Favorites: Guitarists
Welcome to what is probably going to be one of the most involved sections of this site...
Steve Jones
- Notable Bands: Sex Pistols, Professionals, Chequered Past, Iggy Pop, Neurotic Outsiders
- Weapon of Choice: Giobson Les Paul, Fender Twin Reverb, Herco Flex 75 picks
- Essential Tracks: "God Save The Queen" (Sex Pistols), "Join The Professionals" (Professionals), "Cry For Love" (Iggy Pop)
Most people of my generation were inspired to pick up a guitar by Ace Frehley or Joe Perry. Not me, although I respected and liked both guitarists. Whereas everyone from the Beatles on through to the aforementioned Space Ace threw hints that I should play guitar, it was this man walking in with a white Les Paul formerly owned by Sylvain Sylvian, plugging into a Fender Twin Reverb, and saying, "Hey kid, check this shit out" before peeling off the opening riff of "Holidays In The Sun". Since the original demise of the Pistols, Jonesy has made his mark not only with post-Pistols bands like the Professionals and the Neurotic Outsiders (the latter a supergroup with Duff MacKagan (GnR) and John Taylor (Duran Duran)), but as an often in-demand session player lending his guitar skills to everyone from Bob Dylan to Insane Clown Posse.
Mami Sasazaki
- Notable Bands: SCANDAL
- Weapon of Choice: Fender Stratocaster (Custom Signature Model), Fender Jazzmaster (Custom Signature Model), Marshall JCM2000
- Essential Track: "Hoshiro Futu Yoruni", "Shinkan Sentimental"
If you want a masterclass in blending heavy, driving rock riffs with incredibly catchy melodic sensibilities, look no further than Mami Sasazaki. As the lead guitarist and a primary songwriter for SCANDAL, her playing is the engine that drives the band. What makes Mami so compelling is her phrasing—she knows exactly when to lay back and play rhythm, and when to step on the fuzz pedal and tear into a solo. She doesn't just shred for the sake of showing off; every lead line she writes is basically a hook of its own. It's that perfect balance of technical skill and pure, hook-driven songwriting.
Nels Cline
- Notable Bands:Mike Watt & The Black Gang, The Nels Cline Singers, Wilco
- Weapon Of Choice: 1959 Fender Jazzmaster and a fuckton of effect pedals
- Essential Tracks/Albums: "Tuff Gnarl" (Mike Watt with Sonic Youth), Contemplating The Engine Room (Mike Watt), Instrumental (The Nels Cline Singers), "I Might" (Wilco)
Some people think a guy that plays nothing slower than a 16th-note is a guitarist without bounderies. Nope. You want a guitarist who has no boundaries? Look to this guy. Equally at home in jazz, rock, or punk, Nels Cline is a man unafrid of crossing genres, having as many outboard effects at his feet (and fingertips -- part of his pedal setup includes a folding table with a Kaoss Pad and a Memory Man pedal along with a variety of items to rub against his guitar strings and pickups). The man knows when to play a sweet melody and when to make the kind of outerworldly noises that one would not even think to get out of a guitar.
Ron Asheton
- Notable Bands: The Stooges, Destroy All Monsters
- Weapon of Choice: Fender Stratocaster, Reverend Ron Asheton Signature Model, Fuzz Face, Vox Wah
- Essential Track: "I Wanna Be Your Dog". "T.V. Eye", "My Idea Of Fun"
Before punk rock even had a name, Ron Asheton was already defining its sound. His playing on the first two Stooges albums is a masterclass in raw, unadulterated power. He didn't need an over-complicated rig or complex sweep picking; just a Stratocaster, a fuzz box, a wah pedal, and a terrifyingly heavy right hand. The hypnotic, three-chord sludge of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and the blistering attack of "T.V. Eye" basically laid the groundwork for everything heavy that came after. Getting to see him lay down those iconic, feedback-drenched riffs live back in April 2007 still easily ranks as the absolute best concert I've ever been to. He proved that sometimes the most brilliant thing you can do with a guitar is plug it in, turn the amp up until it hums, and play a single riff like your life depends on it.
Robert Fripp
- Notable Bands: King Crimson, Fripp & Eno, The League Of Gentlemen
- Weapon of Choice: 1959 Gibson Les Paul Custom ("Black Beauty"), Roland GR-300 Guitar Synth, Kemper Profiler
- Essential Track: "21st Century Schizoid Man", Discipline (King Crimson); "Heroes" (David Bowie); "Fade Away And Radiate" (Blondie); "Dislocated" (The League Of Gentlemen)
Robert Fripp isn't just a guitar player; he's a sonic architect. Whether he's leading the ever-evolving, polyrhythmic beast that is King Crimson or laying down the iconic, wailing lead on David Bowie's "Heroes," his approach is entirely his own. He treats the instrument with terrifying precision, utilizing rigorous cross-picking and his proprietary New Standard Tuning, yet the resulting sounds range from pristine, mathematical prog-rock to absolutely crushing, dissonant proto-metal. Beyond his riff-writing, his pioneering "Frippertronics" tape-looping system bridged the gap between the guitar and experimental electronic ambient music. For a guy who spends his gigs sitting on a stool in the shadows, his influence is staggeringly massive.