Your Biggest Electric Guitar Influences and Favorite Players?

[j3ffr0]

Eddie
Keith
Jimmy P
Hubert Sumlin

[Glennwillow]

I love hearing a well played guitar, acoustic or electric. I have enjoyed hearing Clapton, Hendrix, some of George Harrison's stuff, Carlos Santana, Dan Huff... on and on.

I think the person who has influenced my electric playing style the most is Mark Knopfler. I also greatly enjoy hearing Eric Johnson and Andy Timmons. Of these latter three players I am pretty sure I have every CD they have ever recorded.

- Glenn

[Dirk Hofman]

I’m useless on the electric so I can’t yet claim any influences. Favorites?

EVH
Malcolm Young
Hendrix
SRV
Alex Lifeson
Andy Summers
Link Wray
Dick Dale
Prince
Billy Gibbons
Neil Young
David Gilmour
Jimmy Page

[Gordon Currie]

In 1966 I got my first guitar, inspired by the Beatles. I quickly gravitated to George Harrison as he seemed to be the best player.

But it was after hearing Jimi Hendrix that I realized it was my path to become a SERIOUS guitar student. Forget the screaming girls, there was something infinitely more important going on here!

Biggest electric guitar influences, in order of my awareness of them:

Jimi Hendrix
Leslie West (Mountain)
Andy Latimer (Camel)
Duane Allman (Allman Brothers)
Steve Howe (Yes)
Steve Hackett (Genesis)
David Gilmour
Jeff Beck
Pat Metheny
Allan Holdsworth
Steve Morse
Adrian Belew
Eric Johnson
Scott Henderson (Tribal Tech)
Wayne Krantz
Jimmy Herring

[FrankHudson]

I have a thousand or so of them, and even to list a few of them would make me sound like a more advanced player than I am. From day to day I'm paying more attention to or asking myself how would player X or player Y approach this. My list would include most everyone that's been listed already.

Off the top of my head a few, just to humor the thread:

Roy Buchanan. Between him, Steve Cropper and Albert Collins I just feel in love with the Telecaster. I picked up the nasty habit of hitting "squealers" whenever I want a little extra aggression in a solo from Buchanan's playing.

Jim Hall. Harmonically way way beyond me as an improvisor, but I love some of his phrasing and contrapuntal ideas and that I've tried to emulate in my lame way.

Bill Frisell. Oh man do I try to copy him some days. Not very well mind you, but that's what I think I'm doing.

Frank Zappa. Like Sonny Rollins an improvisor who thinks like a composer. Classic Television the band era Tom Verlaine is another. Zappa was hugely influential to me to as a composer, the idea that musical genres could be treated as equals and mixed gloriously.

Andy Gill. There was short time in the late 70s-early 80s when it looked like a whole crowd was trying to find a new vocabulary for electric guitar in a rock band set of instruments. To my mind nobody came up with a better new thing that Gill.

Jimi Hendrix. Same thing as Gill, only a decade earlier, redefined the instrument. Along with Verlaine apparently a big influence on Andy Gill too.

That nearly 10. Now if you think I being all high-falutin' in my list, I'm trying to figure out how to channel Ron Ashton of the Stooges for a cut right now, and that's not a gimmie for someone with my chops.

[Dru Edwards]

It's nice to see Malcolm Young recognized in this thread. The backbone of AC/DC. RIP.

Originally Posted by Dirk Hofman

I’m useless on the electric so I can’t yet claim any influences. Favorites?

EVH
Malcolm Young
Hendrix
SRV
Alex Lifeson
Andy Summers
Link Wray
Dick Dale
Prince
Billy Gibbons
Neil Young
David Gilmour
Jimmy Page

[Lockback]

I'm inspired by - but don't play anything like - Eric Clapton, first and foremost, then David Gilmour, Hendrix (of course), Vince Gill, Martin Barre, Joe Bonamassa and too many others to count.
I love Gilmour's economy of notes.

[ch willie]

George Harrison
Eric Clapton
Keith Richards
Pete Townshend
Jeff Lynne
Jeff Beck
Jimmy Page
Davy Johnstone

[Rudy4]

I'd put my money on Richard Thompson. Totally unique style and often played outside of the "standard fare" of what was being played as the "flavor of the day".

His solos during his early electric guitar period were brilliantly done. Richard did an Austin City Limits Show which was released in their featured concert series on DVD. Very few people who watched that show realized he popped a B string as he started a solo on one of his signature pieces, I believe it was "Shoot Out The Lights"; could have been "Tear Stained Letter". He went on to play the extensive solo, 4 or 5 minutes in length, without batting an eye. It's very entertaining to watch.

Prior to CV-19 he maintained a steady touring schedule, alternating between his electric 3 piece power trio and doing solo acoustic shows.

If you can't make one of his performances then watch some of the many Youtube videos out there.

[Daveyo]

Lately for me
Peter Frampton
Robben Ford
Bruce Conte

[Nash Rambler]

Clarence White

[FrankHudson]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

I'd put my money on Richard Thompson. Totally unique style and often played outside of the "standard fare" of what was being played as the "flavor of the day".

His solos during his early electric guitar period were brilliantly done. Richard did an Austin City Limits Show which was released in their featured concert series on DVD. Very few people who watched that show realized he popped a B string as he started a solo on one of his signature pieces, I believe it was "Shoot Out The Lights"; could have been "Tear Stained Letter". He went on to play the extensive solo, 4 or 5 minutes in length, without batting an eye. It's very entertaining to watch.

Prior to CV-19 he maintained a steady touring schedule, alternating between his electric 3 piece power trio and doing solo acoustic shows.

If you can't make one of his performances then watch some of the many Youtube videos out there.

Yes he's great, just as great and original on electric as acoustic. Some of his just post-Fairport Convention stuff has the loveliest Stratocaster sounds ever in my ear. As to continuing on with a broken string, I think of Roy Buchanan's "Five String Blues" in which breaks a string on the issued recording take and he just keeps going.

[aknow]

Influence: Peter Green
Faves: Django, Gabor Szabo, Joe Satriani, Steve Morse, Steve Lukather Larry Carlton

I saw the original Fleetwood Mac in Hollywood, Ca, early 1970, two nights in a row.. Took up guitar the next Monday!

[s2y]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Slash has always had amazing tone. I saw him first play when Guns 'n Roses opened for Iron Maiden in '88 before anyone knew who they were (a few months before Sweet Child o' Mind made it big). He's been able to keep up those great endorsements with Gibson and Marshall.

Slash and EVH were 2/3rds of why I picked up guitar. The other 1/3rd was my parents saying I couldn't get drums, LOL.

I should have seen GnR the last time they came through town. I think I was working. I also haven't had a LP styled guitar for dang near 20 years. Need one at some point.

[Dru Edwards]

Any love for Randy Rhoads? The Live Tribute album was awesome, as was he. Tragic end to his life far to early. One of my favorites.