Any KISS fans..

[BassGMan]

I agree! And so should Van Halen, who are also not in the R&R HOF.

Yes Van Halen should be in also.

 

IMHO: Eddie Van Halen is THE Guitar God

 

 

I agree. IMO he has more lasting impact, and has influenced guitarists today more than Hendrix, Page or any of the other guitar heroes of yesteryear. He may not have been the first "guitar god", but he was most certainly the best. The 1st VH album is still the best rock guitar album ever recorded.

[tth2]

IMHO: Eddie Van Halen is THE Guitar God

 

I agree. IMO he has more lasting impact, and has influenced guitarists today more than Hendrix, Page or any of the other guitar heroes of yesteryear. He may not have been the first "guitar god", but he was most certainly the best. The 1st VH album is still the best rock guitar album ever recorded.

Sid Sid Sid, this is blasphemy! NO rock guitarist will ever have the same impact as Jimi Hendrix. Listen to rock guitar pre- and post-Hendrix, the sound and style completely changed. It was an absolute quantum leap.

 

Yes, when Eddie burst on the scene he sounded new and fresh, and everyone has copied his chops since, but it was an evolutionary progression as opposed to a total revolution. The jump from the pre-Eddie guitar sound to the post-Eddie guitar sound was small compared to the jump from pre-Jimi to post-Jimi. Just think of "Back to the Future" and how Michael J. Fox's Hendrix-inspired solo sounded like something from another planet to an audience from the 1950s, and then ask whether Eddie would have sounded as completely alien to an audience from 1969.

 

If you want to talk about technical superiority, then maybe Eddie was better than Jimi, but that's because Jimi was too busy writing the book on being a Guitar Hero to focus on technical skill. Anyways, when you get into technical proficiency, then you gotta start talking about one-trick ponies like Satriani, Malmsteen, Holdsworth and even Steve Vai, and quite frankly, who cares about those guys.

[thedude]

whew ! I knew I'd stepped in it when I proclaimed Edward as the best, I've had these discussions (arguments) since high school, there are alot of really great players throughout history, Hendrix yes, but also Clapton, Beck, Rhoads, Satchmo, Vai, and say what you will about Yngwie, he does seem to be one dimensional with the fast arpeggios and legato licks, but that man knows his instrument, from top to bottom, it's just the style he loves to play the most, but it can sound a bit redundant, even to other guitar players....

 

back to the Eddie thing though, to me, it's not just his playing that is top notch,

but he has re-created guitar in other ways, he has from day one, built his own guitars by hand, rewired amps, and experimented with different amp configurations and micking configurations, and no one uses effects better than him, just a little here and there to color the sound just in certain spots, intros, outros, but never overkills it, like some players do.

 

I've always considered him the "Thomas Edison" of guitar, creating new ideas that no one had thought of before.

 

but, this is just my opinion, and everyone has a favorite. my list of fav guitar players is a long one, I miss the days when people actually played instruments, not like today where it's all dance routine with backup dancers and lip sync live performances (Ashlee Simpson).

 

thedude out

[thedude]

 

 

I agree. IMO he has more lasting impact, and has influenced guitarists today more than Hendrix, Page or any of the other guitar heroes of yesteryear. He may not have been the first "guitar god", but he was most certainly the best. The 1st VH album is still the best rock guitar album ever recorded.

 

I knew I liked you for some reason BassGMan

[Jolly Roger-migration]

Gene Simmons =

 

Paul Stanley =

 

Ace Frehley =

 

Peter Criss =

 

Vinnie Vincent =

 

Eric Carr =

 

 

 

non-make-up members = Bruce Kulick, Mark St. John, Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer

[tilleycs]

IMHO: Eddie Van Halen is THE Guitar God

 

 

Agreed. He's definitely one of a kind. I've got a ton of VH bootlegs and MAN was he great. I say "was" because I wish he'd get off his rear end, put the bottle down, and start crankin' out some great music again.

[Timulty]

I always like Stevie Ray Vaughan better.

[BassGMan]

Sid Sid Sid, this is blasphemy! NO rock guitarist will ever have the same impact as Jimi Hendrix. Listen to rock guitar pre- and post-Hendrix, the sound and style completely changed. It was an absolute quantum leap.

 

 

Granted, Hendrix created a distorted and aggresive sound for the electric guitar that had not been done before, and he was the first real "guitar god", but personally I don't think he was technically as good as his legend remembers. He was a creator and innovator, but he was nowhere near the master on the instrument that EVH was. There are other guitar masters that have been mentioned in this thread, but Eddie was the one that had not only the ability, but the sound, the innovation, the style and the songs that set him apart. He was the whole package that has never been improved on or outdone. Overall, I'd say that EVH is the best rock musician ever, and that is not just counting guitar players (OK, now I can see Neil Peart fans blasting me ).

[chromium]

I went to an Aerosmith concert about a year ago, and with the curtain still down I could hear a roadie tuning Joe Perry's guitar...he was playing the intro to VH's "Ain't talking 'bout love" over and over to get the axe to sound right...

[Timulty]

Sid Sid Sid, this is blasphemy! NO rock guitarist will ever have the same impact as Jimi Hendrix. Listen to rock guitar pre- and post-Hendrix, the sound and style completely changed. It was an absolute quantum leap.

 

 

Granted, Hendrix created a distorted and aggresive sound for the electric guitar that had not been done before, and he was the first real "guitar god", but personally I don't think he was technically as good as his legend remembers. He was a creator and innovator, but he was nowhere near the master on the instrument that EVH was. There are other guitar masters that have been mentioned in this thread, but Eddie was the one that had not only the ability, but the sound, the innovation, the style and the songs that set him apart. He was the whole package that has never been improved on or outdone. Overall, I'd say that EVH is the best rock musician ever, and that is not just counting guitar players (OK, now I can see Neil Peart fans blasting me ).

 

Remember Clapton....Remember CLAPTON!!!!

[grider67]

Neil Peart fan here... BassGMan...

 

EVH is great but he needs to hurry up and get on the ball. He needs to get a band together and start rockin' again. He's acting like he has no juice left and burning bridges left and right. Valerie just divorced him, Hagar & Roth want to kill him. Anthony is playing with Waboritas (Hagar). Alex does whatever his brother tells him to do. He needs pick himself by his guitar strap and get a move on.

 

I'm a Randy Rhodes (Alcatrazz/Quiet Riot/OZZY), Richie Blackmore (Deep Purple/Rainbow), Rik Emmett (Triumph) fan myself (personal preference, people - old school)

 

For bass, Geddy Lee (RUSH), Michael Anthony (Van Halen), Rudy Sarzo (I hope I spelled that right) (Quiet Riot/Whitesnake), and Steve Harris (Iron Maiden)

 

For drums, Neil Peart (RUSH) (of course), Carl Palmer (Emerson Lake Palmer/Asia), and for pure clownin' enjoyment Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden)

 

My 2 cents worth...

[BassGMan]

 

For bass, Geddy Lee (RUSH), Michael Anthony (Van Halen), Rudy Sarzo (I hope I spelled that right) (Quiet Riot/Whitesnake), and Steve Harris (Iron Maiden)

 

 

Now you are talkin' MY language. Well, you are batting at 50% on this one. Guess which two of these four really are virtuosos on the bass and which two just do their jobs (although very competantly).

 

Oh, and yes I agree, EVH is certainly past his prime and he needs to get up off his duff and get busy if he wants to end his legacy the right way.

[Timulty]

So, Dave Nivarro and Flea don't even get a shout out, eh?

[thedude]

I'm guessing Steve Harris and Geddy Lee are the virtuosos, and Mike and Rudy, just "do there jobs" ??

 

also, where's the love for Billy Sheehan ?

[OldGuy]

Remember Clapton....Remember CLAPTON!!!!

 

[BassGMan]

I'm guessing Steve Harris and Geddy Lee are the virtuosos, and Mike and Rudy, just "do there jobs" ??

 

also, where's the love for Billy Sheehan ?

 

You got that right. And yes, Billy Sheehan and Flea are also great players, among the best in rock. No doubt that Geddy is the best ever progressive rock bassist, and Steve Harris the best heavy metal bassist. Sheehan is the real show-offy type who often has played too fancy for his own good. Flea is a funk-rocker supreme.

[thedude]

I'm guessing Steve Harris and Geddy Lee are the virtuosos, and Mike and Rudy, just "do there jobs" ??

 

also, where's the love for Billy Sheehan ?

 

You got that right. And yes, Billy Sheehan and Flea are also great players, among the best in rock. No doubt that Geddy is the best ever progressive rock bassist, and Steve Harris the best heavy metal bassist. Sheehan is the real show-offy type who often has played too fancy for his own good. Flea is a funk-rocker supreme.

 

I guess I like that "show-offy" type playing since I'm a guitarist, so do you play a 4,5,6 string ?

[BassGMan]

I'm guessing Steve Harris and Geddy Lee are the virtuosos, and Mike and Rudy, just "do there jobs" ??

 

also, where's the love for Billy Sheehan ?

 

You got that right. And yes, Billy Sheehan and Flea are also great players, among the best in rock. No doubt that Geddy is the best ever progressive rock bassist, and Steve Harris the best heavy metal bassist. Sheehan is the real show-offy type who often has played too fancy for his own good. Flea is a funk-rocker supreme.

 

I guess I like that "show-offy" type playing since I'm a guitarist, so do you play a 4,5,6 string ?

 

All of the above. I recently went on a bass-buying spree and I have 12 now. Two 4-strings, three 6-strings and seven 5-strings. One of each of the 5-strings and 6-strings is fretless. Regarding brands, I have one old Fender Jazz, three Carvins, one Warwick, one Peavey and six of my favorite new brand Traben. I used to really enjoy listening to bass players doing alot of fancy licks. As if that was the main reason I'd listen to a song. I don't care for "licks" anymore. I'd rather just listen to a nice groove or rythmn, regardless if the bass player is playing busy or just thumping on one note the whole time.

[thedude]

that sounds like the mark of a true bass player,.. that Warwick must be nice...I only have 4 guitars, one acoustic, 3 electric, a Kramer Pacer, a Kramer Baretta (with Marilyn Monroe Graphic) and a G & L Skyhawk,...I'd like more like to built my own Fender Strat type using Warmoth parts or whatever.. but haven't done it yet.. here's a pic.

(notice the Superhero pins on the guitar strap )

 

 

[BassGMan]

That Marilyn guitar is cool. Although I have 12 basses now, just four months ago I had only three. It was just in the past couple months that I started putting my Ebay comic money into more basses rather than more comics. I have found it to be a very fulfilling tradeoff. I've also found some great deals on Ebay and other online dealers. The Warwick that I bought is not one of those multi-thousand $$ jobs. This one is a new Warwick Vampyre that I bought for $600, and it really is cool. It is made by "RockBass by Warwick" which is their cheaper line made in China. I'm not going to pay $2,000 for a US made guitar when I can still get some quality instruments made elsewhere for a fraction of the cost. Here is a photo of me taken about a year ago with my 6-string Carvin.