Distinctive guitarists

[Idril]

I was just listening to some Floyd and I was thinking what an awesome guitar player David Gilmour is and how you can tell it's Dave playing even when he's not playing with Floyd, he has such a distinctive sound that is unmistakenly his and I was thinking of other guitarists who have a unique sound, the Edge, Mark Knophler and even though I'm not a huge fan of Van Halen, I still have to admit Eddie has a sound all his own. I know there are hundreds of other guitarists out there who belong on this list, who would be your choices?

[Logos]

Well yes there are hundreds of great guitarists, many obvious ones that I've always liked as well as Andrés Segovia, Michael Hedges, Jeff Buckley, John Martyn, Adrian Belew, and Billy Bragg who all have their own distinctive style :D

[Virgil]

Goodness. I'm must really be of a different generation. Jimi Hndrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page.

If you're just looking for distinctive style: Chuck Berry, Keith Richards.

Logos: I assume the ones you mention are classical guitarists. I recognize Segovia.

[IrishCanadian]

Ginger Baker, Django Rienhart, Duke Ellington, Jimi Hendrix, ... I guess these ones are all pretty obvious.

[Logos]

Neil Young, Bob Dylan.. the list goes on!

Virgil yes Segovia (spanish) is classical, but the rest I mention aren't.. Belew was with King Crimson (now solo), Michael Hedges played acoustic folk/funk, Jeff Buckley played rock/, John Martyn (jazz/folk), and Billy Bragg (folk-punk-rock) :)

[beer good]

Ginger Baker, Duke Ellington,
...were a drummer and a piano player, surely?

How about Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison? Possibly the best twin-guitar team ever, IMO... (then again, I'm a raving Velvet Underground fanatic.) One noisy and trying to play free jazz, the other as smooth as any soul musician...

And speaking of twin guitar assaults in the punk/experimental genre, Tom Verlaine/Richard Lloyd of Television and Lee Ranaldo/Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth do some things to guitars that I really don't understand but turn my skin inside out.

Logos, if you're into solo folk players, you might want to check out a guy who calls himself Hamell on Trial. Solo performer, plays a 70-year-old acoustic Gibson and makes it sound like The Ramones at full strength.

Etc etc etc.

[Basil]

....Tom Verlaine/Richard Lloyd of Television
Have you ever listened to Richard Hell and the Voidoids? Blank Generation is a fantastic album...

[beer good]

Have you ever listened to Richard Hell and the Voidoids? Blank Generation is a fantastic album...
O, yes indeed. Bob Quine was an amazing guitar player too - he did some fine work with Lou Reed in the early 80s as well. Have you heard Television's original version of "Blank Generation"? Not bad either.

Two other very distinctive guitarists that I love the heck out of: Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo can play ANYTHING from cocktail jazz to free noise. Dave Rawlings who plays with Gillian Welch and occasionally Ryan Adams has one of the most liquid guitar styles I've ever heard - it's like turning on a tap whenever he takes a solo, the notes just tumble out in the right order and it sounds so easy.

(Love your avatar, BTW.)

[TBtheG]

I can usually recognize the guitar of Alex Lifeson of Rush

[Zippy]

Jimmy Page, Frank Zappa, Carlos Santanna and Jack White, have all got instantly recognisable sounds.

[Virgil]

Bob Dylan..
:)
Bob Dylan may be a fine song writer, but distintive guitarist I would not say. As someone put it to me once: Bob Dylan; can't sing; can't play guitar; can't play harmonica; but he can sure sell a lot of records.

[Virgil]

Ginger Baker, Django Rienhart, Duke Ellington, Jimi Hendrix, ... I guess these ones are all pretty obvious.
Duke Ellington? Thee Duke Ellington? I thought he was a pianist. Did he play guitar too?

[IrishCanadian]

...were a drummer and a piano player, surely?
.
Oops. I had Ginger Baker confused with the bass player from Creme. I'm sure you know his name. (teehehe, my memory). And Duke Ellington actually started his career on the guitar and then switched to piano as he became more popular. His guitar is not anything incredible, like his piano playing is, but I think its stil noteworthy.

[Chinaski]

Jack Bruce was the bass player I think. Duke Ellington started on guitar...pfaw! C'mon mate - admit it...you dropped a bollock! Dave Davies' guitar sound - 'Green Amp with mums knitting needle rammed through it' is up there with the best I reckon. "Oh No!"

[Xamonas Chegwe]

Steve Howe is instantly recognisable. As are Ry Cooder, Richard Thompson, Steve Vai, Steve Hillage, Stanley Jordan, Geordie Walker (Killing Joke), Robert Fripp, Todd Rundgren and Andy Partridge (XTC). I can spot any of these on anyone's album. Add in most of the others mentioned already - especially Hendrix, Gilmour, Belew and Django.

[Ryduce]

It is very cool to see people list guitarist that most normal folk wouldn't know
such as Steve Vai,Ry Cooder,Django,and Stanley Jordan(who I know personally).

Being a professional guitar player there are several people that I worshiped,and I am going to list some guitarist who I hold very dear to my heart.Hopefully you will check them out.


Shawn Lane-A fusion master and the fastest guitarist this universe has ever seen,but he still managed to make melodies that could make me weep.He is,to me,the finest guitarist on the planet,but sadly he died from lung disease in 2003.He was also a wicked piano player.

Wes Montgomery-The Greastest Jazz guitarist ever.Period.

Danny Gatton-A master of all styles,but he took country guitar to the next level.

Eric Johnson-His tone is second to none.

Joe Pass-Unaccompanied monster of Jazz.

SRV-One of the finest blues guitarist.

Pat Metheny-Another fusion monster.

I could go on all day,but these are guys probably you've never heard of.I encourage you to check them out.

[Xamonas Chegwe]

Pat methany is just awesome on Joni Mitchell's Shadows and Light album.

[RobinHood3000]

I just heard of Ry Cooder today (in history class, interestingly enough), I'll need to do more research on him.

[Chinaski]

Have you heard Andy Partridge in Dukes of Stratosphere?

[Xamonas Chegwe]

Certainly have. He is a genuinely underrated player. He plays really complicated, awkward riffs with a fluidity and precision that makes them sound effortless - the mark of a great player.

[Chinaski]

Yeah - I don't know much XTC but I had some on compilations as a kid (my Uncle worked on the rigs and used to bring back cellophane wrapped packs of 5 assorted tapes back from 'Abby Dabby', and flog em for 50p a pop; but I had bagsy on certain bands...sorry I digress, there were some compilation albums) and loved those songs - Sergeant Rock and Senses Working Overtime I remember well. Surprising I never bagsied em.

[TBtheG]

Did you know Django Reinhardt was missing a finger, as was Jerry Garcia, who made some pretty sweet licks himself. Duane Allman is pretty distinctive, I love slide guitar. Ya gotta give props to Stevie Ray Vaughn, Texas flood as a WICKED album.

[crisaor]

Wes Montgomery-The Greastest Jazz guitarist ever.Period.

Just wanted to sign this.

[IrishCanadian]

Did you know Django Reinhardt was missing a finger, .
His left pinky and some of his ring. Considering this, some of this chromatic work is incredible.
I wish I could play the guitar.

[AimusSage]

Adrian Smith, Dave Murray both IRON MAIDEN! Jannick Gers not so much, to sloppy.

Glenn Tipton - Judas Priest

Denis D'Amour AKA Piggy, or so he was before he passed away. from Voivod.

Just a few more examples of good guitarists.

[beer good]

Did you know Django Reinhardt was missing a finger
Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath doesn't have fingertips on several of his fretting fingers. That's the reason he started tuning his guitar lower than usual... and then every other metal guitarist started doing the same thinking it was just a cool sound.

[rachel]

I totally love stevie ray vaughn, but not more than travis and clayton, trav plays such awesome lead you cannot believe it, he teaches as well. clayton plays the best left handed slap base guitar, although before he got his leftie he learned with his right hand. love them, honestly

[rachel]

It is very cool to see people list guitarist that most normal folk wouldn't know
such as Steve Vai,Ry Cooder,Django,and Stanley Jordan(who I know personally).

Being a professional guitar player there are several people that I worshiped,and I am going to list some guitarist who I hold very dear to my heart.Hopefully you will check them out.


Shawn Lane-A fusion master and the fastest guitarist this universe has ever seen,but he still managed to make melodies that could make me weep.He is,to me,the finest guitarist on the planet,but sadly he died from lung disease in 2003.He was also a wicked piano player.

Wes Montgomery-The Greastest Jazz guitarist ever.Period.



Danny Gatton-A master of all styles,but he took country guitar to the next level.

Eric Johnson-His tone is second to none.

Joe Pass-Unaccompanied monster of Jazz.

SRV-One of the finest blues guitarist.

Pat Metheny-Another fusion monster.

I could go on all day,but these are guys probably you've never heard of.I encourage you to check them out.


well I think you are just the greatest so rock on and I will bring my overnight sleeping bag and fifty friends and we will cheer you on! :banana: :banana: :cool:

[genoveva]

Did you know Django Reinhardt was missing a finger
Wow! I did not know this- love his style!
And also, thank you for mentioning Jerry Garcia!! :p

[genoveva]

Bob Dylan may be a fine song writer, but distintive guitarist I would not say. As someone put it to me once: Bob Dylan; can't sing; can't play guitar; can't play harmonica; but he can sure sell a lot of records.
:lol:
Hey, you can actually understand the lyrics in his early stuff! Dylan's got a special place in my heart. :thumbs_up

[genoveva]

I don't think anyone's mentioned John McLaughlin yet!

[Ryduce]

I don't think anyone's mentioned John McLaughlin yet!


I didn't really dig Mclaughlin's playing on *****'s Brew,but he was smokin on the first Mahavishnu album and all the stuff he did with di meola and Paco de Lucia.

[TBtheG]

Greg Howe is a good guitarist, I dont know about distinctive, but he's fairly skilled.

[bobcerm]

No distinctive Guitar playing style List could ever be complete without mentioning the amazing Guitar Master himself, TODD RUNDGREN.

[papayahed]

Tom Morello - I don't know if he's distinctive or not but i like him - he's so darn cute.

[literaturerocks]

well i am a guitarist myself and a few of the guitarists i would have to mention would be joe satriani yngwie malmsteen segovia hendrix (of course) mclaughlin was awesome with mavishnu i have to agree with you guys on that... also clapton and bryan sutton (flatpicking) sutton is very cool for more of a country bluegrass sort of vibe..very good

[Mark F.]

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath and Tom Wait's guitarist, Mark Ribot have very distinctive styles.

[Manfred]

Joe Strummer, Ritchie Blackmore, Rick Nielsen, Ted Nugent.

[beanbean]

i am a good guitarist :p

[Weeping Willow]

Neil Young, Bob Dylan.. the list goes on!

Virgil yes Segovia (spanish) is classical, but the rest I mention aren't.. Belew was with King Crimson (now solo), Michael Hedges played acoustic folk/funk, Jeff Buckley played rock/, John Martyn (jazz/folk), and Billy Bragg (folk-punk-rock) :)

Logos!
Just wanted to say damn!! you have great taste in music! :D!!
But i think you would mean Robert frip as he is the Guitarist of king Crimson..
And Jeff buckly.. he has the most amazing voice ever!..
What joy!

[Idril]

But i think you would mean Robert frip as he is the Guitarist of king Crimson..


Robert Fripp reminds me of Andy Summers from the Police because they did an album together once upon a time, in fact I think they may have done more than one and Andy Summers is a very distinctive player, an odd one, I'll give you that but there is no mistaking his sound.

[Jack_Aubrey]

Alex Lifeson, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Jimmy Page, Nels Cline, Jeff Tweedy, Larry Carlton.