[Closed] 6 music "axe factor" cast your vote

It doesn't really say what the criteria are, but I voted for J Mascis anyway.

I should imagine the criteria is who you believe to be the best guitarist of the last 30 years.

I voted also for J Mascis. It is a little bit vague... Technically best? Most influential? But J had the biggest impact on my musical taste developing.

Yeah, I'd like to have seen Kevin Shields in there.

But he'd probably fit better in the "total musical genius who happens to play guitar factor".

This seems to have more of a muso slant.

No Yngwie Malmsteen? Pah!

That's a toughie, in terms of influence I'd say that Kirk Hammett is huge and has made more spotty teenage metalheads pick up a geetar than anyone else there, but Tom Morello is great in the whole "can I do something different with this?" way.

Erm, Kevin Shields is in there.

I voted for Marr, but John Squire, Peter Buck and Slash would also be up there. Kurt Cobain is a strange choice, a genius yes, but a terrible guitarist ability wise.

I would have like to have seen John McGeoch of Magazine, Souxsie and the Banshees, Visage, Armoury Show, Pil in there as well, he was a genius guitarist.

The Edge should not technically be in there as he started his career in the 70's.

Charlotte Hatherly is also a wierd one, chosen due to the lacking number of women?

I voted for Noel Gallagher 😉

Ooh, a bit of a toughie this one - thought about Bob Mould (Husker Du & Sugar) but went for Jonny Greenwood in the end. Would have loved to vote for J Mascis but I've never heard of anything he's ever done..... Cool name tho....

I was tempted by Bob Mould, I do love Husker Du. You've really never heard Dinosaur JR?

Erm, Kevin Shields is in there.

Oh dear, sorry Kevin if you're reading this and you lose by one vote (both of which are quite unlikely).

Where is Francis Rossi for cripes sake¿

Oh yeah, heard of them but never ever HEARD them (Dino Jr) - they just completely passed me by. Couldn't name a song or hum a tune by them. Why, am I missing something good?

I would say yes, obviously. There must be some on youtube / spotify / whatever you can check out!

Where is Francis Rossi for cripes sake"- perhaps because he started his career in the 60's and was arguably most prolific in the 70's. Oh, are you being ironic in a STW "not really actually interested in the thread but I'll chip in with my hilarious whitticism anyway" style?

Thats really funny, then if thats the case.

 

LOL, did you really get annoyed at that?

No Rory Gallagher?

Some very odd 'guitarists' in there 😯

Slash for the win.

Thats a great list I think.
I'd only vote on originality and influence. "Ability"? Schmability.

Can't decide though.
How can Billy Corgan be in there and not James Iha? Weird.

Voted for Jack White for purely emotive reasons.

No Rory Gallagher?

I'm a fan of john fruschante (sp?).
Then again I know nothing about guitaring.
Any chance of some links to examples of these guys?

Voted for Jack White for purely emotive reasons.

You fancy Jack White?

Steve Vie isn't there either and he didn't do anything until the 80's.

How about Rob Holliday - unsung genius.

[i]You fancy Jack White? [/i]

"Fancy" alone cannot convey my feelings

This thread is why they should never let fans of "fretboard ****ery" vote on things like the best guitarist...

[i]Charlotte Hatherly is also a wierd one, [/i]

This is the reason, she's perhaps not the greatest, but standing in a crowd of Ash fans as they start playing Burn baby burn, needs to be experienced, it's not just about ability...

"No Yngwie Malmsteen? Pah!"

Uh oh, they've unleashed the ****ing fury!

NickC, on the one hand I can sort of see your point, on the other it's exactly as good now that she's left so giving her credit for that seems a bit off... If they wanted to stick in a token female, maybe Elena Robinson from Viva Voce, she's pretty fantastic.

I voted Matt Bellamy, anyway, a pretty amazing guitarist when you just look at the playing, huge technical ability but also creativity and style, and he understands sometimes less is more unlike your EVHs and Yngwies... but his use of FX etc raises that to another level for me, basically he doesn't just play guitar (like the Edge, except, well, better).

Bottom line is I think he could play anything anyone in that list can play, when he sets his mind to it, but there's nobody else there that could play everything he could. And he's not even done learning yet, the swine 🙁

Where is the late Stuart Adamson, deserves to be there just for keeping a guitar band going during a very lean period

Very underrated band were Big Country and still love that classic line from Chance
"the only sun she ever saw was the two he left her with"

i thought they were axing 6 music? i'd vote for that

Bang on, nickc (Fretboard ****ery 🙂 )

@Tijuana Taxi - what a bizarre post!!

And no Randy Rhodes. I voted for Slash. Was Tony Iomi in there???

What Tijuana Taxi said 8)

Charlotte Hatherly is also a wierd one,

This is the reason, she's perhaps not the greatest, but standing in a crowd of Ash fans as they start playing Burn baby burn, needs to be experienced, it's not just about ability...

She's not even the main guitarist in Ash, Tim Wheeler is.

This thread is why they should never let fans of "fretboard ****ery" vote on things like the best guitarist...

I'm no fan of "fretboard ****ery", but surely being a great guitarist should involve some sort of ability at actually playing the instrument?

[i]a reason why people with no knowledge of how to play the instrument should perhaps not be allowed to vote.[/i]

What a total load of bollox! Maybe people with knowledge of how to play the instrument compiled the list??
Great guitarists may have been about how technically clever you are back before the punk days, but orginality, sound and experimentation are what its about these days.
Give me Kevin Shields over Slash's standard rock riffs any day.

Bollox, Schmollox!

Great guitarists may have been about how technically clever you are back before the punk days, but orginality, sound and experimentation are what its about these days.

- Yes, but the true great guitarists combine that with a great ability to play and an understanding of their instrument and the craft of learning it. The pole is not about great songwriters, frontmen or just great bands, its about great guitarists. Contrary to popular opinion the Punk guys could also play, Steve Jones and Mick Jones are great guitarists, for example.

Being an average guitarist in a great band does not make you a great guitarist, being a great songwriter does not make you a great guitarist. Jimi Hendrix was not just technically a great guitarist, he was a sonic innovator at the time, as was Jeff Beck, as was Clapton. As is Matt Bellamy, as is Johnny Marr, as is John Squire etc. But they are also technically very good at playing their instruments, thats what makes them them truly great.

Thats cleared that up then 🙂

It appears I can't vote for me

In the absence of Plumber from that list, I've voted for Graham Coxon. Awesome guitarist.

[i]also a reason why people with no knowledge of how to play the instrument should perhaps not be allowed to vote[/i]

Right Ok, I can play the guitar, so that's all right then. I'm allowed

Personally I think it's a generational thing, it's about where your musical big-bang happened, for me that was Punk, music that grabbed you by both ears, gave you a Glasgow kiss, robbed you of your loose change and rummaged down the front of your trousers for good measure, then left you, a sweaty bruised mess humping the floor. "Fretboard ****ery" is an advised term, 'cos that's what it is, ****ing. 5 minute self indulgent guitar solos so beloved of the prog rock and 70 metal era is just some bloke on stage ****ing, all he's saying is "Look at the size of my cock". It has nothing to do with music, more notes in a given space of time isn't a measure of good music. Never has been never will be.

That's why guitarists like Charlotte are there, and Cobain, listen to the opening of "Come as you are" is sooo simple a child could play it, but it sends shivers down your spine, a song like that. And technical music can never do that, it's interesting in a chin stroking way, but it can't compete with feeling, and never will.

No Joe Satriani? No Yngwie Malmsteen, No Steve Vai

I vote for Kirk Hammet but Slash would be on the podium too, agree with comments above regarding Tom Morello too.

Nickc wrote,

"That's why guitarists like Charlotte are there, and Cobain, listen to the opening of "Come as you are" is sooo simple a child could play it, but it sends shivers down your spine, a song like that. And technical music can never do that, it's interesting in a chin stroking way, but it can't compete with feeling, and never will."

But that's a whole other topic, that's great songwriting not great guitar playing. Playing great music doesn't make you a great guitarist. I can play Come As You Are and I'm [i]incredibly[/i] s**t.

As for feeling... nothing Nirvana ever did sent shivers down my spine, but Citizen Erased by Muse has made me cry in a crowd of 60000 people and that's full of fretboard ****ery and muso nonsense, and very technical- music doesn't have to be a blunt instrument to have an emotional impact.

Citizen erased is a superb. That whole album is too.
I was very surprised to see some of the names in the list, but then I thought maybe the list is not just about awesome guitarists. Maybe it's about people that make great sounds with a guitar. You don't have to be technically brilliant to make a great sound.

Hah, why isn't Wes Borland in it? And BUCKETHEAD!