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Best Guitarists Evah!!!

A800 said:
Guthrie Govan
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+1 for

Guthrie Govan.

He can play like all of the above mentioned here but they can't play like him. With the exception of Jimi maybe, not that Jimi could play like him either but he was one who was quite unique and his messy (in a very good way) style, is hard to completely emulate, but Guthrie will get the closest. The man is a freak in the guitar playing world. He's not mega famous but as a player myself I've never seen another master the instrument on the level he's at. Technically and in all aspects really.

So Jimi number 1 anyway then because come on man, it's Jimi Hendrix!

But there's so many really.

Other stunning top-top level in the world players could include.

John Mayor
Richie Kotzen
Steve Stevens
Yngwie Malmsteen
Frank Vignola
Zakk Wylde


Song writing and guitar well that's different.

Eric Clapton, but he can't hold a candle next to any of the above, but he's still classed as a god for some reason. I think it's the song writing myself and application.

Billy Gibbons

David Gilmour. But he knows and admits he can't play anywhere near like the best technically.

I could add a few more but these come to mind straight away.
 
Westsounds said:
+1 for

Guthrie Govan.

He can play like all of the above mentioned here but they can't play like him. With the exception of Jimi maybe, not that Jimi could play like him either but he was one who was quite unique and his messy (in a very good way) style, is hard to completely emulate, but Guthrie will get the closest. The man is a freak in the guitar playing world. He's not mega famous but as a player myself I've never seen another master the instrument on the level he's at. Technically and in all aspects really.

So Jimi number 1 anyway then because come on man, it's Jimi Hendrix!

But there's so many really.

Other stunning top-top level in the world players could include.

John Mayor
Richie Kotzen
Steve Stevens
Yngwie Malmsteen
Frank Vignola
Zakk Wylde


Song writing and guitar well that's different.

Eric Clapton, but he can't hold a candle next to any of the above, but he's still classed as a god for some reason. I think it's the song writing myself and application.

Billy Gibbons

David Gilmour. But he knows and admits he can't play anywhere near like the best technically.

I could add a few more but these come to mind straight away.
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Not to be parochial but (healthy parochial), but Guthrie Govan, seems to me a bit too technical but he puts little soul into it.
MM in addition to technique has a lot of soul and whatever genre you make him play he does it in a superlative way and with a rarely found taste.
In addition, something that never hurts, he has a knowledge and a cultural background on music that is astonishing, considering that he is only 28 years old. The only flaw that I find is the poor personal production, only one CD, we'll see in the future, those who live will see.

I swear he is neither my relative nor my friend.;)

www.audiosciencereview.com

Matteo Mancuso - The new era of world guitarism made in Italy or rather in Sicily

Matteo Mancuso (born 22 November 1996) is an Italian jazz and rock guitarist and composer originally from Palermo, Sicily. Mancuso is known for adapting an almost flamenco right-hand technique to the electric guitar and for improvising solos without the use of a plectrum. Steve Vai, Al Di Meola...
www.audiosciencereview.com www.audiosciencereview.com
 
Winemaker said:
Not to be parochial but (healthy parochial), but Guthrie Govan, seems to me a bit too technical but he puts little soul into it.
MM in addition to technique has a lot of soul and whatever genre you make him play he does it in a superlative way and with a rarely found taste.
In addition, something that never hurts, he has a knowledge and a cultural background on music that is astonishing, considering that he is only 28 years old. The only flaw that I find is the poor personal production, only one CD, we'll see in the future, those who live will see.

I swear he is neither my relative nor my friend.;)

www.audiosciencereview.com

Matteo Mancuso - The new era of world guitarism made in Italy or rather in Sicily

Matteo Mancuso (born 22 November 1996) is an Italian jazz and rock guitarist and composer originally from Palermo, Sicily. Mancuso is known for adapting an almost flamenco right-hand technique to the electric guitar and for improvising solos without the use of a plectrum. Steve Vai, Al Di Meola...
www.audiosciencereview.com www.audiosciencereview.com
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He is mega technical yes, and it's notes on notes and rhythm on rhythm that others just couldn't play at times, but I healthily disagree, he can play soulful, his abilities are just so great. He is almost the freak show but thats his act. He's probably the greatest player to master the instrument ever. Apart from maybe some jazz players. Everything else is personal preference. I don't even like Guthrie as music to enjoy myself, but his ability is unsurpassed.

So I stand by my #1 Jimi Hendrix and I don't like his music that much either. Of course some of his songs are legendary riffs, and that sound!

I really should have put Nuno Bettencourt on my list as well, he's another freak of nature with a guitar in his hands. Don't know why he didn't come to mind when writing my first post. Only after reading everyone else's replies, I seen his name and oh, big whoops forgetting him.

Joe Pass needs a mention too.
 
Westsounds said:
He is almost the freak show but thats his act
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Well "He is almost the freak show" seems exaggerated to me, let's say he has the fire of the young. To me he gives the impression of someone who would like to get much more out of the guitar than what he does, it's as if he wanted to dig into the guitar to search for its intimate essence.
 
Sorry, too many to count or mention,and probably for every one I would mention there would be 5 somewhere yet unknown that are equal or better

okay 2 then : Larry Carlton ; Scott Henderson (if they have not been mentioned yet.

Oh , and Greg Howe:)
 
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Winemaker said:
Well "He is almost the freak show" seems exaggerated to me, let's say he has the fire of the young. To me he gives the impression of someone who would like to get much more out of the guitar than what he does, it's as if he wanted to dig into the guitar to search for its intimate essence.
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No, he is a freak show then, no exaggeration. He’s just another level. He’s like a savant virtuoso in the way he plays, the way he understands music, and the way it is applied, it’s just nuts. Even world renowned high level guitarists comment on his ability and the way he does it. But he’s also a really nice, down to earth sort of guy when he’s interviewed and talks, so it’s an odd one. Sometimes these savant type characters communicate differently or have trouble trying to with most of us ‘normal people’, but Guthrie is normal. His ability, talent, skill, though, are not normal, even among some of the best. They often doff their caps when talking about him and his abilities in interviews.

A lot of world-class players praise lots of other guitarist as well, like the likes of Nunno or Yngwie’s, or the likes of Bucket Head (another amazing individual!), just mind blowing abilities really in terms of guitar technicality. But Guthrie is above those I’d say in terms of just what he can well roundedly do and more.

But it’s still impossible to say who’s ‘the best’. It’s like saying what piece of art is the best, it's art. And they equally are artists. Guthrie is about as hi-def, fully spec'd and nuanced as it comes in the artwork world though, it’s something to behold. I don't particularly like his music or the fact it's just guitar playing. I like singers, and even simple rock guitarist, simple chords with just chunky riffs way better than Guthrie, but they are no way 'better than him'.

Anyway, I've added enough fluff from me to this thread. But praise Guthrie is due, as he's so understated as well as an actual pure best guitarist.
 
Westsounds said:
No, he is a freak show then, no exaggeration. He’s just another level. He’s like a savant virtuoso in the way he plays, the way he understands music, and the way it is applied, it’s just nuts. Even world renowned high level guitarists comment on his ability and the way he does it. But he’s also a really nice, down to earth sort of guy when he’s interviewed and talks, so it’s an odd one. Sometimes these savant type characters communicate differently or have trouble trying to with most of us ‘normal people’, but Guthrie is normal. His ability, talent, skill, though, are not normal, even among some of the best. They often doff their caps when talking about him and his abilities in interviews.

A lot of world-class players praise lots of other guitarist as well, like the likes of Nunno or Yngwie’s, or the likes of Bucket Head (another amazing individual!), just mind blowing abilities really in terms of guitar technicality. But Guthrie is above those I’d say in terms of just what he can well roundedly do and more.
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Totally agree. His mental map of the instrument, ability to play whatever he thinks, mastery of so many styles and melodies, and his fertility of improvising ideas, are astonishing. He collects and uses musical vocabulary the way little kids learn language, only faster, somehow.

As someone said on one of his vids: If you had 15% of his vocabulary, you’d still be the second best speaker of guitar on the planet.
 
ahofer said:
His mental map of the instrument, ability to play whatever he thinks, mastery of so many styles and melodies, and his fertility of improvising ideas, are astonishing. He collects and uses musical vocabulary the way little kids learn language, only faster, somehow.

As someone said on one of his vids: If you had 15% of his vocabulary, you’d still be the second best speaker of guitar on the planet.
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That’s so true, and it’s just some of it as well. It's not just technical, it's also theoretical with him. The intelligence and brain on what seems such a humble man is just crazy.

The man is just a phenomenon. I’ve never seen such a player with that ability to do anything on the instrument. And as you quite rightly say, which and was such a great analogy and eloquently put there. ‘Musical vocabulary in the ways kids learn language, but faster, somehow’. The man's mind is just unlike anything I’ve seen as a guitar fan of greats. He certainly 1% club, or perhaps not even that.

He doesn’t get the recognition, really, but some of the best players in the world and die hard fanatics, get him. But hard core guitarist perhaps don’t have or ever get that level of fame, nothing like the big famous and infamous rock stars because of their lives legacies as well perhaps, like your Jimi Hendrix.

It’s just nice to see what humans can be capable of, when you find those GOATs in life when you thought, that’s just not possible or hasn’t been seen like that before. Jimi was one of his time for sure 100%. And Guthrie is so humble as well, he’s in total admirement of the ‘all time greats stars’ before him. He cannot say anything without name-dropping great guitar players, who he also totally worships. His is a unique mind and ability to say the least.
 
To drop a couple more names,

Jimmy Herring, Michael Landau, Dan Huff, Steve Lukather, Dweezil (the other) Zappa, he is an amazing player, Buzzy Feiten, Herb Ellis, Michael Schenker, Grant Green, Jimi Hazel, Jay Graydon, and many more:)
 
AdrianusG said:
To drop a couple more names,

Jimmy Herring, Michael Landau, Dan Huff, Steve Lukather, Dweezil (the other) Zappa, he is an amazing player, Buzzy Feiten, Herb Ellis, Michael Schenker, Grant Green, Jimi Hazel, Jay Graydon, and many more:)
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Many of those have, in fact, been mentioned..by me! Unfortunately it's tedious to go through the thread to check.

I completely agree we have to look at some of the studio greats who developed unique sounds like Graydon and Landau. I'd add Hugh McCracken ("Hey Nineteen", if you want his signature Steely Dan song) and Steve Khan ("My Rival") to that list. A lot of people highlighted David Gilmour as someone who plays soulfully (like the Jacqueline Du Pré of guitar). If you dig that, check out Landau and Khan's solo work.

And if we are talking about unique sounds, check out Lionel Lueke.
 
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