Top 5 Guitarists, with a twist

[Steve's addiction]

Well I started out as a bass player so here goes:

Geezer Butler
Dusty Hill
Stanley Clarke
Geddy Lee
Jaco Pastorius

 

[Moose6]

For bass players I'd have to say

Tony Franklin x 5!!!!!

 

[flux]

One that I forgot about entirely but came to mind as I was reverse-engineering my influences: Billy Duffy.

He doesn't seem to get much love these days, but his work on The Cult's Sonic Temple in particular really resonated with me, then and now. When I listen to that record I hear all sorts of stuff that I've inadvertently stolen or incorporated.

 

[CVS]

Late to the party as usual

Clapton
Meyer
Santana
Betts
BB King

 

[markd21]

AH, fun!!! The players that actually influenced how I sound/play - the ones you can hear in my actual playing, lol....

1. Michael Schenker
2. Adrian Smith
3. Jim Matheos

The remaining two "players" are a group of dudes, because I don't know who played what, but the playing/style/approach of these groups greatly influenced me (if that makes sense)....

4. the Eagles
5. Lynyrd Skynyrd

 

[Thwap]

1.Ricky Medlocke
2.Steve Gaines
3.Glen Tipton
4.George Lynch
5.Vinnie Moore

 

[flux]

1. Michael Schenker

I'm all up in your top two! My high school guitar buddies and I had collectively turned each other on to UFO, MSG, all the good older stuff; of course we were all heavy into Scorpions as well and that whole wave. When the McAuley Schenker Group album dropped in '87, it blew our teenage minds. Man, we all idolized that record. I still bust it out once in a while, it's so upbeat, you can't turn it off.

 

[bodia]

I'm all up in your top two! My high school guitar buddies and I had collectively turned each other on to UFO, MSG, all the good older stuff; of course we were all heavy into Scorpions as well and that whole wave. When the McAuley Schenker Group album dropped in '87, it blew our teenage minds. Man, we all idolized that record. I still bust it out once in a while, it's so upbeat, you can't turn it off.

Built To Destroy was a staple on the turntable when it came out. Love all things Michael Schenker.

 

[jjpish68]

Eric Clapton
David Gilmour
Neil Young
Johnny Ramone
Joe Strummer

 

[Bran_Flakes]

Slash-The reason I play guitar, even if I don't listen to him as much anymore. He's why I ran an LP through Marshall for years, and why I have my guitar slung to my knees.
Steve Clark-More of above. Love his playing just as much. (These guys are why I would jump off of couches and beds while playing my guitar on ten when no one was home....)
My Grandpa-Nobody knows him, but he's the one who showed me most of my basics and still continues to show me licks/funky chords that I use on the regular.
Lincoln Brewster-As mainly a Christian player now, I listen to him a lot, so a lot of his phrasing and runs have sneaked into my playing.
Mark Tremonti-He's probably the only guitar guy I listen to now that's not in the Christian genre. I've been practicing his stuff a lot, so his style has shown up in my playing at church, and snuck into songs I've written as well.

My style used to be kind of sloppy and loose, but due to Brewster and Tremonti it's cleaned up very much. Every now and then people will get a taste of the old school Slash/Clark though.

 

[GuitarDrummer]

The top five who have influenced my style:

1. David Gilmour: His use of Pentatonics, as well as what I call "tasty space" inspires me to pay attention to what I do NOT play, as well as what I do play. It's relatively safe.

2. Jimi Hendrix: For those times when going out on a limb seems like a good idea. Take some chances. I like his rhythm style, as well. Sweet double stops. More risk and danger here.

3. Randy Rhoads: When I met him, he said that he takes a lesson at every single opportunity, because "there's always something to learn from someone else." Hearing that from someone like him left a deep impression. Being open to learning always impacts my style.

4. Jimmy Page: Lots could be said, but the big pieces are ethereal feel of chord progressions, and some elements of his picking style.

5. Zoot Horn Rollo: Double Influence: I like his work, and he's my current guitar teacher. He's not a fan of SOME of the Gilmour and Page influences on my playing, so he's guiding me in a direction where I can find my own "lunar note." It's almost like re-learning guitar from scratch. Obviously, at this point in time, he's my biggest influence in how I play, and how I'm changing my playing for the better. My goal is to be able to keep some of these influences, and at the same time not sound like any one of them.