Guthrie Govan

[jack butler]

While I concede, he is easily the most versatile guitarist I've ever seen. Does it benefit someone to be so good? I don't own any of his work, only seen him play on youtube. In addition to being incredibly gifted on guitar, he's also very witty. I just wonder if having so many "tools in your arsenal" do you inevitably develop less of a signature sound. Having limitations in your playing, forces you to focus on your strengths, thus developing a style. If your playing has no limitations, do you give more attention to one style more than any other? I guess what I'm saying is people like Malmsteen and Friedman have very signature styles while being incredibly technical, but Guthrie can play all they can play and more. In the end who will be remembered? Guthrie's ability is undeniable, but is he to good? Serving to many masters? Like I said I don't own any of his material, and it seems like he does a lot "in the style of on youtube" so he my have a signature style, but what's I've seen doesn't make me what to rush out and buy one of his albums even though I'm in awe of his playing. I feel that I'm a fairly technical guitarist, but his playing sometimes just goes way over my head, this not meant as insult he's just so advanced. If a guy who's been playing guitar for 20 years has a hard grasping it, who's getting it? Again no offense meant.

 

[RockNRollBabyHead]

It doesn't suck to be the best living guitarist.
The general public has made commercial much suck as bad as it does.

 

[Exeter]

Go out and buy Guthrie's solo album Erotic Cakes now. He does have his own style and him being that good doesn't mean he can't do this own thing. I'm a huge metal head and his album I can listen to at least once a day not be bored of, I can't say that about Zero Order Phase by Jeff Loomis who I love as well. Plus, as long as he's happy with what he's doing and making a living doing it who give's a shit?

 

[mentoneman]

just hope he records fretless on his next release.

if you thought he was good before wait till you hear what he can do on that puppy.

 

[van hellion]

well all i can say is he has inspired me beyond any words. that is an act that both malmsteen and friedman failed to do. (i dont mean any disrespect to either of them as they are clearly great musicians, im just saying guthrie is the one that i "got" while other technically advanced guitarist leave me wanting more). the only other guy that is having the same effect on me is jimmy herring.

A Wood

 

[vultures]

I was never really into those 'solo' albums, just guitarists doing there thing. But I downloaded Erotic Cakes to check it out and it was so good I had to buy it. The guy's tone/ability/technique/feel all have me just stunned. I can listen to it over and over.

It's actually inspired me to go and get some lessons when I can afford it.

 

[Anonymous]

While I concede, he is easily the most versatile guitarist I've ever seen. Does it benefit someone to be so good? I don't own any of his work, only seen him play on youtube. In addition to being incredibly gifted on guitar, he's also very witty. I just wonder if having so many "tools in your arsenal" do you inevitably develop less of a signature sound. Having limitations in your playing, forces you to focus on your strengths, thus developing a style. If your playing has no limitations, do you give more attention to one style more than any other? I guess what I'm saying is people like Malmsteen and Friedman have very signature styles while being incredibly technical, but Guthrie can play all they can play and more. In the end who will be remembered? Guthrie's ability is undeniable, but is he to good? Serving to many masters? Like I said I don't own any of his material, and it seems like he does a lot "in the style of on youtube" so he my have a signature style, but what's I've seen doesn't make me what to rush out and buy one of his albums even though I'm in awe of his playing. I feel that I'm a fairly technical guitarist, but his playing sometimes just goes way over my head, this not meant as insult he's just so advanced. If a guy who's been playing guitar for 20 years has a hard grasping it, who's getting it? Again no offense meant.

Go purchase "Erotic Cakes". IMHO, his writing is as good as his playing. Pure genius to me, well beyond his ridiculous command of the fretboard. When you can play whatever you hear in your head and you have seemingly limitless imagination, everyone benefits who loves music...

Steve

 

[Anonymous]

well all i can say is he has inspired me beyond any words. that is an act that both malmsteen and friedman failed to do. (i dont mean any disrespect to either of them as they are clearly great musicians, im just saying guthrie is the one that i "got" while other technically advanced guitarist leave me wanting more). the only other guy that is having the same effect on me is jimmy herring.

A Wood

Given what you can do with a guitar, your mind and your hands, this is high praise indeed...

Steve

 

[mentoneman]

He is one of the very best guitarists I have seen and yet he may not have even peaked. He is absolutely identifiable to me and I can pick him out of a crowd. Extremely talented, super humble and kind and what a musician.

I react different to seeing/hearing great players and can appreciate most styles. Seeing Shawn Lane in his prime or Jeff Beck when he's on and creating magic or any of those type moments make me smile or breakout in laughter because they play so well and Guthrie does that every time I see him.

As mentoneman says- watch out when he breaks out the fretless. I was at Tone Merchants(I think Mentoneman was there that night as well) and Guthrie grabbed a vigier fretless, plugged it into my D13 FTR37 and proceeded to rip into a version of flight of the bumblebee full of Indian stuff and all kinds of crazy twists and turns and thoroughly entertained us while some guy in the amp room was playing some real annoying stuff , unaware that Guthrie was on the other side of the wall putting on a little show for the half dozen of us in the room. Said he had never played one yet his intonation was perfect and his playing off the charts good.

they don't even know do they s-man??

the thing that scared me to death was his fretless bass slapping/altered jazz chord melody/classical violin "medley", and he's acting like he's brushing his teeth or playing the kazoo or something totally mundane while he is oozing talent and playing in a way that makes you realize instantly that the instrument is just getting in the way of his internal FIOS pipeline to the unlimited musical universe.

i'm telling you man, i've seen most of my heroes in their prime and nothing could have prepared me for that display of utter mastery by that shaggy limey with the toothy grin and the busiest eyebrows in the biz! i love that madman!

on the shawn lane/holdsworth/johnson/landau scale of

JAW

DROPPING

technique and musicality!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mentoneman]

while we are on the subject of heores,
anyone hip to this cat?
http://www.davecreamer.com/


supposedly he kills it but i've never heard any of his stuff.

but becker and benson raved about him and my friend shared a practice space with the guy in 69-70 in san fran and said he would practice monday morning ROUND THE CLOCK,
making up scales and writing out new altered scales and modes

3 days later he'd pass out and when he woke up he went right back at it and then one more pass out before the weekend gigs.

 

[dfrattaroli]

Guthrie is the best there is right now IMO. He has it all: Technique, phrasing, tone, an English accent...

 

[Rob Tahan]

He IS amazing... But for some reason i just listen to Andy Timmons more. His playing just seems to be moving me more
I wanna learn more guthrie licks for different contexts, but personally i can only listen to his album for so long. However, i can watch him ALL DAY LONG!

 

[MARK1970]

While I concede, he is easily the most versatile guitarist I've ever seen. Does it benefit someone to be so good? I don't own any of his work, only seen him play on youtube. In addition to being incredibly gifted on guitar, he's also very witty. I just wonder if having so many "tools in your arsenal" do you inevitably develop less of a signature sound. Having limitations in your playing, forces you to focus on your strengths, thus developing a style. If your playing has no limitations, do you give more attention to one style more than any other? I guess what I'm saying is people like Malmsteen and Friedman have very signature styles while being incredibly technical, but Guthrie can play all they can play and more. In the end who will be remembered? Guthrie's ability is undeniable, but is he to good? Serving to many masters? Like I said I don't own any of his material, and it seems like he does a lot "in the style of on youtube" so he my have a signature style, but what's I've seen doesn't make me what to rush out and buy one of his albums even though I'm in awe of his playing. I feel that I'm a fairly technical guitarist, but his playing sometimes just goes way over my head, this not meant as insult he's just so advanced. If a guy who's been playing guitar for 20 years has a hard grasping it, who's getting it? Again no offense meant.

Go purchase "Erotic Cakes". IMHO, his writing is as good as his playing. Pure genius to me, well beyond his ridiculous command of the fretboard. When you can play whatever you hear in your head and you have seemingly limitless imagination, everyone benefits who loves music...

Steve

Well said Steve!

 

[jkdsteve]

Right you f'kers...d/loading Erotic Cakes now..it'd better be good

 

[mentoneman]

In tribute to this gg thread I fired up the live recording I have from the night we shot at tone merchants. Both the fellowship set and erotic cakes.

It's sad he shelved it due to being unhappy with his performance, because the "make up" licks he pulls after a bobble are just not human.

Sevens in particular has some violent stream of consciousness lines that I really don't think any other human could execute.
plus me and my friend mixed it straight off of the live multitrack recordings into his well endowed protools hd system so the bass is bigger and the tone and vibe overall sounds more urgent.

which made me realize the studio disc sounds pro but too safe and homogomized for the energy force that is the guth.

 

[vultures]

In tribute to this gg thread I fired up the live recording I have from the night we shot at tone merchants. Both the fellowship set and erotic cakes.

Hook us up!

 

[jimmypage1stfan]

whos guthrie govan?

(look at my sig)

 

[Inca Roads]

All I can say is: