Jimmy Page vs Eddie Van Halen

[McSeven]

To your ears.  Whats the difference between the two as players?

I feel like Page's guitar playing he is digging for sounds.  Eddie just has it and spits it out.   Its almost like Eddie is not thinking about what he plays.  Page is always The Commander thinking about his next move.  Page is sloppy, but I love it.  Eddie is more precise and he can't disguise his sound.  Even when he is not tapping.  I feel like Eddie's better at the fast songs than slow songs.  Page is a Blues player with a bit of magic.  

They are both lead players in their bands in terms of songwriters.  I feel like If Eddie made a song.  He would write it in one form including solos.  VH would splice in drums/vocals/bass around the guitar.  In Zep.  They pieced together music and jammed songs out.  

I feel like Eddie comes off as the guitar is easy to play.  Page does not struggle, but he has to think about things a little bit more.  

 

[Mr.Bones]

For me, I always thought EVH was somewhat of a one-trick pony. Technically he was an excellent player, but the majority of his solos were just variations on the same theme. Page was more creative both sonically & structurally and focused much more on the crafting of the song vs. just ripping out a blazing solo. That is the main thing I love about Page, the solo HAD to fit the song, not the other way around. Page could go rip-ass on Communication Breakdown, or simple like MMH, or bizarre like Hots on for Nowhere / Hot Dog, or no solo at all like Immigrant Song and Wearing & Tearing. The man was all over the place.

EVH developed a style and stuck with that style for his whole career. Not knocking EVH in any way, but the difference for me comes down to creativity and Page had it in spades.

RIP Eddie, you were one of my guitar inspirations.

[chef free]

The biggest difference is, indeed, in the song writing.  VH songs are straight ahead rockers, Page writes much more complex songs.

[McSeven]

Zep was more Complex.  I felt like Eddie seems to be able to flow a bit better than Page on his instrument.  I don't know how to say this but if Page was a superhero.  He would be Green Lantern.  Where he can make constructs.  EVH was The Flash.  The powers are already there.

 

[MKuznetsov]

Apples to oranges