Favourite Axe Man (Guitarist)

[Soda Soda]

Clapton. Garry Moore. Alvin Lee. Hendrix. Page. Too many to mention.

[rumak]

oh yes ,  those were the days !    love the electric guitar,  and the many "true artists/musicians"  that

played music from their souls.     That word really should be taken from the dictionaries in the world we live in .  SOUL .     no longer.   not in music or in business  or in relationships. 

 

Free bird may not be the greatest technical guitar work,  but when i was cleaning up my coffee shop in the 70's and that song came on... i had time to take a few tokes before getting my broom out to sweep the floor.   The build up was great .   Slow and easy .   My anticipation would have to wait a bit, but when that solo started I WAS  the lead guitar blasting into the hearts of the screaming females.

 

I had extra room keys made to throw out to the free spirits .  Those days..... long gone.   But my heart still races and arms instincltively get frenzied with my air guitar solo when i happen to hear Free bird come on.    

 

How much of the Free has anyone held onto ?    

 

 

 

[RayWright]

1 hour ago, Mike Teavee said:

Hands up, at 1st blush I thought I didn't know any of them, but then remembered Robin Trower (Procol Harum ) for "Whiter shade of pale" - Awesome...  

 

The others, I'm sorry I don't know but will google/youtube them ????

 

Quick fact check. Robin Trower wasn't the guitarist on the recording of Whiter Shade of Pale (May '67). It was Ray Royer. Robin joined after the single had been released, replacing Royer when Gary Booker formed a touring band  to promote the various songs he had co-written.  

Trower and Booker were bandmates a couple of years earlier in The Paramounts.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

May not be as proficient as others but the two that come automatically to mind are Marc Bolan of TRex and Andy Scott of Sweet. Just like the feeling behind what they did or are doing. Saw Prince live a couple of times, once close up, and though the music is a bit less my cup of tea now he put some strong feeling into what he did. 

[Mike Teavee]

1 hour ago, Neeranam said:

Also, he played with Bowie

 

 

Another Legend (RIP David Bowie), I remember going into Check Inn at it's old location in Bangkok & the owner telling me the story (showing the pics) of Bowie coming in there & disappearing for 3 days with one of the girls (who I met on that night & would now be in her 60/70s), his manager was going ape <deleted> ???? 

 

Absolute legend...  

 

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, Mike Teavee said:

That's sacrilege & unfair as Hendrix used to play his guitar upside down.... Lets see Stevie Ray do that (Actually I would would have loved to see Stevie Ray play the guitar ????  )

 

 

 

incorrect. Hendrix strung a normal strat the left handed way, so played just as a right handed person would

[Mike Teavee]

5 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

May not be as proficient as others but the two that come automatically to mind are Marc Bolan of TRex and Andy Scott of Sweet. Just like the feeling behind what they did or are doing. Saw Prince live a couple of times, once close up, and though the music is a bit less my cup of tea now he put some strong feeling into what he did. 

As a birthday present my Ex-GF bought me tickets to go see the opening concert of "Somebody I would really like"... I was 100% convinced it would be Prince, turned out it was Michael Jackson (his "Bad: tour at Wembley) - Not my cup of tea but that guy could put on a show.... 

 

As an aside I was into "Soul" music at that time, saw Alexandra O'Neill at the GMex (Ironically it was my birthday present for her but we split up a couple of weeks before so took a mate), missed out on Luther Van Dross (Another act I would have loved to have seen) but had a few beers with Booker Newbury III (Love Town) & Kelly Marie (Feels like I'm in Love)... Kelly was by far the bigger/hardest of us ???? 

[Mutt Daeng]

Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Satriani, Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Robin Trower, Gary Moore, Alvin Lee, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Dave Gilmour, Eddie Van Halen, Derek Trucks, Steve Howe, Steve Vai, Hank Marvin (in no particular order). Too many to choose from.
 

[Mutt Daeng]

11 minutes ago, Mutt Daeng said:

Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Satriani, Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Robin Trower, Gary Moore, Alvin Lee, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Dave Gilmour, Eddie Van Halen, Derek Trucks, Steve Howe, Steve Vai, Hank Marvin (in no particular order). Too many to choose from.
 

+ Peter Green & Danny Kirwan - how did I miss them off my list?

[ballpoint]

Guthrie Govan.  He can do things that no one else can.

 

"Govan is known for his command of the guitar, due to both his technical ability and proficiency in various styles. A 2006 interview hailed him as the "virtuoso's virtuoso" and said of him, "Guthrie Govan is recognised by his peers as possibly the scariest guitarist alive. Combining an unparalleled technical ability with a mastery of almost all styles, Guthrie is comfortable comping in a traditional jazz combo as he is performing death-defying 'shred' guitar. Coupled with some seriously funky grooves and an encyclopaedic knowledge of popular music styles, a wonderfully developed slide style and improvisational abilities to match anyone, he may just be the most complete guitarist out there"."

Guthrie Govan - Wikipedia

 

 

[Mike Teavee]

1 hour ago, Soda Soda said:

Ian Paice is a drummer.

Richie Blackmore was in Deep Purple and Rainbow.

Ian Paice also used to like to ride a motorbike, as did my dad (which is how they knew each other) until the day I was born, dad came off his bike on his way to the hospital (February, lots of snow & I was 2 weeks late showing up) & he ended up as a patient in there with my mum, who made him sell his bikes... He hasn't ridden since... 

 

I know Richie was in Deep Purple which (in my head) linked me to the Rainbow song I quoted. 

[ballpoint]

 

[Mike Teavee]

5 minutes ago, ballpoint said:

Guthrie Govan.  He can do things that no one else can.

 

"Govan is known for his command of the guitar, due to both his technical ability and proficiency in various styles. A 2006 interview hailed him as the "virtuoso's virtuoso" and said of him, "Guthrie Govan is recognised by his peers as possibly the scariest guitarist alive. Combining an unparalleled technical ability with a mastery of almost all styles, Guthrie is comfortable comping in a traditional jazz combo as he is performing death-defying 'shred' guitar. Coupled with some seriously funky grooves and an encyclopaedic knowledge of popular music styles, a wonderfully developed slide style and improvisational abilities to match anyone, he may just be the most complete guitarist out there"."

Guthrie Govan - Wikipedia

 

 

Thanks... am reminded of this guy on Youtube who can hear any song 1 time & play it back perfectly

 

I'm sure it wasn't this guy but he does it on the drums... 

 

 

[yang123]

Grant Green, Freddie KIng, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy - to name but four.....

[Mutt Daeng]

2 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

Lol, when I read that I had this going through my head... 

 

 

Definitely one of my favourite songs.

[Mutt Daeng]

2 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

2 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Not many can do a Hendrix song better than Hendrix

 

Expand  

That's sacrilege & unfair as Hendrix used to play his guitar upside down.... Lets see Stevie Ray do that (Actually I would would have loved to see Stevie Ray play the guitar ????  )

The fact that one of his sound checks has 21M views on YT says it all....

 

[Mahseer]

 

[Mike Teavee]

4 minutes ago, Mahseer said:

 

Awesome, I think we normally associate great guitarists with Rock, but I love the "Steely" sound of the Blues guitar... 

 

My top 10 favourite lines from a song would have "1 Bourbon, 1 Scotch & 1 Bill" right up there... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RayWright]

34 minutes ago, Mutt Daeng said:

+ Peter Green & Danny Kirwan - how did I miss them off my list?

And Steve Hacket, who was influential to Eddie Van Halen, Brian May and Alex Lifeson among others.

[Jenson55]

1. Al Di Meola ( electric & acoustic playing )

2. Allan Holdsworth

3. Steve Vai

4. Mike Stern

5. Frank Gambale

There are many many more but those guys are the ones that I would listen to most. 

 

[NorthernRyland]

 

This guys pretty good. Proven professional over a long career with Symphony X.

 

 

[moogradod]

I could not resist and I have to enlarge my (short) list. There are too many to mention.

 

So the expanded list now:

 

Matteo Mancuso, Jon Gomm, Joshua Meader, Pierre Bensusan, Mike Dawes, Alan Holdsworth, Martin Tallstrom, John Petrucci (watch one of his best solos as the cover played by Dr. Viossi "Best of Times"), Pat Metheny, Larry Carlton, Shawn Lane, Robben Ford, Per Nilsson (watch his solo to "A sky full of painters")

 

I tried not to include too many mainstream proponents, OK, some are, but there is much to discover if you study the names on YouTube in more depth. I play guitar myself for more than 50 years. If you really like guitar it might not be very wrong to follow some of the recommendations. But of course everyones taste is different.

 

[rumak]

borrowed this comment from someone else :  All of us Allman Brothers fans have a,ways know what a great guitar player Mr Betts is. This song written for his daughter is absolutely beautiful.

 

seems like he is not mentioned yet.... but something nice about his sound i always liked .   he gets into the solo around the 4:35 mark

 

 

 

[frantick]

Love Whiter Shade of Pale. Get goosebumps everytime I hear it. BUT, it's an organ, no lead guitar and minimal background rhythm guitar. So why would that be listed here; oh I guess Eminem is here so let the thread detour begin. 

 

Joe Satriani for me, for his "love" songs (You're my World, Always with Me Always with You, Meaning of Love, Rubina, etc.), song writing (I like instrumental music growing up in school band classes), and just because he's a good guy. Oh, and Flying in a Blue Dream just for it's mastery of the Lydian mode. 

 

[2009]

John Frusciante

[Myran]

Marty Friedman is up there with the greatest. The solo for Tornado of Souls is simply too good.

 

 

[zzaa09]

George Harrison

Jeff Beck

Drake Levin

Ronnie Wood

Jimmy Page 

Eric Clapton 

Peter Green

Carlos Santana

Robby Krieger

......and of course, the magician, Jimmy Hendrix 

 

 

 

[actually, too many from this era to exclude that might be deserving]

[LaosLover]

Some great un-obvious choices here like Grant Green and Hank Marvin, but I have to go for myself with what I am actually likely to Youtube up these days. And genius's like Hendrix or Santana I have played absolutely to death.

 

These days, I like the country pickers: Jerry Reed, Vince Gill, Chet Atkins, James Burton (of the Elvis band), Pete Anderson (with Dwight Yoakum), Carl Perkins (with everyone). 

 

And of course, easily at the technical and innovation level of the above rock guitar gods, Willie Nelson, who plays everything from reggae to Django effortlessly.

 

Django deserves a mention too. His bio was among the best music bio's I ever read. John Fahey was another one who exploded the possibilities of the instrument.

 

 

[bobandyson]

16 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Wilko Johnson , of Dr. Feelgood , a real character , unfortunately one

of the few bands I did not see live , 

Saw him in a rock club in early '80's. Afterwards me and mates met him outside where a van was waiting to whisk him away somewhere But a mate stopped and asked him about his playing technique. While he was explaining the van driver twice shouted to him to hurry up but Wilko got annoyed and ignored him and kept explaining to me mate. A true gent he is.

 

The following week after watching a local band, Rory Gallagher turned up after his gig at the city polytechnic and jammed with the band some rock n roll numbers.

[bobandyson]

14 hours ago, yang123 said:

Grant Green, Freddie KIng, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy - to name but four.....

I remember in the '90s Buddy Guy played at the Hard Rock Cafe in Bangkok. For one number he plugged in an extended guitar lead and went walkabout around Siam Square. I only read about it a few days after I left Bangkok and went back to Nakhon Phanom. I would've loved to have been there had I known about it.