Do you have a 'go to' album when you want to hear some great instrumental guitar playing?

UnclePsychosis

Moominpapa

For electric, anything by Allan Holdsworth. I cycle through his albums on YouTube on a fairly regular basis.

For acoustic, my go-tos are anything by Nick Drake, also any video byYamandu Costa, similarly Molly Tuttle.

TTBZ

CHON - Grow & self titled

Surfmonkey77

Nick Johnston - great tone and feel
Julian Lage - can you get better than him?
Charlie Hunter - Because he must have more fingers than a regular human......

Brad

Many albums. A lot of the usual suspects already mentioned. There will be more but these instantly spring to mind...

Alex De Grassi - The Water Garden

Impossible Gentlemen - Impossible Gentlemen

Mike Walker - Madhouse and the Whole Thing There

John Scofield - Hand Jive, Still Warm, Blue Matter, Loud Jazz

Wes Montgomery - Incredible Jazz Guitar

Jim Hall - Jazz Guitar

Emily Remler - East to Wes

Yellowjackets - Yellowjackets

Joe Pass - Virtuoso etc

Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life

west

Landau ... Tales from the bulge

Sco ... Blue Matter ..

Krantz ... Long to be loose ...

Holdsworth ... all of it !..

Frissel ... Bill Frisell (with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones) also the album with kenny wheeler ...

and many more ...

Brad

west said:

Landau ... Tales from the bulge

Sco ... Blue Matter ..

Krantz ... Long to be loose ...

Holdsworth ... all of it !..

Frissel ... Bill Frisell (with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones) also the album with kenny wheeler ...

and many more ...

Forgot about Long to Be Loose! Love that album

Surfmonkey77

Also, Pete Thorn - Guitar Nerd is a good listen...... as well as the much newer Pete Thorn II

west

Brad said:

west said:

Landau ... Tales from the bulge

Sco ... Blue Matter ..

Krantz ... Long to be loose ...

Holdsworth ... all of it !..

Frissel ... Bill Frisell (with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones) also the album with kenny wheeler ...

and many more ...

Forgot about Long to Be Loose! Love that album

me too its my fave , the live improv stuff is great and has spice and energy  but this is more considered and stands tall for me ...

west

Tribal tech ... Illicit is fab with a shout out for dr hee and spears ...

the chic corea electric band albums are great i havnt played them in a while ....

vinnie colaiuta album 1994  ....

Gassage

The remastered Delicate Sound of Thunder.

Funkfingers

Some of my nominations have already been, er, nominated. Soooooooooo...........

Frank Zappa - Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar
Summers & Fripp - I Advance Masked
Liquid Tension Experiment - any, including Liquid Trio Experiment

LastMantra

TNBD!

Gizmo

A few other more fusion/progy instro albums that of late have been on my play list are

The Elba Triangle - Chapter One

Beyond Turbines

(pretty much the holdsworth album that never was looking at the lineup)

Special Providence - Essence of Change

Counter-World Experience - Pulsar

Might be worth a check out for a fw people here based on the stuff listed sofar.

Brad

west said:

Tribal tech ... Illicit is fab with a shout out for dr hee and spears ...

the chic corea electric band albums are great i havnt played them in a while ....

vinnie colaiuta album 1994  ....

Tribal Tech Face First too!

joetele

And So I Watch You From Afar - Gangs

Caspian - Tertia

Covet - Technicolor 

JerkMoans

My Best of John Fahey and Best of John Renbourn cds.

Rocker

Guitar as a solo instrument is only slightly better than drums or bass.  Brilliant for backing a singer especially when combined with drums and bass.  But almost useless as a solo instrument.

IMHO the only solo instrument worth listening to for any length of time is a piano.  It does not get much better than an hour or two listening to Chopin or Beethoven.

randella

scrumhalf said:

Any of the great Freddie King instrumentals.

The version of Driving South on the Hendrix BBC sessions album.

Paul Gilbert on Beehive Live.

Yngwie's early demos.

Yes! There are three versions I think, my favourite is the one that was on the original 'Radio 1' record.

I have a big handful of licks that I lifted from that tune 25 years ago which I still use now.

Other than that, Surfing With The Alien for me, Satriani has a good knack for writing pop hooks into instrumentals that makes them very listenable.

Brad

Rocker said:

Guitar as a solo instrument is only slightly better than drums or bass.  Brilliant for backing a singer especially when combined with drums and bass.  But almost useless as a solo instrument.

IMHO the only solo instrument worth listening to for any length of time is a piano.  It does not get much better than an hour or two listening to Chopin or Beethoven.

Interesting point of view. If I’ve understood you correctly, I assume you’re talking about solo guitar? If so have you heard much Ted Greene, Joe Pass, Chet Atkins, Alex De Grassi, Tommy Emmanuel et al, or any of the utterly brilliant classical guitarists out there? Useless is the last thing I’d call solo guitar in their hands!