Best guitar player? - Jimmy Page Discussion

Is honestly quite overrated and fairly sloppy. I could name at least 10 or 20 better ones.

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[–] Jones70 (6195) 4 years ago

Like who?
Jimi Hendrix?
Eric Clapton?
Keith Richards?
David Gilmour?
Buddy Guy?
Brian May?
Chuck Berry?
Stevie Ray Vaughn?
Pete Townshend?
Joe Walsh?
Tonny Lommi?

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[–] degree7 (821) 4 years ago

Hendrix for sure.

Clapton definitely.

Keith Richards is technically not as proficient but is a genius in coming up with catchy riffs.

Gilmour can be too antiseptic and clinical at times, but is overall a very strong guitarist.

Buddy Guy is probably above Page.

Brian May is unique but not necessarily better. About on the same level.

Chuck Berry I would rank alongside Keith Richards as catchy riff-maistro.

SRV was great but too overexposed.

Townshend was more of a rhythm guitarist than a lead.

Joe Walsh and Tony Iommi are probably on the same level as Page.

The ones I would rank above Page would be: Alvin Lee, Robin Trower, Jeff Beck, Andy Latimer, Martin Barre, Hubert Sumlin, Carl Perkins, Duane Allman, Carlos Santana, Roy Buchanan, Jose Feliciano, Mick Ronson, Mark Knopfler, Stephen Stills, Clarence White, Ry Cooder, Mike Bloomfield, Ritchie Blackmoore, Steve Howe, Peter Green, Robert Fripp, Phil Manzanera, Richard Thompson, Paul Kossoff, Glenn Campbell and many more.

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[–] Information-Police (4418) 6 months ago

Jeff Beck.

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[–] TrentnQuarantino (8891) 5 months ago

Jeff Beck was awesome and brilliant, but extremely uneven.

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[–] TrentnQuarantino (8891) 5 months ago

Oh, glad someone else mentioned Lancelot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK9-4CAtNug

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[–] SemiAnimus (1278) 5 months ago

Came here to mention better guitar players than Page but degree7 nailed it with that list. Page is competent but completely overrated, most likely due to the popular image
of Stairway to Heaven.

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[–] Ace_Spade (9456) 4 years ago

Do you play guitar?

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[–] degree7 (821) 4 years ago

A little bit.

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[–] TrentnQuarantino (8891) 6 months ago

Martin Barre

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[–] Information-Police (4418) 6 months ago

According to Ian Anderson, when they were recording Aqualung, Zeppelin was recording in the same facility. When Barre was laying down the solo for the song, Aqualung, Page happened to stop by and was in the booth listening. He said Barre found that quite intimidating but also motivating.

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[–] TrentnQuarantino (8891) 5 months ago

Barre's only problem is that he plays incredible solos, better
than any of them, but is not a great song-writer. Also he seems
shy and retiring. He stands back from center stage in his own
band. The thing about Barre is that he is tasteful and careful
about the spaces between the notes and not an attention
grabber unless it is the right moment. Here is a good one ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK9-4CAtNug

I've heard that story many times about Aqualung. Martin
was never a out of control rock star jerk, always quite civilized.
Out of any of the great guitarists I'd rather have a beer and a
mellow chat with Mart.

Dude also has these enormous gorilla hands that stretch all
the way up and down and around the fretboard!

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[–] Information-Police (4418) 6 months ago

He was pretty raw and wild, which was part of his style and appeal. He certainly wasn't Jeff Beck. Of course on stage, it could be pretty bad when he was strung out on heroin. I have read there were concerts where he'd have his double guitar and his right hand was strumming one set of strings while his left was fingering chords on the other set of strings. OUCH!

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[–] Ace_Spade (9456) 4 years ago

To quote Roy Buchanan (who I personally prefer to Page), "There's no such thing as number one...but thank you for thinking of it."

I think comparing guitar players is so hard. What's good? How do you compare a jazz player to a rock 'n' roller? How do you compare lead and rhythm? Does slide figure into it? Do you rate them purely on technique? Or how well they fit in their band? What about influence on other guitarists?

Valuing influence, for example, means Chuck Berry is going to rocket up the list, even though he wasn't as technical or fast as a LOT of other players. He wasn't even innovative, really, thinking back to the blues pioneers. But he influenced.

If you're counting more on their ability to play just what the band needed, and you're counting solid rhythm playing as important, John Lennon will rise higher.

Ultimately, I think there's more just personal favourites. Mine are Roy Buchanan, Prince, Mark Knopfler, Django Reinhardt, Joe Pass, Robert Johnson, and Lindsay Buckingham.

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[–] snepts (11123) 4 years ago

I don't bother. A guy like Roy B was great at what he did, but I imagine Larry Coryell could play circles around him. Not that it's always a good thing, Roy might squeeze more emotion from a solo than Larry, but Coryell was very nimble at both electric and acoustic and with challenging material, not just blues.
And what I mean is - guys who have become very popular, especially as rock guitarists, - aren't necessarily the best guitarists.
John McLaughlin is probably an example of someone who, if he wanted to dumb-down his approach, might be considered even more highly than he already is.

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[–] Otter (24464) 4 years ago

Maybe for a while, but he threw it all away pretty quickly, didn't he?

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[–] TimMC (9143) 4 years ago

Some of my favorite guitarists wouldn't make any major top 20 list. I'm OK with that. Listen to music you love. If you are fortunate enough to play an instrument(Yes), play the music you love.

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[–] Ripkens25 (1952) 2 years ago

Getting back to Page, he wrote great riffs and hooks....but his studio solos are a sloppy mess, and his live solos are shockingly bad.

There are kids in every high school who could play cleaner, crisper and better. Page’s forte is definitely in the riffs he creates. Beyond that, he simply has a mystique. He was in the right bands at the right times....during the right era, and a legend was created.

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[–] GolfnGuitars (2434) 6 months ago

Of all the criticisms I've heard regarding Page's playing, the "sloppy" one seems to be the most common. However, that's one thing about his playing that I LOVE...that he will sometimes make mistakes and still leave the mistakes in the final take (Neil Young and Keith Richards are great guitarists who do this at times). His version of "Bron-Yr-Aur" from "Physical Graffiti" has mistakes in it, but he really liked the "live feel" of his take, so he kept it (I just love that piece/song).

It's Rock & Roll...it's supposéd to be sloppy! 😃 Not always, of course (and I do greatly admire the "technical perfection" of artists like The Eagles, ELP, Chet Atkins, et.al.). But Page is definitely one of the greats...and so influential also.

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[–] Sparky (2395) 6 months ago

His vision of rock and roll was different than the anal retentive types that demand perfection. Rock and roll was born as an imperfect bastard to begin with and he never forgot that. IMO it was endearing and a feature of his playing, and exposes others. I like clean playing- I am a former studio guitarist known for first takes, but I appreciate what Page brought also. His song writing was spectacular, the complexity of his music is tremendous. The riffs, sure, but his acoustic work is second to none and he was known to be an absolute wizard in the studio. Every Led Zeppelin album is great, and his work afterward is excellent also.

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[–] GolfnGuitars (2434) 6 months ago

Well said! Awesome that you're a former "studio guitarist"...a lot of talent and discipline involved with that (which I don't have! 😃). "Bravo" to you!

I agree with all you wrote. Classical music/guitar is all about the "technical precision" and "technique." That's one great thing about Rock & Roll...that it allows room for so many different kinds of musicians, classically trained or not.

Along those same lines...guitarist to guitarist, that is something I struggle with myself. I tend to be a "perfectionist" when it comes to guitar playing. I want to play perfectly with no mistakes. However, it's so easy to lose the "soul/feel" of what you're playing when you do that. There's such a fine line involved with that...the older I get and the longer I play, the more I appreciate Page's approach to playing.

I'm also glad that you mentioned Page's acoustic playing. As great as an electric guitarist that he is and all those memorable riffs/solos that he played, I think his acoustic playing is where he really excels also. He was able to mix both expertly (as you referenced) and really had a great ear for what sounded good.

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[–] Sparky (2395) 6 months ago

"Along those same lines...guitarist to guitarist, that is something I struggle with myself. I tend to be a "perfectionist" when it comes to guitar playing. I want to play perfectly with no mistakes. However, it's so easy to lose the "soul/feel" of what you're playing when you do that. There's such a fine line involved with that...the older I get and the longer I play, the more I appreciate Page's approach to playing."

This is it exactly- well said yourself there. The governing element is not clinical perfection but feel and groove. One time Eddie Van Halen said that Page played like a 4 year old with a broken hand and knowing Eddie's music I'm not surprised at all. He was of the philosophy that getting it perfect technically is more important than the groove and the feel. It's a matter of opinion so he isn't objectively wrong, but I can and do disagree.

Keep playing brother- the joy you get from it is far more important than impressing others. We all have something to offer when it comes to music and I know this to be true. It's also great for the brain and mind as it's shown to develop the brain more fully and strengthen the bonds between the different parts of the brain, as well as help to stave off senility.

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[–] jacotodd47 (1081) 6 months ago

I don't know about that. But I'll tell you what - he was the man behind the biggest band of the 1970s - Led Zeppelin. Sure, there were 4 guys in Zep - but Jimmy Page was the key. He had a hand in writing just about all of their songs, produced every one of them, and played guitar (all of those memorable solos, incredible riffs). It was his band, he put it together. As it happens, Led Zeppelin is my all time fave band so one will always hold Jimmy Page in high regard.

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[–] MCguy (949) 6 months ago

You're not giving John Paul Jones enough credit.

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[–] ebhaynz (3610) 6 months ago

Believe it or not Glen Campbell is one of the top 5 guitarists ever.

Can't leave out EVH too.

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[–] SandyR (7657) 6 months ago

Stevie Ray Vaughn was the best.

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