Guitar Players

[AR]

Neal is mediocre these days. At BEST. Shell of himself. Can't get laid anymore when the girls realize it's either a die job or a wig.

[Journey/Survivor]

U know for years I thought Neal was really a God w/his guitar. I now think I was blinded by the way Perry sang alongside it. I've been listening a bit closer to other guitar players. I got turned onto Yngwie by my friend Behshad here. I checked out a few tunes & man, he's amazing. Way superior to Neal.

Then I listened to the track our own Larry From Next Door did w/Jeremey singing. U know what Larry is a better guitarist than Neal these days. Seriously. Neal no longer plays w/feeling. He just shreds now. He's gone downhill all the way.

I was also checking out the FTLOSM boots. Lincoln Brewster is amazing on those Journey songs. He played them respectfully & really well. Comparing those boots w/more recent Journey boots, I just get the feeling that Neal just rushes thru them to get a paycheck these days.

I couldn't possibly disagree more!

I'm a guitarist myself, and IMO Neal Is far superior to Malmsteen, and yes, I have several of Malmsteen's albums.

Neal can play with emotion that Malmsteen couldn't dream of.
Neal is far, far more versatile, there's pretty much no style that Neal can't play.
Neal's picking hand is just as fast as Malmsteens, if not even faster.
Malmsteen's fretting hand may possibly be slightly faster than Neals, but that's not for sure, and if it is it's only slightly faster?

As my original guitar teacher told me many years ago, "Carlos Santana can say more with 1 note than Malmsteen can with a thousand." And the same can be said of Neal Schon.

Neil Zaza, who is a great guitarist in his own right, and who I've met living here in Cleveland (and who was a good friend of mine's guitar teacher way back) and Zaza's favorite guitarist used to be Malmsteen, but for about the last 18 years Neal Schon is now his favorite guitarist.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to bash Malmsteen by any means, I am a fan of his playing and he's a great player in some areas. But IMO Neal Schon is head and shoulders better than him.

If you love Malmsteen's playing, then you should give a listen to a guitarist by the name of Tony McAlpine. McAlpine's playing is a lot like Malmsteen's, not to mention that both Steve Smith and Deen Castronovo have played on a couple of his albums.

For that matter you should also checkout some of Neil Zaza's playing, he's an awesome guitarist, and both Steve smith and Ross Valory have played on a couple of his albums.

[Rockindeano]

Recent events aside, you can't falt Neal's playing. he's up there with the very best ever and doesn't get some of the accolades that Van Halen and Lukather get.

Saw TOTO live the other night and sat very close to the stage. I can say that Luke deserves every bit of praise he receives and more. The guy is awesome and is also much more engaging of the crowd than Neal Schon.

Luke is unreal. Puts Neal to shame IMHO.

Idiot.

[Rockindeano]

Neal WAS good. Now he shreds too much. Very sad shell of himself.

Now I know you are drunk. Dude is better than ever.

Again, you will never hear mew bash the man's talents. Nor Perry's nor Friga's. Ross sucks so I will bash that grizzled raisin faced fuck, but the other 3 guys, while all dicks, are amazing.

[Journey/Survivor]

U know for years I thought Neal was really a God w/his guitar. I now think I was blinded by the way Perry sang alongside it. I've been listening a bit closer to other guitar players. I got turned onto Yngwie by my friend Behshad here. I checked out a few tunes & man, he's amazing. Way superior to Neal.

I love Yngwie's playing but the only thing you can say about him is that his technique is superior to Neals...perhaps. However, who's better than who is subjective.

Yngwie has remained consistently AWESOME for what like 25 years? Don't u think Neal just shreds now? It's not the same passionate way it sounded when Perry was there.

Yngwie still plays the same notes, scales, arpeggios, etc., as he has for the last 20-something years. Neal has grown as a player, spicing up his playing with jazzier chords and licks, more blues influences, new age influences, etc. So in that respect Neal has grown more as a player than Yngwie has. Don't get me wrong, Yngwie is at the top of the game as far as jaw-dropping technique but he hasn't really grown anywhere near as much as a player than Neal has.

You should checkout Alan Holdsworth and John Mclaughlin in the technique department! Neal Schon is hardly a slouch in the technique department either!

[Journey/Survivor]

Lukather is awesome. He's almost as good as Neal, but not quite as good.

Lincoln Brewster is a great player, but he's not in Neal's league.
If your going to talk about Lincoln Brewster then you should mention Josh Ramos, Ramos and Brewster are very similar to each other, as well as Schon, but Ramos is even better than Brewster.

[AR]

Neal WAS good. Now he shreds too much. Very sad shell of himself.

Now I know you are drunk. Dude is better than ever.

Again, you will never hear mew bash the man's talents. Nor Perry's nor Friga's. Ross sucks so I will bash that grizzled raisin faced fuck, but the other 3 guys, while all dicks, are amazing.

He kept opening with a copycat version of the Star Spangled Banner. VERY creative and SOOOO original. Nice that I had a chance to go get a beer before the show started. Napolean Dynamite.

Love ya Dean. Neal sucks.

[squirt1]

Deano- Will you ever just really give your opinion in a few words ? Oh , maybe you just did. I think that Perry thought that Neal was the greatest and that should be good enough for all. The blended picture tribute at the end of the 1981 MTV DVD, the speech at the WOF declared him" magic fingers". That says it all.

[Rockindeano]

Deano- Will you ever just really give your opinion in a few words ? Oh , maybe you just did. I think that Perry thought that Neal was the greatest and that should be good enough for all. The blended picture tribute at the end of the 1981 MTV DVD, the speech at the WOF declared him" magic fingers". That says it all.

I just did.

Need to separate emotions from one's point of view. Neal is incredible. I wouldn't want him for a soldier buddy, but the man can play guitar better than most, and has improved.

[Crazie Scarab]

U know for years I thought Neal was really a God w/his guitar. I now think I was blinded by the way Perry sang alongside it. I've been listening a bit closer to other guitar players. I got turned onto Yngwie by my friend Behshad here. I checked out a few tunes & man, he's amazing. Way superior to Neal.

Then I listened to the track our own Larry From Next Door did w/Jeremey singing. U know what Larry is a better guitarist than Neal these days. Seriously. Neal no longer plays w/feeling. He just shreds now. He's gone downhill all the way.

I was also checking out the FTLOSM boots. Lincoln Brewster is amazing on those Journey songs. He played them respectfully & really well. Comparing those boots w/more recent Journey boots, I just get the feeling that Neal just rushes thru them to get a paycheck these days.

Blow it out your ass, JR! Fucking as much as I am upset at Neal, Neal is still the fucking greatest guitarist! Get the fuck out of here!!! NOBODY even comes close to Neal! Yngwie is good, no doubt! However, he is no match to the master: One Mr. NEAL SCHON!

Don't let the recent past events fuck your brains up!

[Crazie Scarab]

Neal is mediocre these days. At BEST. Shell of himself. Can't get laid anymore when the girls realize it's either a die job or a wig.

Kind of like you, eh? I heard you were a woman who had an adadictomy..

[7 Wishes]

got turned onto Yngwie by my friend Behshad here. I checked out a few tunes & man, he's amazing. Way superior to Neal.

Then I listened to the track our own Larry From Next Door did w/Jeremey singing. U know what Larry is a better guitarist than Neal these days. Seriously. Neal no longer plays w/feeling. He just shreds now. He's gone downhill all the way.

I was also checking out the FTLOSM boots. Lincoln Brewster is amazing on those Journey songs. He played them respectfully & really well. Comparing those boots w/more recent Journey boots, I just get the feeling that Neal just rushes thru them to get a paycheck these days.

Susie, I have the UTMOST respect for you. However, you are completely off your rocker on this one. Neal is extremely diverse and his talents trascend genres and mere technique. Brewster mostly played Neal's stuff anyway. Hell, most of the MR guitarists still on the scene today were first inspired by Neal. Sorry. He may be a jerk, but Neal is EXTRAORDINARILY talented. He's a better overall player than Edward, as well.

[Matthew]

got turned onto Yngwie by my friend Behshad here. I checked out a few tunes & man, he's amazing. Way superior to Neal.

Then I listened to the track our own Larry From Next Door did w/Jeremey singing. U know what Larry is a better guitarist than Neal these days. Seriously. Neal no longer plays w/feeling. He just shreds now. He's gone downhill all the way.

I was also checking out the FTLOSM boots. Lincoln Brewster is amazing on those Journey songs. He played them respectfully & really well. Comparing those boots w/more recent Journey boots, I just get the feeling that Neal just rushes thru them to get a paycheck these days.

Susie, I have the UTMOST respect for you. However, you are completely off your rocker on this one. Neal is extremely diverse and his talents trascend genres and mere technique. Brewster mostly played Neal's stuff anyway. Hell, most of the MR guitarists still on the scene today were first inspired by Neal. Sorry. He may be a jerk, but Neal is EXTRAORDINARILY talented. He's a better overall player than Edward, as well.

I second this...and Deano's comments too. It seems to me that the totally legitimate and understandable 'protest' against Journey is getting ridiculous and infantile now...and is fast losing any credibility.

[NealIsGod]

Susie, now you are the one who deserves a spanking! You knew this would rile me up...

I refuse to argue over "who is a better guitarist" (except for Eddie "Fingers" Ojeda - I think we all agree no one can touch him ). Once these guys get as good as they are, then it's just a matter of whose style you like. Any of the guys mentioned can play anything you throw in front of them and blow you away.

P.S. After watching this clip on youtube, I am now an Ace Frehley fan. What a nut he is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jzve-Tmd70

[AR]

got turned onto Yngwie by my friend Behshad here. I checked out a few tunes & man, he's amazing. Way superior to Neal.

Then I listened to the track our own Larry From Next Door did w/Jeremey singing. U know what Larry is a better guitarist than Neal these days. Seriously. Neal no longer plays w/feeling. He just shreds now. He's gone downhill all the way.

I was also checking out the FTLOSM boots. Lincoln Brewster is amazing on those Journey songs. He played them respectfully & really well. Comparing those boots w/more recent Journey boots, I just get the feeling that Neal just rushes thru them to get a paycheck these days.

Susie, I have the UTMOST respect for you. However, you are completely off your rocker on this one. Neal is extremely diverse and his talents trascend genres and mere technique. Brewster mostly played Neal's stuff anyway. Hell, most of the MR guitarists still on the scene today were first inspired by Neal. Sorry. He may be a jerk, but Neal is EXTRAORDINARILY talented. He's a better overall player than Edward, as well.

I second this...and Deano's comments too. It seems to me that the totally legitimate and understandable 'protest' against Journey is getting ridiculous and infantile now...and is fast losing any credibility.

You have a Whitesnake avatar - you have zero credibility.

Anyway, I'll take Adrian Vandenberg, Vai, Sykes, or anyone else over an aging Schon who has lost his SOUL as a player and merely shreds now. I play - you don't. I hear the difference - he blows.

[Carlitto H@kk]

I love ya, Suzer, but you gotta be out of your mind.
You/ve heard the old saying, "Never mix
Business and Pleasure"???

That's what you're doing here;
Letting Neal's shitty business practices/decisions
cloud your judgement on the pleasure one gets
when Neal plugs one of those Geetars in and
wails!

[Matthew]

got turned onto Yngwie by my friend Behshad here. I checked out a few tunes & man, he's amazing. Way superior to Neal.

Then I listened to the track our own Larry From Next Door did w/Jeremey singing. U know what Larry is a better guitarist than Neal these days. Seriously. Neal no longer plays w/feeling. He just shreds now. He's gone downhill all the way.

I was also checking out the FTLOSM boots. Lincoln Brewster is amazing on those Journey songs. He played them respectfully & really well. Comparing those boots w/more recent Journey boots, I just get the feeling that Neal just rushes thru them to get a paycheck these days.

Susie, I have the UTMOST respect for you. However, you are completely off your rocker on this one. Neal is extremely diverse and his talents trascend genres and mere technique. Brewster mostly played Neal's stuff anyway. Hell, most of the MR guitarists still on the scene today were first inspired by Neal. Sorry. He may be a jerk, but Neal is EXTRAORDINARILY talented. He's a better overall player than Edward, as well.

I second this...and Deano's comments too. It seems to me that the totally legitimate and understandable 'protest' against Journey is getting ridiculous and infantile now...and is fast losing any credibility.

You have a Whitesnake avatar - you have zero credibility.

Anyway, I'll take Adrian Vandenberg, Vai, Sykes, or anyone else over an aging Schon who has lost his SOUL as a player and merely shreds now. I play - you don't. I hear the difference - he blows.

Unbelievable...

Can someone PLEASE explain to me why Whitesnake lack credibility? Yes, I know the 1987 hair era did them no favours - but Coverdale and the musicians he has surrounded himself with over the years are all worthy of awe and respect.

As for Schon...well, I might not be as qualified as you are to listen to guitar solos ( ) but I actually agree that Schon has lost the simplicity and soul in his playing to some extent. But even so - he still blew me away when I saw him play in '06 and earlier this year. More of a hard rock/metal style to be sure - but breath-taking anyway.

[AR]

got turned onto Yngwie by my friend Behshad here. I checked out a few tunes & man, he's amazing. Way superior to Neal.

Then I listened to the track our own Larry From Next Door did w/Jeremey singing. U know what Larry is a better guitarist than Neal these days. Seriously. Neal no longer plays w/feeling. He just shreds now. He's gone downhill all the way.

I was also checking out the FTLOSM boots. Lincoln Brewster is amazing on those Journey songs. He played them respectfully & really well. Comparing those boots w/more recent Journey boots, I just get the feeling that Neal just rushes thru them to get a paycheck these days.

Susie, I have the UTMOST respect for you. However, you are completely off your rocker on this one. Neal is extremely diverse and his talents trascend genres and mere technique. Brewster mostly played Neal's stuff anyway. Hell, most of the MR guitarists still on the scene today were first inspired by Neal. Sorry. He may be a jerk, but Neal is EXTRAORDINARILY talented. He's a better overall player than Edward, as well.

I second this...and Deano's comments too. It seems to me that the totally legitimate and understandable 'protest' against Journey is getting ridiculous and infantile now...and is fast losing any credibility.

You have a Whitesnake avatar - you have zero credibility.

Anyway, I'll take Adrian Vandenberg, Vai, Sykes, or anyone else over an aging Schon who has lost his SOUL as a player and merely shreds now. I play - you don't. I hear the difference - he blows.

Unbelievable...

Can someone PLEASE explain to me why Whitesnake lack credibility? Yes, I know the 1987 hair era did them no favours - but Coverdale and the musicians he has surrounded himself with over the years are all worthy of awe and respect.

As for Schon...well, I might not be as qualified as you are to listen to guitar solos ( ) but I actually agree that Schon has lost the simplicity and soul in his playing to some extent. But even so - he still blew me away when I saw him play in '06 and earlier this year. More of a hard rock/metal style to be sure - but breath-taking anyway.

Musical chairs lineup. Last I heard, I was in Whitesnake.

Just busting your balls - I like a lot of their stuff.

[Behshad]

U know for years I thought Neal was really a God w/his guitar. I now think I was blinded by the way Perry sang alongside it. I've been listening a bit closer to other guitar players. I got turned onto Yngwie by my friend Behshad here. I checked out a few tunes & man, he's amazing. Way superior to Neal.

Then I listened to the track our own Larry From Next Door did w/Jeremey singing. U know what Larry is a better guitarist than Neal these days. Seriously. Neal no longer plays w/feeling. He just shreds now. He's gone downhill all the way.

I was also checking out the FTLOSM boots. Lincoln Brewster is amazing on those Journey songs. He played them respectfully & really well. Comparing those boots w/more recent Journey boots, I just get the feeling that Neal just rushes thru them to get a paycheck these days.

I couldn't possibly disagree more!

I'm a guitarist myself, and IMO Neal Is far superior to Malmsteen, and yes, I have several of Malmsteen's albums.

Neal can play with emotion that Malmsteen couldn't dream of.
Neal is far, far more versatile, there's pretty much no style that Neal can't play.
Neal's picking hand is just as fast as Malmsteens, if not even faster.
Malmsteen's fretting hand may possibly be slightly faster than Neals, but that's not for sure, and if it is it's only slightly faster?

As my original guitar teacher told me many years ago, "Carlos Santana can say more with 1 note than Malmsteen can with a thousand." And the same can be said of Neal Schon.

Neil Zaza, who is a great guitarist in his own right, and who I've met living here in Cleveland (and who was a good friend of mine's guitar teacher way back) and Zaza's favorite guitarist used to be Malmsteen, but for about the last 18 years Neal Schon is now his favorite guitarist.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to bash Malmsteen by any means, I am a fan of his playing and he's a great player in some areas. But IMO Neal Schon is head and shoulders better than him.

If you love Malmsteen's playing, then you should give a listen to a guitarist by the name of Tony McAlpine. McAlpine's playing is a lot like Malmsteen's, not to mention that both Steve Smith and Deen Castronovo have played on a couple of his albums.

For that matter you should also checkout some of Neil Zaza's playing, he's an awesome guitarist, and both Steve smith and Ross Valory have played on a couple of his albums.

dude get a grip
Neal is NOT superior to Yngwie.


apparently u dont know much about guitar players.How can u say Yngwie doesnt play with emotion.
I just want u to liten 2 these 5 songs, so u can eat your words:
Black Star
Brothers
Dreaming
Guardian Angel
Leviathan

Neal is a great guitar player,,,,,but he is not better than Yngwie. its not a matter of opinion, but the reality.

funny how u woulld bring up a head and shoulder when talkin about 4' Neal

do a search and find the post with list of 20 players that are better than Neal.

[conversationpc]

apparently u dont know much about guitar players.How can u say Yngwie doesnt play with emotion.
I just want u to liten 2 these 5 songs, so u can eat your words:
Black Star
Brothers
Dreaming
Guardian Angel
Leviathan

People who say that Yngwie does not play with emotion are talking out of their ass. He's not my favorite player but he has emotion oozing out of his playing. It may not be everyone's cup of tea but don't slag the guy's supposed lack of feeling just because the music doesn't rock your boat.

[MartyMoffatt]

Neal WAS good. Now he shreds too much. Very sad shell of himself.

Now I know you are drunk. Dude is better than ever.

Again, you will never hear mew bash the man's talents. Nor Perry's nor Friga's. Ross sucks so I will bash that grizzled raisin faced fuck, but the other 3 guys, while all dicks, are amazing.

He kept opening with a copycat version of the Star Spangled Banner. VERY creative and SOOOO original. Nice that I had a chance to go get a beer before the show started. Napolean Dynamite.

Love ya Dean. Neal sucks.

In the US, maybe. However, on the Journey tour of Europe, Neal opened with a national anthem or other relevant tune particularly important to the country he was playing in. When they played in Cardiff, Neal learned the Welsh national anthem on the afternoon of the concert and then played it flawlessly that evening.

Whatever your opinions of Neal as a person, there is no doubt that he is one of the very best guitarists out there and, IMHO, he is playing better than ever.

Marty

[Saint John]

Neal is one of the 10 best guitarists in the world right now.

[mikemarrs]

Susie, now you are the one who deserves a spanking! You knew this would rile me up...

I refuse to argue over "who is a better guitarist" (except for Eddie "Fingers" Ojeda - I think we all agree no one can touch him ). Once these guys get as good as they are, then it's just a matter of whose style you like. Any of the guys mentioned can play anything you throw in front of them and blow you away.

P.S. After watching this clip on youtube, I am now an Ace Frehley fan. What a nut he is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jzve-Tmd70

twisted sister is suppose to be back together and releasing a christmas album,lol.no joke.and ace frehley of course has sobered up finally,lol.ace is one of my all time favorites.his solo shit rocks.rip it out and new york groove are some great ones......

[mikemarrs]

get this,you wont be disapointed......

[Eric]

Lots of stupid in this thread. !

Lincoln fucking Brewster????? Get the hell out of here.

Its fine to say Schon aint one of the best, but to say he has regressed is just dumb!

[AR]

Neal is one of the 10 best guitarists in the world right now.

Under 4 feet tall.

He just shreds now though Dan. He may still have the ability to play with the same feeling and emotion he did in the 70's and 80's but he doesn't do it live. He is rushing through the songs to get a paycheck. Funny how he doesn't want Journey to sound metal, but that is exactly how he plays.

Ever see him wearing the eyeliner and mascara when he was in Hardline? Priceless.

[Rockindeano]

Hate the man all you want, but if you are one here that says he sucks, has gotten worse or is just not that good, you are a moron.

Dude is very talented and get this, Neal can't read music.

[Saint John]

Neal is one of the 10 best guitarists in the world right now.

Under 4 feet tall.

He just shreds now though Dan. He may still have the ability to play with the same feeling and emotion he did in the 70's and 80's but he doesn't do it live. He is rushing through the songs to get a paycheck. Funny how he doesn't want Journey to sound metal, but that is exactly how he plays.

Ever see him wearing the eyeliner and mascara when he was in Hardline? Priceless.

Valid points...as it pertains to Journey. However, his solo releases have been creative, diverse and really nothing short of awesome. I think it was "Voice" that was nominated for a Grammy, and deservedly so. I agree with you about his playing with Journey 100%. But in his defense, he never really had chemistry with Augeri like he did Perry. I think Deen is a detriment too. He is not a very good drummer for their type of music.

[nikki]

Wow, didn't know that Neal couldn't read music. This little debate about who's the best is getting redundant. I might be miffed at Journey right now, but they didn't achieve their success by being mediocre musicians. Neal is an amazing guitarist, as are the others mentioned in this thread. One isn't neccessarily better than the other, just different styles of playing. So what if Neal shreds?? I like shred! Yngwie made a name for himself shredding and gets praised for it, but if another musician does it (and well, I might add) he gets bashed. It's just a pointless, immature argument. Just enjoy the music people. That's what drew us all here in the first place. You don't have to like someone to appreciate their talent.

[Ratgirl]

Neal is an amazing guitarist, one of the best I've seen to date IMO.

Honestly, I would still pay just to see him play just not with Journey.