I have never seen or heard any other perfomer play a guitar solo like Jimi other than Prince.
Everytime i watch Prince the more i c Jimi Henjix, it's incredible. But 4 the record i have 2 give Prince the edge. Maybe it's because Jimi's era is the 60's & 70's and Prince is of modern time's
but, both artist r once again incredible!

What do u guys think? help me out!!

After watching the RnR Hall of Fame... I have one question. Jimi Who?

A number of previous threads have dealt with this very question, as well as Jimi's vast superiority as a guitarist. i couldn't resist the editorial comment.

seriously, do a search, and you'll find a few other threads.

When ya talking Greats well now ya just gotta add in Prince . Jimi and Page are like 2 of the Best right but well Now I do Declare Scarlet that Prince made them all sit up STRAIGHT and Take NOTICe. He REadjusted their Collarbones so to speak with that Solo that damn well could kill ya. l t was the Most INTENSE PERFORMANCE I HAVE EVER SEEN BY PRINCE. AND IT WAS absolutely sterling! wHAT A sOLO. HE cONTROLLED THAT STAGE. MY GOD HE TOOK CHARGE ! IT WAS LIKE HE OWNED THE STAGE. HE SHOWED THEM HE WAS THE BADDESS DUDE AROUND...DAMN , I'M EXCITED....IT WAS F...ING.....BRILLIANT!

Who's more fun to watch and listen to? Jimi really is over-rated. Prince has more guitar tricks up his sleeve than Jimi ever dreamed of having. Seriously.

Jasziah said:

Yeah, we see it in opposite terms. To me, Jimi was the total guitarist. I think he and Prince have a similarity in that their records don't do their playing levels justice.

Even in limiting it to the area of the blues (a style I've heard Prince suggest is easy for anyone to play), I've heard/seen footage of Hendrix that leaves me baffled. Hendrix was a mystifying player. You have to understand something: In the 1960s, well-known guitarists were following Hendrix around, trying to sit in with him and his band. Musicians followed him to check out his groundbreaking techniques and to jam with him whenever. (I recommend the liner notes to Electric Ladyland, for those who wish to hear more about this type of thing.) And, he influenced SCORES of players in the decades since. He also was at his peak during a very pivotal artistic/political/social time in America, becoming an icon at a pivotal time in American history.

But, Hendrix had a knack for thriving at different styles and applications of the guitar. I've never heard Prince kill a 12-string guitar, for intance. But, I've heard him appropriate Jimi's rhythm style on "last december" or "witness." Or lift some fragments from "Little Wing" for the guitar solo in "Cybersingle."

But, Hendrix, the thematic master who played the guitar as if it were part of his body, rocked out on "Wild Thing" (Live at Monterey) by leading with "Strangers in the Night." A thematic leap done in a clever way. Jimi's vocabulary on the guitar was extremely more expansive than Prince's. And, that's not to suggest that PRince isn't a wonderful player. I just see him being at a level or so beneath Jimi Hendrix.

Recently someone compared Jaco Pastorius' influence on electric bass players to Hendrix's influence on the electric guitar. So many things converged to give rise to JH's position as a legend and icon, but his sheer, natural talent; unbelievable inventiveness; (and gigantic hands) had a lot to do with that ascension in a relatively short amount of time (three complete studio albums and a lot of touring -- as opposed to Prince's decades in the business. I dunno. I guess Jimi just reminds me of a true master at something who totally overshadows everyone else VERY QUICKLY and is the undisputed giant -- someone like a Tiger Woods or (in the 1980s) Mike Tyson or Lebron James.

Usually when I assert this, people ignore my statement that Prince is a great guitarist. So, I'm spelling it out right here: Prince is extremely good on guitar, but he's not a master at it like Hendrix was.

I just edge Prince for his vast aray of styles he can produce from the guitar. But sadly Prince never seems to be referred with the likes of Hendrix, Clapton, Page.

ThreadBare said:

Lebron James???

A bad example surely? Ur talking about the best right? Not just quite good. Tiger Woods I can understand. Tyson perhaps, but not Lebron James, a great young player with a bright future but in no way the greatest to ever play the game of basketball.

?????

Ya'll mean Prince is a better guitar player than Jimi ????

?????

get a real life ...

I'm not sure who this Jimi Henjix person is, but I'll wager you any amount that Prince can whip his anytime, anyplace.

Now, Jimi Hendrix is a whole different story. I don't know if Prince can top him. I mean, that's a pretty tough act to follow.

PBS said:

Yeah, this is true. I wonder if it's because he's known for more than his guitar playing as well. I think the image people have in their minds of him, people who are not necessarily fans, overshadows his talents. They think of him as that skinny mutherfucker with the high voice.

NWF said:

That's so funny, I didn't even notice the thread title was wrong and that the person who started it spells it wrong AGAIN in their initial post.
[This message was edited Mon Mar 22 4:28:24 2004 by minneapolisgenius]

First I should say I think Prince is an amazing guitarist, I saw him on the Symbol album tour and he blew me away. I also think Hendrix belongs among the greats and I surely respect his continual influence on the music scene. My question is this. Since Jimi only had a few years of "productivity" so to speak, like it was mentioned earlier, 3 studio albums and alot of touring. How would his career have faired were he still alive today? Would he have stayed relevant, settled into a sound or become a trend follower? I think of other players from his era, (i.e.Clapton, Beck, Page, Iommi, Richards) and they have all had varying levels of success and creativity. I guess my point is twofold. One, I feel that many artists who left early (Hendrix, Stevie Ray, Cobain) sometimes have their legacy overstated...because they never had to deal with having a long career, being tested artistically when they are not on the mainstream radar...Clapton is a great example of this. He was widely popular early on and in the 70's...started to lose some notoriety in the '80's and I'm sure succumbed somewhat to the 80's technology (ie synths and that general 80's sound) as well...kinda dating his 80's work. Then had a resurgence in the 90's. Prince, also, has had a few resurgences in his career, and hopefully will have another. In my opinion, Prince has continued to make relevant music now for nearly 30 years, for the most part on his own terms.Hendrix never had to go through these trials. Nor will Cobain. Yet they are put among the elite for minimal output. Thoughts?
[This message was edited Mon Mar 22 4:30:20 2004 by Hootchietoad]

Steve Winwood is a hellified Guitarist.. as well..

who is jimi henjix?

dont let blaqueknight see this...

aw hell who cares, let 'im see it...

SquarePeg said:

I don't believe the ignorance of some of you! Comparing Jimi Hendrix to Prince is like comparing apples to oranges and there is no comparison! You can't... no way in hell... can you make the comparison because in all actuality you are talking about two different musicians on a totally different scale. Prince is his own musician and granted in the beginning he did have a Hendrix-like vibe about him but over time he has grown into his own and that is so not fair to make that assumption.

Plus, some of you who have posted need to do your homework and find out who Jimi Hendrix is! There was a helluva lot more to him than "Purple Haze!" Pick up "Electric Ladyland" or "Axis: Bold as Love" and get a listen and a feel for his music.

poeticrockstar said:

Who are you directing this to anyway? Only one person on this thread (so far) has said that they thought Jimi was overrated.

Im just glad I was able to witness that. Ive always known Prince could play like that, but he always seemed to hold back. At RRHOF he let it loose! My thanks to you Prince. WHeW!!!!

Remeber all the "greatist Guitarist of all time list" from various magazines and how we always thought they underated Prince? I can hear them all yellin "STOP THE PRESS!"

I am a BIG Hendrix Fans and i love PRINCE very much but 2 me in no way is prince better then hendrix like prince i have over 100 Hendrix CD'S and there are things that i have heard him do that i have not heard before Hendrix was much more about the gutair to were Prince is more of singing then he plays, that's way i always say i would love 2 see Prince play MUCH MORE kick ass gutair in concerts, but from what i seen he has not played that way 2 me.At the rrhof i have never seen that emotion in one song in a long time but we al know that there is no one who can touch him if he wants to play that way i know he can kick everones ass,we all know that.

NWF said:

tough as nails, man.

...and i'm still wonderin who this 'henjix' cat is.

Remember once Prince was going to do a Hendrix album?

Jimi Hendrix reinvented the way the guitar is played. Guitar greats of the era like Eric Clapton and Pete Townsend were left scratching their heads in amazement. He opened up so many new possibilities. A true pioneer.

Yes Prince's performance was incredible, a career highlight even...but he ain't no Hendrix.

SPRAKA said:

He ain't no Hendrix... He's Prince!

I'm sure Jimi did his thing back in his day. He may have invented new ways of playing and what not, but there is no comparison. Jimi is Jimi and Prince is Prince. No questions, no comparisons.

Prince is no Santana, Stevie Ray... no one else. He is simply the greatest guitarist in the universe... period.

You can play any other guitarist you want, and none of them will give me the chills, or make my favorite instrument, the guitar instead of the piano, like Prince will. I guess no one wants to give him his props as a guitarist, since he does everything, plays everything, sings everything. If it wasn't for his great guitar work, I wouldn't even listen to Prince. Thank God he schooled everyone last night. And to quote a friend, "That sound you're hearing today is the sound of guitar players everywhere putting their guitars DOWN!"

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the one that's still alive. The greatest thing Prince has ever done for his fan's is to not die in his prime by something as pathetic as an overdose. As a Prince fan for the last 25 years I'm forever grateful that Prince is still blowing my mind to this very day. Sure there's been name changes, New Power Soul and the Theocratic order, but at the end of the day, I'm just grateful that he's still HERE to frustrate me and loves the MUSIC enough to go to any extreme to make sure it's heard. I love me some Jimi but last night Prince set his guitar on fire without lighter fluid and a match

EverlastingNow said:

CO SIGGY!!!!

LovesexyIsThe1 said:

Whoah! It was good, but it wasn't that fucking good.

The point I was making was about Hendrix's historical impact on the instrument. Yes, Prince is a master showman but certainly not a pioneer like Hendrix. And that doesn't take anything away from Prince's RRHOF performance. It was a brilliant showstopper!

Prince and Jimi are both amazing in their own ways. 2 different people and 2 different styles of guitar playing. No one is greater than the other.