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Who's a better guitarist, Jimmy Page or Prince?


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My name is John Lopez and I am a Newbie! I go by the display name of ZeppFan Forever. There was a poll recently ranking the all-time greatest guitarists ever. Jimi Hendrix, as usual, was ranked number one all-time, Prince was ranked number two and Jimmy Page was ranked number three. I have a question for all of my fellow Zepp fanatics; should Jimmy Page be ranked number two instead of number three? In my opinion, Jimmy should be ranked number two! (No disrespect to Prince.) What do you think?

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Jimmy can't carry Prince's g-string. PRINCE RULES!

I must confess that I have not heard as much Prince as I have Led Zepp since I am a die hard Jimmy Page fan as well as Hendrix and Clapton. There are actually fans out there that choose Prince over Hendrix. What do you think of that?

<_<

:rolleyes:

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The only explanation which comes to mind for why someone would say Prince is a better guitarist than Hendrix is perhaps they saw Prince's recent Super Bowl performance (live

or on television) and simply aren't as familiar with Hendrix' work. The performance Prince

gave during the Super Bowl half-time show was probably the best I've ever seen at a Super Bowl event.

I admit, I never took Prince seriously as a premiere guitarist as compared to Hendrix, Peter Green (In his prime), Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend and Jeff Beck. Listening to what you have to say, maybe I should hear a little more of Prince. There are so many great guitarists out there that are underrated such as Peter Frampton and Robin Trower.

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My name is John Lopez and I am a Newbie! I go by the display name of ZeppFan Forever. There was a poll recently ranking the all-time greatest guitarists ever. Jimi Hendrix, as usual, was ranked number one all-time, Prince was ranked number two and Jimmy Page was ranked number three. I have a question for all of my fellow Zepp fanatics; should Jimmy Page be ranked number two instead of number three? In my opinion, Jimmy should be ranked number two! (No disrespect to Prince.) What do you think?

If anybody saw Prince's O2Indigo club shows in London last year, they can testify that Prince is arguably the most technically gifted and versatile guitarist alive. He can play any style you care to imagine and nail it with cherries on top.

I always refer people who doubt this to watch his solo during a supergroup performance of, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 2004 George Harrison Tribute.

He blew all the other ducks outta the water effortlessly.

Prince isn't as an accomplished rock composer as Jimmy and I would say does not have the depth of feeling as Jimmy has. To me that is where Jimmy is unsurpassble, he plays from "beyond," on the precipice of oblivion and very few guitarists can and do do that. He is not a "technical" player in my opinion.

Indi.

Edited by indigomoonbeam
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Prince is a great player. I take nothing away from him. But it's really a matter of taste. I've been playing guitar for 32 years. Page is my guy. But what construes "better"? Can Steve Morse or John Petrucci run cirles around him? Yes. Or Al DiMeola? Or...and or...and or...

But who takes me to that place? Page. Not even Hendrix gets me there.

But again. Personal taste. Page can move me with the first chord of the Rain Song in a way no one else can with their whole catalog.

Guess that's why I spend my time on Zeppelin forums! :lol:

It's like debating Bach vs Mozart or Beethoven with my dad. Can you REALLY pick?

Masters all of them to their own niches. I know Hendrix. He just doesn't get to me like Page does. Some could (and have) argued that Page never would have gotten where he was without Hendrix, but you can take that back step by step. And Hendrix wouldn't have been without...

It's a pointless exercise. What matters is what moves you. If it moves you, go with it!

I think I'm paraphrasing Roger Waters or David Gilmour there.

What matters is whether it moves you. Yeah.

Page moves me like no other. So there it is. That's it. That's all. :beer:

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My name is John Lopez and I am a Newbie! I go by the display name of ZeppFan Forever. There was a poll recently ranking the all-time greatest guitarists ever. Jimi Hendrix, as usual, was ranked number one all-time, Prince was ranked number two and Jimmy Page was ranked number three. I have a question for all of my fellow Zepp fanatics; should Jimmy Page be ranked number two instead of number three? In my opinion, Jimmy should be ranked number two! (No disrespect to Prince.) What do you think?

:blink::unsure::lol:

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Well i certainly think Jimmy Page should be in the number one spot. Yes Jimi Hendrix was amazing, but his sound was similar in so many songs. Page has made much better music imo and is the ruler. I can't stand Prince and don't take him very seriously.

You have to admit, its no big secret where Prince and Stevie Ray Vaughn got their influence from such as their guitar style and wardrobe. Hendrix was doing it long before Prince and SRV did. Its also no big secret where Hendrix got his charisma from, Hendrix copied Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Who did Jimmy Page copy?

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If anybody saw Prince's O2Indigo club shows in London last year, they can testify that Prince is arguably the most technically gifted and versatile guitarist alive. He can play any style you care to imagine and nail it with cherries on top.

I always refer people who doubt this to watch his solo during a supergroup performance of, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 2004 George Harrison Tribute.

He blew all the other ducks outta the water effortlessly.

Prince isn't as an accomplished rock composer as Jimmy and I would say does not have the depth of feeling as Jimmy has. To me that is where Jimmy is unsurpassble, he plays from "beyond," on the precipice of oblivion and very few guitarists can and do do that. He is not a "technical" player in my opinion.

Indi.

That's how I feel. I do not mean any disrespect to Prince but I do not feel that Prince has accomplished as much as Jimmy Page has on the guitar. Jimmy Page accomplished so much with the guitar in the 1960's and 70's when Rock n' Roll and the technology was still very young. Page is an innovator, Prince just improved it with the change of the technology as years went by.

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Prince is a great player. I take nothing away from him. But it's really a matter of taste. I've been playing guitar for 32 years. Page is my guy. But what construes "better"? Can Steve Morse or John Petrucci run cirles around him? Yes. Or Al DiMeola? Or...and or...and or...

But who takes me to that place? Page. Not even Hendrix gets me there.

But again. Personal taste. Page can move me with the first chord of the Rain Song in a way no one else can with their whole catalog.

Guess that's why I spend my time on Zeppelin forums! :lol:

It's like debating Bach vs Mozart or Beethoven with my dad. Can you REALLY pick?

Masters all of them to their own niches. I know Hendrix. He just doesn't get to me like Page does. Some could (and have) argued that Page never would have gotten where he was without Hendrix, but you can take that back step by step. And Hendrix wouldn't have been without...

It's a pointless exercise. What matters is what moves you. If it moves you, go with it!

I think I'm paraphrasing Roger Waters or David Gilmour there.

What matters is whether it moves you. Yeah.

Page moves me like no other. So there it is. That's it. That's all. :beer:

Page moves me a lot because like Chuck Berry, Robert Johnson, B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Peter Green (In his prime), David Gilmour, Tony Iommi and many others, Jimmy Page is an innovator. You listen to those riffs on ZEPPELIN II as well as ZEPPELIN IV and you have a PURE encyclopedia of REAL ROCK N' ROLL! YOU KNOW YOUR ROCK N' ROLL EVSTER!

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Prince has always been friggin GREAT. Always been an innovator, too. I wouldn't say one's better than the other (really like evster's post about that), but I definately think Prince still hasn't earned the respect he deserves from rock fans (IMO). And it ain't just 'cause of where I live :lol:

Seriously, the reason I got into "classic rock" in the 80's was because of all the crap that didn't rock. But Prince was one of the big exceptions for me. I grew up in a small town where we were still listening to Zep and Floyd more than newer stuff, and I noticed the girls went crazy for Prince while the boys didn't. It baffled me that a rock fan couldn't be blown away by his musicianship. I think some of (or a lot of) the boys were weirded out by his style and image and couldn't relate it to the big bad rock heroes we all loved (including Zeppelin).

To this day when I hear his stuff from the early 80's, I'm blown away by how innovative it was. When his stuff came on the pop stations, it was similar to when Zeppelin was played on the rock stations; it had the potential to make everything else sound lame (and often did).

Prince plays every instrument. There's a song "Tamborine" with a really cool drum part I used to (try to) play along to when I had a set. I got it down okay, but not like that little fucker. He dominates on every instrument he picks up.

Hardcore Zep fan I've been for all these years....strike me down, but there are few who come close on the guitar, IMO. Now I'm not a guitarist, so I understand if you don't wanna take it seriously, but I am a musician and as far as I'm concerned Prince is right up there w/ Zeppelin.

Edited by Suz
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Prince isn't as an accomplished rock composer as Jimmy and I would say does not have the depth of feeling as Jimmy has. To me that is where Jimmy is unsurpassble, he plays from "beyond," on the precipice of oblivion and very few guitarists can and do do that.

Indi.

Totally agree with the above, and not only prince, all other guitarists, with the exception of Evster of course.

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I think Jimmy Page's hooks (and hence in some ways his composition) are better, but Prince is a great guitarist, songwriter, and arranger. Jimmy Page is also a great producer but his best work is truly collaborative. Prince, while he carries the James Brown mantle of encouraging new talent and collaborating with established musicians, has a much more autocratic style. Prince has a band--he isn't in a band. I find them very difficult to compare.

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Prince has always been friggin GREAT. Always been an innovator, too. I wouldn't say one's better than the other (really like evster's post about that), but I definately think Prince still hasn't earned the respect he deserves from rock fans (IMO). And it ain't just 'cause of where I live :lol:

Seriously, the reason I got into "classic rock" in the 80's was because of all the crap that didn't rock. But Prince was one of the big exceptions for me. I grew up in a small town where we were still listening to Zep and Floyd more than newer stuff, and I noticed the girls went crazy for Prince while the boys didn't. It baffled me that a rock fan couldn't be blown away by his musicianship. I think some of (or a lot of) the boys were weirded out by his style and image and couldn't relate it to the big bad rock heroes we all loved (including Zeppelin).

To this day when I hear his stuff from the early 80's, I'm blown away by how innovative it was. When his stuff came on the pop stations, it was similar to when Zeppelin was played on the rock stations; it had the potential to make everything else sound lame (and often did).

Prince plays every instrument. There's a song "Tamborine" with a really cool drum part I used to (try to) play along to when I had a set. I got it down okay, but not like that little fucker. He dominates on every instrument he picks up.

Hardcore Zep fan I've been for all these years....strike me down, but there are few who come close on the guitar, IMO. Now I'm not a guitarist, so I understand if you don't wanna take it seriously, but I am a musician and as far as I'm concerned Prince is right up there w/ Zeppelin.

For myself, it feels great to converse with fellow hard core ZEPPELIN fans such as yourself because you truly know their Rock n' Roll. I myself am also a true hard core ZEPPELIN fan, always have and always will forever. Rock on!

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I think Jimmy Page's hooks (and hence in some ways his composition) are better, but Prince is a great guitarist, songwriter, and arranger. Jimmy Page is also a great producer but his best work is truly collaborative. Prince, while he carries the James Brown mantle of encouraging new talent and collaborating with established musicians, has a much more autocratic style. Prince has a band--he isn't in a band. I find them very difficult to compare.

Prince plays more Funk than Rock n' Roll, Jimmy plays Rock n' Roll. "Whole Lotta Love," "Rock And Roll," "Stairway To Heaven," "Black Dog" and "The Wanton Song" as well as many others are a true testament of REAL Rock n' Roll.

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Prince plays more Funk than Rock n' Roll, Jimmy plays Rock n' Roll. "Whole Lotta Love," "Rock And Roll," "Stairway To Heaven," "Black Dog" and "The Wanton Song" as well as many others are a true testament of REAL Rock n' Roll.

I understand what you mean, but it's all the same , to me :P The guitar solo at the end of Let's Go Crazy alone could be considered an all time classic rock guitar solo, but that's an opinion from a non- guitarist.

Rock on! B)

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My name is John Lopez and I am a Newbie! I go by the display name of ZeppFan Forever. There was a poll recently ranking the all-time greatest guitarists ever. Jimi Hendrix, as usual, was ranked number one all-time, Prince was ranked number two and Jimmy Page was ranked number three. I have a question for all of my fellow Zepp fanatics; should Jimmy Page be ranked number two instead of number three? In my opinion, Jimmy should be ranked number two! (No disrespect to Prince.) What do you think?

OK, I admit it...I am TOTALLY biased! Jimmy Page is God :D

Beatbo...funny cuz I used to use the same avatar that you have on a different forum, I rather liked you right off the bat when I came here and saw that was your avatar :)

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OK, I admit it...I am TOTALLY biased! Jimmy Page is God :D

Beatbo...funny cuz I used to use the same avatar that you have on a different forum, I rather liked you right off the bat when I came here and saw that was your avatar :)

I like the way you think! I just love this Forum! I feel great conversing with true ZEPPELIN die hard fanatics like I am. You're right, JIMMY PAGE IS GOD!

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Prince is a great player. I take nothing away from him. But it's really a matter of taste. I've been playing guitar for 32 years. Page is my guy. But what construes "better"? Can Steve Morse or John Petrucci run cirles around him? Yes. Or Al DiMeola? Or...and or...and or...

But who takes me to that place? Page. Not even Hendrix gets me there.

But again. Personal taste. Page can move me with the first chord of the Rain Song in a way no one else can with their whole catalog.

Guess that's why I spend my time on Zeppelin forums! :lol:

It's like debating Bach vs Mozart or Beethoven with my dad. Can you REALLY pick?

Masters all of them to their own niches. I know Hendrix. He just doesn't get to me like Page does. Some could (and have) argued that Page never would have gotten where he was without Hendrix, but you can take that back step by step. And Hendrix wouldn't have been without...

It's a pointless exercise. What matters is what moves you. If it moves you, go with it!

I think I'm paraphrasing Roger Waters or David Gilmour there.

What matters is whether it moves you. Yeah.

Page moves me like no other. So there it is. That's it. That's all. :beer:

Ev, totally amazing post! I am right there with you. I am also in no way trying to slight any of the other guitarists mentioned here, but it's Jimmy Page for me all the way...(always has been and always will be).

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If anybody saw Prince's O2Indigo club shows in London last year, they can testify that Prince is arguably the most technically gifted and versatile guitarist alive. He can play any style you care to imagine and nail it with cherries on top.

I always refer people who doubt this to watch his solo during a supergroup performance of, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 2004 George Harrison Tribute.

He blew all the other ducks outta the water effortlessly.

Prince isn't as an accomplished rock composer as Jimmy and I would say does not have the depth of feeling as Jimmy has. To me that is where Jimmy is unsurpassble, he plays from "beyond," on the precipice of oblivion and very few guitarists can and do do that. He is not a "technical" player in my opinion.

Indi.

Great post Indi.

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Hendrix was a complacent guitarist, Page was an ambitious one. I sat on the front row of a Hendrix concert (except for Mitch Mitchell a major yawn) in May 1970 before Jimbo had what Somerset Maugham called his 'appointment in Samara' four months later. His career lasted three years ('67-'70). Since then guitar chops have come a long way. But even DURING Hendrix's turn to burn, Pagey was note-for-note a better fretboardist than our lefty from Seattle.

Let's get real here and examine the facts: Hendrix was a great guitarist worthy of every column inch of ink and every dollar he (and, later, his filthy rich estate) earned---when he wanted to be. Hendrix was by-and-large an 'effects' guitarist than a super picker. Live Hendrix would jack with the 3-way toggle or his volume knob or take the backplate off a Strat and thump the fucking springs or elicit the most juvenile and amatuerish feedback from his Marshalls for minutes on end that Page would wrinkle his nose at. I've got several soundboard bootlegs of the Experience in 1970 and Zeppelin was busting their chops bigfuckingtime.

Page gave us orchestrated pieces that required far more precise plectrum work. You can roll and tumble through a Hendrix number the way you can a Rolling Stones song.

So, Jimi or Jimmy?

This ain't no Hendrix forum---who would you guess?

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