The hottest guitar player alive today

[Dr Zaius]

Who do you think is the hottest today?

In the past I haven't been a big Steve Vai fan, but some of the stuff he's doing now is very, very good.

[video=youtube;Md9dWuxDSRg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md9dWuxDSRg[/video]

Derek Trucks can definitely play too.

[video=youtube;o2cyTsAoP9w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2cyTsAoP9w[/video]

 

[Morbii]

I thought it was going to be a chick. Are you telling us something, Don?

 

[Dr Zaius]

Zakk Wylde often doesn't have the best tone, but here his tone is quite good. He's got that 800 dialed in in just the right spot and his technique is impressive.

[video=youtube;soYrn1IfeBo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soYrn1IfeBo[/video]

 

[Dr Zaius]

I thought it was going to be a chick. Are you telling us something, Don?

That's a different kind of hot. But since you mentioned it.

[video=youtube;d2RZXeQc5HU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2RZXeQc5HU[/video]

 

[aiabx]

Well, not Johnny Winter.




Yeah, I know. I'm actually quite sad about it. I have some recordings of him playing with Muddy Waters that make them both look like some kind of guitar gods.
I'll cast my vote for Buddy Guy, assuming he's still alive when I post this. Or Mark Knopfler. I can't decide.

 

[JOKippe]

There are a LOT of technically-proficient guitar players around these days...hell, someone could fill this thread with clips of Norwegian Black Metal shredders that are every bit as skilled as Vai. The crux is that most of these great players, Vai included, just don't make a lot of good music that goes further than the "wow" factor.

Played Vai's Sex and Religion CD a few weeks ago. Absolutely terrible as a total musical experience. I used to have his Alien Love Secrets album, but got rid of it. But put the guy in a band with real songs, and it's memorable. His work on Public Image Ltd's Album was great and inspiring, but that was...in 1986?!? (If you haven't heard his work with Johnny Rotten, please give it a listen, maybe you'll see what I mean!)

The others (Trucks, Wylde, Malmsteen, etc.) are more of the same. Put them in a real band with real songs not based upon their endless wanking and it might be worthwhile. Until then, I consider their awesome guitar skills to be merely a curiosity that's interesting for about 5 minutes

 

[Dr Zaius]

Trucks isn't in a real band? If the Allman Brothers band doesn't qualify, then who does?

But I get what you're saying. Malmsteen, Vai, Satriani and to some extent Bonamassa are all hugely skilled and very fast players, but I just don't get that much out of their music. It's sort of a "death from a thousand notes" type of thing.

 

[JOKippe]

Trucks isn't in a real band? If the Allman Brothers band doesn't qualify, then who does?

They used to be a real band...by the time Trucks joined up, they were just an oldies band

I've often considered the long path through the rock genre that led to guitar players with skills beyond the norm. I judge that The Yardbirds (Clapton, Page, Beck) were the first band that really emphasized what could be done with the guitar as a lead instrument. Hendrix came along very soon after that, and I don't think that Blackmore's early work should be overlooked either.

 

[Morbii]

Interesting comments by JOKippe. Here's a metal guy playing as part of his one man band Ocrilim:

[video=youtube;K6vqHcyBPGc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6vqHcyBPGc[/video]

I have a few of his discs (including his other band Orthrelm). It's ok stuff, but nothing I would listen to over and over. However, he's also in a band called Krallice that just kicks ass:

[video=youtube;hHFnz26GtU0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHFnz26GtU0[/video]

 

[Fort]

Until he's gone, this guy:

[video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MpRIYi721WE[/video]

 

[Dr Zaius]

The metal guy in the video is sort of like Malmsteen to me. I'm in awe of his technical prowess for about five minutes, then ear fatigue sets in and it all starts to sound the same. And not in a good way.

I'm not saying Malmsteen isn't "good" or that his music has no soul, I'm simply saying it doesn't do it for me. And I'm not someone who hates fast playing, as I listen to Lamb of God from time to time.

 

[Fort]

The metal guy in the video is sort of like Malmsteen to me. I'm in awe of his technical prowess for about five minutes, then ear fatigue sets in and it all starts to sound the same. And not in a good way.

I'm not saying Malmsteen isn't "good" or that his music has no soul, I'm simply saying it doesn't do it for me. And I'm not someone who hates fast playing, as I listen to Lamb of God from time to time.

Pretty much the same with me.

 

[JOKippe]

I had the good fortune of seeing BB King play a few years ago. It was a very good show, and I also know that I can put on a BB King CD and pretty much enjoy the whole thing. Sometimes I think that BB is just a little too slick with his playing...he plays what he plays with an incredible technique, but he never really pushes himself...he sticks with what sounds good and leaves it at that (and there's nothing wrong with that!)

BB King is a great guitarist, but in a very different way from people like Vai. There a lot of very good blues players, but ultimately, they just play the same simple scale over the same chord progression over and over again. But these "hot" guitar players that have been mentioned here work with different scales, modes and progressions, and really take it all to a different level, and I respect them for that. I could easily climb on the stage and jam with BB, but put me with with Vai and I'd sound like the crappy idiot guitar player that I am.

All that being said, I'd much rather listen to BB King than Steve Vai, because BB plays music that sounds better to me.