Do you prefer to be the only guitar player in your band?

Fez

Personally I like to be in two guitarist bands as I like the interplay between two guitars. Having just played a gig without my wingman I do get the "having more space" thing.
So what is your preference?

Mods feel free to move this discussion if you think it would be better elswhere. 

Nerine

Yes and no. Depends on the skill of the other guitarist. 

mo6020

If I have good synergy with the other guitarist it's a pleasure playing with them and I much prefer it to playing solo.

maharg101

Nerine said:

Yes and no. Depends on the skill of the other guitarist. 

This, plus the material you're playing, and whether there are keys / brass etc.

axisus

Well, I don't play in bands, but my preference generally is one guitarist in a band. There are exceptions of course, but I just like the one player dynamic.

InactiveX

I saw Amy Winehouse when she was a nobody. She played her red strat for much of the gig, and then was joined by another guitarist who played a strat. Both were really ice-picky and sounded horrible. Identical guitar sounds.

I think having contrasting guitar sounds is important.

flying_pie

I do the majority of the songs in my band by myself and another guitarist joins for a handful. He's a really great player but due to life circumstances can't make that many rehearsals.

It actually works out well as I can enjoy the freedom for songs that require a disciplined approach and don't really need a second guitar, and we can also have fun on the looser two guitar songs, often trading solos.

It also takes the weight off each of us as we can configure stuff to our collective strengths. He's more than happy to have a seat off stage for a rest beside the sound guy and hides one the background whereas I'm also the vocalist so am up front. I can also ditch the guitar for the odd song and just do the vocalist thing

BenSirAmos

I wasted many years searching for a guitarist who could support my rather mediocre playing. Then I joined with a old mate on bass and an excellent drummer and the interactions were so good we were a bit scared of disturbing our group dynamic with a fourth member. So we carried on as a three-piece, found ways of doing things that meant we didn't need a second guitar, I built in confidence, so did the drummer and bassist and now there would be no point in getting a second guitarist. I've found I'm plenty good enough and I curse my earlier lack of confidence that held me back for so many years when I could have been having the time of my life.

fastonebaz

Single guitar. 

I hate volume wars

Plus its unlikely they'll be as good as me as otherwise they'll be playing the lead, so there's always the frustration of their playing to contend with too.

stickyfiddle

I’ve done both and I’m pretty happy with either, but my usual favourite is 1 guitar & keys rather than 2 guitars. You can cover a hell of a lot more ground that way

that said 2 guitars is also great when both are good and know how to keep out of each others’ way

Roland

Yes. I’m very happy to play with brass and keys, but I put a lot of effort into building space into guitar arrangements. The last thing I want is another guitar filling those spaces.

fastonebaz said:  Plus its unlikely they'll be as good as me as otherwise they'll be playing the lead, so there's always the frustration of their playing to contend with too.

Been there.

DefaultM

I’ve done both and never really thought about it until I was the only guitarist in a band with a keys player that regularly forgot how songs went and would just stop playing. I would really have liked a second guitarist then.

AntonHunter

I'm mostly the only guitarist when I play (mostly jazz and improv things) but would like to do more with two now you mention it.

Barney

I think it's a lot harder being the only guitarist because you have to try and forget about filling the gaps and play something worthwhile ...sometimes with one guitar you overplay to try and fill the space when really iff you have a good drummer and bass player it's filled already ...

It's always a lot harder on guitar solos I think because you have to try and outline a harmony that isn't there ...saying that ..I think if 3 piece bands work well together a lot of the time sound better than 4 or 5 piece because theres more clarity 

Stratavarious

They have to be a good and versatile player.. and not just produce a wall of dirt sound from FX pedals.  I’ve played years in both single guitar and dual guitar formats.  You adapt.

Other instrument swaps are key to creating the most opportunities with extra musicians though… keys, mandolin, acoustic, sax, etc..

viz

Nerine said:

Yes and no. Depends on the skill of the other guitarist. 

Yeah I hate it when they're better than me. 

Keefy

Depends.

In a lot of the covers bands I’ve played with, I’ve been the only guitarist and I’ve made the most of it by picking out the key parts to play.

But I also play or have played with tributes to Dire Straits, the Rolling Stones, and David Bowie, whose music was almost always recorded with two or more guitars. For these bands it has been essential for the two guitarists to have distinct parts to play.

DesVegas

That is a very good question. The best band i've been in had 3 guitars, 1 acoustic, one lead and me out there on space effects and that was great but i do like being the only one in my band now.  Feels like i have more control and can use dynamics more effectively

jasonbone75

I have done one and two and hard to pick a preference for me. They both work and as said above with the right player or players it's often not a big deal.

For us, the two was definitely made easier by the fact that both of us could play any and all of the parts so dividing the solos up was a piece of piss and usually came down to me saying nah, I don't like that song so you do it and at the end we had about a 50:50 split of the whole set. Simples. The only time it was an issue was when the other chap messed up his thumb the week before a gig. That meant I had some practice and arranging to do working out some combined parts, learning the other Maiden solos to play both or learning the Paul Gilbert and Randy Rhoads parts the other chap usually did because I had the Jake E Lee, Sykes and Kotzen stuff. As is often said though, nobody outside of the band really noticed and just had a good night.

LionAquaLooper

I hate having to make sure 2 guitar volumes and EQs don't clash every single gig.  With 2 guitars, if the other guitarist is a prima donna wannabe John Mayer and insists on playing rhythm AND lead AND sing, then I'd rather not be in that band at all and question if they even need a 2nd guitarist like me.  But if the other guitarist sticks to just rhythm OR just lead parts, then it's fine because then we're sticking to our own lanes.

Best band I'm in right now is I'm the only guitarist and we have a keyboardist.  So easy to mix and we don't clash at all.

fretmeister

Power Trios are my favourite whether I'm on bass or guitar.