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Topic: Best well known guitar player |
Darrell Criswell
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 4 Feb 2023 10:27 am |
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I have a friend I talk to about music. He has an incredible knowledge about guitars and music, he was a professional bass player, he claims his 6 string guitar talent is (I can make any of them sound bad"). He also has an extensive collection of guitars, some rare.
I asked who his favorite guitar players were and he talked about some of the older guys but said he thought the top 2 for him were Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. He said I should read about Young's guitar playing, he said he is very creative and inventive. However he said he considers Springsteen the best although most people don't know he is an accomplished guitarist. As for other guitarists, he said he finds Chet Atkins playing boring and mechanical. He said technically he is fabulous and he can play anything including rock but his playing is just not interesting, Merle Travis he has a lot more admiration for. He said Eric Clapton although recognized for his guitar skills is just not interesting to listen to. He said he has seen Springsteen play 10 times and he is the best performer you have ever seen, although he did not disagree with me when I said Springsteen is a terrible vocalist.
I would appreciate other thoughts on this. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Jim Fogle
From:
North Carolina, Winston-Salem, USA
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Posted 5 Feb 2023 2:22 pm
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The "best" guitarist is likely unknown but playing or practicing for hours at a time every day just for the love of the instrument. The answer is subjective and somewhat based on what qualifiers are used as well as the age and experience of the judge.
Stephen Stills, Doc Watson, Mark Knopfler, Junior Brown, Larry Carlton are all accomplished masters of their instrument. All are innovative. But I can't say one is better than the other.
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J Fletcher
From:
London,Ont,Canada
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Posted 6 Feb 2023 5:00 am
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Hmmm , let's see :
Johnny Smith , Tony Rice , James Burton . Going to go out on a limb here and say those three are better guitar players than Bruce Springsteen . |
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Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
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Posted 6 Feb 2023 5:29 am
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| J Fletcher wrote: |
Hmmm , let's see : James Burton
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PLq0_7k1jk
Yes, he's more fluent IMHO.
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Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
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Roddy Ring
From:
Alexandria, Virginia, USA
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Posted 6 Feb 2023 9:27 am
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| I suspect that Bruce might well concede that he is not even the Boss of the six string within his own band. |
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scott murray
From:
Asheville, NC
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Posted 8 Feb 2023 10:50 am
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I don't think I've ever heard anyone declare Neil Young the best guitarist, although he is very influential and unique. I've certainly never heard Bruce Springsteen called the best.
it's hard to define "best" and rather futile to even try but most guitarists would have a pretty long list and Neil or Bruce would not turn up on at least 99% of them.
I could easily name 50 guitarists off the top of my head but I'm not gonna open the can of worms in my head 
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1965 Emmons S-10, 3x5 • Emmons LLIII D-10, 10x12 • JCH D-10, 10x12 • Beard MA-8 • Oahu Tonemaster |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 8 Feb 2023 10:57 am
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| Many of the so-called "best guitarist" lists I've seen that are published online and in the mass media list Kurt Cobain in the top ten. I've nothing against Cobain, but ??? |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 8 Feb 2023 4:36 pm
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"Best" can refer to how thoroughly they've mastered the instrument, or how much money they've made from playing it. Two different leagues with no end-of-season playoff.
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Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Brooks Montgomery
From:
Idaho, USA
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Posted 8 Feb 2023 7:34 pm
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| Jack Hanson wrote: |
| Many of the so-called "best guitarist" lists I've seen that are published online and in the mass media list Kurt Cobain in the top ten. I've nothing against Cobain, but ??? |
Cobain was so good he played it backwards. 
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 8 Feb 2023 8:35 pm
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Define "best". You need an unambiguous metric to rank-order anything. And even with that, there is no "best" because any rational metric must necessarily include subjective, taste-dependent factors. This is art, not football. And even with football, there is great difficulty comparing players of different eras,
There is "a favorite" or a short list of "eternal favorites" for some people. Not me. I couldn't possibly say who is "my favorite" - my list of 'great' players is very long. And my list of "favorite greats" may well change from day to day, week to week, month to month, year to year, or decade to decade. My bet is that there are players who will ultimately boggle my mind that are in diapers now - if I live that long. 
This is also absolutely style-dependent and era-dependent. The things that make a great player in one style may well be the absolute opposite of what makes a great player in another. There are great players in pretty much every genre and every musical era.
The part that really gets me about this is how vociferous some (obviously not all) people can get about stubbornly proclaiming stuff like, "This player is great.", "This player sucks.", "This player is boring", or "This player is better than that player." Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah.
I think you probably get my point by now.  |
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J Fletcher
From:
London,Ont,Canada
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Posted 10 Feb 2023 5:41 am
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Well, Barney Kessel did have this to say about Johnny Smith .
"As far as I'm concerned, no one in the world plays the guitar better than he. They might play it differently, but nobody plays better. Johnny could easily overplay because he's got chops unlimited, but his musical taste would not allow him to make an overstatement. As a result, he makes beautiful music."
- Barney Kessell, Jazz guitarist
Just sayin' |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 11 Feb 2023 3:46 pm
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Montana or Brady. Blah blah blah.
What can be said about Springsteen is he is without a doubt a great composer, arranger, and performer of rock n roll music, up there with Lennon/McCartney, Jagger/Richards, etc., and his guitar playing and voice fit into those compositions and arrangements perfectly. But no, he is not one of the great “well known” guitarists of his era. Interesting, yes.
To the point others have made, however…Eddie Van Halen may have played the solo on Prove It All Night differently, but would it have been “better” than what the Boss played?
Neil Young…same thing to an extent, with his early Springalo and solo material. His guitar playing always suited the song very well, and I believe he did most of the arranging of songs that he wrote. Having those compositional skills does tend to add something to a guitarist’s styling when they take a solo. Also, when you noodle on for 8 minutes over the same 3 chords with your amp turned up to 11, you’re bound to hit on a cool lick or two.
I just saw an interview of David Crosby, and when he was talking about the other guys in CSN debating why they needed Neil Young in the group, he said “Listen to those songs, that voice, and that guitar. I would have wanted him even if there were 25 people already in the band.” There is something in that guitar playing. It ain’t Johnny Smith or Herb Ellis, but it is highly flammable.
I purposefully am not adding any names to this shiteshow, just commenting on the OP.
Last edited by Fred Treece on 12 Feb 2023 10:25 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Pete Bailey
From:
Seattle, WA
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Posted 12 Feb 2023 7:32 am
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| A lot of top-level guitarists answer this question with "Joe Walsh". No matter how technically accomplished a player might be, there's always a little "extra" that elevates the masters from the ranks of the greats. You either have or you don't. Joe's got that something special in spades and more than a few pros recognize it. |
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Glenn Suchan
From:
Austin, Texas
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G Strout
From:
Carabelle, Florida
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Posted 12 Feb 2023 8:19 pm
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Joe Pass has always been my favorite. Simply the best. Nothing against any mentioned here.
And yes Glenn, Hank Garland was a mother...
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Melbert 8, Remington S8, Silk 6 string, Rick B6, Tremblay 6 lap steel, Marlen S-10 4&4, Prestige Guild M75 and Artist Award, Benedetto Bravo, Epiphone Century Electar (the real one) and a bunch of old lap steels.... mostly Ricks and Magnatones' |
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Norman Evans
From:
Tennessee
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Posted 24 Feb 2023 9:49 am
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| Roy Clark, one of the best. |
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Jim Fogle
From:
North Carolina, Winston-Salem, USA
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 4 Mar 2023 4:34 pm Re: Best well known guitar player
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| Darrell Criswell wrote: |
I have a friend I talk to about music. He has an incredible knowledge about guitars and music, he was a professional bass player, he claims his 6 string guitar talent is (I can make any of them sound bad"). He also has an extensive collection of guitars, some rare.
I asked who his favorite guitar players were and he talked about some of the older guys but said he thought the top 2 for him were Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. He said I should read about Young's guitar playing, he said he is very creative and inventive. However he said he considers Springsteen the best although most people don't know he is an accomplished guitarist. As for other guitarists, he said he finds Chet Atkins playing boring and mechanical. He said technically he is fabulous and he can play anything including rock but his playing is just not interesting, Merle Travis he has a lot more admiration for. He said Eric Clapton although recognized for his guitar skills is just not interesting to listen to. He said he has seen Springsteen play 10 times and he is the best performer you have ever seen, although he did not disagree with me when I said Springsteen is a terrible vocalist.
I would appreciate other thoughts on this. |
I’m just glad he’s your friend.  |
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Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
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Posted 5 Mar 2023 3:21 am
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| Quote: |
I’m just glad he’s your friend. Neutral |
_________________
Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
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John Larson
From:
Pennsyltucky, USA
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Posted 5 Mar 2023 5:46 am
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There is no "best" because music isn't a competition. There are simply those that are more influential than others.
But I like your friend. The Boss doesn't get enough credit. He can tear it up when he wants to.
https://youtu.be/dMLIig1lR1g
_________________
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; praise is meet for the upright. Give praise to the Lord with the harp, chant unto Him with the ten-stringed psaltery. Sing unto Him a new song, chant well unto Him with jubilation. For the word of the Lord is true, and all His works are in faithfulness. The Lord loveth mercy and judgement; the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.
- Psalm 33:1-5 |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 6 Mar 2023 1:16 pm
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| John Larson wrote: |
| There is no "best" because music isn't a competition. |
Opinions may vary, but I see everything in life as a competition, of sorts. And you can’t really evaluate anything without making some comparisons. The problem with an art form is that there are so many factors that should be considered in order to make a reasonable evaluation, and not all of them can be objective. Among these are overall knowledge, technique, sheer ability, style, originality, imagination, creativity, breadth (how much of what is known that is actually employed), personality (which is often termed “showmanship), taste, and probably a few other overall factors like success and earnings.
Food for thought, anyway .  |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 6 Mar 2023 3:33 pm
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The key phrase in the OP is “well-known guitarist”. The term ”best” is secondary. Most people don’t know what a great guitarist Glen Campbell was, but he was certainly well known and is certainly a great guitarist. Same with Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Santana, EVH, SRV, Garcia, Page, Zappa, Knopfler, the aforementioned Hendrix and Walsh. Some people think Willie Nelson is a great guitar player, or Tom Morello, or George Benson. They are all well known. That Segovia guy was pretty famous. But who knows who who Herb Ellis was? Or Tal Farlow? Or even Pat Matheny or Larry Carlton? Jazz connoissuers. Sorry, they are not well known. Country greats like Albert Lee and James Burton, Brent Mason, Scotty Anderson - they’re all fantastic players, but they are unknown to the public at large. John Williams, Christopher Parkening, Elliot Fisk, - the list of great classical guitarists is endless for all 35 fans of classical guitar.
So, the choices of Springsteen and Young are not so crazy in that context. But instead of using the word “best” as the qualifier, maybe “favorite” would be the more appropriately subjective term. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 6 Mar 2023 6:59 pm
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You're right, Fred. A "favorite" might not be the bestin different styles, and "well-known" is rather subjective. Well known...by whom? A lotta kids under 15 have no idea who The Beatles were! (But they've heard of Snoop Dog.)
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 6 Mar 2023 7:26 pm
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| Quote: |
| The key phrase in the OP is “well-known guitarist”. |
I defy you to even define "well-known guitarist" objectively. Well-known to whom? Who the hell cares? This is all nonsense, IMHO.
"Music" is not a competition. I state that pretty much categorically. The "Music Business" is definitely a competition. There's a big difference. Again, IMHO.
Music is about expressing emotions - connecting with people at some level. Some singers, musicians, producers, whatever, manage to connect to some people. Nobody connects with everybody. Some connect to more, some connect with less. It all comes down to personal taste and preferences. There is obviously a significant element of skill, but that doesn't necessarily define "success".
This is the kind of discussion I'd expect in Tiger Beat. "Who's the best guitarist ever - Slash or C.C. DeVille?"  |
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. The most well known and almost universally lauded as the greatest.