Distinctive guitar players whose playing/tone you easily recognise?

enjo

Chris Buck has pretty distinctive playing style.

Redlester

EricTheWeary said:

Redlester said:

Django Reinhardt. The only person he could ever remotely be confused with is someone trying to emulate Django Reinhardt. 

There have been a lot of those! I suspect many of us would recognise something as Django like but have little idea if it’s him or not. 

Edit: which is to say I wonder how many of us know the genre well enough to pick him out. 

@EricTheWeary To be honest, as Django died in 53, so if you hear a scratchy mono recording of a fleet fingered guitar player it’s likely to be him. Especially if you hear that boxy Maccaferri acoustic tone. He’s still distinctive on an amplified guitar, though.

But he’s one of the great jazz soloists, so that means you get a combination of identifiable personal licks and phrasing, together with a fabulous musical imagination. I think when you’re that good your instrument playing is as distinctive as your voice- how it sounds and what you say. 

ewal

Bob Mould
Will Sergeant
Andy Gill
Alan Sparhawk
Greg Keeffe
Jonsi
Adam Franklin
Thurston Moore
Lee Ranaldo

Gassage

Gilmour

May

Santana

Koss

SRV

Mark Kernobfluf

Clapton

BB King

Marr

Belew

Rodgers.

That's the official list. Lock the thread.

althy

all of them if you get to know their work.

Redlester

May I raise a question at this juncture in proceedings? 

Why has no one yet mentioned Yngwie Malmsteen? 

(Ball duly teed up- fill yer boots). 

Gassage

Redlester said:

May I raise a question at this juncture in proceedings? 

Why has no one yet mentioned Yngwie Malmsteen? 

(Ball duly teed up- fill yer boots). 

Because the food threads are in the Off Topic section.

Jonathangus

Redlester said:

May I raise a question at this juncture in proceedings? 

Why has no one yet mentioned Yngwie Malmsteen? 

(Ball duly teed up- fill yer boots). 

Well, apart from @Philly_Q on page 1 and @TheMarlin on page 2... 

EDIT: good shout, though.

ThePrettyDamned

Synyster gates too. Super distinctive leads but also riffs/compositions. Interesting song structure from a7x. 

ICBM

EricTheWeary said:

- having a unique vision and developing the technique to carry it out.

Mike Oldfield

Not everyone's cup of tea I know, but aside from Brian May, he's probably the only guitarist that you could identify from one single note played without any vibrato or other phrasing.

His combination of classical fingerstyle touch and the completely unconventional DI'd compressed and sometimes (auto)wah'ed fuzztone sound he's always used is utterly unique and bears no relation to any other normal rock guitar tone at all really.

I'm sure quite a large number of people are very grateful for that .

richardhomer

Gassage said:

Gilmour

May

Santana

Koss

SRV

Mark Kernobfluf

Clapton

BB King

Marr

Belew

Rodgers.

That's the official list. Lock the thread.

It’s come as a massive surprise to learn you rate Gilmour so highly!

Gassage

richardhomer said:

It’s come as a massive surprise to learn you rate Gilmour so highly!

Now, you say that but I'm pretty sure I've mentioned him before...

Jonathangus

Don't think anyone's mentioned Steve Rothery yet.

Sassafras

Hubert Sumlin, Alvin Lee, Mike Bloomfield, Wilko Johnson, Mick Taylor, John McGeoch, Hugh Cornwell,
Mick Jones, Bill Harkleroad, Ry Cooder, now I'm just trying to say names that haven't been mentioned.

Creed_Clicks

Though I'm not really into shredding, I always thought Vai had his own style. Satriani too perhaps. In the world of metal, Marty Friedmann and Dave Mustaine had their own style. Maybe Mustaine had more of a particular sound rather than his own style.
Kirk Hammet definitely has his own style which he has flogged to death
Also, Nels Cline. Big time.
Not forgetting Steve Harris and Lemmy. Again, maybe Lemmy's was more his sound as opposed to what he was playing. But Steve Harris has a unique style.

fandango

Gassage said:

Gilmour

May

Santana

Koss

SRV

Mark Kernobfluf

Clapton

BB King

Marr

Belew

Rodgers.

That's the official list. Lock the thread.

There’s a typo in there. I’m positive that you meant to name Frank Zappa, but your fingers typed out ‘Mark Kernobfluf’ instead. Silly fingers.  

viz

All the above plus Greg Howe

fandango

JJ Cale - unmistakable laid back vibe, although his vocals are also distinctive
possibly John Lee Hooker, but again vocals very distinctive

for those players who don’t do vocals, i’d recognise Thomas Blug, and Jeff Beck.

but that’s easy because i’ve listened to each of them a good few times that i recognise their songs, not just their distinctive style of play.

Anyone mention Seasick Steve, yet? Chris Rea? Or Steve Cropper?

But one has to have heard of [named guitarist] to know what makes them distinctive.

Take that Kernobfluf fella from the fingers of Gassage. If I'd never heard him, i would need a.n.other to tell me what’s distinctive so that I could recognise him should one of his songs pops up on the radio.

Maybe what makes someone’s tone/sound/style distinctive is just familiarity. So when  ewal said:

Bob Mould
Will Sergeant
Andy Gill
Alan Sparhawk
Greg Keeffe
Jonsi
Adam Franklin
Thurston Moore
Lee Ranaldo

.... I thought who the feck are they? I haven’t a clue who they are or how they play, never mind knowing if they are distinctive. I’ve been around, but that list??? Good on ewal to name someone other than the usual suspects.

ewal

I was of course pitching a few curve balls in the context of this thread. However I think I would recognise all these players 'blind'.

JerkMoans

Ry Cooder?