Favorite Guitarists

[VelvetGuru9]

I just came back froom a music convention in Canada and got to meet Rudolf Schenker & Michael Angelo Batio Super Freaky Guitar Solo (http://youtube.com/watch?v=rutyA12z3Ok) and that got me to thinking, who are your favorite guitarists and why. Include a favorite solo and tell the relams about it.

Like most people I have a few "favorite" guitarists. Uli Jon Roth who played for the Scorpions after Michael Schenker, Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple and Rainbow, and Randy Rhoades. When the mood strikes me, Jimmy Page. So come on Realmsers,lets hear who your guitar gods are.

[Red_Skull_XIII]

Top 3 -

1 - JIMMY PAGE - (Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, Solo): Not actually my favorite, but in my opinion the best guitarist ever. I like him because he can write the best songs with any stringed instrument. My favorite of his solos would have to be "Achillies Last Stand", "Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp", and "Travellin' Riverside Blues"

2 - TED NUGENT - (Amboy Dukes, Damn Yankees, Solo): My all-time favorite guitarist. He's stuck to his guns (literally) since the 60s and still rocks as hard as people 30 years younger. My favorite solo of his would be the intro to "Great White Buffalo" or "KLSTRBK". To see him play GWB live is a life-changing experience (for me anyway ;))

3 - DUANE ALLMAN/STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN (Allman Brothers/Double Touble): Doe ties count? If so, then these two are tied for 3rd place. They played amazing blues and were taken far before their time. My favorite Allman solo is "Trouble No More" and my favorite SRV song is "Shake For Me".


Honorable mention: John Fogerty (CCR, Solo), Gary Rossington (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rossington-Collins Band), Eric Clapton (Yardbirds, Cream, Derek And The Dominos, Blind Faith, Solo)

[charlesx]

Pink Floyd's David Gilmour is among the royalty of the electric guitar. I have seen him perform twice and his guitar moves are so ON that even live it's like you're listening to a CD in 6.0 surround sound. The sound is distinct, clear, all his own, each note like a multitude of rain drops in a gentle storm. I could go on, but I'll leave it at that. Favorite songs are too many to list, but they include "Comfortably Numb" and "On the Turning Away."

[Shazzam!]

I'd have to go with Chainsaw The Prince of Karate from The Aquabats. Eric Clapton is an amazing guitarist, the first song I learned when i got my wah pedal was bad love. John Mayer is good in his trio, it's like the other two members knock the gay out of him. SRV is amazing... yeah he's going on the top of my list with Jimmy Page... oh wait no I'm going with Chuck Berry for my number one or the name of the guitarist for The Ventures... eh he's more top five material

[Grinner]

Two great guitarists who don't tend to get the rep they deserve in threads like this:

Brian May of Queen

Brad Paisley

[bagman04]

TOP 10

1- Johnny Cash
2- Kurt Cobain
3- Tom Morello
4- Bucket Head
5- Jimi Hendrix
6- Brian Jones
7- Jack White
8- Robert Johnson
9- Rivers Cuomo
10- George Harrison

[spacedye]

John Petrucci is pretty amazing.

Glasgow Kiss (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t25AOSxZZkI)

As is Jason Becker. Really sad what happened to him. Check out this documentary about him. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFjQgDe_a0E). He's really incredible.

[charlesdward]

Ritchie Blackmore
Ted Nugent
Tony Iommi
Wes Montgomery
Robert Johnson (still amazed by his stuff!)
Jimi Hendrix
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Yngwie Malmsteen
Joe Satriani
Mark Knopfler

[readyeddy?]

Duane Allman is my absolutely my favorite. "Dreams" is probably my favorite song. I also especially like his work on Boz Scaggs "Loan Me a Dime".
After that I really like these guys:

Jimmy Page
Jeff Beck
Buddy Guy
Robin Trower
Kenny Wayne Shepard
Joe Satriani (I love "Surfing With the Alien" and "Flying in a Blue Dream".)
Stevie Ray Vaughn
John McLaughlin
Robert Fripp
Roy Buchanon
Jimi Hendrix
Carlos Santana
Eric Johnson

Not necessarily in that order.

[theanalogkid]

No love for Alex Liefson? or Lindsey Buckingham? Any of my other favorites have already been mentioned.

[JKLantern]

I feel the need to mention Joe Walsh and Billy Gibbons. A lot of my other favorites have been mentioned: The Yarbird Trinity, SRV, Santana, David Gilmour, Keith Richards.

[Inbetweener]

My top favourite guitarists are as follows:

1.) Buckethead
2.) Buckethead
3.) Buckethead
4.) Buckethead
5.) Buckethead
6.) Buckethead
7.) Buckethead
8.) Buckethead
9.) Buckethead
10.) Buckethead

[Red_Skull_XIII]

I can't believe I forgot Billy Gibbons, Kenny Wayne Shepard (I think my favorite is "Was") and Alex Liefson (wasn't it his birthday recently?) Good calls.

[readyeddy?]

I can't believe I forgot Billy Gibbons, Kenny Wayne Shepard (I think my favorite is "Was") and Alex Liefson (wasn't it his birthday recently?) Good calls.
I shouldn't have forgotten Billy Gibbons either. Anybody who qualified as Jimi Hendrix' favorite guitarist has got to have something in his favor. My favorite Kenny Wayne Shepard song is "Deja Voodoo". Somebody remind me who Alex Liefson is, please?

[charlesdward]

I can't believe I forgot Billy Gibbons, Kenny Wayne Shepard (I think my favorite is "Was") and Alex Liefson (wasn't it his birthday recently?) Good calls.
He recorded a version of "Texas Flood" with Willie Nelson that just burns. It's on Willie's Milk Cow Blues album - which I highly recommend, btw. :cool:

[readyeddy?]

He recorded a version of "Texas Flood" with Willie Nelson that just burns. It's on Willie's Milk Cow Blues album - which I highly recommend, btw. :cool:
I'll be looking for that now that you've pointed it out.

[charlesdward]

I shouldn't have forgotten Billy Gibbons either. Anybody who qualified as Jimi Hendrix' favorite guitarist has got to have something in his favor. My favorite Kenny Wayne Shepard song is "Deja Voodoo". Somebody remind me who Alex Liefson is, please?

Of Rush. Superbly talented musicians, all... but I could just never get into them, somehow not my thing.

[readyeddy?]

Of Rush. Superbly talented musicians, all... but I could just never get into them, somehow not my thing.
You know I've always known the names of the other two members, but I never knew his name. I guess he's never been discussed in my presence. I can tell you I like what he does though thanks for the info, you fountain of information you.

[theanalogkid]

Terry Kath of Chicago was another of Hendrix's favorites.

[VelvetGuru9]

Carlos Santana cites guys like Wes Montgomery, Bola Sete and Gabor Szabo as his influences. Great guitarists all and it explains how Carlos was able to transition latin and jazz influences to create his heavy rock sound.

[hail_eris]

If you're talking about Latin influences in the rock mainstream, I think you have to mention David Hidalgo of Los Lobos. "Mas Y Mas" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITCodQARAGA) from the Colossal Head album features some of the best dirty, fuzzy guitar licks you'll find this side of Thurston Moore (I've been pulled over *twice* while listening to that track in my car - something about it just makes you want to drive fast).

[Iron Ham]

Buckethead.

Just check him out on youtube - he's much better live than recorded.

[m_a_caque]

kirk hammett.

he might not be the best ever, but he sure ripped it up in the early days of 'tallica.

[ElevenBee]

Buckethead.

Just check him out on youtube - he's much better live than recorded.

ditto, everyone go buy "colma" now!

[DisturbedChild]

Buckethead is a great guitarist but my main man is Zakk Wylde.

[Inbetweener]

I know I listed Buckethead over and over again and he is arguably the greatest of our generation but I want to add some more here.

The virtuosos-I think they are all around a bit too dramatic but they have to be mentioned...besides if Buckethead listens to them then they must be cool. Malmsteen, Satriani, Vai, Petrucci, Erik Johnson etc.

Others-
Ritchie Blackmore
Prince
Jimmy Page
Duane Allman

Blues and other genres-
B.B. King
Chuck Berry
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Jean Reinhardt (Jazz)

[ShellShock]

ditto, everyone go buy "colma" now!

Never heard that, but Monsters and Robots is a great album

My Favorites:

Alex Lifeson - his leads blend in so well in every rush song

Larry LeLonde - listen to Sailing the Seas of Cheese and get back to me

Slash - because he is the man

"Dimebag" Darrell Abbot - Ungodly Speed + Rhythm = amazing

[ElevenBee]

let's not forget the bass guitarists!

although bass guitarists often fall into the background... some stand out, like Les Claypool of Primus as well as Victor Wooten!

[JKLantern]

let's not forget the bass guitarists!

although bass guitarists often fall into the background... some stand out, like Les Claypool of Primus as well as Victor Wooten!

This is why we have a "Favorite Bass Player" thread...

[VelvetGuru9]

I'm a big Hendrix fan and we can argue all day over the fact of whether he truly was the greatest or not, but he definitely put his heart and soul into his playing. Keep in mind that he played his strat upside down and never reversed the strings. The man played as fast and as crazy good as he did while having to reach further for the strings everyone else plays so casually. This is called Peace in Mississippi and it was written for ML King Jr. and the anger is so pronounced in his playing that you can feel the consciousness of 60s America straining to understand. Hendrix PiM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVDq10wkgT0) Enjoy.

[JKLantern]

. Keep in mind that he played his strat upside down and never reversed the strings.

I'm pretty sure I'd read somewhere that this statement is apocryphal. Nevertheless, Hendrix did put his heart into the Guitar. I remember reading that he was an excellent student...until he got his first guitar.

[ElevenBee]

This is why we have a "Favorite Bass Player" thread...

noted ;)

thanks!

[VelvetGuru9]

I'm pretty sure I'd read somewhere that this statement is apocryphal. Nevertheless, Hendrix did put his heart into the Guitar. I remember reading that he was an excellent student...until he got his first guitar.
I stand corrected. You're right. as much as I'd heard that statement bandied about, you'd think I'd have checked it out. I don't know why I never noticed it before. Rock on JKL.

[readyeddy?]

I'd be surprised to see anyone argue against Jimi Hendrix' status as the best ever. Did anyone see the issue of Rolling Stone magazine where they ranked the best guitarists? Jimi was their number one but I was pleasantly surprised that they ranked Duane Allman as number two. I was expecting them to say Clapton was number two.

[VelvetGuru9]

I'd be surprised to see anyone argue against Jimi Hendrix' status as the best ever. Did anyone see the issue of Rolling Stone magazine where they ranked the best guitarists? Jimi was their number one but I was pleasantly surprised that they ranked Duane Allman as number two. I was expecting them to say Clapton was number two.
I still get the Rolling Stone delivery and I saw that issue. I respect the opinions of the people that voted in that issue, but Allman, as great as he was, wouldn't have been my #2. Jimi though - he was definitely my #1.

[dj_sha]

I really don't care how fast a guitarist can play or how much they can shred. That's just flashy wankery. All I care is how much heart and soul they can pour into their guitar. With that said, here are some of my favorites in no paticular order (though there are definitely a lot more):

Jimi Hendrix - THE greatest, bar none. He did so many things with the electric guitar that people are still trying to figure out just how to copy him. But no one can, and that's just how good he was. Voodoo Child Slight Return and Little Wing are just a couple songs that showcase his talent.

Jimmy Page - he's not the best guitarist (he could sloppy and caught up in blues shredding wankery during solos), but he's amazing at writing riffs. I like all his blues stuff a lot too. Stairway is overrated.

Pete Townshend - a fantastic songwriter and a guitarist who could both belt out great solos and play rhythm. Plus he's one of the most exciting guitarists to see play live, with the windmills and the smashing.

Neil Young - I love his acoustic stuff, but I also love that he can naturally transition from beautiful acoustic songs like Tell Me Why to hard feedback-heavy electric songs like Southern Man.

Jack White - the man puts tons of energy and emotion into everything he plays. He can pack more punch in four power chords than most guitarists have in four minute guitar solos. Plus, he's a true blues man, something that's hard to find these days. Check out Death Letter (the live version), Let's Build A Home (also live), and Ball and Biscuit to see his skills. He uses minimalism a lot, but can still do some crazy solos.

Eddie Hazel and George Hampton - the two Funkadelic guitarists. Funk masters and some of the greatest and most underrated guitarists ever. Eddie worked on most of the early stuff, but George took over later and is still playing live (RIP Eddie). Both were child prodigys and could belt out tons of amazing solos. Maggot Brain is, IMO, the greatest gutiar solo ever, and if you want to listen to what real soloing sounds like check it out (both the Eddie Hazel version off of the album Maggot Brain and the George Hampton version off of One Nation Under A Groove).

Joni Mitchell - the number of alternate tunings she uses is incredible. That and her incredible and unique sense of rhythm are what make me in awe of her guitar skills.

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - this man is insane. The number of different effects he uses is incredible. He's also a very unique player and doesn't just stick to simple blues scale but plays other scales instead or just goes on pure feeling. Everything he does is very inventive and progressive. Plus he's a great songwriter. Check him out in The Mars Volta, you won't be disappointed.

Prince - one of the greatest singers, songwriters, and producers ever is also one of the greatest guitarists? Damn.

Robert Johnson - the classic.

John Lee Hooker - another classic blues man.

Lou Reed - I love his unconventional crazy stuff in The Velvet Underground on stuff like European Sun and Sister Ray, but I also like his more calmed down stuff on Loaded and his later albums. Another inventive and talented guitarist.

Damn, there's way too many guitarists I love for me to mention all of them here right now. I guess I'll just have to keep coming back to add more. :)

[Iron Ham]

dj_sha, Buckethead can shred AND puts his sould into his music.

Listen to "Soothsayer" on youtube...

[ElevenBee]

dj_sha, Buckethead can shred AND puts his sould into his music.

Listen to "Soothsayer" on youtube...


Big Sur Moon

tube it!

[VelvetGuru9]

I really don't care how fast a guitarist can play or how much they can shred. That's just flashy wankery. All I care is how much heart and soul they can pour into their guitar.

Jimi Hendrix - THE greatest, bar none.

Jimmy Page - he's not the best guitarist but he's amazing at writing riffs.

Pete Townshend - a fantastic songwriter and a guitarist who could both belt out great solos and play rhythm.

Neil Young - I love his acoustic stuff, but I also love that he can naturally transition from beautiful acoustic songs like Tell Me Why to hard feedback-heavy electric songs like Southern Man.

Jack White - the man puts tons of energy and emotion into everything he plays.

Eddie Hazel and George Hampton - the two Funkadelic guitarists. Funk masters and some of the greatest and most underrated guitarists ever.

Joni Mitchell - the number of alternate tunings she uses is incredible. That and her incredible and unique sense of rhythm are what make me in awe of her guitar skills.

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - this man is insane. The number of different effects he uses is incredible.
in The Mars Volta, you won't be disappointed.

Prince - one of the greatest singers, songwriters, and producers ever is also one of the greatest guitarists? Damn.

Robert Johnson - the classic.

John Lee Hooker - another classic blues man.

Lou Reed - I love his unconventional crazy stuff in The Velvet Underground on stuff like European Sun and Sister Ray,

Damn, there's way too many guitarists I love for me to mention all of them here right now. I guess I'll just have to keep coming back to add more. :)
I'm surprised no one had hit on Joni yet. you hit the nail on the head with her alternate tunings and they're so hard to pick up and learn too.

I'd rep you for Lou Reed alone but once again I'm seeing the "must spread rep around" message

[Inbetweener]

Not to start trouble but the whole soul vs. shredder thing is a bit much to me. I mean isn't it just as subjective either way. I don't prefer either style over the other but Batio and Rhodes are just as good as Hooker and Santana in my eyes...and that is why I would argue Buckethead is the best guitarist out there...to me it's not even close. He can jam, he play jazz, he can play blues, he is classically trained, he creates great rock riffs, and he's probably the best shredder ever...barring maybe Malmsteen or Lane.

If we want to talk about most innovative or most influential, that is another conversation entirely. Jimi Hendrix has to top that list. I'll also listen to anyone who makes a case for Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, or Jeff Beck too.

Another guy who might not get a lot of praise on this thread is Prince. Punks and metalheads can say whatever you want about his music but the dude can really play and he is hugely influential.

[Inbetweener]

I'm firewalled from YouTube at work but check this out. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYxrdrzmuUw) It's Buckethead doing Nottingham Lace...even the studio version on Enter the Chicken is worth a listen.

[dj_sha]

Another guy who might not get a lot of praise on this thread is Prince. Punks and metalheads can say whatever you want about his music but the dude can really play and he is hugely influential.



I mentioned Prince, but I forgotten to mention that he's not only a great guitarist but also has one of the coolest signature guitars EVER! Jack White's Airline guitar is kickass too, but not near Prince's "love symbol" level.

[HartAttack]

Randy Rhoads of Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne
Dimebag Darrell Abbott of Pantera and Damageplan
Ace Frehley of KISS
K.K. Downing and Glen Tipton of Judas Priest
Chris DeGarmo, Michael Wilton and Mike Stone of Queensryche
Richie Blackmore of Deep Purple and Rainbow
Phil Collen of Def Leppard
Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath

[AlienFlanders]

Here is an guitarist you probably never heard: Lobby Loyde

GOD (Guitar OverDose) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3gN3_DOn3w) - Lobby Loyde
Human Being (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKatVlwYPJA)
Devil's Disciple (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZGdyPHSHNw)

[VelvetGuru9]

I had forgotten how good Tony Iommi is until I saw him live last night. He still puts a lot of metal guitarists to shame and at his age, that's saying something.

[Iron Ham]

Skwisgar Skwigelfs.

The rest of thems is loserses.

Excepts Bucketheads.

[CarlosMucha]

Paco de Lucia
Carlos Santana

[charlesdward]

I had forgotten how good Tony Iommi is until I saw him live last night. He still puts a lot of metal guitarists to shame and at his age, that's saying something.
And with two missing fingertips even.
I never tire of his riffs. :cool:

[MattPetersen]

I'm late for the discussion but I'll take a crack at it anyways.

Jimi Hendrix by far is one of my favorite guitarists! My dad was a huge Hendrix fan (well still is) and he even has the action figure sitting on his desk at work. My dad puts albums on all the time in his house (ever since I was little) and would always try to educate me about music. He ALWAYS pressed upon me the talent of Hendrix and over time the music did rub off on me and I had to digitize AL my dads albums so could listen to them myself (back when I was a poor college student)!

Joe Satriani - my introduction to him was purely that of a comicbook fan boy! I was at a music convention with my dad and some guy was selling used CDs and I happened to see one with Silver Surfer on it and I just bought it on impulse (heck it was only 3 bucks). I listened to it in my CD player andI acutally liked what I heard!

Has anyone mentioned Chuck Berry? I like him too.

God there are so many I could list......

[Stuart_Rex]

J to the I to the M to the I

Lord Frank of Zappa

Nuno "Nice Hair" Bettencourt

Michael "The Psycho" Schenker

[HappyTrain]

David Gilmour




.

[lensnart]

Corrie Brownstein and Thurston Moore for me.

[VelvetGuru9]

J to the I to the M to the I

Lord Frank of Zappa

Nuno "Nice Hair" Bettencourt

Michael "The Psycho" Schenker
Frank Zappa, great call. he doesn't get the credit he deserves.

[MattPetersen]

Frank Zappa, great call. he doesn't get the credit he deserves.

Oh I agree! Frank Zappa was just amazingly gifted!! I mean a guitarist, a band leader, a composer of jazz, rock, orchestral music, and various other genres of music (I'm willing to bet MOST genres actually), a political consultant for Czechoslovakia, not to mention the man was a smart cookie intellectually to begin with! He DOES NOT get the credit he truly deserves!

I remember seeing that clip from the Steve Allen show where he played music on bicylce spokes!!I was just amazed by that and.... well I still am!!

[VelvetGuru9]

Oh I agree! Frank Zappa was just amazingly gifted!! I mean a guitarist, a band leader, a composer of jazz, rock, orchestral music, and various other genres of music (I'm willing to bet MOST genres actually), a political consultant for Czechoslovakia, not to mention the man was a smart cookie intellectually to begin with! He DOES NOT get the credit he truly deserves!

I remember seeing that clip from the Steve Allen show where he played music on bicylce spokes!!I was just amazed by that and.... well I still am!!
HEY, aren't you supposed to be teaching now? :p

if you haven't seen the Zappa appearance on Steve Allen you can find it here Frank Zappa on Steve Allen show (http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=2517902)

[Obsidian3d]

I'd have to say:

1) Zakk Wylde - still making Ozzy sound good, and solo stuff kicks @$$.
2) Jim Martin - Faith No More is still my favorite band of all time, plus he's a good dude.
3) Prince - yeah I said it, Prince. May be an eccentric freak, but the man can play.

[MattPetersen]

HEY, aren't you supposed to be teaching now? :p

if you haven't seen the Zappa appearance on Steve Allen you can find it here Frank Zappa on Steve Allen show (http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=2517902)

It's a half day so lunch and break time come earlier ...as in right now! So I have a little free time:). Then at 12 I am out for the day!
Are you playing at Mark's tonight?

[VelvetGuru9]

I was thinking about playng tonight, I'll have to call Mark and see what the build and restrictions are.

Have fun on your "early release" day. I'm gonna go crank up some Zappa

[MattPetersen]

I was thinking about playng tonight, I'll have to call Mark and see what the build and restrictions are.

Have fun on your "early release" day. I'm gonna go crank up some Zappa

If you can loan me some CDs of his I'd appreciate it! I used to have a lot of his albums but an ex girlfriend of mine kept them and I have not been able to get them back!!!

[Stuart_Rex]

All this talk of Zappa made me want to get back on with the Frank Avatars.

I like this one.

[VelvetGuru9]

I saw his band Focus listed on the One Hit Wonder threads, but I'd forgotten just how good a guitarist Jan Akkerman was/is.

[Cap_And_Bucky]

TOP 10

1- Johnny Cash
2- Kurt Cobain
3- Tom Morello
4- Bucket Head
5- Jimi Hendrix
6- Jack White
7- Eric Clapton -tie- Robert Johnson
8- Herman Li
9- Rivers Cuomo
10- George Harrison
SWISGAR!!!!!!!!!

[neutralmarkhot]

John Pizzarelli. Fun stuff to watch and listen to. His solo is at 1:45 but the whole trio is awesome.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9ZYu-6qbgcc


Django Reinhardt. He had a very unique playing style* and is also a great listen. i wish i find more vids of him playing. great music for both intense study of technical skill, but also a good backdrop for a candle light dinner.

*his unique style is due in part to the fact that he only uses TWO fingers to do the fingering on the guitar neck, his other fingers were paralyzed.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=K6nkHJQnEPs

[phantalien]

Tony Macalpine is the most talented.
Tony Iommi can alway rip it up onstage.
Alex Lifeson showed the difficulty of simplicity.
John Petrucci for his technical ability.
Dave Mustaine for his harmony.
Geroge Harrison for his intelligence.

[SLVRSR4]

I'm really suprised that Herman Li only got a few mentions in 5 pages of thread.

[pxb006]

My Top 3

Jimmy Page- no explanation needed
Brian May- can play so many different styles well
Joe Satriani- very creative. Burns up the frets, but sounds like he's barely breaking a sweat.

Other favorites include....
Buddy Guy
Mark Knopfler
Slash
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Alex Lifeson

[VelvetGuru9]

So, I'm at a big music convention in Anaheim this weekend where there's tons of artists hanging out and playing and doing the autograph thing, but I have to work and can't get around too much in the convention center to meet many people. It's Saturday night and I have to meet a couple friends for dinner so as soon as the show ends for the day I bolt across the street to the Hilton and make a mad dash for the elevator before the big crowd gets there, and there's my favorite guitarist in the world, Uli Jon Roth, getting into an elevator. I try to run and make it in too but I just missed him. DAMN!

The crew from Miami/Fort lauderdale gets Sunday off, so I wake the next day and I go ahead and take my time getting ready. I get to the elevator and it opens and there's Uli Jon Roth! WTF!!! We talked a few minutes and he was shocked to find someone who grew up listening to early Scorpions from the 70s and who knew all the tunes. I got a couple pictures with him and split. It was even more awesome than walking in an elevator one time and chatting with John Paul Jones and John Entwhistle.

Oh yeah, I also got to meet Herman Li and Sam Totman from Dragonforce. They were getting ready to an autograph signing and I talked to someone from Ibanez who moved me to the back and they did a quick signing for me. I had them make out the autographed pics to my 15 year old who is now totally "the man" among his rock and roll buddies.

A couple of other notable musicians I saw/met: Paul Gilbert, Carlos Santana, Chad Smith, Billy Sheehan, Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey, Virgil Donati, Kenny Aronoff, Bobby Rock and there were a few more that I can't remember right now.

It was a fun time and The Adicts show at the House of Blues kicked some major ###.

[JKLantern]

A couple of other notable musicians I saw/met: Paul Gilbert, Carlos Santana, Chad Smith, Billy Sheehan, Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey, Virgil Donati, Kenny Aronoff, Bobby Rock and there were a few more that I can't remember right now.



So one of my Dad's former coworkers was renting out this house, right? The coworker comes in late, and says, "Sorry I'm late. There was some musician at my house. Carlos something. Carlos...Fontana? Anyone ever heard of him?"

My Dad turns to him. "Carlos Santana?"
"Yeah, that's the guy!"

Turns out the coworker was renting the house out to Paul Reed Smith or one of his associates, and Carlos was coming by to pick up a guitar worth more than my life.

[Rokk_Krinn]

Turns out the coworker was renting the house out to Paul Reed Smith or one of his associates, and Carlos was coming by to pick up a guitar worth more than my life.

Please don't tell me it's The Red or I may weep.

[SLVRSR4]

Well, since we're exchanging rock stories, I'll share one with you on my brothers' behalf.

A few years back my younger brother and I were at Wizard World Chicago. It was a crazy Saturday, and we had gotten split up because one of us stopped to look at something and the other one didn't realize it and kept going. While my brother was looking for me, he ran into Gene Simmons of all people. My brother plays bass guitar, and Gene is one of his Idols, so naturally he gave up looking for me for a little bit to stop and talk with Gene. They sat there and talked music for about 10 minutes when my brother finally decided to resume the search for me. He got Gene to sign his shirt and then politely thanked him and excused himself to come look for me. Gene said, "Hey, I'll come with you." Gene Simmons then proceeded to follow my brother around WWC for the next half hour while he was looking for me. Unfortunately, Gene had to go somewhere and left my brother just a few minutes before he actually found me. I almost got to meet him too.

[VelvetGuru9]

Please don't tell me it's The Red or I may weep.
We gave away a PRS Red Santana guitar last year in our booth to celebrate resigning Carlos to a contract with us. PRS Guitars donated it (for a small fee, lol); second and third place winners received a bottle of Carlos' wine...pity those two guys, lol.

[VelvetGuru9]

While my brother was looking for me, he ran into Gene Simmons of all people. My brother plays bass guitar, and Gene is one of his Idols, so naturally he gave up looking for me for a little bit to stop and talk with Gene.
That's very cool!

[JKLantern]

Please don't tell me it's The Red or I may weep.

Dunno. The coworker doesn't know anything about music, so wouldn't have been able to tell us.

[doctor_x]

Stevie Ray Vaughn(the MASTER)
Jeff Beck
Eric Johnson
David Gilmour
Paul Barrere & Fred Tackett(Little Feat)
John Pettrucci(Dream Theater)
Lindsey Buckingham(Fleetwood Mac)
Alex Lifeson(Rush)
Robin Trower
Santana
Frank Zappa
Prince(look past all the bull####)

[Snake_Judge]

Eddy VanHalen
Kirk Hammett
Dave Mustaine
Herman Li
Sam Totman

Thats all I can think of off the top of my head

[pxb006]

Stevie Ray Vaughn(the MASTER)
Jeff Beck
Eric Johnson
David Gilmour
Paul Barrere & Fred Tackett(Little Feat)
John Pettrucci(Dream Theater)
Lindsey Buckingham(Fleetwood Mac)
Alex Lifeson(Rush)
Robin Trower
Santana
Frank Zappa
Prince(look past all the bull####)

I would agree with Prince. I think he's very under-rated as a guitarist.

[doctor_x]

I would agree with Prince. I think he's very under-rated as a guitarist.

I forgot Tommy Bolin. R.I.P.:disappoin

I'm listening to Billy Cobhams' Spectrum with him jamming on it now.

He was also in Deep Purple for a while and did a couple of live albums with them.

He had a couple of really good solo records-Teaser & Private Eyes.
Private Eyes has the songs Post Toastie & Shake The Devil which got some airplay.

Post Toastie is awesome. :knockedou

[GOOFYGOOBER17]

Jimi and Stevie! Yeah!