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Have we ranked guitarists?

GarnetPild

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Let's do a top five, or five-ish, guitar players. If you don't have Hendrix as #1, good luck backing up that opinion. I find it very interesting that 3 of my top 5 cannot read music(my top 3, in fact), and just play by ear and feel. Can't teach that kind of talent, just God given ability.

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So obviously I have Jimi Hendrix at the top. Greatest rock guitarist, bar none, and I could definitely make a good argument for him being the greatest at the blues as well. Such a shame he died so young, especially as a huge blues fan. I think he would have made alot more great blues music. Underrated singer too, imo.





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B.B. King. I am biased as a blues lover, plus my favorite musician, Buddy Guy, says BB is the GOAT. He sure plays it like no one else I've ever heard. Love how quiet he plays at times, then hits you with something loud & sharp out of nowhere. He really does make that thing sing.

One of my absolute all time favorite songs-




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SRV. Another one gone too soon. Always thought he sounded like a mix of Jimi & Albert King, but definitely had his own style too. Would loved to have seen him live, just an unreal guitar player.

Love from about 2:00-4:00, where Buddy Guy & Stevie are going back & forth-
 

shiv

John
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Flea isn't in the top ten IMO. Justin Chancellor from Tool and that skinny midget dude from Mudvayne are far better. Again, just my opinion.
You are probably right, I only recently became able to distinguish the bass from an entire song (at the age of 35 lol), and the RHCP was where it happened. I am mostly tone def and enjoyed songs from the cumulative product. I was just enlightened in this specific thread about how much of a role the bass plays in metal, but I am beginning to be able to distinguish the parts. Don't know if this is a unique phenomenon with me, or if some people are just like this
 

GarnetPild

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Heard a cool Hendrix story on a documentary I recently watched on him...the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival was kind of Jimi Hendrix's coming out party to America. He had gone to England and had great success there, and this was his first big show back in the states.

The Who at the time were about the biggest thing in rock & roll. Well, before the show backstage, Pete Townsend was arguing with Jimi Hendrix about who was going to follow who. Neither wanted to follow the other. Townsend finally put his foot down & said you are going on first, or we just won't play. Apparently Jimi stood up on a table, played some sick guitar lick, & said that's fine, but if you are following me, I'm pulling out all the stops.

What followed was one of the filthiest sets ever, ending in him lighting his guitar on fire, basically making love to it on the stage, and then smashing it to bits.



His set that day was-
Killing Floor (famous Howling Wolf blues tune)
Foxy Lady
Like a Rolling Stone (Dylan)
Rock Me Baby (BBKing)
Hey Joe (The Leaves)
Can You See Me
The Wind Cries Mary
Purple Haze
Wild Thing(Chip Taylor)

5 covers, and every one better than the original...definitely 4 of 5, at least.
 

USCbogey

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You are probably right, I only recently became able to distinguish the bass from an entire song (at the age of 35 lol), and the RHCP was where it happened. I am mostly tone def and enjoyed songs from the cumulative product. I was just enlightened in this specific thread about how much of a role the bass plays in metal, but I am beginning to be able to distinguish the parts. Don't know if this is a unique phenomenon with me, or if some people are just like this
Add les claypool to the top of the bass player list even though he’s a weird ass dude
 

Tuna Hawg

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Not the greatest but three of my favorites. Jerry Garcia, Warren Haynes, and Mikey Houser.

grateful-dead-1981-jerry-playing-tiger.jpg


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USCbogey

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Not the greatest but three of my favorites. Jerry Garcia, Warren Haynes, and Mikey Houser.

grateful-dead-1981-jerry-playing-tiger.jpg


HyGgwxZe4hJ9eWVwZjKDt6.jpg


image519gx-300x.jpg

Jerry was very under rated as a guitarist but he was fantastic going back to the old and in the way days with Tony Rice (another badass). It’s hard to rank guitarists unless you do it by genre. So many of those bluegrass guys are faster and more precise than the rock guys but the distortion/effects can cover a lot more of the sound if that makes sense. If you haven’t seen him play Billy Strings comes to mind for bluegrass guys....dude is rediculous

 
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