Notes_Norton Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 As I said, and Navy Vet agreed, there is no best, your best is a matter of taste. I can't even figure out who my favorite guitarist it. After seeing "Live At Ronnie Scotts" I figure Jeff Beck is the most technically advanced rock guitarist I've seen, but although I'd rank him among my favorites, he wouldn't be all time #1. Terry Kath, Carlos Santana, Kenny Burrell, Luis Bonfa, Joe Perry, James Taylor, Herb Ellis, Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Smith, Emily Remler, Tommy Tedesco, Slash, Joe Pass, Johnny Winter (especially on resonator), Jim Hall, Joe Walsh, oh, I could go on and on and on. Best? Bob "Notes" Norton. Why? Although there are probably millions better than him, his sax, guitar, wind synth, and vocals paid off the mortgage, puts food on the table, puts gas in the car, and pays for my vacations. It's a matter of taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Vet. Posted August 5, 2019 Author Share Posted August 5, 2019 5 minutes ago, Notes_Norton said: As I said, and Navy Vet agreed, there is no best, your best is a matter of taste. I can't even figure out who my favorite guitarist it. After seeing "Live At Ronnie Scotts" I figure Jeff Beck is the most technically advanced rock guitarist I've seen, but although I'd rank him among my favorites, he wouldn't be all time #1. Terry Kath, Carlos Santana, Kenny Burrell, Luis Bonfa, Joe Perry, James Taylor, Herb Ellis, Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Smith, Emily Remler, Tommy Tedesco, Slash, Joe Pass, Johnny Winter (especially on resonator), Jim Hall, Joe Walsh, oh, I could go on and on and on. Best? Bob "Notes" Norton. Why? Although there are probably millions better than him, his sax, guitar, wind synth, and vocals paid off the mortgage, puts food on the table, puts gas in the car, and pays for my vacations. It's a matter of taste. No doubt about the technical skills of Jeff Beck. Throw Steve Howe in there too. Now about my man Keith Richards, he is probably one of the most flawed technique wise I have ever seen. But It doesn't matter because the sound that comes out of his amp is priceless. It's pure gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 22 hours ago, Navy Vet. said: No doubt about the technical skills of Jeff Beck. Throw Steve Howe in there too. Now about my man Keith Richards, he is probably one of the most flawed technique wise I have ever seen. But It doesn't matter because the sound that comes out of his amp is priceless. It's pure gold. True, technique isn't everything. Jimmy Page is often sloppy, but he is still one of my favorites (I think I have at least 100 favorites, and I'd put Jimmy in the top 25 who are all tied for #1) Insights and incites by Notes 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 Billy Jones. rct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted August 10, 2019 Share Posted August 10, 2019 On 8/2/2019 at 10:48 PM, Navy Vet. said: Albert Collins blew my mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted August 10, 2019 Share Posted August 10, 2019 On 8/6/2019 at 6:06 AM, Notes_Norton said: True, technique isn't everything. Jimmy Page is often sloppy, but he is still one of my favorites (I think I have at least 100 favorites, and I'd put Jimmy in the top 25 who are all tied for #1) Insights and incites by Notes I was watching an interview with Steve Albini where he talked about recording Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. He mentioned that Jimmy Page deliberately does not edit or re record mistakes as long as the mistake doesn’t distract from the overall statement he’s trying to make. You can hear this in just about any of the great old players. The Beatles, Stones, even Kenny Burrell. Going slightly off topic I can’t really think of Jimi being in this category. His playing was so fluid I can’t really think of guitar mistakes. But he was known to not be a fan of his voice and he let that go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted August 10, 2019 Share Posted August 10, 2019 (edited) Oddly, SRV has had little mention. There are too many damn good players past and present to hold such competition. Getting, Buchanan, Gill, and hundreds of under named studio players through out the years that could not only keep up with, but probably smoke everyone on any list. The old joke in Nashville, there are more master pickers bagging groceries for minimum wage then there are playing for pay. One of those guys is Jim Soldi, check him out on YouTube, you have heard him many times, he played with Cash, Skaggs, Albert Lee, and now he is back home in San Diego playing gigs around town. There are videos of he and Albert Lee playing I'm just a Country Boy, Jimmy cuts loose towards the end of the song My point is, there are great players all over the place, one hit away from being a household name. As well as many who spend their lives making the stars sound good and seldom get any credit. Edited August 10, 2019 by jaxson50 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted August 10, 2019 Share Posted August 10, 2019 How many of you know who Arthur Adams Is? At 75 years of age he has recorded with and toured with Buddy Guy, Hugh Masekela, Lighting Hopkins, Chuck Berry, The Crusaders, Lou Rawls, Quincy Jones, The Jackson's, Henry Mancini, Ken Mo, Nina Simone, and the notorious Bihari Brothers, the founders of Modern Records and Meteor Records where he was the house guitarist , arranger, and chief bottle washer. Did I mention he was BB Kings bandleader? He just released a new album, at 75, maybe he will make a name for himself..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Vet. Posted August 10, 2019 Author Share Posted August 10, 2019 5 hours ago, badbluesplayer said: Like I said, Albert Collins blew my mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted August 10, 2019 Share Posted August 10, 2019 2 hours ago, Navy Vet. said: Like I said, Albert Collins blew my mind. The first rock concert I attended was Iron Butterfly, I was 16. The first act was Albert King. So technically it was also my first blues concert, but I digress, Albert King blew us I to the weeds! As his band was on stage playing the first song, he was walking through the audience in a cape wearing a big top hat, strutting, mining, and dancing on his way to the stage. Then he picked up his white flying V, and taught us punks what playing was! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted August 10, 2019 Share Posted August 10, 2019 On 8/5/2019 at 2:44 AM, Valeriy said: Thus, if we can’t choose one guitarist musically as “best of all time”, event history can be of help. And with this in mind, Les Paul, probably, may well be a candidate for this Number 1, I think. You seem to be basing this on Les Paul's contribution to the electric guitar, but in reality, his contribution was simply one of many. Charlie Christian did more than anyone to initially bring the electric guitar to the forefront of the musical world (in terms of actually playing the instrument in a big band setting) in the late '30s and early '40s. At the time, Les Paul was a darn good guitar player who was trying to develop his own unique sound, and later built his "log" guitar on the Epiphone premisis, and then recorded with it. Paul Bigsby built a guitar for Merle Travis that looked like a solid-body LP with a Fender-ish headstock (but it actually had hollow wings). Leo Fender saw that (but said he didn't) & then built his first solid body. Gibson then jumped on the bandwagon & wanted Les Paul as an endorser, so they struck a deal, but Les actually contributed very little to the design of the Gibson LP. It's somewhat of a long & winding road, and while Les Paul played a significant part, he was just one of many who made important and lasting contributions during this period of major development. The Greatest Guitarist question is somewhat similar. There's a very long line of contributors to guitar playing that have made a lasting impact, and from which others have learned or been infuenced. I don't believe anyone's yet mentioned Chet Atkins (inspired by Merle Travis), Michael Bloomfield, Lightnin' Hopkins, and so many others. Trying to say one, or even a handful, is the "greatest" is rather pointless when you consider different playing styles, genres, and periods in history along the guitar continuum. But if I were indeed forced to name one person, the one guitarist whose contribution I value over all the others, and who I listen to today more than anyone else, it's the guy Les Paul spent years trying to emulate: Django Reinhardt. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 As much as I enjoy it here, I wouldn't wanna be sat in on a committee with you fellers! 😜 One thing is certain, if any one artist was identified as Greatest of all time, it would disappoint more people than it would please. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Natural Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 The GOAT? Who knows. Two of my own personal favorites; Peter Green and Mike Bloomfield. But, then again.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valeriy Posted August 12, 2019 Share Posted August 12, 2019 Thank you, bobouz. I read your info with interest. I partly agree. Yet, I must say that the big band era (the late '30s and early '40s), it was not an era of electric guitars for real. Everywhere in big bands and in the musical world were revered only hollow and semi-hollow guitars. “Log” guitars (or solid body) were not in use in mass, i.e., in fact, they were unknown to the music world. The cardinal turn in favor of solid-body occurred only with the advent of Telecaster, i.e. after the 50th year. Only after that there was a cardinal turn in thinking, in the heads of both musicians and guitar manufacturers that solid body can be as a full fledged guitar with its own beautiful sound. That is, finally, it became clear that the electric guitar at all not necessarily has to be hollow, in it there is no need. In turn, Les Paul tried to do this even earlier, as I said in 1945 or 46 as regards the above cardinal turn in favor of solid body. Therefore I said in such a way that he overtook his time by 5 years almost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tekboy Posted August 12, 2019 Share Posted August 12, 2019 Great thread! I agree there cannot be a best, because it is just too subjective, and there is more than one way to play a guitar. I also have some favorites. I will start with Laurindo Almeida, who I grew up listening to because my Dad was a real fan of his. As I think back, the first guitar that got my real attention on my own, was George Harrison. There are so many others, including Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Randy Hansen, Don Felder, James Taylor, Joe Walsh, Danny Gatton, Neil Young, Duane Allman, Leo Kottke, Steuart Smith, Patrick Simmons, Walter Becker, Carlos Santana, Peter Green, and the list goes on. Robert Fripp has to be on it, though. There are likely 30 more that I REALLY like, for different reasons. I have no actual #1 favorite. 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 Pepe Romero ranks up there as well as his father and founder of Los Romeros, Celedonio Romero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelT Posted August 15, 2019 Share Posted August 15, 2019 The greatest of all time is subjective and an opinion. Hendrix took the guitar to a whole new level. Then guys came along and expanded on that and it goes on and on. Buddy Guy, Randy Rhoads, Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, Ace Frehley, Angus Young, Roy Clark, Gary Richrath, Neal Schon, Al DiMeola, Steve Vai, Tony Iommi , BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughn and many others are ones who influenced me throughout my musical life. I'm probably leaving out some as well. I wouldn't want to choose the best out of those. There's things I like about all of them and their playing, their styles and their music. I went to a seminar and Chris Broderick was playing some things that were so fast, technical and accurate that it just blew me away but lacked the feel and tone that I like to hear. Super nice guy and amazing blistering shredder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karloff Posted August 15, 2019 Share Posted August 15, 2019 (edited) Joe Frazier in my book. oh wait, you mean guitarists ... Edited August 16, 2019 by Karloff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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