Greatest Electric Rock Guitarist

Well.... if you don't want to count influential as a modifier of electric guitarist, (which is really what we are talking about here isn't it?), then let me add one.

Charles Manson played guitar. Does that make him a candidate? Certainly influential don't you think?

If Pol Pot ever strummed a single chord would he be on the list? Come on now, "Mr. Genocide", he wouldn't make the list? He single handedly killed more musicians, potential musicians, managers, fans, luthiers, songwriters, and composers than just about anyone ever. Heck he singled out and killed almost every artist of any kind in Cambodia. So assuming he once bumped into an electric guitar and it made a sound as it hit the floor, he gets zero for playing skill and several million points for influential.

So IMHO what's her name and the guy from Nirvana don't come close. Influential, maybe. Influential electric guitarist? Don't make me wet myself laughing.

Let's not make a futile task ridiculous by bringing in marketing, image and impact on pop culture. We are talking about guitarists impacting guitarists.

....or are we?

Avril Lavigne may have impressed a couple of teeny-boppers, but "influential"? I don't think so - I've never heard anyone, let alone a guitarist say that they were influenced to pick up a guitar because of her. Link Wray, Hank Marvin, Duane Eddy, Eric Clapton, BB King, even Django Reinhardt - yes, but NOT Avril Lavigne - Not EVER!
noone in his right mind can deny the influence of avril
I'm in my right mind and I do deny that she is an influential guitarist today, let alone of all time.

Avril Lavigne may have impressed a couple of teeny-boppers, but "influential"? I don't think so - I've never heard anyone, let alone a guitarist say that they were influenced to pick up a guitar because of her. Link Wray, Hank Marvin, Duane Eddy, Eric Clapton, BB King, even Django Reinhardt - yes, but NOT Avril Lavigne - Not EVER!
noone in his right mind can deny the influence of avril
I'm in my right mind and I do deny that she is an influential guitarist today, let alone of all time.

totally agree,
however it's all opinion for entertainment and conversations sake. really no reason to make insulting comments by suggesting that because others disagree that they aren't "in their right mind" respectfully disagree and call it a day.

however it's all opinion for entertainment and conversations sake. really no reason to make insulting comments by suggesting that because others disagree that they aren't "in their right mind" respectfully disagree and call it a day.

You're correct. So my apologies to those who are actually in their right mind and do disagree with me.
Avril Lavigne may have impressed a couple of teeny-boppers, but "influential"? I don't think so - I've never heard anyone, let alone a guitarist say that they were influenced to pick up a guitar because of her. Link Wray, Hank Marvin, Duane Eddy, Eric Clapton, BB King, even Django Reinhardt - yes, but NOT Avril Lavigne - Not EVER!

1) I think influencing people to pick up a guitar is good thing. Regardless of age.
2) Avril started a few years ago, clapton in 1960. The influence you see is the result of half a centure of performance, you can't measure a modern artist unles you compare it to what clapton did in say, 1960. I don't think too many rockgods at that time were influenced by him, that takes time.
3) Sure you haven't heared anyone being influenced by them, but that might be because you hang out with different people. My generation cares a whole lot more about Cobain and Lavigne then your examples. Heck, I doubt most even know anyone of them except for Clapton, andt they only know clapton because of his MTV unplugged concert. Not that that is a good thing by any means, but they influence a lot of people.

Again: whatever you feel about them is up to you. But they do influence *people* to play music. And calling them 'teeny-boppers' is really quite nasty. If a 50-year old dude learns his Em-chord because of Clapton we don't go around making fun of that, do we? So why is a 18-year old girl learning the same Em-chord because of Lavigne suddenly something to make fun of?

Nick: I think influencing people to play guitar qualifies as being an influential electric guitarist. I don't think mass murderers and dictators who happen to strum a chord every now and then can be compared to Cobain.

My generation cares a whole lot more about Cobain and Lavigne then your examples. Heck, I doubt most even know anyone of them except for Clapton, andt they only know clapton because of his MTV unplugged concert.
Well, my son and my daughter belong to "your generation" and so do all their friends and not one of them has a good thing to say about Avril Lavigne. The comments that I've read on other boards, tend to confirm my feeling that she's not highly regarded, let alone "influential" in any of those social groups.
My kids certainly know about far wider areas of music than you'd imagine - they listen to everything from rap right through to classical stuff - my daughter's trying to get me to learn Cat Steven's Wild World, at the moment, and she has sung Zappa's "Bobby Brown" to an audience.
I think that you'd be more accurate in saying your "social group" rather than your generation.
And whilst I think about it, my nephew and niece don't think too much of her either and I not sure that they know too much about Cobain, although they are just teenagers.
So, on my own, perhaps limited, personal experience, I have to disagree with you.

Has to be PRINCE!

I think in order to look at "the greatest rock guitarist" as being the most technically skilled guitarist you'd have to assume a few things:

1) The most technically difficult skills on the guitar produce the most pleasing sounds to the ear.
2) The sounds they produce please all, or a majority of ears.
3) That everyone considers the same things technically difficult........difficult.

Since you really can't, looking at the greatest rock guitarist from the angle of the most technically skilled isn't a good angle.

I agree with Arjen, influence is more objective. Also, you can touch people in other ways with music. The subject of the post doesn't really define how they have to influence someone so it could be anything. And musicians have had influence other than how people play. If I see a guitarist I like playing a guitar then go and buy that guitar, that's influence. I may not use it for the same things as that artist, it's still influence. If Kurt Cobain sings about angst and then all of the sudden I'm angry at the world, that's influence. If I see Avril Lavigne wearing a Metallica tank top then start wearing one myself, that's influence too.

All the people who conduct these polls and those who participate in it are utter darn fools who have no time but to critisise the other players.

Let us see the critics cut out a good solo and earn millions.If they cannot , then they can happily shove their heads in the potty.

I hate to tell you this but your post is infact a criticism, and is also directed towards other players. So you are criticising other players too.

ur awsume one winged angel ;)

You are missing my point.

We aren't talking about influential people who happen to play guitar. We are talking about influential electric guitarists.

A crappy guitarist with a great agent and marketing can influence a lot of people. That Nirvana guy was a mediocre electric guitarist in the grand scheme of things, but he was certainly influential. That is the same thing as my absurd examples above.

Maybe I'm missing the point. Isn't that what this poll is about?

Arjen, Why does it seem that you automatically take the semantically arbitrary position?

Do we really need to make each question so clear cut that it can't be driven off topic or argued about?

Who is the most influential guitarist, that played an electric guitar, that inspired you to play, that is a great guitarist in his or her own right, that was not over-hyped by the media, or in case of unintentional over-hyping was good anyway?

Should Charlie Manson really be considered a mass murderer? That crazy loon inspired Axl Rose. Axl even covered one of his songs... :lol:

"a person whose actions and opinions strongly influence the course of events"
"One that is of considerable importance or influence"
These are dictionary definitions of the the word "influential" - the attribution of influence to buying a t-shirt is a trivialisation. What you have described are whims - buying a guitar and, then, using it for music, other than that played by the source of your "influence" is simply whimsical. If he were truly an influence, you would also play his music.
An influential person exerts influence (e.g. a statesman or a powerful industrialist) - the people you describe have patently not done that (they have made no conscious effort to influence your choice of either guitar or t-shirt) - it is you who feels the need to imitate.

That Nirvana guy

That Led Zepplin guy looks like a monkey.

Should Charlie Manson really be considered a mass murderer? That crazy loon inspired Axl Rose. Axl even covered one of his songs... :lol:

Well, whats your definition of "Mass". LOL :lol:

I'm just teasin. Actually my true intent was to push Nick over his mental boundaries and end up in an institution. :D

Geoo

I've been long past my mental boundaries since the early 70's.

You are missing my point.

We aren't talking about influential people who happen to play guitar. We are talking about influential electric guitarists.

A crappy guitarist with a great agent and marketing can influence a lot of people. That Nirvana guy was a mediocre electric guitarist in the grand scheme of things, but he was certainly influential. That is the same thing as my absurd examples above.

Maybe I'm missing the point. Isn't that what this poll is about?

Arjen, Why does it seem that you automatically take the semantically arbitrary position?

Do we really need to make each question so clear cut that it can't be driven off topic or argued about?

Who is the most influential guitarist, that played an electric guitar, that inspired you to play, that is a great guitarist in his or her own right, that was not over-hyped by the media, or in case of unintentional over-hyping was good anyway?

Thanx Nick, but maybe it would also be helpful to those who see ambiguity in the most simple queries if we narrow it down a bit more even.
Did the aforementioned (gee i like that word) guitarist have to actually write(compose) and perform the music he was assumedly influencing prospective answerers to the post by playing? or could he have just started a turntable or cd player with the weight of his guitar, thereby using it as the "instrument" to start the playback of the recording?