Who's Influenced Your Style/Tone The Most?

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Mish

Mish

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I guess it's not a technical topic at all, but it says 'guitar playing' in the forum description so I thought I might give it a go.

For me, it's always been a lil bit random. I loved music ever since I was a kid and my dad sort-of tought me the basic chords and some Beatles songs when I was 6, so I always knew I wanted to be able to play and write my own music some day. Then when I was 16 I came across Van Halen (their Balance album to be exact) and it totally changed my world (and quite literally - I eventually moved the countries because of somebody I met on Van Halen forums). However, I only had an acoustic guitar back then and trying to learn EVH's licks had only discouraged me from going any further. I was in a mega crappy cover band at school and we split up after our first X-mas gig so I threw the 6-string in the corner and focused on studying IT (lmfao) .

3 years after then, there happened something different. I randomly came across a picture of a hairy biker-looking guitar player with a bullseye-stylized Les Paul and I just INSTANTLY knew I had to find out who the guy was and what kind of music he plays. And that was it - that was how I've listened to Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society and spent my 2 month's wages on a new axe. I've also finally decided to look into what new music has been written out there in the couple of years I've stayed away from it and I couldn't believe not only how much it was differenent from pretty much all the crap in the 90-ies, but how deeply I could relate to it myself.

I've also moved in to the UK just about after then, and after 2 years of messing around with tones it looks like I've finally found my own vibe that I'm really happy with. My main hero has always been Zakk - even when it comes to the strap position - I can't make the guitar hold any lower lol, and I've also been increadibly influenced by Mike Padge from Bullet For My Valentine, and Scott Gross/Brian Denavee of From Autumn To Ashes. For whichever reason I never drop-D (or drop-C) and always play in a standart tuning - I just don't really see the point coz my MT-2 combined with Equalizer gives me as low-end sound as I need.

So what about you guys?
 
I'm influenced usually by modern bands. The younger/newer the band, the more they influence me.

I dig bands that most internet guitarists probably hate, but I'm proud to say that my influences come from bands like Killswitch Engage, Chevelle, Sick Puppies, Alter Bridge, etc. I used to really dig Dream Theater and bands like that, but styles change I guess.

Lately I've been really digging the more radio friendly Hard Rock and Alternative Metal. It's just what feels good to me.

Don't hate me!
 
Killswitch are cool, I've grown out of their chorus melodies alot lately but they're an amazing band regardless.

If we're talking younger bands then I've been really impressed by August Burns Red, and Bring Me The Horizon to some extent. I'm just really into the whole dissonance and time shifts thing.
 
Dave Gilmour - Pink Floyd - no doubt whatsoever.......I would love to jam with him over a couple of cold beers. All my originals just seem to have a "Floyd flavour" about them.
 
I'm a child of the 80's (well, born in the sixties--but the 80's were MY decade) and a fan of virtuosity. So I don't like all the hair bands of the 80's, but I love the serious guitarists that came out of the 80's and are still going strong (maybe some aren't going so strong):

John Petrucci, Steve Vai, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Paul Gilbert (and more, but you get the idea)...

Now that's not to say I play or sound like them--my music in total ends up being more influenced by a broader group of songwriters--not just guitarists. But those are the kind of guys who make my jaw drop. :D
 
The biggest one, probably, is Andy Summers. But there is just so much more going on there. These days, my favorite guitarists are probably Adrian Belew, PJ Harvey, Joni Mitchel, and maybe Reeves Gabrel; but in my more formative years it was more Andy Summers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Duane Eddie, Pat Metheny, and maybe Robert Cray.

It all gets mixed up with my education, and my damaged hands need for things to not be very stressful, and it comes out sounding like me, on the good days.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Frank Zappa for his eclectic and off-the-scale approach, Hendrix for his advanced pentatonicism and wild imagination and a guy you probably never heard of called Jean-Marie Aerts for showing how simple it all can be.

i don 't have their talent though.

:o
 
I can't say any particular artist had the most influence on my music. When I listen to a playback of my guitar I hear the influence of countless others. Almost every guitarist I ever heard did something I wanted to emulate. The greatest influence came from the ones I had the pleasure of playing with, especialy those who had the patience to try to show me how to do something I didn't know. I'd like to drop the names of a few greats here but the real credit has to go to all those unknown guitarists who taught me what playing is really about.
 
Carcass, The Black Dahlia Murder, Hendrix, Kurt Cobain.

There are tonne of other bands and guitarists I couldn't live without, but those four seem to have have the most influence on the ways I play and the tones I look for.
 
My influences are...

Eddie Van Halen
Jimmy Page
Angus Young
Randy Rhoads
Jake E Lee
Steve Vai
David Gilmour
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Chuck Berry
Kirk Hammett
Joe Walsh - The Eagles
Andy Summers - Police
Billy Gibbons - ZZ Top
Ricky Scaggs (Country and Bluegrass player)
 
the get up kids, braid, rainer maria, algernon cadwallader, hey mercedes, american football, the promise ring, jimmy eat world, hot water music, mineral

right now, these are my greatest influences. i know, no solos. i play rhythm guitar anyways!
 
Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley, Rick Springfield, Neal Schon, Gary Richrath, Tommy Shaw, Steve Morse......probably more in that era......
 
started gigging in the 60's so way too many to count.
Some of everything that's out there I guess.
 
surfmaster said:
the get up kids, braid, rainer maria, algernon cadwallader, hey mercedes, american football, the promise ring, jimmy eat world, hot water music, mineral

right now, these are my greatest influences. i know, no solos. i play rhythm guitar anyways!
Click to expand...

Meh screw solos. Even guitar gods like EVH, RR and Jimmy Page have been put on top for their riffs/songwriting in the first place.

And there're some really nice old-school emo bands in your list!
 
Mish said:
Meh screw solos. Even guitar gods like EVH, RR and Jimmy Page have been put on top for their riffs/songwriting in the first place.

And there're some really nice old-school emo bands in your list!
Click to expand...

i'm all about 90's emo!
 
Tom Morello, John Mayer, Mark Tremonti, Aaron Fink, Pete Loeffler
 
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