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Posted by: Spiderusalem Nov 27 2007, 10:45 PM

This thread is related to the http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showtopic=8512

Ok, so we have a dilema. It seems that there are folks here that dont believe Mr. Jimi Hendrix deserves the top spot on our list. He's been at the top of so many of these lists already that its hard to imagine not giving this spot to him (some folks even think he should be excluded from the list entirely). So I wanna hear what all of you think about this.

Should Jimi Hendrix be given the #1 spot because he deserves it, or should we give it to someone more deserving. I'd like to hear your reasoning.

Posted by: Hemlok Nov 27 2007, 10:50 PM

It all depends on your taste, thats why these lists don't work. Some people like a guitarist for their technical ability. I go by the music they create, Hendrix made amazing and out of this world stuff. The guitar was just a part of him, he was like an alien when he played Voodoo Child at Woodstock, such an amazing performance. In my opinion no one has come close to him and probably never will. But that is just my opinion and it is going to be different to the next 10 people to read this. Again, that is why these 'Big Lists' do not work and I will not post my list.

So yes Hendrix at the top

Posted by: Robin Nov 27 2007, 10:52 PM

I dont think he should be nr. 1, but he certainly need to be in the top 100.

Posted by: Spiderusalem Nov 27 2007, 10:53 PM

well of course big lists dont work, and they dont represent (entirely) how things really are. But they come close, and hey they are fun to read.

Posted by: Robin Nov 27 2007, 10:56 PM

They are fun to make/read, but they make absolutely no sense at all. There are no "best" guitarists.

Posted by: Unleash-The-Shred Nov 27 2007, 11:00 PM

No, Hendrix doesn't deserve number one. But he still should be on the list.

Posted by: MickeM Nov 27 2007, 11:01 PM

I don't care much for lists and ranking though I could from time to time generalize and say something like - Eddie is #1 - but that would rahter mean I put Eddie in a great bubble containing numerous guitarists. A bubble rather than a list. ... I mean why 100, my bubble can contain any number of great guitarists. Hendrix is definniteley inside that bubble.

Posted by: shredmandan Nov 27 2007, 11:01 PM

I dont think he is the greatest guitarist ever in the world ,but if you had to select someone for what they have passed on from there carrer i guess it would be fair to put him in the top spot.Reason is he just made his own thing back then before anybody else had played or heard stuff like that,so i would be cool seeing him at #1. no matter who it is someone will disagree anyway so i say let him have it

Posted by: botoxfox Nov 27 2007, 11:04 PM

IMO, there should only be lists of the most popular or the most influential guitarists (Hendrix should be on top of that one for sure). I think best guitarists list are mostly just stupid.

Posted by: Robin Nov 27 2007, 11:06 PM

That makes sense yeah. Robert Johnson should be nr. 2 after Hendrix then, imo.

Posted by: Spiderusalem Nov 27 2007, 11:07 PM

true, best is a loose term

thats why I'm using "greatest" which is not much better but has more rigid guidelines than "best"

Posted by: rokchik Nov 27 2007, 11:52 PM

Ahhh a great debate item!

The 60's had many great guitarist, but they were even wowed by Hendrix. He created a sound and style no one had ever seen or heard before. He took blues, jazz, and rock put it in a melting pot and created music history. The technology back then was not what it is today but yet he still manage to produce a sound and style that most guitarist/groups still copy today. Overdriven amps and feedback were not very popular back then but Jimi made them a main stay in rock music. With the exception of maybe Frank Zappa no one used a wah wah the way Hendrix did to the point, that once again, his use made the wah a staple of rock music. His improvisation made him unique and original, and he showed just what an electric guitar could really do. The fact that he died at such a young age just makes me wonder what else he could have done for rock and music in general.

Now Hendrix is not my favourite guitarist but he is way up there on my list. However if you take into consideration his contrabutions to rock music, his effect on rock history, and the era of which he play...I can't see why you wouldn't put him as number one.

This is just my rant....thanks for letting me ramble

rok

Posted by: Zephyr Nov 28 2007, 12:20 AM

Hendrix was one of the best guitarists out there... in his time! Now, don't get me wrong, I still think that he's an amazing guitarist, but there are many others out there that should be above him on a list of the greatest guitarists of all time. His music pushed boundaries and created ideas that have influenced just about all modern music and guitarists out there. So he should defynatly ( I'm running low on mispellings! ) be high on the list, but not #1 for sure.

Note: I also don't just mean modern guitarists that are more talented. What about classical guitarists, who have been around for hundreds of years? Many of these people were much more talented than him, but his ideas were new and very creative.

Note #2: It also depends on what exactly the list is of; the most influential, and most skilled, the best musician, it goes on and on! I'm guessing that the intention of this list is the best all-around, which means you have to take everything into account. And, once again, while Hendrix was very influential, I do not think by a long shot that he was the most skilled or had the best music.

Posted by: LwShieN Nov 28 2007, 12:28 AM

I agree to this , how can you judge who is a better guitarist? ..Hendrix was one of the most influential guitarist of all time and inspired many guitarist today that have surpass him in skill and what not ..

Some people would claim blind that yngwie malmsteen is the best guitarist in the world , Just because they love speed speed speed , to them he is the best .. Where as in my opinion Paul gilbert is the best ..

But for the next 100 guys , all would believe otherwise , So most influential guitarist would be a better list then THE BEST GUITARIST .. because if you put your so called best guitarist in a different context like jazz and blues they might not be the best already , so how do you judge? putting yngwie in Jazz he will clearly be the bottom of the list , putting eddie van halen in Jazz / African style music and let him have a go at that , he would clearly be at the bottom as well ..

But personally Jimi hendrix would be number 1 though i don't like his stuff but he was the most influential guitarist of all time

Posted by: Andrew Cockburn Nov 28 2007, 12:31 AM

Personally I like Micke's bubble idea best - you don;t have to rank them in order then ,,,

Posted by: Spiderusalem Nov 28 2007, 12:47 AM

what if instead of giving them outright numbers, we gave them ranks, like the top 10 in no particular order, then the next 20 in no particular order? like a gold category, silver category, ect....

Posted by: VinceG Nov 28 2007, 01:08 AM

This argument reminded me of the top 50 heaviest bands of all time topic that I was in a long while ago in a forum. Led Zeppelin was number 1 btw. My opinion wouldn't change for both. Zeppelin wasn't heavy at all, it was just a publicity stunt to put the popular one on top. Surely there are probably millions of bands out there heavier than Zeppelin but Revolver magazine put them number 1.

This also goes to my opinion based on Hendrix being number one. Hes, good but not the best. If were picking people based on changing rock history why not put Elvis Costello up there. He's the king of rock.

Posted by: Robin Nov 28 2007, 01:11 AM

ROFLSKATERS




Oh and, Chuck Berry definitely needs a spot close to number one. Wasnt he like, the start of rock'n'roll?

Posted by: The Uncreator Nov 28 2007, 01:58 AM

Personally, i really loathe these lists.

Secondly, i dont think he should be number 1 (my oppinion) , and lastly, i think people say he should be number 1 because its so typical to put him there.

Posted by: Unleash-The-Shred Nov 28 2007, 02:11 AM

Yeah I agree, that is a good idea.

Posted by: Arrival Nov 28 2007, 07:26 AM

Voodoo Child (Slight Return) at Woodstock is my favorite Jimi performance bar none. Good Choice.
Just listen to what he made the guitar do in '69. The guitarists of the 70's, 80's, 90's, today didn't have to create the guitar. Jimi created the GUITAR that paints a picture, tells a story, and grabs you by the brain and f***s you.

Posted by: mattacuk Nov 28 2007, 09:50 AM

I think the bottom line is, it all comes down to personal taste. This is why although these lists are great fun to read, but there never going to actually mean anything.

Is Jimi hendrix the worlds greatest player? If you like Jimi Hendrix he is, if you dont then he isnt.

I veiw him as haveing had an awsome raw talent, very gifted and creative. But do i enjoy his music? No.

The most logical way to look at the worlds greatest guitarists is to accept that there are and have been many many top performers of varying styles that will always be great.

The fun way to veiw the worlds greatest guitarists is to make a top 100 list and put jimi hendrix at the top cause you know its the done thing.

Posted by: LwShieN Nov 28 2007, 10:16 AM

agreed , to me all of them are great . ... Which one is the best ? ..well comes down to personal taste and style and what you are into ;D

Posted by: mattacuk Nov 28 2007, 10:21 AM

Absolutely, its all about what you enjoy! What inspires you

Posted by: Smells Nov 28 2007, 10:34 AM

Yea well put Matt I`d agree with that m8, personally I`m not a huge fan of his music either, when I see clips of him playing it does remind me that he was a true great, so far ahead of his time, possibly if you put him against guitarists of today he`d probably be firmly blown away by them, but having said that would these guys be playing like this had it not been for him?? cant answer that but given that he has influenced so many great guitarists you`d probably have to have him up there sitting on the top of the greatest list it wouldnt make me say "no way" if he was number 1

Posted by: mattacuk Nov 28 2007, 11:42 AM

Yes hes certainly been a massive and important influence I would have thought if Jimi were here today he would be gobsmacked at many of todays players. From the documentarys ive seen, he seemed a pretty down to earth guy.

Posted by: Milenkovic Ivan Nov 28 2007, 02:54 PM

Please not another debate who is the best guitarist

Hendrix is surely a legend and it would be a shame for me to put him on any kind of list. I can only say that he was one of the greatest musicians in the world ever and that is quite enough for me.

Posted by: g-forcelover Nov 29 2007, 03:06 AM

He's top 3. thats final for me. thats all I have to say.

Posted by: buckjones Dec 7 2007, 11:13 PM

My opinion and my opinion only but I feel that Hendrix is the most influential to rock guitar playing. Again I'm saying influential not greatest. I enjoy Jimi's music but he's far from the best guitar player if we can even make an assumption that there is a greatest guitar player... Hendrix did things with the guitar that had never been done before and he should most definitely be recognized for this.

Again, this is totally my opinion!!!!

P.S. You're all the greatest!

Posted by: DeepRoots Dec 7 2007, 11:30 PM

Well i know that almost everybody but me loves him- and im fine with that.
All down to opinion as previous posts have said.

One thing that does confuse me about his playing is the weird rythmic patterns using really exotic scales?

Anyone care to describe what scale he's using here ?!?!?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFUS7FlYE_g

Thanks

Posted by: Toni Suominen Dec 8 2007, 12:11 AM

He shaped modern guitar playing to what it is today, and very few after him have had as big influence on guitar in general than he did, so he definitely should be atleast on the top 3. If he should be the n.1 on the list is completely up to the individual to decide