Who is your favourite guitarist, and why?

1. 82

   Wesman Todd Shawposted 12 years ago

   Who is your favourite guitarist, and why?
   
   
   
   Also, if you have a favourite song by your favourite guitarist, then I want to know what it is.
   
   Please don't list singers who happen to pose with guitars on stage - just real guitarist, the guy's who don't have to sing, but singers that play well are welcome too, of course.

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2. 69

   QualityContentposted 12 years ago

   Jimi Hendrix. I am still amazed by his playing, no one has come close. Stevie Ray Vaughan is another, he was a complete monster on the Stratocaster.

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   1. 82

      Wesman Todd Shawposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      For some weird reasons...I just never liked Stevie until after he'd died.  I wasn't into that twangy blues sound.  I know now how good he was though!

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3. 86

   Lorne Hemmerlingposted 12 years ago

   Jeff Beck has long been my favourite rock guitarist. My favourite song....hard to pick one. I would have to say 'Where Were You'. Amazing control on the whammy bar. I thought this was a keyboard when I first heard it. When I realized it was Beck, I thought 'what the hell is he doing'. Man's a genius!!

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   1. 82

      Wesman Todd Shawposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I really loved Jeff Beck's jazz fusion stage...when he did the instrumental albums like "Blow By Blow," and "Wired!"

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   2. 76

      alancaster149posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Jeff Beck is largely under-rated, technically gifted as he is. As a former band-mate of Clapton's when they were with John Mayall, he was eclipsed by him. We remember him best here for 'Hi ho Silver Lining', about the only piece he did with lyrics.

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4. 80

   dmopposted 12 years ago

   I think my favorite guitarist would have to be Kirk Hammett, and my favorite song from him is probably Fade to Black. Its a difficult choice to make, and oddly I don't really even listen to Metallica much any more, but I just love the feeling Kirk puts into all of his playing, especially his leads. I mostly listen to country now, but I still love Metallica.

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5. 73

   Joyus Crynoidposted 12 years ago

   There are so many awesome guitarists, in so many different styles, that I am hard pressed to pick a favorite.  But I suppose if I had to pick one I would pick Stevie Ray Vaughan, because his playing moves me like no other.  He's got so much SOUL.  His work on Texas Flood is out of this world--the version on the Live at the El Mocambo DVD is beyond description, as good as it gets. It gives me chills every time.

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   1. 82

      Wesman Todd Shawposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I've been to his grave....didn't feel worthy to be there!

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6. 65

   Budman610posted 12 years ago

   My favorite guitarist is definitely not a poser.  He is the One and only Buddy Guy! Where to start with why? Let's start with his historical place in the blues. He recorded with Junior Wells, and on stacks of Chess vinyl and served as a sideman for Howlin Wolf, and Muddy Waters.  He learned from the masters. More importantly he gave back!
   
   Buddy was a huge influence on Hendrix (listen to Voodoo Child), Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray and Clapton. Clapton was the bridge between Buddy and another one of my favorites Edward Van Halen. Most people don't know Eddie was heavily influenced by Clapton. Buddy is still giving, he has taken a boy named Quinn Sullivan under his wing and is grooming him to carry on the blues tradition.  If you haven't you need to see this kid and play guitar, you need to catch him live!
   
   Buddy is Buddy.  You won't find another performer like him. He has cut heads with the best. His sound and style is instantly recognizable.  He can make his polka dot Strat sing, talk, throw out stinging blues licks, or control a crowd with volume and dynamics! Buddy is a great showman and can still bend the strings like no other. Plus don't forget Buddy can sing.
   
   What is my favorite song? Pick almost anything from "Sweet Tea! I love the way Buddy worked over Junior Kimbrough's catalog. Junior was a great bluesman in his own right. I have also always liked "Five Long Years" from "Damn Right I Got the Blues". Bottom line, if you want the "Real Deal", Buddy is your man!

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   1. 82

      Wesman Todd Shawposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I read about his son finding out that his hero, Hendrix, had told him he'd stole some of the licks he played from Buddy.  The son hadn't realized how good his dad was.

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7. 0

   Deb Welchposted 12 years ago

   My favorite by far is EC - Eric Clapton - The Guitar God.  No one comes close to him - his guitars talk - have you ever listened?

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8. 80

   onthegrindposted 12 years ago

   I have to go with Jimi Hendrix.  He was an amazing guitarist.  Overall, I am a fan more of his music than other prominent guitarists.  There are a number of other great guitarists, but not all of them made great music.  It's all a matter of opinion, but Jimi is my favorite.

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   1. 82

      Wesman Todd Shawposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      He was very wild as a guitarist.  I wonder how much being left handed played into how different his style was.

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9. 57

   sergs_pogiposted 12 years ago

   I have lots of favorite guitarists. The following will be as much as I remember:
   
   1. Richard Marx. My most favorite song I play when I'm down is his "Now and Forever." I really love his powerful voice and his passionate way of singing.
   
   2. Harem Scarem. I'm not sure if he was the one who played the guitar rhythm in "Honestly" and "Something To Say."
   
   3. Marc Velasco. He is a Filipino songwriter and acoustic guitarist. I really love his song "Ordinary Song." I used to sing this song while playing the guitar as well to dedicate it to a girl. He has lots of acoustic songs, such as "Soulmates."
   
   4. Noel Cabangon. He is also a Filipino songwriter and acoustic guitarist. The one song I really love is "Kanlungan."

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10. 70

    Theeyeballkidposted 12 years ago

    I have a lot of guitarists that I love, most of them arent technically the best but they have a unique sound that fits well with thier music. Just because you can play 20 notes in 2 seconds doesnt mean you should.
    
    One guy who completely floored me when I saw him playing live was Vincent Nguini (Paul Simon's long time guitarist). He is a very unflashy guitarist but is just constantly throwing down fills and mixing up all kinds of styles - Cajun, Blues, African township music.
    
    My other favourite guitarists would be - Marc Ribot, Joey Santiago (Pixies), Neil Young, Howe Gelb, Jimmy Page. Johnny Cash also - his style was so simple but so uniquely his own.

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11. 0

    Longhunterposted 12 years ago

    I'm gonna go old school here. The others mentioned here are greats but I've always like Chet Atkins. It sounds like 2 or 3 guitars are playing rather than just one when he plays.

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12. 85

    billybucposted 12 years ago

    Clapton of course, but maybe I'm prejudiced. I worked backstage at the Fillmore West during college and handed him his guitar when he was with Cream....he said "thanks, dude," to me, so obviously he would be number one on my list.

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    1. 82

       Wesman Todd Shawposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       That's so damned cool.

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13. 0

    Curiadposted 12 years ago

    Carlos Santana without a doubt along with Dave Matthews!

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14. 86

    Jon Greenposted 12 years ago

    Django Reinhardt - especially Nuages and Manoir De Mes Reves. He's still the favourite guitarist of many other greats, such as Jeff Beck, Les Paul, Chet Atkins - and was the original guitar virtuoso in the 1930s. He couldn't read or write but still became one of the greats of the 20th century.

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    1. 82

       Wesman Todd Shawposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Django was just scary.  Hard to comprehend how he could play like that.

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15. 84

    bethperryposted 12 years ago

    I have a few faves, but Hendrix tops them all. He was GOD before Clapton.

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16. 82

    Wesman Todd Shawposted 12 years ago

    Thank You ALL for your comments!
    
    I asked this question for a reason, and from your comments I then narrowed down the focus to a specific decade and model of instrument.
    
    The "special mention/conclusion" section also includes guitarist that fell outside of my time specific parameters.
    
    You can see the fruits/results of data acquired via the Hubpages Q and A here:
    
    
    http://wesmantoddshaw.hubpages.com/hub/ … From-1970s

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17. 59

    swb64posted 12 years ago

    Phew, Jimmy Page very close with Jimi Hendrix! Page on extended version of White Summer breaking into Kashmir live on the 1977 Destroyer tour is amazing, Hendrix is the Woodstock whole Star Spangled Banner bit breaking into Purple Haze and then the jam after is superb. If any of you check my hubs do have a look at the guitarist hands hub and see how many you correctly guess, and the singers hairstyles too!!!

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18. 0

    DoItForHerposted 12 years ago

    Tough one. Chet Atkins makes it look soooo easy. He is fun to watch.
    
    Roy Clark is pretty amazing. Maybe not quite as good as Chet, but he likes to throw in his trademark humor, which makes his performances that much more enjoyable.
    
    Santana had some live performances that were simply amazing- gotta give it up for him.
    
    But I'm a hard rocker and give my vote to Dave Mustaine of Megadeth and Metallica; this dude can play like no other! His talent surprises me; too bad his drug use sometimes surpasses that talent.

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19. 94

    jimmarposted 12 years ago

    duh! Eric Clapton....she don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie....

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20. 76

    alancaster149posted 12 years ago

    I have to say Keith Richards. He has a very broad range of styles from the melancholic, as in 'Moonlight Mile' or 'Angie', the entertaining, as in 'Little Red Rooster' and the downright rocking 'Tumbling Dice' and 'Star Star'. His ego doesn't get in the way of his playing; it's the 'Rolling Stones' with him, the band. Some of the greats - including Clapton and Hendrix - are 'stars' as much as if not more than guitar heroes.

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    1. 82

       Wesman Todd Shawposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I'm told Keith has some mysterious tunings...he doesn't let folks near his guitars...because he doesn't want people to know how he's got the strings tuned!.

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    2. 76

       alancaster149posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Seen the dvd 'Stones in Exile' made about the creation of the 'Exile on Main Street' album? It's a real eye-opener on production in the south of France in the early-70's. See recent  interviews with various personnel as 'extras', including Keith.

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21. 59

    networmedposted 12 years ago

    I'm so much younger than Eric Clapton, but he is my favorite guitarist and Jimi Hendrix, of course. Sorry, I have to list 2

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22. 89

    giocatoreposted 12 years ago

    This week's answer: Leo Kottke for acoustic (Eight Miles High is a favorite) and Robert Fripp for electric (lots of good songs by Robert Fripp String Quintet, and love all his crunching stuff with various versions of King Crimson). Fripp also does amazing soundscapes utilizing digital delay units.

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    1. 82

       Wesman Todd Shawposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I don't know Mr. Fripp very well, but I've seen Kottke in concert years ago.  Besides being an amazing guitarist, Leo is also a masterful performer who does terrific storytelling and comedy

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23. 60

    mashengkyposted 12 years ago

    Steve Vai, he is the most entertaining guitarist of the world today. I also love his attitude. My favorite song of Steve Vai is Tender Surrender.

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24. 60

    KF Raizorposted 12 years ago

    I picked up a guitar because of Chet Atkins.  His styling was fabulous.  However, my all-time favorite guitarist is Chet's idol, Merle Travis.  (Quick aside here:  Chet's daughter Merle was NOT named for Merle Travis, she was named after her maternal grandmother.)  Travis was a showman (watch videos of him and Johnny Bond on "Town Hall Party" to see what I mean) but above that he was a sheer genius on guitar.  He was also a very gifted songwriter (he wrote Tennessee Ernie Ford's signature hit, "Sixteen Tons") and singer.  When people in country music say Chet influenced them they're pointing to Travis, because Travis influenced Chet.  They even call that style of thumb-picking "Travis style."
    
    I couldn't answer this question without also mentioning Django (especially since I'm wearing a Django t-shirt as I write this! LOL).  He was the first guitar superstar.  He did things with two fingers that most people couldn't do if they had twenty two!

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    1. 82

       Wesman Todd Shawposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       I've about decided the question is unanswerable.  I can't select a "best answer" here either, I don't guess.

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25. 80

    Alexander Markposted 12 years ago

    I don't care for Clapton or Hendrix, I'm more of a folk, bluegrass, spanish guitar lover. The first one that comes to mind is Jan Davis out of Burbank. You can listen to one of my favorites on youtube, Gypsy from Andalusia: http://youtu.be/PtJW5TnnVkE .
    
    In my opinion he has a real smooth style, there's something about the way he plays that carries me away.

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    1. 82

       Wesman Todd Shawposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I'm right there with you...except I do like to listen to some of the old heavy blues rock.  I just prefer acoustic guitar music.

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26. 69

    rLcasaLmeposted 12 years ago

    Well, seems like everyone has already mentioned some of the best artists. Can I just add "Gary Moore" in the list? I love listening to his blues style.

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27. 68

    Nare Anthonyposted 12 years ago

    Jack Shimabukuro! He is crazily awesome!!!

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28. 84

    Denise Handlonposted 12 years ago

    S.T.V.-I love the blues and although he is no longer here, he played a mean guitar.  I could listen to his work forever and actually played him while I was training for my first 5k.  Wrote a hub about it actually...Training for the 5 K with Stevie Ray...

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29. 82

    vox vocisposted 12 years ago

    My # 1: Joe Satriani. It's difficult to say which of his songs I love best, but let's say "Always With Me Always With You" or "Echo" or "Circles."
    
    #2: Steve Vai (I especially like "For the Love of God")
    
    #3:  Vlatko Stefanovski (Macedonian jazz fusion guitar player; you'll find an article on Wikipedia about him and his work. I like his "Kalajdzisko oro" (check Youtube)).
    
    I also admire John Petrucci, Steve Ray Vaughan, and Eddie Van Halen.
    
    Wesman, you thought of a great question! I'm glad to see there are so many different answers (I'll check out all these favorite guitar players on the list, too )

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    1. 82

       Wesman Todd Shawposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I got to go see Joe way back in the day when he was touring "Surfing With The Alien."

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30. 60

    enjoymentofsoundposted 12 years ago

    I have so many guitarists I love and admire, I can't just have one favorite. I'll give you my top 5 though.
    
    1 & 2: Kaoru and Die from Dir en grey. They are really creative with guitar riffs. I don't know much about guitars but they have used 7-stringed guitars multiple times and even dropped the tuning for some of their songs. Check out their song called VANITAS.
    3 & 4: hide and Pata from X JAPAN. Those two will make your jaw drop when you see them play. When they play, they are so synchronized, it's amazing - especially during their twin guitar solos. The sad thing is, hide passed away in 1998. Song by X: Weekend (check out the live version from 1997 - The Last Live)
    And last but not least, 5: Takasaki Akira from LOUDNESS. My fave song by them is called Pharaoh. Love his guitar there. Check it out when you have the time

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31. 60

    RMfreelancewriterposted 12 years ago

    I have more than just one favorite guitarist. They play different types of music. It all depends on my mood at the time I listen.
    
    I enjoy music from Bach to Byrd, so it is what I want to listen to at a particular time.

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32. 84

    tsmogposted 12 years ago

    A real tough question. I don't think I can come up with one. I will have to go with three for now. Billy Gibbons, Frank Zappa, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and I lied, Robin Trower and David Gilmour. Those are off the top of my head. Probably influenced by the net station I am listening to about now.

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33. 68

    singleapleposted 12 years ago

    I aspire to play like tommy emanuel -
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNZL7Gkq … re=related

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34. 60

    Shawn May Scottposted 12 years ago

    Lindsay Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac. He is simple easy to follow and yet can be as complicated as Bach.

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