is a best guitarist”. Admittedly I could dive deeper into Peter Green era Fleetwood but Mike Campbell is an all time great across the board if you eliminate stuff that nobody cares about.

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11 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

Honestly “Mike Campbell is the best Fleetwood associated guitarist” may be the perfect framing for the conversation on “what is a best guitarist”. Admittedly I could dive deeper into Peter Green era Fleetwood but Mike Campbell is an all time great across the board if you eliminate stuff that nobody cares about.

Definitely.  I will say Peter Green though is an icon, that's not some obscura. Danny Kirwan would be the one for that era who you would debate vis a vis Campbell and relevancy, criteria etc...

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21 minutes ago, Superhero said:

May be an unpopular opinion, but Nuno Bettencourt is my jam. Technically impressive, and his tone is out of this world (essentially a Pro-Rat pedal into a 5150-like amp.

Hole Hearted just came on the radio so this is timely

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