Best Rhythm Guitarists

Fledermaus

As JerkMoans said.... where does rhythm end and lead begin...
Andy Summers got a mention somewhere....mmmmm goooood stuff

Clarky

Bezzer said:

Not "Rhythm only" by any means but Eddie Van Halen has to be high on the list, surely!

couldn't agree more
personally I find his rhythm playing every bit as exciting and interesting as his lead playing

Clarky

Steve Hackett
Steve Howe
and SRV

rlw

Keef not a rythmn guitarist?  I would have put him at the top of the list with Steve Cropper.

and that geezer from The Who is quite good too.

meltedbuzzbox

exocet said:

Blueingreen said:

Mark Lettieri.  Check this out if you haven already seen it (playing starts around 2.15)



Takes someone special to sit in a funk jam with Tim Pierce and Pete Thorn and sound like he's operating on a higher plane, but Mark pulls that off.

Sorry obv don't know how to link video.

Mark Lettieri is "top drawer". 

I thought that was Steven Spielberg in the middle!

ICBM

Rocker said:

Players like The Who guitarist are lead players who play chords rather than single notes. 

No, Townshend is definitely a rhythm player - he actually thought of himself as the 'drummer' in the band.

While we're at it - Paul Weller is an excellent rhythm guitarist. In The Jam, the 'lead' instrument part was usually Bruce Foxton's bass, and Weller mostly played chords and fills.

Nitefly

There was a jazz pianist called Ahmad Jamal, who had a trio in the 1950's consisting of double bass (Israel Crosby) and guitar (Ray Crawford) - oddly no drums.

Crawford used to play a very rhythmic style by palm-muting the notes and picking notes staccato, so it sounded like he was playing bongos - rhythm guitar, and no drummer needed!

koneguitarist

Sacha Distell was pretty good rhythm player. 

JerkMoans

Listening to some old records ce soir, that Django Reinhardt one was no slouch.

ICBM

EricTheWeary said:

https://i.imgur.com/mzrEzVD.jpg

I dont know if Lady Bo was the best rythmn guitarist but she was always the coolest. 

Actually... it's Bo Diddley.

Unless you can think of another rhythm guitarist who actually has a rhythm named after him.

EricTheWeary

ICBM said:

EricTheWeary said:

https://i.imgur.com/mzrEzVD.jpg

I dont know if Lady Bo was the best rythmn guitarist but she was always the coolest. 

Actually... it's Bo Diddley.

Unless you can think of another rhythm guitarist who actually has a rhythm named after him.

Well, Hendrix had a chord and there’s the Jimmy Reed shuffle (although actually usually played by Eddie Taylor ). 

HAL9000

ICBM said:

EricTheWeary said:

https://i.imgur.com/mzrEzVD.jpg

I dont know if Lady Bo was the best rythmn guitarist but she was always the coolest. 

Actually... it's Bo Diddley.

Unless you can think of another rhythm guitarist who actually has a rhythm named after him.

Joe Strummer?

 (gets coat)

Philly_Q

I just read a feature in this month's Guitar Player by Jim Campilongo, raving about Rick Derringer's rhythm playing on "Johnny Winter And... Live".

I must admit I'm not clever enough, guitar-wise, to appreciate what Rick's doing on that album, although he's been one of my favourite - lead - guitarists for the best part of 40 years.  I feel like I should listen again...

Kilgore

St Hubbins is underrated.

Bucket

Someone that no-one has said thus far - hear me out - Steve Vai:





If EVH and Nuno deserve a mention, so does he.

Bucket

Also, Wes Borland.

He's a great heavy rock rhythm player, but listen to the weird synth-like guitar parts in the verses too - like at 0:45.



LB's bass player is fantastic too.

Grunfeld

Fretwired said:

Catfish Collins .. Nile Rogers says he was the best .. end of thread ..

Gawd, that's a whole different level of tight playing. 

ICBM

Grunfeld said:

Gawd, that's a whole different level of tight playing.  

You'd be tight too, if you were docked a chunk of your - not generous in the first place - pay every time you made a mistake.

breakstuff

Daron Malakian from System of a Down.

BigBearKris

breakstuff said:

Daron Malakian from System of a Down.

Good call. Also - Scars on Broadway (which are finally realising 2nd album in couple months).