The most distinct guitarists.

I mentioned Stanley Jordan earlier.

Then I found this clip. He's playing two guitars in this one.

Google Video Link

[edit on 28-3-2007 by spacedoubt]

I would have to actually vouch for robby krieger of the doors. Not an amazing guitarist technically, but was (and still is) amazing at playing simply but still pleasing musically. it comes across far different from most other guitarists i have heard.

i still hold to what i said earlyer, paul alender is the best!

Originally posted by Cug




I really disagree with Tom Sholz. Have you ever played though a Sholz Rockman? you would swear whatever you were playing was on Third Stage

....you could be right there and something I'd never thought of I guess.

Funny you mention the Rockman, I had one years ago and just the other day
I was sniffing around ebay for another one.
I loved them.

I'd definately go with
Satriani
Hendrix
Randy Rhodes
SRV
Jimmy Page
Eddie Van Halen

I'd go with Brian May and Carlos Santana. I'm not a fan of either, but their guitar playing is instantly recognisable, more so than anyone else I can think of, and less copied by others.

Oh yeah, forgot Dave Davies of the Kinks. The pioneer of the powerchord riff, and posessor of an amplifier sound I've never heard a match of before or since.

I forgot one-

Bo Diddley. He's got that "shave and a haircut" rhythm that's all his. "Who Do You Love?" a great tune among many, covered admirably by George Thorogood, among others.

Matter of fact, listen to Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man" then Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone". It won't be any mystery why Bo is in the video for that song.

Rock owes much to Bo.

Great call yeahright!! Bo doesn't get near the credit he deserves.


And neither does John Lee Hooker who has one of the most imitated styles in Blues and Rock. Simple, hard rockin boogie!!

Yes, Tom Scholz's genius was really in the amp that he himself created, and besides that he really was a genius.

When I think of a distinctive sound I think of K.K. Downing from Judas Priest. Even if you didn't know the song, as long as you could recognize his guitar playing, you knew it was Judas Priest.

The most distinctive though has got to be Van Halen. And to whoever said that people can emulate his style perfectly, I have yet to hear it. My golfing buddy's been playing guitar for thirty years and is in a band that plays Houston clubs, says that Eddie Van Halen is the hardest guitarist to copy. I'll take his word for it. He's a pretty good guitar player in his own right. Here's one of his YouTube videos.



Peace

Hey Dr Love.. Your friend is pretty good..I checked out his other video's on YouTube as well..Not bad

Originally posted by gotanybob
Hey Dr Love.. Your friend is pretty good..I checked out his other video's on YouTube as well..Not bad

I agree it was great. I liked the brief use of open strings in that solo too.

Only for a couple of seconds around half way through.

Distinctive huh?

B.B. King
Chuck Berry
Jeff Beck
Jimmy Page
Les Paul

In the Folk realm...

Doc Watson...... may he rest in peace ..........

Dave Mathews also has a distinctive guitar style that I don't much care for.

Spacedoubt, I saw Stanley a couple years ago here in South Africa, he was pretty awesome. I think it was the first guitar gig I had seen. After the show I got 2 cd signed

My addition for distinctive sounds:

Yngwie Malmsteen... just because he's so fast.

Daniel Johnston... because noone is as bad as he is (and I mean bad in a bad way)

Has anyone heard of a guy called Michaelangelo? I forgot the name of the band he's in, some junky hair metal band. But his 'thing' is plying multi-neck guitars. In the one music video this quad guitar descends from above and he plays with both hands lighning fast hammer-on solos in harmony. Then, with absolutely zero practical effect, he swings the thing round and uses the other two necks.

Anyways...

I think Chet Atkins had a very distinktive style thats difficult to copy. I don't know if the style originated with him or not but playing alternating bass and a melody at the same time takes some practice. I wonder if Eddie can play that style? That would be hilarious to see a rocker play at least a song in that style at a concert.



Anyhow I think Eddie is probably the most distinktive player. You can always tell its him playing even if you were a blind man. But keep in mind I haven't heard everybody either.

Originally posted by yeahright
Walsh has that deadened string ka-CHUNK you can't miss.

qft.Him and Jeff Healey are hard to miss.Santana is on another level.Zakk Wylde had the makings of a revolutionary till he decided to go into a coma and rip off Randy for 20 years instead of moving onward and upward after P&G,BoS

The most distinct players for me are (in no particular order and forgetting many I'm sure):

- Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave)

- John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers/Solo work)

- Dimebag Darrell (Pantera/Damage Plan)

- John Petrucci (Dream Theater)

- Trey Anastasio (phish)




Hard list to compile... but they came to mind first as the guys I can usually 'spot' quickly based on their style, technique and/or tone.

Every guitar player worthy of mention has his or her own, distinctive style.

All the guitarists mentioned on this thread qualify.

Some are more distinctive than others, certainly. Brian May's unique sound is due to unique equipment: a home-made guitar and a Vox amplifier eccentrically tweaked for him by electronics engineer and Queen bassist John Deacon. People like Stanley Jordan and Jimi Hendrix got their sound from a unique technique; others, like Django Reinhardt and Tony Iommi, from a physical disability. Some lean heavily on production techniques (Jimmy Page), signal processors (Edge, Jonny Greenwood) or feedback (Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend). Still others seem to carry their sound in their fingers: Ry Cooder, Mark Knopfler, Keith Richards.

However, Hellmutt got it right: if you're talking about the most distinctive-sounding guitarist ever, it has to be Robert Fripp.

Tom Morello

[edit on 5-4-2007 by DarkSide]