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DimarzioForum.Com => The mini bar (off topic & misc) => Topic started by: alfaromeo90 on September 15, 2009, 05:59:14 PM

Title: your first guitar idol?
Post by: alfaromeo90 on September 15, 2009, 05:59:14 PM
hey guys, who was your first favorite guitarist?


before i played guitar = john frusciante

when i started = eddie van halen
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: FeinMusic on September 16, 2009, 08:25:50 AM
I'll come clean as a big follower of Tom DeLonge  at first.  Then when I started playing it was John Frusciante.  Right now I'm a pretty big fan of Bumblefoot and Mick Ronson
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: CityofBlindingLights on September 16, 2009, 08:32:10 PM
Jimi Hendrix.

Still is.

For a time a few years ago, I was way into Vai and Satch. Not so much anymore. I still dig Satch's music, and the occasional Vai is fun, but I'm done with shredding.

But now I'm also a bigger fan of The Edge from U2, Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead, and David Gilmour.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: FeinMusic on September 17, 2009, 11:23:02 AM
You just reminded me, Nick.  I've been having an obsession with Robin Finck. He's  unfortunately been in an unfair position in the media but he is under rated and really has a great feel and sense of melody kinda like a ballsier Gilmour or a more refined Slash
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: joelmo on September 18, 2009, 03:04:42 PM
hi again
when i started it was brian molko from placebo(unusual ahhh).
now there are satch, greg howe and rory gallgher.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: alfaromeo90 on September 18, 2009, 03:55:50 PM
thanks, i think it's interesting to look back on your first idols and try to figure out what initially attracted you to guitar.  If you find that your playing is in a rut or gone down a path you no longer like, it's an interesting exercise to go back to your first idols or pre-playing idols and try to get a bit of their playing or tone.  Kind of like a new start.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: buddroyce on September 19, 2009, 07:02:13 PM
Ahh yes.. the guitar idols. My first idol wasn't Hendrix or Page, but rather it was actually Yngwie Malmsteen, he was actually the person to get me to start playing guitar. Believe it or not, I actually started working in a guitar shop before I even knew a thing about guitars or even had any interest in them. Back before downloading movies was even feasible popular over a decade ago we used to have a VHS demo tape of a whole bunch of guitar instructional videos and I would just watch them while I was working on guitars (yes I was working on guitars before I knew how to properly hold one). One of the videos we demo'd was actually Yngwie's Young Guitar videos and after seeing him demo his tunes and break down his technique a couple million times, it started to grow on me and I just had to get a guitar to play. From then on it went to your typical shred guys as well as guys like Mattias Eklundh, Michael Romeo and  Bumblefoot (before his GnR days....waaaaay before..).

Oddly enough I never had a keen interest in the more mainstream idols like Hendrix, Page, Frusciante or Slash, but that's probably because when you work in a guitar store BEFORE you start digging the music, you start to hate all the stuff all the teenagers that come to the store liked and ended up gravitating towards the heavier stuff some of the older guys were into.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: CityofBlindingLights on September 20, 2009, 03:36:11 PM
thanks, i think it's interesting to look back on your first idols and try to figure out what initially attracted you to guitar.  If you find that your playing is in a rut or gone down a path you no longer like, it's an interesting exercise to go back to your first idols or pre-playing idols and try to get a bit of their playing or tone.  Kind of like a new start.

I've done that numerous times, I find it very refreshing. It's like turning a new page. When I first started weaning myself off of Vai and heavier onto my older favorites, I realized what made Vai's music sound sterile to me, and why I dug what I used to, and still dig now.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: alfaromeo90 on September 20, 2009, 08:31:04 PM
Yes, i went back to two music vids which had me in awe before i played - Frusciante, RHCP "Suck my kiss" and Stevie Ray Vaughan "Supersition" live (Stevie Wonder cover).  I worked out that it was the raw tones and the reckless ferocity in the way they were playing.  By contrast I had become very precise and considered and my tones too processed.

Budd - i bet you can't stomach 'Stairway to Heaven' or 'Sweet Child o mine'  still to this day! :)
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: CityofBlindingLights on September 21, 2009, 12:40:09 AM
Yes, i went back to two music vids which had me in awe before i played - Frusciante, RHCP "Suck my kiss" and Stevie Ray Vaughan "Supersition" live (Stevie Wonder cover).  I worked out that it was the raw tones and the reckless ferocity in the way they were playing.  By contrast I had become very precise and considered and my tones too processed.

Budd - i bet you can't stomach 'Stairway to Heaven' or 'Sweet Child o mine'  still to this day! :)

Shit man, I can't stomach "Stairway" or "Sweet Child O' Mine"
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: buddroyce on September 21, 2009, 11:44:14 AM
Budd - i bet you can't stomach 'Stairway to Heaven' or 'Sweet Child o mine'  still to this day! :)

Believe it or not, that would have been the case early on, but throughout the years I've actually had fewer people play Stairway to Heaven or Sweet Child o' mine. What gets me is the kids playing the same Nirvana tunes over and over and over... and over... and over... and... well you get the point. Stairway would have been a welcome change.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: joelmo on September 21, 2009, 09:35:35 PM
Budd - i bet you can't stomach 'Stairway to Heaven' or 'Sweet Child o mine'  still to this day! :)

Believe it or not, that would have been the case early on, but throughout the years I've actually had fewer people play Stairway to Heaven or Sweet Child o' mine. What gets me is the kids playing the same Nirvana tunes over and over and over... and over... and over... and... well you get the point. Stairway would have been a welcome change.

yeah i had the same problem. kids my age (beacuse im still a kid). are only to play nirvana, guns and iron maiden songs. i know they are really important bands and they'r song are cool, but most of the people have no recollection of how amazing the E-guitar can be.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: mi2tom on September 22, 2009, 03:08:07 AM
Funny, different place different style. The kids here plays malmsteen and I'm seriously sick of it, no ego clash though but it's just too much. I like to see kids here plays metalica for a change or others, I'd take nirvana anyday.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: FeinMusic on September 22, 2009, 07:47:59 AM
I hear a lot of Avenged Sevenfold at my local Guitar center and I pride myself on having once shut up the store playing an Ibanez on clean channel when trying out the Peavey Vypyr
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: CityofBlindingLights on September 22, 2009, 02:40:31 PM
I hear a lot of Avenged Sevenfold at my local Guitar center and I pride myself on having once shut up the store playing an Ibanez on clean channel when trying out the Peavey Vypyr

Funny... I once shut up a store full of Green Day emo kids by playing "Wanted... Dead or Alive" on a 12-string acoustic...
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: joelmo on September 22, 2009, 03:10:53 PM
well once i shut up a bunch of grown ups playing some crappy latin pop song, with greg howes come and get it. 8)
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: Jerryman on September 29, 2009, 10:45:46 PM
in the folowing order;
Hendrix, Page, Clapton, Beck, Townshend,
Van Halen was always a wanker compared to them. Not to diminish his skill at all, but at the end of the day he doesnt make the top 5.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: CityofBlindingLights on September 30, 2009, 02:18:21 AM
in the folowing order;
Hendrix, Page, Clapton, Beck, Townshend,
Van Halen was always a wanker compared to them. Not to diminish his skill at all, but at the end of the day he doesnt make the top 5.

+1, especially Beck and Townshend. Heavily underappreciated guys.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: Mail2JackButler on September 30, 2009, 02:03:29 PM
Easy.. Hendrix.. Blackmoore and Ace Frehley.. discovered all three like in the same day back when I was six years old.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: 5150 on September 30, 2009, 07:39:19 PM
Hendrix and then Van Halen. I'm HEAVILY into Van Halen.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: Shereen on October 02, 2009, 03:17:52 AM
SRV for sure. it'll always be SRV.
Pat Metheny, Mike Stern,
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: LuredMaul on October 02, 2009, 07:04:51 AM
I have always loved Music but it wasn't until I saw Dokkens "Alone Again" on MTV. I didn't have cable at home *boo hoo*

Anyway, George Lynch and still to this day George out does them all for me. I don't care for him live much though mostly just the Dokken years.
It was truly a dream come true when I opened for them during there Dysfunctional tour in St. Louis.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: RichRoger on October 06, 2009, 09:40:10 AM
Yngwie Malmsteen
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: eggsbenny on October 14, 2009, 12:51:59 AM
Wow, all of you guys are into Vaughn, Vai, Satriani, Hendrix and such, and now I feel like an outcast. My First guitar Idol was Dickey Betts of all people. Him, as well as Duane Allman were my first guitar idols.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: alfaromeo90 on October 14, 2009, 02:36:09 AM
Dickey Betts and Duane Allman are great guitarists.  In terms of pickups Betts is a great example of the Pearly Gates PAF, and Allman of vintage (by today's standards underwound) PAFs. 
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: CityofBlindingLights on October 14, 2009, 04:19:05 AM
Wow, all of you guys are into Vaughn, Vai, Satriani, Hendrix and such, and now I feel like an outcast. My First guitar Idol was Dickey Betts of all people. Him, as well as Duane Allman were my first guitar idols.

Apparently you missed my post ;D

Dickey Betts and Duane Allman are great guitarists.  In terms of pickups Betts is a great example of the Pearly Gates PAF, and Allman of vintage (by today's standards underwound) PAFs. 

Duane Allman? Yeah. Dickey Betts? f*ck no. I've seen him live, he sucks balls. That or he was tripping balls...
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: eggsbenny on October 16, 2009, 11:15:02 PM
Okay I should probably say that at this point I am much more into the current Allman Brothers Lineup. This was awhile ago that I was a real fan of Dickey, back when I was still just learning most of the basics. Nowadays I'm particularly a fan of Derek Trucks Slide playing, and Warrens voice is damn good, and makes a neat contrast with Gregg.

Apparently you missed my post ;D
I suppose I did. Sorry about that.
Duane Allman? Yeah. Dickey Betts? f*ck no. I've seen him live, he sucks balls. That or he was tripping balls...
Tripping balls... Now lets recall the Brothers Logo eh  :P . Did you see him with the Brothers or with Great Southern? As for Duane, he had a hell of a rep for a guy who died at 24 :madness:.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: soundgardener75 on November 02, 2009, 12:35:26 PM
I was listening to music pretty much around 5 years old, that would be 1980, music had been playing everywhere around the house.

When I started, I was a big fan of Mick Mars and Dave Mustaine. Their sense of rhythm still lingers on to this day.

But it wasn't until Kurt Cobain came into the scene. I almost gave up playing guitar. He somewhat showed me to just love playing music. And that still goes on to this day.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: bzzdog on July 15, 2010, 02:20:28 AM
before playing- mitch mitchell (i didnt really listen to the guitar so much. always the drums. still my fav drummer).
after starting- kirk hammett then a year later satch and now five years later shawn lane
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: CityofBlindingLights on July 15, 2010, 07:01:45 PM
Heck yes to Mick Mars!

And also, no love here for George Harrison?
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: bzzdog on July 15, 2010, 09:20:03 PM
Heck yes to Mick Mars!

And also, no love here for George Harrison?

much much love. he`s just idol, though, for me. not guitar idol. vividly remember waking up and hearing he died. was driving to school after that but pulled off into the woods and parked and just listened to george all day...
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: damonstewart70 on July 15, 2010, 11:54:41 PM
HENDRIX! As an african american male from N.Y.C I went to F.K.lane high school in queens(at that time very ethnicaly diversed).Italians,Irish,Black,puerto rican,Dominican,Oriental.My parents always taught us that people r all one & to respect other peoples culture.I always loved rock music as well as celtic,spanish,indian(eastern) as well as the r&b & rap that was prevelant in new york in the 70's & 80's.Not only did I like big jims playing he taught me an important lesson...Freedom!From there it went to metallica(before black album),slayer,megadeth,living colour,bad brains,muddy waters& mountain.When i seen crossroads oh my god!,I love satch vai,gilbert,timmons I love every guitar player.Currently I have a fascination with LESLIE WEST!,his tone is MASSIVE,when he plays it sounds like an explosion.Rock & roll FOREVER
Title: your first guitar idol
Post by: dennichristianthegreate on February 01, 2011, 04:55:41 AM
I remember hearing this for the first time a few years ago when it was the background music for Kevins website...and I remember thinking to myself "yep, this confirms it: what happened to 3EB was that Kevin left".  Fucking awesome song, both this screaming guitar part as well as the full song.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: Guido Aschieri on February 21, 2011, 10:24:20 PM
Angus Young. Now the spot is share between Petrucci, Vai, Hackett and Fripp
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: Fendercrazy on February 26, 2013, 04:51:13 PM
My older brother.  He got his first Les Paul in the Late 70’s.  I was only 5 or 6 at the time but all I wanted at that point was an electric guitar.  First famous guitar hero was Ace Frehley. 
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: Justin Read on March 01, 2013, 01:38:49 AM
Steve Morse, Nuno Bettencourt, Al DiMeola, Tommy Emmanuel and Vernon Reid were my first insights/influences in the art of guitar when I was a wee 13 years old.

Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: wxs3 on March 28, 2013, 09:48:20 AM
Hendrix, Randy Rhoads, Eddie, Yngwie, Frank Zappa  way too many influences.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: tonejam on May 18, 2013, 09:04:23 AM
One of my very first, maybe my first guitar idol. Django Reinhardt. He was under-rated on electric.....listen to "Night and Day", from his last album, 1953. He was be-bopping with the best of the jazz guys.
On a different tack.........Danny Gatton!
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: iPood on July 01, 2013, 11:58:23 PM
Steve Stevens during the Rebel Yell era.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: will_1400 on February 09, 2014, 11:02:48 AM
Randy Rhoads is the man who inspired me to pick up a guitar for the first time. Not too shabby for a guy who died six years before I was born. "Crazy Train" came on the radio one day and it got my attention enough to snag my first Ozzy album (one of his greatest hits compilations). When I heard "Mr. Crowley" for the first time, I was sold on learning guitar (to this day, Mr. Crowley is my favorite song to play).

Aside from Randy, other early influences on my playing are Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce from the early days of Alice Cooper, Toni Iommi, and Ritchie Blackmore. More recently, I've taken to Jon Schaffer, Dave Mustaine, and Scott Ian for my rhythms while I've been looking at Kai Hansen and Al Pitrelli for ideas on how to shape up my leads (when I get the chops, that is. I'm still mostly a rhythm guy).

Now I know they're not guitar idols, but I also sometimes find inspiration in Miles Davis and John Coltrane whenever I feel like a change of pace.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: Lewguitar on April 09, 2014, 07:46:28 PM
I'm getting pretty old.

It was Elvis Presley.

Saw him on the Ed Sullivan Show and I was strumming a broom the next day.

No kidding.

Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: darkbluemurder on April 14, 2014, 11:52:00 AM
My first guitar heros were Eric Clapton, Rory Gallagher and Michael Schenker. Johnny Winter, Dickey Betts and Duane Allman followed after I got into guitar more seriously.

Cheers Stephan
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: eggman on June 24, 2014, 03:28:07 AM
Howdy,

 Keef.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: harmonics on June 24, 2014, 05:14:47 AM
i would say hendrix and clapton 86
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: Orkhan Julfa on March 16, 2017, 07:13:36 PM
Jimmy Page
Title: your first guitar idol?
Post by: gtrjunior on April 12, 2018, 04:44:03 PM
I was listening to music pretty much around 5 years old, that would be 1980, music had been playing everywhere around the house.

When I started, I was a big fan of Mick Mars and Dave Mustaine. Their sense of rhythm still lingers on to this day.

But it wasn't until Kurt Cobain came into the scene. I almost gave up playing guitar. He somewhat showed me to just love playing music. And that still goes on to this day.
Mick Mars is a SOLID player. Maybe not as flashy as his 80’s shredder contemporaries but a hell of a player nonetheless. 
He was definitely one of my primary heroes.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: Guitar74 on June 06, 2019, 06:32:48 AM
George Lynch. Made me start playing and sort of solidified it after seeing Dokken on the Tooth and Nail tour when I was 10 yrs old. Then I found Yngwie, Randy, Eric Johnson, Paul Gilbert, Jimi, Jason Becker, Chet Atkins, and Brent Mason.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: The_Spell on June 20, 2019, 02:37:20 AM
For me, it started with Cliff Burton for bass.
Then, and even still to this day, it's Mikael Sandorf for my guitar. Mike isn't the best, the fastest or most technical guy out there but he writes good songs and plays with feeling.
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: HarlowTheFish on June 25, 2019, 06:39:56 AM
When I first got into guitar, Ray Toro and Frank Iero from My Chemical Romance. Frank's got some killer riffs and Ray had a really good sense of melody that a lot of the punk/emo guys didn't have. When I started playing more seriously, I jumped really fast from punk to prog and got really into Mark Holcomb from Periphery, because his phrasing and especially his riff-writing is insane.
After a while I got into (relatively) less heavy stuff, with Yvette Young from Covet, Rabea Massad (the one with the really good youtube channel) for his Toska stuff, and Mark Knopfler.
Nowadays, top five in no particular order, probably:
Fredrik Thordendal from Meshuggah for his nuts solos
Adrian Smith who has the most godly lead tone of all time and I will fight people on this
Joey Rubenstein from Icarus the Owl for showing me that prog =/= heavy and serious and deep all the time
Michael Weikath for being the most underrated member of Helloween and IMO one of the best rhythm guitarists in power metal
Brent and Ian from I the Mighty (particularly for the self-titled, Hearts and Spades, and Karma Never Sleeps EPs as well as the Frame trilogy which are some of the best post-hardcore I've ever heard) because they're absolutely killer songwriters.
Honorable mention to Steve Harris who's my Bass Daddy and will have a special place in my heart always
Title: Re: your first guitar idol?
Post by: Guitar74 on June 28, 2019, 11:17:05 AM
That's quite a list. I agree with you on Adrian Smith. Him and Dave Murray both had such a great lead tone. I like Rabbea as well. Mark Knopfler. That guy and Chet Atkins are tops in that country lead thing. If you like Mark, check out some of Glen Campbell. He really was a beast of a guitarist. Dude could also shred when he wanted to.