is guthrie govan the best electric guitar player in the world?
yes
90%
[ 127 ]
no
5%
[ 8 ]
there may be somebody in their bedroom fiddling away who could be better
4%
[ 6 ]
wasn't there
0%
[ 0 ]
Total Votes : 141
Author
Message
sterlingsilver
Joined: 20 Jan 2005 Posts: 16
Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 7:45 pm Post subject: reactions to guthrie's show at the tone mecca
i'm new here to this forum and i felt that i had to post my thoughts on the show last night (wednesday) at the tone mecca by guthrie and the fellowship/erotic cakes.
is there a better electric (i want to put the classical/acoustic players aside for now) guitar player in the world than this guy? if there is than i havent seen or heard him/her! there are different ways to judge one's ability with the guitar, and technically there are a handful of faster players out there (they mostly sound like dung though in my opinion-think rusty cooley). i thought that i was a real fan of the best guitar players, but this guy really just blows them all out of the water! the concert was so intense and mind-blowing that it was almost difficult to watch at times.
it is astounding that in the los angeles area, the supposed world capital of music this guy is playing such small shows. it's great for us because we can get the opportunity to see it up close. anyways thank you ed for giving me that dvd and thanks for putting on these shows they have changed the way that i think about the guitar
I didn't see the show but I voted no anyway. Guthrie is one of the best I have ever heard, but is he Jeff Beck? No. Is he Pat Metheny? No. Is he John McLaughlin? Most definitely not.
Guthrie is seemingly the most versatile guitarist I have ever heard but being well-rounded does not automatically qualify someone as 'best'. All of these players just mentioned are brilliant and each has their own totally unique voice. They've been true to themselves and work at what they feel is the music that's right for them and all produced beautiful results. They vary in terms of technique and style a great deal, but each, in their own right, is brilliant, and saying one person is 'best' is doing nothing but closing off your mind to other possibilities, other players, other approaches to the guitar, or indeed music in general.
yes there are better guitarists.. using the Vincenzo patented metaphysical slide rule we can see that Guthrie is a 13.8 on the rule, whereas George Formby and Kirk Hammett both scored a 15.3, and a little bit further up the scale we can see that the 18th century Chippendale ottoman in the main reception of Longleat house was the worlds best guitarist ever.
Another vote for didn't go, the advantage of not having an option means I don't feel compelled to vote for any of the wrong answers.. I'll be doing that in May most likely _________________ Fabulous powers were revealed to me the day I held my magic Suhr(d) aloft and said "by the power of great scale!"
Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 11:52 am Post subject: Best in the World?
Im sure even Guthrie would tell everyone that there is no such thing as BEST guitarist in the world! There are sooooooo many masters of the electric guitar who individually might deserve the title! But why have guitarists in competition with each other? Thats where EGO is born from!
There are guitarists who mastered certain aspects of the electric and that excell at certain styles etc but even those would suck on some aspect of it where another less skilled player might excell.There are definitly a large number of players out there that are in the 'guitar master' catagorie.Jason Becker,Vai,Ron Thal,Mattias Eklundh, Nuno Bettencourt,Greg Howe,Richi Kotzen,Shawn Lane,Michael Lee Firkins,Andy timmons,Brett Garsed,Jeff Beck etc etc etc .Some that are well known and some that are not.And guthrie for sure is in there and definitly knows more about guitar than many other of those master players i reckon so for that reason and despite all the latter ranting i voted yes because no would have been wrong too! Lets hope this year Guthrie gets to show his skills to an even larger group around the world!! Hurry up with the album guthrie! One thing i want to know! Is there any song out there that guthrie cant play or transcribe (i doubt it ) or which song guthrie found the hardest to transcribe? I was lucky enough to meet guthrie and he would also definitly be a candidate for 'most down to earth and general nice guy guitar master of the world' ,lol.... GUTHRIE RULES!!!
consider newton and einstein as scientists. the latter certainly had more knowledge than the former, and a more accurate picture of the way in which the world works. in a sense, einstein was the better scientist, but his work would not have been possible without previous discoveries made by other great physicists. music is sort of like that. guthrie would not be so great were it not for those that have gone before him and paved the way. others have invented genres and discovered new techniques, and music is all the better for it. guthrie is able to build on what others have done, he can stand on the shoulders of giants that have gone before him. i didnt mean to offend people here and i know that labeling someone the best can create tension and stoke egos, but im just calling it like i see it. i dont mean to say that al di meola for example isn't great. hes an incredible player as well as robben ford, george benson, and a whole host of others. it seems to me what makes guthrie so great is his ability to play like all of the others, in any style, and still maintain his own individual voice. in my opinion, (which i know isnt worth much) he is just in a different class, a cut above anything ive heard really.
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2005 12:29 am Post subject:
Hi guys, dropping in to give a short update as it's been rather crazy here since Guthrie and his posse arrived last Saturday. Really haven't been able to spend any amount of time in any of the forums since then.
All I can say is that it's been amazing. This has to be one of the most memorbable weeks of my life. The Jan 19 Wed show was simply out-of-this-world astounding! That was simply the best guitar concert I have ever seen in my life and I've seen quite a few. I have to say that the Jan 18 opening night and Jan 20 show yesterday had some rough spots in the Erotic Cakes sets, but the Fellowship sets were typically amazing. On the Wed show, Guthrie and the band nailed the Erotic Cakes material, too.
The Erotic Cakes stuff is not something Guthrie, Seth, and Pete get to perform or rehearse very often. They told me that it has been a while since they last played the material and it showed somewhat here and there. Seems there was a bit of opening night jitters on the Jan 18 EC set and then a bit of camera consciousness going on during yesterday's EC set, but when Zak joined and the Fellowship took over, Guthrie and the boys totally brought down the house.
On a scale of 1-10 (by Guthrie and the band members' extremely high standards), this is how I'd rate the shows and the sets:
Jan 18 Tue
Erotic Cakes: 7
The Fellowship: 8.5
Jan 19 Wed
Erotic Cakes: 8.5
The Fellowship: 10
Jan 20 Thu
Erotic Cakes: 6.5
The Fellowship: 9
The Jan 19 show was just unbelievable. It was fun looking at the faces of the people in the audience. Some were laughing as though they were enjoying a roller coaster ride. Some were just shaking their heads in disbelief. It was as though they were watching something that just wasn't possible. Some seemed absolutely devastated. Some seemed to think they were in heaven. It was really, really fun.
Well, one more show tonight opening up for Richie Kotzen. It'll be one condensed 45-minute set featuring the "Best of" EC and the Fellowship. I have a feeling that the guys may be able to match the magic of Wed tonight. I sure hope so. Will keep you guys posted. It's just nuts here right now. I've got a bunch of photos that I'll be posting soon as well.
GUTHRIE ROCKS!!!!! _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
Last edited by alexkhan on Sat Jan 22, 2005 2:45 am; edited 2 times in total
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2005 12:54 am Post subject:
By the way, I can't vote on this poll because I don't think there is such a thing as a "best guitarist". Guthrie is my personal favorite player and I think he's the most complete all-around guitarist that I've seen or heard, but "best" is a subjective call or not even meaningful IMHO. _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
Ed, I'm glad Guthrie and his fellows played so well in those concerts. I know by your score that they could have played much better (or a little bit better) , especially in the Erotic Cakes section, but people know that Guthrie is like "fish in water" when he plays with Sak & Co. I'm feel bad that I couldn't be in those concerts. But we have to realise that Guthrie is not use to this kind of attention, have his own forum, the pressure of the Press, the cameras . I know he's got fame with ASIA, but just like a sideman in a homogeneous group. His life now is in a bend which turns in another direction: to the Fame (but not that kind of fame that everybody else thinks), I mean, to be recognized by the guitar lovers, the guitar comunity, music profesionals, guitar9, etc etc. We know that he's got some recognition around the world thanks to "Guitar Techniques" magazine and thanks to "ASIA". Now his life is going from having a certain "routine" (I know he is a man with a very tight schedule) to be probably making concerts with a more vast audience in bigger or recognized places (Baked Potato, Ronnie Scott, etc), spending time composing new songs for his new CDs... and this is just the beginning of the new Era of a genious... and a humble man. Sometimes, when I used to go to the Bassment to see his concerts, I wondered why this man is not at the same career position like Scott Henderson or Allan Holdsworth? But knowing him a little bit (and I don't know him much, just by the comments posted in this Forum by Ed and others, although I managed to interchange a few words with him a couple of times) you realize that sometimes, maybe, he could doubt about to be in all this parafernalia of releasing CDs (risky, maybe), promotion of the CD (tiring), concerts (maybe more likely for him), be recognized in the streets more frequently than usual (annoying sometimes), planes, tours, etc... leaving his girlfriend (just jokin'). Why does he has to pass through all this stress? Right now he is playing, having his money, his friends, his recognition, etc... He is not a materialist person though, so why he should be doing all this if he is happy already? Is this a big step forward forced by the pressure of the media and the people that now is surrounding him? Well, all this is just a though... I hope he makes this step forward and we can see him on TV (maybe one of this private channels at least ), playing in bigger concerts and taking photographs of him with Allan Holdsworth, Satch, etc... Ahh! And ending up living in LA . Who knows?
Talking about my vote, I voted "yes" Why? I'm in his Forum and there's no much choice Obviously, the definition of "Best Guitarist" is so simplistic that I can't take it seriously. I totally agree with Sterlingsilver and Al; there's no best guitarist, the good guitarist has got his special qualities that highlight him like a personal signature. each guitarist's got their own sound that make them unique... You could think that the best guitarist is the one who has the largest amount of listeners (You could think in Satch or Vai, for example) or you could think that the best guitarist is the one who can play faster than anyone (Batio, Malmsteen, etc.)... So this Poll question is a bit too generic and there's nobody best in anything, there's only different ways to do the things or act and in the other hand we have a vast number of different type of people, which shape the subject. If I introduce my mum to this Forum and I try to convince her that this man is just a genious on the guitar and a great musician apart of a great human being, probably she would tell me: "Nonsense, and How is possible to be a good man with that "rough look" and smelling to tobacco all the time? Well, I suppose all depends of what type of "glasses" you use to look or feel the things... You can not apply thousands of different values [people] to a [mathematic formula] and to obtain the same result =[he is the best], At least no in this question... (maybe in Mecanica Quantica ) When we refer who's the best, we refer who's the best for you. But we know that people is intelligent enough to know that to be the best, you have to convince the majority of the people about that (Impossible task) but you might be recognized like a good one or one of the best ones or one to be considered seriously good, etc. that will make you jump the queue and leavethe "average" behind . There's so many intervals and dimensions that we should to reduce that question to if you like it or not... We know the answer in this Forum =[Yes-100%]. If you take this question to Scott Henderson Forum you could obtain maybe this =[Yes-97%/No-3%]. If you take the question to the Satch Forum you could obtain this =[Yes-80%/No-20%]. If you take it to a Britney Spears Forum you could obtain this =[Yes-15%/No-85%]...And so on... So, It is very relative and all depends of a lot of factors. But the most important question is WHY? And that question is not possible to insert it in a Poll question, is it? Because you will need all the unique answers or at least an approximation of the thoughs of each person and there's thousands of answers... _________________ Javi
i went to the shows on wednesday and thursday nights. on wednesday i brought my girlfriend and the following night i brought my sister and nephew (none of whom play guitar). they were all really blown away and they loved the music so i'm happy to report that guthrie's music DOES appeal to people who don't fully know how impossible it is to play like he does. they all had the same reaction basically-why are these musicians playing to a handful of people when groups with far less talent skill and musicianship routinely sell out stadiums and arenas? it's a pretty interesting question and i think that it may have something to do with the way in which different people approach music. a lot of guthrie's music is pretty intense and cerebral, it really makes you think, it's not just something you can relax and listen to. if you dont like that then you may not like his music that's all i can to say.
OK, I hate that "best" stuff. It is not important. He is a monster player. He sounds like he is having fun. When Sharon Shannon (or any of the Shannons) plays they have fun! That is the best. Having fun. Hence my 'bedroom' vote. _________________ "Heaven is all around,
Translated to sound." Michael Hedges 1953-1997
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2005 8:53 pm Post subject:
Well, Guthrie and the boys were really on last night during the Cornford All-Star Gala Concert. It was awesome. They played one 45-minute set mixing both Erotic Cakes and Fellowship material and I give the performance a solid 9 all the way through - which means it was typically mindblowing. The guys enjoyed it quite a bit and were pleased with how the set went.
Richie Kotzen was awesome as well. My God, his tone is so HUGE!!! He just plays a Tele plugged straight into the new RK100 with no effects whatsoever and that's the biggest, thickest RAW guitar sound I've heard here to date. I'm really going to have get into his new stuff soon - incredible player, kind of like raw SRV mixed in with modern over-the-top chops. He really makes it all work with the fattest sound I've heard to date at the Tone Mecca. Really great stuff. I enjoyed it as much as Guthrie's set. It was a very nice contrast.
There were other monster players in the audience: Greg Howe, John 5, Joel Hoekstra, and Scott Jones (Thu night). It was a real pleasure meeting John 5. What a nice guy! I thought he'd have some rock star trappings but what a soft-spoken nice fellow he is. By the way, Greg Howe and John 5 were both really impressed with Guthrie and they both requested copies of the Guthrie clinic and Fellowship DVDs. When someone asked Greg what he thought of Guthrie, Greg just shook his head and said, "Time for me to practice..." John 5 was very impressed as well and genuinely enjoyed the show.
More amazing things to come tonight with Bumblefoot! _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
Joined: 20 Sep 2004 Posts: 101 Location: Good ole NC
Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2005 9:32 pm Post subject:
Amazing, that is pretty much a list of my favorite players at your place. That would have been pretty crazy if there was huge uber-jam there with all those freaks of nature
Ed, you said elsewhere that you were gonna get Guthrie to do a piece or to on the fretless, did that happen and is there any video of it?
One more question, what is the progress on Guthrie's CD?
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2005 11:42 pm Post subject:
Last night was absolutely crazy - featuring none other than the mighty Bumblefoot. At the end, there was a long drawn out "blues jam" session and during one brief segment, Mattias IA, Bumblefoot, and Guthrie were all on stage trading licks. Then other guys in the audience took turns blowing and wanking and the thing seemed to go on forever. Lot of good players there, but Guthrie stood out like a supernova amongst a throng of stars. Just soundwise, Guthrie's notes just popped out with so much more force and articulation. His comping was typically much more interesting to listen to than others soloing.
Bumblefoot is just one crazy mutha. Very lovable fellow as well. Always great having him over here. But I don't think I could do these marathon multi-bill shows anymore. It's just too much. Doing that two nights in a row has me absolutely burnt-out. But tonight's shows with Scott Henderson and Joel Hoekstra should be a most welcome change and be musically satisfactory. Will give you an update on that as well, but Guthrie and his posse are now on their way back to UK now although Guthrie will immediately then head towards mainland Europe for a 6-week tour with Asia.
It's been an incredible week. Without a doubt, it was all about Guthrie for me. I'm so glad that he put on such incredible shows to a lot of people who hadn't been exposed to him before. There were a bunch of people lining up for autographs and asking to have pictures taken with Guthrie, etc., and all this "star" attention did make Guthrie feel somewhat uncomfortable, but we all know that it was just a matter of time. Guthrie playing here at NAMM will certainly be an annual event - you can certainly count on THAT!!! _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
Thanks for keeping those of us who couldn’t make the shows up to date.
It certainly is good to here that Guthrie is getting some recognition in the US, and that some other great players are taking notice of him. He certainly is the most amazing player I have ever seen, heard, and had the honour to play with. He is also one of the kindest and most genuine person I’ve ever known.
As you say, ” it was just a matter of time”, but it’s been a long time coming! ...
Let’s hope 2005 is the year when Guthrie gets the recognition he truly deserves.
Can’t wait for his long awaited album to hit the shops …
Could you give us some info on what shows have been filmed. And when we can hope for a DVD release?
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yes there are better guitarists.. using the Vincenzo patented metaphysical slide rule we can see that Guthrie is a 13.8 on the rule, whereas George Formby and Kirk Hammett both scored a 15.3, and a little bit further up the scale we can see that the 18th century Chippendale ottoman in the main reception of Longleat house was the worlds best guitarist ever.
) or which song guthrie found the hardest to transcribe? I was lucky enough to meet guthrie and he would also definitly be a candidate for 'most down to earth and general nice guy guitar master of the world' ,lol.... 
GUTHRIE RULES!!!
. I know he's got fame with ASIA, but just like a sideman in a homogeneous group. His life now is in a bend which turns in another direction: to the Fame (but not that kind of fame that everybody else thinks), I mean, to be recognized by the guitar lovers, the guitar comunity, music profesionals, guitar9, etc etc. We know that he's got some recognition around the world thanks to "Guitar Techniques" magazine and thanks to "ASIA". Now his life is going from having a certain "routine" (I know he is a man with a very tight schedule) to be probably making concerts with a more vast audience in bigger or recognized places (Baked Potato, Ronnie Scott, etc), spending time composing new songs for his new CDs... and this is just the beginning of the new Era of a genious... and a humble man. Sometimes, when I used to go to the Bassment to see his concerts, I wondered why this man is not at the same career position like Scott Henderson or Allan Holdsworth? But knowing him a little bit (and I don't know him much, just by the comments posted in this Forum by Ed and others, although I managed to interchange a few words with him a couple of times) you realize that sometimes, maybe, he could doubt about to be in all this parafernalia of releasing CDs (risky, maybe), promotion of the CD (tiring), concerts (maybe more likely for him), be recognized in the streets more frequently than usual (annoying sometimes), planes, tours, etc... leaving his girlfriend 
(just jokin'). Why does he has to pass through all this stress? Right now he is playing, having his money, his friends, his recognition, etc... He is not a materialist person though, so why he should be doing all this if he is happy already? Is this a big step forward forced by the pressure of the media and the people that now is surrounding him? Well, all this is just a though... I hope he makes this step forward and we can see him on TV (maybe one of this private channels at least 
), playing in bigger concerts and taking photographs of him with Allan Holdsworth, Satch, etc... Ahh! And ending up living in LA 
. Who knows?
Obviously, the definition of "Best Guitarist" is so simplistic that I can't take it seriously. I totally agree with Sterlingsilver and Al; there's no best guitarist, the good guitarist has got his special qualities that highlight him like a personal signature. each guitarist's got their own sound that make them unique... You could think that the best guitarist is the one who has the largest amount of listeners (You could think in Satch or Vai, for example) or you could think that the best guitarist is the one who can play faster than anyone (Batio, Malmsteen, etc.)... So this Poll question is a bit too generic and there's nobody best in anything, there's only different ways to do the things or act and in the other hand we have a vast number of different type of people, which shape the subject. If I introduce my mum to this Forum and I try to convince her that this man is just a genious on the guitar and a great musician apart of a great human being, probably she would tell me: "Nonsense, and How is possible to be a good man with that "rough look" and smelling to tobacco all the time? 
