Prince will kick any and all of those guys' asses!

as an all around performer he's still the guy to beat!

nobody cares about technical this or that anymore.. only 80's guitar nerds!

Prince doesnt do all that 'sweep picking' and classical mumbo jumbo..

but i'd bet anything he could pick it up if he wanted to..

Guitar (IMO) is simply a tool to complete songs to prince..

& Any REAL musician knows that sometimes playing even NOTHING is the best thing to do..

Prince knows what he's doing!

MattyJam said:

I'm talking about guys like Slash, Kirk Hammet, Zakk Wylde, Eddie Van Halen etc. I see a lot of fans bemoan Prince's lack of recognition in the guitar community, but I would argue it's really only been in the last 15yrs or so that Prince could shred at a level comparable to some of these guys. In the 80s, Prince's lead playing was fairly rudimentary,and certainly not virtuosic by any stretch. It was his rhythm playing and the overall quality of his songwriting which more than made up for any shortcomings he had when it came to busting out a good guitar solo. There is no doubt that Prince has improved tremendously over the years as a lead player and whilst he still may not possess virtuosic levels of skill on the axe comparable to the likes of Paul Gilbert or Buckethead, I would say he is most definitely world class. I think what Prince now has over rock guitarists like Slash et al is that he has spent time honing both his lead AND rhythm chops, whereas the likes of Slash, Kirk Hammer and EVH were lead guitarists from day one and their rhythm skills are fairly unremarkable.

Prince smokes them all.........except Buckethead.

I think Prince's lack of recognition in the guitar community is based purely on the fact that only approximately 30% of his catalog is comprised of rock music. Otherwise he outperforms most if not all of the rock and metal guitarists.

All of those guitarists (except Kirk) are great at what they do. We all know P can rock and wail when he wants to, but I never considered him a shredder. I agree with the statement that the guitar is his writing tool also. I disagree (in a friendly way) about EVH's rhythm chops. Eddie's rhythm playing has always been very tight and locked in with Alex. EVH has always said "Rhythm guitar is 98% of what you play".

his rock style is pure '70s, he is a lot closer to Jimmy Page, Santana or Joe Perry than Y.Malmsteen or Steve Vai, thankfully

[Edited 5/16/15 8:26am]

THIS!

JoeTyler said:

his rock style is pure '70s, he is a lot closer to Jimmy Page, Santana or Joe Perry than Y.Malmsteen or Steve Vai, thankfully

[Edited 5/16/15 8:26am]

Jimi was all about rhythm too!

SPYZFAN1 said:

All of those guitarists (except Kirk) are great at what they do. We all know P can rock and wail when he wants to, but I never considered him a shredder. I agree with the statement that the guitar is his writing tool also. I disagree (in a friendly way) about EVH's rhythm chops. Eddie's rhythm playing has always been very tight and locked in with Alex. EVH has always said "Rhythm guitar is 98% of what you play".

"Jimi was all about rhythm too"......No doubt about it. He took what he learned from Curtis, Womack and Ike Turner and made it his own thing. The "Axis" record is a perfect example of his great rhythm work.

mynameisnotsusan said:

What's amazing is that Prince can hold his own against anyone on guitar and a lot of those guitar guys definitely respect his playing. What I love is that guitar is just another colour for Prince - he's just as talented at lots of other aspects of music. You take the guitar out of the hands of those metal guitar guys and what would they do on stage? Prince isn't defined only by guitar like them - he's so much more.

I agree, Susan.

SPYZFAN1 said:

The "Axis" record is a perfect example of his great rhythm work.

Ego101 said:

SPYZFAN1 said:

The "Axis" record is a perfect example of his great rhythm work.

Well, to me he is one of those artists. He is just another great guitar player; more in a Clapton-Hendrix-Ernie Isley vein and quite different from Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Eddie Hazel (Funkadelic), Michael "Kidd Funkadelic" Hampton, Dr. Know (Bad Brains), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Jimi Hazel (24-7 Spyz), Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen)

Anyone who plays guitar should respect Prince...

Steve Vai is a MEGA fan! Google 'Steve Vai Prince".

Ego101 said:

Anyone who plays guitar should respect Prince...

Steve Vai is a MEGA fan! Google 'Steve Vai Prince".

Steve Vai says he loves Prince, but he's also said that Prince has never exploded on the guitar like Steve suspects he can.

steakfinger said:

Ego101 said:

Anyone who plays guitar should respect Prince...

Steve Vai is a MEGA fan! Google 'Steve Vai Prince".

Steve Vai says he loves Prince, but he's also said that Prince has never exploded on the guitar like Steve suspects he can.

thats it..he hasnt blown up ..like he can

that buckethead is a freak..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEDB4xJsXVo

luvsexy4all said:

that buckethead is a freak..

Buckethead.......is the man.

I'd love to see Prince do an Eddie Van Halen kind of solo

I love Bucky too...he can shred and funk when he wants to. P definetly has a lot of Ernie Isley in him too.

mynameisnotsusan said:

What's amazing is that Prince can hold his own against anyone on guitar and a lot of those guitar guys definitely respect his playing. What I love is that guitar is just another colour for Prince - he's just as talented at lots of other aspects of music. You take the guitar out of the hands of those metal guitar guys and what would they do on stage? Prince isn't defined only by guitar like them - he's so much more.

Damn... I sooooo agree with this! Prince not only can play guitar as great and better than the rest but there's a whole host of other things he can do on stage as well.. (sing, dance, piano, drums, etc.)... Virtually any and everything! I don't see any other metal act so gifted in so many limitless things like Prince. Mr. Nelson is in a class entirely of his own. The best of the best!

To me, it's tough to answer a question like this because I think it all comes down to subjectivity and taste. I don't know that the world's most famous guitarists look at each other and think, "Compared to s-and-so, am I Ralph Macchio or am I Steve Vai?"



What would be more interesting to me, as well as a greater sign of respect, is when one great guitarist says of another's song or piece of work, "Man, I wish I'd come up with that".

And that's why Prince is my favorite guitarist. He certainly can do things, play runs, and blow up scales better than I ever will, but it's really hearing how he puts stuff together that makes me think, "Try all you want pal, but you're never going to come up with something as cool as that".

I'd be curious to know if there's anyone Prince thinks of like that.

James Brown/Sly Stone.

RodeoSchro said:

To me, it's tough to answer a question like this because I think it all comes down to subjectivity and taste. I don't know that the world's most famous guitarists look at each other and think, "Compared to s-and-so, am I Ralph Macchio or am I Steve Vai?"



What would be more interesting to me, as well as a greater sign of respect, is when one great guitarist says of another's song or piece of work, "Man, I wish I'd come up with that".

And that's why Prince is my favorite guitarist. He certainly can do things, play runs, and blow up scales better than I ever will, but it's really hearing how he puts stuff together that makes me think, "Try all you want pal, but you're never going to come up with something as cool as that".

I'd be curious to know if there's anyone Prince thinks of like that.

At the end of the day, people want to hear good songs..melodies, harmonies and words that stay with them. That's what P has always been able to do. Not saying that everything he's done is great, but he's written classics. Out of the hard rock guys, EVH has pretty much done the same with the hits (not only on guitar but keys too).

MattyJam said:

I'm talking about guys like Slash, Kirk Hammet, Zakk Wylde, Eddie Van Halen etc. I see a lot of fans bemoan Prince's lack of recognition in the guitar community, but I would argue it's really only been in the last 15yrs or so that Prince could shred at a level comparable to some of these guys. In the 80s, Prince's lead playing was fairly rudimentary,and certainly not virtuosic by any stretch. It was his rhythm playing and the overall quality of his songwriting which more than made up for any shortcomings he had when it came to busting out a good guitar solo. There is no doubt that Prince has improved tremendously over the years as a lead player and whilst he still may not possess virtuosic levels of skill on the axe comparable to the likes of Paul Gilbert or Buckethead, I would say he is most definitely world class. I think what Prince now has over rock guitarists like Slash et al is that he has spent time honing both his lead AND rhythm chops, whereas the likes of Slash, Kirk Hammer and EVH were lead guitarists from day one and their rhythm skills are fairly unremarkable.

Seriously?

I mean...Purple Rain, Computer Blue, Bambi, I´m Yours, Let´s Go Crazy, the rehearsal versions of Something In The Water.

Are they that bad when judged by a guitar player?

By the way, I don´t play guitar.

MattyJam said:

I'm talking about guys like Slash, Kirk Hammet, Zakk Wylde, Eddie Van Halen etc.He doesn't.Look, Prince is a talented multi-instrumentalist. But he's not a virtuoso in the same vein asEddie Van Halen. The other fellers are really great guitar players. But to place Prince on parwith Van Halen, who Allan Holdsworth has gushed about (Allan fuckin' Holdsworth!), is a grossmistake.

I can't really speak on Kirk Hammett and Zakk Wylde, but to compare Prince's guitar playing to
Eddie Van Halen is a mistake. Don't get me wrong; Prince is a wondrously gifted mutli-instru-
mentalist who can hold his on a guitar in a certain context (rock, pop, funk, R&B, etc). But out
side of those genres of music, there are several fusion/jazz guitarists who are certainly more

polished and sophisticated than Prince.

Prince is a great guitarist like Keith Urban or Craig Ross or John Mayer. So, if you throw him on
stage with Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, George Harrison's kid, he's gonna shine. But on stage with
John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, or Eric Johnson, um, Prince would be outta his league.

I guess it depends on the context, and in the context of rock and metal, Prince could hold his
own. In contexts where I personally find interesting musical ideas expressed by guitarists, such
as jazz and jazz fusion, appealing to listen to, I don't think Prince could hang.

Prince is still the second best pop musician of all time, however!

Side bar: Even Clare Fischer said Prince was the sickest guitar player. He thought Prince was good on a lot of things, but what impressed him the most was his guitar playing.

he got smoked on guitar by van halen at paisley parked when they jammed.

This is an apples/oranges thing. It's like comparing two things that really can't be compared.

.

Jeff Beck vs Stevie Ray Vaughn or EVH vs Ritchie Blackmore

.

Moronic arguments make you dumber in the long run, nobody wins.