Is Jeff Beck the most innovative guitarist ever?

adampeter

And probably the best of all the 60's guitarists?

bingefeller

Sure, he's innovate for his whammy bar usage. 

Most innovate ever......I don't know.  Maybe someone like Eddie Van Halen,Tom Scholz, Chet Atkins or Les Paul might get that title. 

MrBump

Jeff Beck splits the crowd around these here parts.

I'm not sure he's particularly innovative, but I'm in the camp that loves his playing.

stickyfiddle

Innovative? Yes, undoubtedly. 

Had he written anything interesting since Hi Ho Silver Lining? The jury's out...

MagicPigDetective

But Jimi left the other 60's guitarist trailing in the dust...…. what he did with a guitar in three years is incredible

Winny_Pooh

I like Jeff Beck, but he's not a patch on Allan Holdsworth

lovestrat74

Another one for Jimi here. No one did what he did back in the day, he was on another level

not_the_dj

Jimi

monquixote

Hendrix all the way.

My experience is that most non guitarists find Becks modern playing quite annoying to listen to.

dindude

Innovator -for sure, but there are probably even better examples.

Greatest ever guitar player - in my opinion, quite possibly - the footage of him at Ronnie Scots around 10 years ago (his peak IMO), is just sensational - articulate, dynamic, expressive, yet visceral. Not many players hit all of those qualities.

Philtre

Yes.

/thread

viz

Philtre said:

No.

/thread

Corrected

ICBM

No. Charlie Christian for being the first lead guitarist, Hendrix for his use of sound, probably Van Halen for technique, and Les Paul for overall technical innovation.

monquixote said:

My experience is that most non guitarists find Becks modern playing quite annoying to listen to.

And a lot of guitarists as well...

ourmaninthenorth

Django.

stickyfiddle

ICBM said:

monquixote said:

My experience is that most non guitarists find Becks modern playing quite annoying to listen to.

And a lot of guitarists as well...

Yeah this. Really good for about 90 seconds then completely dull. I don't need to hear a solo guitar version of a Beatles song, no matter how clever or difficult it is.

scrumhalf

I'd put Beck behind Les Paul, but both of them behind Hendrix.

Philly_Q

ICBM said:

monquixote said:

My experience is that most non guitarists find Becks modern playing quite annoying to listen to.

And a lot of guitarists as well...

I'm with the non-guitarists.  And let's face it, I am essentially a non-guitarist.

He's extremely skilled but a large proportion of his music isn't very enjoyable to listen to.

Another vote for Hendrix.

Caffeine_Vampire

Love Jeff but Hendrix is my guy and Django beats both. 

stratman3142

I'd go with Hendrix, then Eddie Van Halen for innovation in a blues/rock context. At the time Hendrix created sounds that hadn't been heard before.

But Jeff Beck has an important place and, of the three, I like his playing/music the most overall. Blow By Blow and Wired were landmark albums for me.

dindude

For those of you who don’t get him, I understand his instrumental music may not be to everyone’s taste - I struggle with a lot of it - but he has spent a lot of career being a great sideman too.

Listen to this with Imogen Heap, the way he provides perfect accompaniment, stays out the way when needed, pushes it when needed. And when he does hit a couple of solos at the end, can you imagine his peers, say Clapton or Page pulling off anything that would fit such a song.

https://youtu.be/z79pgPn357g

Fretwired

Jimi was great but the likes of Beck and Holdsworth eclipsed what he did - who knows what would have happened if Jimi had lived. He was due to record with Miles Davis which would have pushed him. Beck is unique.

I think you have to define innovate - Van Halen is good but hardly innovative. Tapping's been around since the dawn of stringed instruments and Steve Hacket was doing it in Genesis long before Eddie came along.

If you ask Steve Vai there's only one guy - Alan Holdsworth. Vai admitted he couldn't actually work out what Holdsworth was doing most of the time.