Who is the next real guitar hero?

[Xtazy]

I've seen this topic posted on another forum and I was wondering who do you think about when you say 'the next guitar hero'.

I'm not talking about a new Jimi Hendrix or a new Jimmy Page. Actually, that's the idea. Who is that someone that could change the way the guitar is played? I know it's kind of a tough question because there have been so many guitarists that did so much for music and it's really hard to come up with something new, but the term 'guitar hero' doesn't mean necessarily that. Who is that someone that makes people, young and old, run to the guitar-store and buy a guitar just because they want to be like him?

[alien]

Steve Vai

[BonzoLikeDrumer]

OK, I like Steve Vie and believe him to be a powerhouse player (a real one of a kind) but, he has been around for a long while, so saying he is the next thing would be off topic.

The role of the guitar player has taken a back seat in at least the past 10-15 years in (new) Popular Music so, I don't think that the world really want's a next guitar legend.

So it would be useless to even speculate if you ask me, it is a dark, sad time for the truly original guitarist.

[Xtazy]

^ Yeah, but that's the guitar-hero's job: to shock the world!

[badgeholder]

There are lots of kids on Youtube that are great, 10, 11, 15 yrs old, there will definitely be a new gunslinger in town at some point, just not sure who - yet

[kaiser]

I've been hearing that the guitar has been dead for 30 years & the last "great" guitarists were all the wanky metal guitarists I hated in the 80's. There's more to guitar playing than extended solo's & speed. In the 80's I'd take one Peter Buck from REM or one Johnny Marr from The Smiths over the hundreds of LA hair metal posuers, the neo classical noodlings of Scandanavian/Northern European prodigies, & the one style thrash metal guitarists. It was boring because there was little individuality & diversity in any of those players style. It's still the same story now.

He may not be the next great guitar hero as he's been around for about 12 years now but I'll take Jack White. He has stripped the approach to guitar playing back to basics in a blues style no less, he plays the blues without playing cliched Stevie Ray Vaughn licks that every modern blues player rehashes, he has the energy of a 70's punk guitarist without playing punk derived music, & he can go off on an extended jam while still valuing simplicity. This modern guitar hero has combined 1930's blues with 1970's punk sonics making it sound very much 2010 in my mind & that can't be said for many other would be guitarists out there.

[#1fan]

I've been hearing that the guitar has been dead for 30 years & the last "great" guitarists were all the wanky metal guitarists I hated in the 80's. There's more to guitar playing than extended solo's & speed. In the 80's I'd take one Peter Buck from REM or one Johnny Marr from The Smiths over the hundreds of LA hair metal posuers, the neo classical noodlings of Scandanavian/Northern European prodigies, & the one style thrash metal guitarists. It was boring because there was little individuality & diversity in any of those players style. It's still the same story now.

He may not be the next great guitar hero as he's been around for about 12 years now but I'll take Jack White. He has stripped the approach to guitar playing back to basics in a blues style no less, he plays the blues without playing cliched Stevie Ray Vaughn licks that every modern blues player rehashes, he has the energy of a 70's punk guitarist without playing punk derived music, & he can go off on an extended jam while still valuing simplicity. This modern guitar hero has combined 1930's blues with 1970's punk sonics making it sound very much 2010 in my mind & that can't be said for many other would be guitarists out there.

Buckethead

[Xtazy]

I've been hearing that the guitar has been dead for 30 years & the last "great" guitarists were all the wanky metal guitarists I hated in the 80's. There's more to guitar playing than extended solo's & speed. In the 80's I'd take one Peter Buck from REM or one Johnny Marr from The Smiths over the hundreds of LA hair metal posuers, the neo classical noodlings of Scandanavian/Northern European prodigies, & the one style thrash metal guitarists. It was boring because there was little individuality & diversity in any of those players style. It's still the same story now.

He may not be the next great guitar hero as he's been around for about 12 years now but I'll take Jack White. He has stripped the approach to guitar playing back to basics in a blues style no less, he plays the blues without playing cliched Stevie Ray Vaughn licks that every modern blues player rehashes, he has the energy of a 70's punk guitarist without playing punk derived music, & he can go off on an extended jam while still valuing simplicity. This modern guitar hero has combined 1930's blues with 1970's punk sonics making it sound very much 2010 in my mind & that can't be said for many other would be guitarists out there.

Jack White is indeed a great guitarist and an inspiration for lots of listeners and future guitar players.

I would also throw in Joe Bonamassa (who is both skilled and soulful) and John Mayer. The latter is not actually a rocker or anything, but he can play the guitar like very few can. He probably tries to be radio-worthy and appeal to the masses but he really knows how to play that thing. And he certainly made many kids rush to the guitar-store and buy a Strat.

[kaiser]

Buckethead

What about him? He's a fantastic guitar player but I don't think he's done anything to push the guitar forward in the public's eye or even guitar circles outside of being an almost perfect player & there are loads of guitarists not unlike him. He could have come out in the 80's without missing a beat. Also he's only a guitar hero to people who listen to guitar based albums, not unlike Steve Vai. The average man on the street knows who Clapton, Page, Van Halen are & even Jack White. Buckethead will always be head of the cult of Buckethead but that's about it. If this were the 70's Buckethead would be Jeff Beck to Jack White's Jimmy Page. Beck was/is a "better" guitarist than Page but there's no denying who has influenced & reached more people in picking up the guitar & I feel that will hold true with a Buckethead/Jack White comparison.

[kaiser]

Jack White is indeed a great guitarist and an inspiration for lots of listeners and future guitar players.

I would also throw in Joe Bonamassa (who is both skilled and soulful) and John Mayer. The latter is not actually a rocker or anything, but he can play the guitar like very few can. He probably tries to be radio-worthy and appeal to the masses but he really knows how to play that thing. And he certainly made many kids rush to the guitar-store and buy a Strat.

As much as I dislike him on a personal level I must admit that John Mayer is a very good guitar player. I do like the Hendrix licks Mayer's ripped off played by John Frusciante much more though as Frusciante was recycling "Little Wing" over & over 10 years earlier than Mayer lol.

[#1fan]

As much as I dislike him on a personal level I must admit that John Mayer is a very good guitar player. I do like the Hendrix licks Mayer's ripped off played by John Frusciante much more though as Frusciante was recycling "Little Wing" over & over 10 years earlier than Mayer lol.

rolly

[danelectro59]

I've seen this topic posted on another forum and I was wondering who do you think about when you say 'the next guitar hero'.

I'm not talking about a new Jimi Hendrix or a new Jimmy Page. Actually, that's the idea. Who is that someone that could change the way the guitar is played? I know it's kind of a tough question because there have been so many guitarists that did so much for music and it's really hard to come up with something new, but the term 'guitar hero' doesn't mean necessarily that. Who is that someone that makes people, young and old, run to the guitar-store and buy a guitar just because they want to be like him?

it's just a trend. the lead guitar will make a huge comeback in popular music, this i can pretty much guarantee.

the reason it became so popular during the sixties is because all those young guns that grew up listening to rock in it's infancy were so influenced they explored farther and found out that it came from the blues which is a guitar oriented music. i have noticed over the last fifteen years or so that blues has been gradually losing it's effect on rock music and guitar solos, or solos in general, are becoming much rarer in songs with a bunch of airplay. Maybe it's just a dumbing down of the music business or less tolerance from the listener, but this is a trend that will not last and people will want more from it's artists. AT LEAST I HOPE SO! I'm becoming less impressed each year by some of the new stars making it big and it's not just because i'm older. To make my point, look at all the young people attracted to a forum of a band that broke up 30 years ago.

[EddieShouldHaveListened]

jack white hands down, so much emotion and attitude in his playing

it's also nice to hear that raw sound again instead of all that technical crap

[The Pagemeister]

Orianthi

[Wolfman]

I think the days of the "Guitar God" are over. With all these Rock Schools now, you have kids that can jam out at a very young age. No one is going to stand out. Part of the reason guys like Page, Hendrix, Clapton, etc, were so idolized is that no one had heard or seen anyone play a guitar the way they did. Now these kids are doing the same things that the "guitar gods" did (not as well but close). The only thing that could make them stand out is if they have a certain look or attitude. Jack White is a good example.

[danelectro59]

I think the days of the "Guitar God" are over. With all these Rock Schools now, you have kids that can jam out at a very young age. No one is going to stand out. Part of the reason guys like Page, Hendrix, Clapton, etc, were so idolized is that no one had heard or seen anyone play a guitar the way they did. Now these kids are doing the same things that the "guitar gods" did (not as well but close). The only thing that could make them stand out is if they have a certain look or attitude. Jack White is a good example.

How about their own sound, or is that gone too?

[Deborah J]

I'll stick with adorable little six year old Harry. Remember him from meet and greet a couple months back....he also does Pink Floyd....he is learning from the best with the instrument!!!

[Gospel Zone]

Orianthi

There's no hope for Orianthi...she's too pop already and seems to be a female version of Steve Vai. Steve Vai and Eddie Van Halen sound too much like music to juggle to anyway.

Bring me someone who can play through one of the new Fender Vibrolux amps without any other effects and make it sound good and you've got yourself a guitar hero. Those amps are very unforgiving and it's easy to impress people by turning it up with a bunch of effects and a whammy bar.....that was half of Jimi Hendrix's secret.

[BonzoLikeDrumer]

I think the days of the "Guitar God" are over. With all these Rock Schools now, you have kids that can jam out at a very young age. No one is going to stand out. Part of the reason guys like Page, Hendrix, Clapton, etc, were so idolized is that no one had heard or seen anyone play a guitar the way they did. Now these kids are doing the same things that the "guitar gods" did (not as well but close). The only thing that could make them stand out is if they have a certain look or attitude. Jack White is a good example.

Sounds as if your describing Jack White as a "POP Star" and not a "Rock Guitar God"....

I think he and his sound are more of an "Alternative Rock" than ether of the aforementioned.

There's no hope for Orianthi...she's too pop already and seems to be a female version of Steve Vai. Steve Vai and Eddie Van Halen sound too much like music to juggle to anyway.

Bring me someone who can play through one of the new Fender Vibrolux amps without any other effects and make it sound good and you've got yourself a guitar hero. Those amps are very unforgiving and it's easy to impress people by turning it up with a bunch of effects and a whammy bar.....that was half of Jimi Hendrix's secret.

I'm sure that Steve Vai and Eddy Van Halen can do all your saying here, and much more.

Here again, Vai, Halen and White have been around for a good while so they can't be thought of as the "Next Guitar God", Orianthi is vary good but not anything new so, I rule her out too.

[RMt]

Ofcourse i'm hoping that i am wrong in this one but i feel that the days of the The Guitar God is gone now.

The days when we listened to Jimi Hendrix,Robin Trower,Jeff Beck,Jimmy Page,Brian May,Eddie Van Halen,Joe Satriani,Stevie Vai etc are long gone.

[Xtazy]

Ofcourse i'm hoping that i am wrong in this one but i feel that the days of the The Guitar God is gone now.

The days when we listened to Jimi Hendrix,Robin Trower,Jeff Beck,Jimmy Page,Brian May,Eddie Van Halen,Joe Satriani,Stevie Vai etc are long gone.

Well, of course they're gone. They happened decades ago. Why live in the past in the first place?

I don't think the Guitar God thing is completely over. It's probably just for the moment; give people time and maybe they'll start to appreciate a good guitar player again.

We can have thousand of guitar gods, but if the audience is not interested it doesn't mean a thing.

[lead ballon]

Well, of course they're gone. They happened decades ago. Why live in the past in the first place?

I don't think the Guitar God thing is completely over. It's probably just for the moment; give people time and maybe they'll start to appreciate a good guitar player again.

We can have thousand of guitar gods, but if the audience is not interested it doesn't mean a thing.

Exactly. Lets just let time take its course with music and see where it takes us to. If it takes us to something good, then lets welcome it. If it doesn't, well, we could always go and destroy all possible means of this future music from ever being released.

I just hope that if something new happens with music, it will have something to do with guitars and will take us far away from a metal sound.

[#1fan]

Exactly. Lets just let time take its course with music and see where it takes us to. If it takes us to something good, then lets welcome it. If it doesn't, well, we could always go and destroy all possible means of this future music from ever being released.

I just hope that if something new happens with music, it will have something to do with guitars and will take us far away from a metal sound.

Whats wrong with metal, some of the best guitarist play metal. metal will never die. And I will bet more metal guitarist influence kids to play guitar than jack white, shit most kid dont even like the white stripes my daughter dont and none of her friends do.

you know what todays guitar hero is, its the game guitarhero.

[Gospel Zone]

you know what todays guitar hero is, its the game guitarhero.

Sad but true.

[lead ballon]

Whats wrong with metal, some of the best guitarist play metal. metal will never die. And I will bet more metal guitarist influence kids to play guitar than jack white, shit most kid dont even like the white stripes my daughter dont and none of her friends do.

you know what todays guitar hero is, its the game guitarhero.

Yeah I watched a documentary on rock n roll and when it came to the part on metal the main theme was that metal will never die. There is some metal stuff that I enjoy, don't get me wrong. But I feel most of the stuff is all the same in that same style of playing and that if we dwell too long on it we aren't going to see anything new.