KVR Audio Forum

pdxindy · Post by **pdxindy** » Wed Nov 25, 2020 9:04 am

Pete Cosey - Agharta

glokraw · Post by **glokraw** » Wed Nov 25, 2020 4:35 pm

Maybe not best (i wouldn't have a clue) but Lari Basilio
seems to enjoy playing as much or more than anyone
I've seen on youtube. I love her mix of runs and strums
and pluks, all very musical, and using many different
guitars, maybe some vids are product demos loosely veiled... Happy Thanksgiving, whether the meal features wings, pizza, fish & chips, seafood chowder, a curry, burritos, kimchi, roast beef, pulled pork, sea lion blubber, or maine Lobster...
...maybe leave a little room for a slice of pie,
or local favorites

donkey tugger · Post by **donkey tugger** » Wed Nov 25, 2020 4:42 pm

Going up to 11, but f**k it, this is rock and f**king roll...

James Williamson, stupendous don't give a toss attitude and a huge noise. Bloody marvellous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nRJFsdUvqA

Googly Smythe · Post by **Googly Smythe** » Wed Nov 25, 2020 6:03 pm

Have we mentioned them all, yet?
Some wimmin:
Sam Fish
Erja Lyytinen
Joanne Shaw Taylor
Chantel McGregor

Googly Smythe · Post by **Googly Smythe** » Wed Nov 25, 2020 6:07 pm

Robin Hendrix - I mean Trower.
https://youtu.be/0tLsFsGxLmE

rp314 · Post by **rp314** » Thu Nov 26, 2020 2:04 pm

Limiting it to 10 pretty much results in everyone having a different list. And you'll no doubt get different lists from the various generations of guitarists participating in this kind of thread.

If we were to, say, make it the top 50, although maybe less fun, I think you would get more of a consensus. For example, any jazz guitarist might consider it absurd to include Wes Montgomery, Jim Hall or Joe Pass without mention of Charlie Christian who no doubt influenced that whole generation of guitarists. Hall might also insist on putting Freddie Green on the list given the influence he had on everyone playing rhythm guitar, and not just in the jazz genre.

And some folks get on any serious list because of the great guitarists they influenced. Besides the obvious like Hendrix, there's folks like B.B. King, for example. Some might want Van Halen in there for precisely that reason and there's no denying that he had a real impact on many from that era and after.

But then there's also those who are just great guitarists, Alan Holdsworth for example. The ones the greats all tend to admire even if they're not as imitated for whatever reasons.

So, we all get a personal list which might say more about us than about who really belongs on it but that's how these things go.

tapper mike · Post by **tapper mike** » Fri Nov 27, 2020 8:25 am

Freddie Green imho was not that great compared to others of his era. He was just more widely recognized. And singers loved him because he was... Rock Steady. With Freddie you always knew where the beat was and what the chord was. If you are new to the world of Jazz guitar and especially if you are in say... A high school jazz band the teacher will basically lay it down for you KISS (Keep it simple stupid)

If you listen to Eddie Lang.... Lang was a lot busier with his chord work. He also used to use passing chords inversions and would even slam out some serious chord melody work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhcrRuTsPFI

Carl Kress was also a serious player before the advent of the electric guitar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJD-jdU6DTw

They are less recognized because they weren't in bigger name bands and didn't play the electric guitar.

Charlie Christian also has that being the guy in a big band name playing electric guitar (not the first but the most recognizable) Though I do give him credit for those who discovered him later (Like George Benson) Earlier electric jazz guitar players focused more on Charlie Parker (Joe Pass) and Duke Ellington (Kenny Burrell) Barney Kessel developed his own strategies You can see it in his videos. It was less about coping licks (though he did borrow from horn players harmony sensibilities and more about creating melodies on the fly.) Yes CC had some very identifiable licks in the swing band era. "Seven come eleven" and "Air Mail Special" come to mind.

kovacs · Post by **kovacs** » Fri Nov 27, 2020 1:02 pm

Cool topic.

My faves (with some that have already been mentioned numerous times taken out)

Jennifer Batten
Jeff Beck
John Scofield
Lee Ritenour
Joe Satriani
Steve Vai
Vernon Reid
Stevie Stevens (Top Gun Anthem!!!!)
Andy Summers
Allan Holdsworth

tapper mike · Post by **tapper mike** » Fri Nov 27, 2020 2:02 pm

glokraw wrote: ↑
Wed Nov 25, 2020 4:35 pm
Maybe not best (i wouldn't have a clue) but Lari Basilio
seems to enjoy playing as much or more than anyone

I think she's great. There are a lot of great younger players and most notably young women who are really on their game.

GruvSyco · Post by **GruvSyco** » Fri Nov 27, 2020 6:54 pm

Brian Setzer - He makes intelligent playing sound cool.
Larry LaLonde (Primus) - He makes magic happen in the little space given to him in his band
Todd Huth (Primus) - He wrote most of the early Primus guitar parts and was a master at filling air with noise (solo).
Adrian Utley (Portishead) - His playing says a lot while not saying much at all. Very textural.
Jeff Beck - Not just because of what he's done but what he continues to do.
Buckethead - At a time when everyone was trying to sound like Paul Gilbert, he made everyone think he was Paul Gilbert not sounding like Paul Gilbert. Plus his hands look ridiculously mechanical when he plays. He may be a robot.
Prince - His name is Prince and he is funky... and literally everything else. I thought his cloud guitar tone was ass though.
Thurston and Lee (Sonic Youth) - because playing out of tune and making a lot of noise is pure fun. "I'm tuned to open I don't give f*** and playing in the key of feedback."

revvy · Post by **revvy** » Fri Nov 27, 2020 10:42 pm

+ 1 on Sonic Yoot guitarists.

I'm partial to a bit of Black Francis too.

vurt · Post by **vurt** » Sat Nov 28, 2020 7:19 am

ill add j mascis to those

ariston · Post by **ariston** » Sat Nov 28, 2020 8:38 am

Top 10 is a pretty dumb concept anyway... music isn't a sport. So here's more:

There's not enough women on this list, so here's a shout out for Anna Calvi and St.Vincent. Innovative, cool. Zero flash, all substance. Poison Ivy was mentioned, but bears repeating. Kaki King is out of this world, but she mainly plays acoustic, I think.

GruvSyco - good list! Not many guitarists could squeeze themselves between Claypools thick bass strings as adroitly as Ler. And Black Francis is a rhythm monster.

Can't believe I forgot Marc Ribot! Sheesh!

bharris22 · Post by **bharris22** » Sat Nov 28, 2020 8:52 am

If we're going to add j mascis, I would like to add Bob Mould to my list

.

donkey tugger · Post by **donkey tugger** » Sat Nov 28, 2020 8:58 am

One more...

Daniel Ash from Bauhaus. Always lumped in with the goths who came after them, but they were much, much more adventurous than the lumpen punks-with-black-hair-dye who followed. Some truly weird guitar using loads of effects and incorporating elements of funk and dub. Underrated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RPAofFCxds

Who in your opinion are the top 10 rated Electric guitar players of all time in order of greatness?