Guitar Gear Forum

Your top five most influential guitarists. Name 'em.

1. Michael Schenker
2. Alex Lifeson
3. John Petrucci
4. Gary Moore
5. Eddy Van Halen

Not that I actually sound much like any of them, but these guys all played important parts in my formation as a guitar player, and they're still the guys I try to channel when I close my eyes and play:

1. Dr. Know
2. Stephen Egerton
3. Bob Mould
4. Johnny Marr
5. Brian Baker

John Frusciante
Mikko Lindstrom
Robert Smith
Jimmy Page
Steve Stevens

i wouldnt be the player i am without, and some of these may be weird, but:
james/kirk
jack white
omar rodriguez-lopez
adam jones
jimi hendrix
johnny greenwood
paul simon
brian setzer
claudio/travis from coheed

Jerry Cantrell
Kim Thayil
The Edge
Dimebag Darrell
Tony Iommi

hetfield
mustaine
shuldiner
azagthoth
SRV


quite eclectic, eh?

wrongnote85 wrote:hetfield
mustaine
shuldiner
azagthoth
SRV


quite eclectic, eh?

Yes.

I don't even like most death metal, and I think Azagthoth is an underrated maniac on lead guitar.

he's rather chaotic as a lead guitarist, but he is completely out of his goddamn mind at rhythm guitar. the casual listener may not notice it right off, but his picking and subdivisions are ridiculous.

wrongnote85 wrote:he's rather chaotic as a lead guitarist, but he is completely out of his goddamn mind at rhythm guitar. the casual listener may not notice it right off, but his picking and subdivisions are ridiculous.

I can't say I've noticed, but that's due to underexposure. Name me five songs to listen to.

okay, check out the rhythm guitar parts on:

the picking is really crazy the whole song. when i first tried to learn it i was blown away by what all was really going on it it:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytGfUDcVDTk[/video]

this song is nuts from start to finish. the first few times i ever heard it i just thought it was a bunch of noise, but when you really listen to it it is insanely musical and very well arranged. the verses change keys every time and shit like that, almost nothing repeats in the same way. amazing song. and brutal as fuck.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7W5xmWm5lo[/video]

pretty much every riff in this song is a good example of the extreme subdivisions that i mentioned earlier. the tempo is slow as hell, but you have got to play 64th notes pretty much the whole song. also, trey's solo is fucking beautiful. listen for the super quick bar dip a couple seconds after he starts to shred.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhKWW07zwvc[/video]

this one is a cool example of the amazing death metal groove....in 3/4 time. i still can't play this one correctly.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VcPA50For4[/video]


and lastly i'll leave you with an example of me playing one of their songs. i learn mostly by ear, so my username is quite apt, but the business with the picking hand is correct. check it out:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sPX62VXZK4[/video]

Mine are varied, and will probably get flamed for one, and one yall have probably never heard of, but these are them:
1: EVH
2: SRV
3: Cody Canada
4: Mark Tremonti
5: Mark Morton

These guys have shaped me as a player, and they may not be the most technically proficient, or play with the most popular bands, but these guys have influenced me into the guitarist that I am now. There are others like Brad Paisley, Eddie Shaver, Seth James, or some other guys within the country scene that yall might not have heard of that are great players, and are shaping me some, but these guys here made a major impact on me.

Some interesting players mentioned here.

Rich Gilbert-Human Sexual Response, The Zulus, Frank Black and The Catholics
Crispin Wood-The Bags(Boston, not La)
Jerry Cantrell
Jimi
Stevie

I don't sound or play like them but these are the guys that made we want to play and keep me inspired

1) Jerry Cantrell
2) David Gilmour
3) Mark Knopfler
4) The Edge

Ain't limiting it to 5:

Ty Tabor
Jerry Cantrell
Dean Deleo
Frank Zappa
Jeff Beck
Johnny Greenwood
Guthrie Govan
Derek Trucks
Andy Summers
Steve Von Till/Scott Kelly

Tony Iommi
Alex Lifeson
Gary Holt
Hanneman/King
James Hetfield
Smith/Murray
Tipton/Downing
Michael Schenker

Leslie West
Warren DeMartini
Frank Marino
Eddie Van Halen

I can't really think of a 5th

EVH
Mustaine/Poland
Tipton/Downing
Murray/Smith
Schenker/Jabs
Peterson/Skolnick
Holt/Hunolt
Hetfield
Paul Gilbert
Yngwie Malmsteen
David Gilmour
Andy Summers
Alex Lifeson
Jimmy Page
John Frusciante
Warren DeMartini
George Lynch

Sound nothing like these guys on my worst day, but they have all made an incredible impression on me as a player. Lots of thrash and classic metal duos on here and for good reason. More obscure metal guys could arguably be added but this list pretty much sums it up.

MacaroniSalad wrote:Leslie West
Warren DeMartini
Frank Marino
Eddie Van Halen

I can't really think of a 5th

Sh*t! DiMartini is on my list as well as George Lynch. I am partial to DiMartini as a whole and Lynch for just specific albums.

James Marshall Hendrix
Tony Iommi
Robin Trower
David Gilmour
EVH
Randy Rhoads
Pete Townsend
Dime
Kirk Windstein
Pepper Keenan
Woody Weatherman

MacaroniSalad wrote:Leslie West
Warren DeMartini
Frank Marino
Eddie Van Halen

I can't really think of a 5th

Leslie West FUCK YEAH!!!

Randy Rhoads
Gary Moore
Tony Iommi
Michael Schenker
Brian May


Hon mention goes to

Leslie West
Pat Travers/Pat thrall
Glen Tipton/KK Downing

100 watt wrote:

MacaroniSalad wrote:Leslie West

Leslie West FUCK YEAH!!!

Beast. His tone is the tone Jimmy Page should have had.

benjamin801 wrote:

100 watt wrote:

MacaroniSalad wrote:Leslie West

Leslie West FUCK YEAH!!!

Beast. His tone is the tone Jimmy Page should have had.

quoted for truth

Not all are guitarists...

Paul Gilbert
Tony MacAlpine
Jason Becker
Vitalij Kuprij
Buckethead
JS Bach
Jascha Heifetz
Jimmy Smith
Terry Kath

Derek