New Guns N' Roses

[Tarheels.]

I fucking hate other people's opinions. No fucker ever backs themselves up properly.

"I don't see how anybody could legitimately argue the point that Slash is a better guitarist than Buckethead is."

I don't see how anybody could legitimately argue the point that Buckethead is a better guitarist than Slash is.

[Bob Roberts]

Slash is one of the most respected guitarists in the world among his peers, he's got to be doing something right.

Buckethead has better guitar playing skills then Slash, but then again, there's probably 100 guitarists out there with better "skills" than Buckethead that nobody has ever heard of.

I don't always think being the more technically proficient guitarists makes you the better player or the better fit for a band (and certainly not a better fit for Guns N' Roses, as most of Buckethead's solos in the new GNR were crap).

Slash is a legend because he's written and recorded some of the best and most memorable riffs and solos of all time.

[Darloboy]

Slash is a legend because he's written and recorded some of the best and most memorable riffs and solos of all time.

Edited March 3, 2008 by Darloboy

[Gabriel]

Buckethead is a guitar virtuoso... an entity unto himself that collaborates with other people occasionally. Is he technically better than Slash? Fuck yeah, he is... but I seriously doubt that Buckethead could function properly as a unit with 3 to 5 other guys. He'd probably be lost in the fold, sticking out only because of his unique attire.

Slash is arguably the best and most well known guitarist who's done his work in the confines of a band. Everybody knows his riffs, even if they can't tell you who he is. Everybody.

This is like debating about ROH and WWE. Sure, there are guys in ROH who are technically better than the majority of the WWE roster, but the guys on the WWE roster are there for a reason. ROH has a niche audience, and most of their guys won't ever appeal to a demographic beyond that. Same goes for Buckethead. I appreciate his talents and respect his abilities, but for the most part, he's just not for me. Slash, be it with GNR, Velvet Revolver or the Snakepit, has always put out stuff that I enjoy.

[tristy]

Buckethead seems to operate just fine with Praxis.

[Gabriel]

Buckethead seems to operate just fine with Praxis.

[Skummy]

Slash is arguably the best and most well known guitarist who's done his work in the confines of a band. Everybody knows his riffs, even if they can't tell you who he is. Everybody.

Arguably because it's bullshit. Jimmy Page says hello, and I don't even like the fucker, and his band stayed constant longer than Slash's ever did.

I find it laughable to hear people (not just here) say that Buckethead "only stands out because of his attire", as if Slash's big hair, shades and top hat didn't make him stand out amongst the bleach and glitter solo-wankers of the '80s; here's another Guns & Roses history tidbit for you, prior to joining G&R, Slash was offered a spot in Poison, but he turned it down because he'd have to bleach his hair. Slash's "look" was as much a part of him as his playing, and his playing isn't very good in comparison to Buckethead. That's not me being a geek for guitar virtuosos, I normally hate that shit, it's showing off and its wanky, but Buckethead just has a better grasp of melody, and is much better at constructing a song than Slash ever has been. Any guitarist can play a riff and throw in a solo halfway through a song.

And while you could say that Praxis is a "revolving door", the core members of Bill Laswell, Buckethead, Bernie Worrell and Bootsy Collins, played together for the better part of a decade, with Buckethead playing on all but one album, which is, incidentally, more albums than Slash played on for Guns & Roses.

As I've said, I'm not a guitarist, and I'm not interested in guitar solos or technical expertise, I'm just concerned with what sounds good to me, what sounds challenging to me, and what sounds interesting to me and, for the most part, Slash doesn't; Slash plays Guns & Roses riffs, and he's never stretched himself beyond that. He forms Slash's Snakepit, and he plays Guns & Roses riffs. He co-forms Velvet Revolver, and he plays Guns & Roses riffs. That, to me, doesn't say that Slash is someone who functions better in a band than Buckethead, it says that Slash is a guitarist of limited talent and limited range, and so can only perform in bands that build around that, while Buckethead has traversed genres and collaborated with a huge range of musicians within different genres, and never really done badly at any of it.

Personally, Buckethead to me is a lot like Mike Patton and Slash like Axl Rose, to use a similar comparison. Axl might be more recognised, and Slash might be more recognised, because more people have heard "Sweet Child Of Mine" than anything by the other two, but essentially that's all they do, whereas Patton and Buckethead have moved from metal to hip-hop to funk to opera (in Patton's case) and all across the musical board. Maybe it's the fact that, increasingly, hard rock bores me, but I don't see the appeal in an "artist" that just repeats prior successes, and for that Buckethead is infininitely better than Slash, and not just "technically" as a guitarist.

And "everybody knows his riffs" is a bullshit argument; everybody knows Britney Spears' songs, it doesn't mean she's a better singer than Diamanda Galas. Everybody knows "You're Beautiful", it doesn't mean James Blunt's a better songwriter than Leonard Cohen. Familiarity does not equal talent, there are too many variables and external factors to take into account for that.

Edited March 5, 2008 by Skummy

[Toe]

This argument seems totally retarded to me. Buckethead and Slash are both fantastic and they both do different things.

I actually want Chinese Democracy to be released soon so I can hear it for myself. It has to be epic to live up to any sort of hype that has been put forth due to the amount of time spent on it. I also doubt the record company is going to get any money out of it.

[joker]

Just to jump in this conversation I've been into Guns since I can remember, started following the 'new' Guns in about 98/99 when Chinese Democracy was called 2000 Intentions. The stuff thats leaked out has been pretty damn good, T.W.A.T. is one of the best songs they've ever produced in any formation of the band. The Blues would most likely be a big hit. Chinese Democracy the song is a good throw back to the AFD era, just updated. IRS, Better, Madagascar, Rhiad are all good songs and a polished Catcher in the Rye could be a classic(Keeping Brian Mays guitar playing on the track would be a huge plus). I just wish they could get the damn thing out to hear the rest of the material(The General, Atlas Shrugged, Prostitute, This I Love, Thyme, etc etc)

2nd on the Buckethead/Slash debate, I'm not really a fan of Buckethead himself, just don't/can't get into his solo stuff. But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the talent he has. He's a hugely gifted guitar player and can play better then Slash does. Listen to Slash with Guns in the 88-93 range and then listen to Buckethead with them playing the same songs, he absolutely kills him. Just listen the solo in Nighttrain (

) that he pulls out and it just sounds alot better then the person that help create the song . Not bashing Slash, he can play, I just don't think he's in Bucketheads league.

[TMJ]

Guns N Roses doesn't exist. It's just Axl Rose and whatever bitches he can pay to lay down some tracks over and over until they get sick of him and quit.

[Vendetta]

[rvdseven]

Slash is arguably the best and most well known guitarist who's done his work in the confines of a band. Everybody knows his riffs, even if they can't tell you who he is. Everybody.

Dude the hell? ever herd of Eddie Van Halen? or maybe Randy Rhodes? dude slash is nothing compared to them and what they've done even if one is dead and the other has a cocaine problem

[Benji]

Slash is arguably the best and most well known guitarist who's done his work in the confines of a band. Everybody knows his riffs, even if they can't tell you who he is. Everybody.

Dude the hell? ever herd of Eddie Van Halen? or maybe Randy Rhodes? dude slash is nothing compared to them and what they've done even if one is dead and the other has a cocaine problem

The fact you think the fact they're dead/have a drug problem would make a difference to how good their GUITAR PLAYING is alone is worrying. But more to the point you misunderstand what he's saying, he's not saying he IS the best, he's saying he's ONE of the best.

[New Damage]

Slash is arguably the best and most well known guitarist who's done his work in the confines of a band. Everybody knows his riffs, even if they can't tell you who he is. Everybody.

Dude the hell? ever herd of Eddie Van Halen? or maybe Randy Rhodes? dude slash is nothing compared to them and what they've done even if one is dead and the other has a cocaine problem

No. . He said arguably. And he probably means that everyone knows him because of the look, the look that went on to epitomise hard rock in the late 80s (apart from the glam metal crap).

EDIT: as dude said above .

Also, a person being dead kinda puts them on a plinth, so much so that whilst good, they become somewhat overrated, see Kurt Cobain, and most of the Seattle sound was based on drugs, so in terms of music as what you're trying to say, is not a bad thing, as it were. (Nirvana, Alice In Chains etc.)

Edited April 12, 2008 by TheModernWay

[Nerf]

Slash wasn't limited to playing the riffs he played; it was his style. He could have been the greatest flamenco guitarist the world has ever seen, it doesn't mean he should do a spanish orientated solo album. His style is to play glam metal, and that's what he plays through choice.

[K]

Slash is arguably the best and most well known guitarist who's done his work in the confines of a band. Everybody knows his riffs, even if they can't tell you who he is. Everybody.

Dude the hell? ever herd of Eddie Van Halen? or maybe Randy Rhodes? dude slash is nothing compared to them and what they've done even if one is dead and the other has a cocaine problem

No. .

Wait, really?

Randy Rhodes is most well known for being Ozzy Osbournes guitarist.

You've definately heard him play, even if you don't know him by name...

Try this...

He was also a founding member of Quiet Riot, so you may have heard him there as well, but he had already left by the time they put our their more famous stuff.

[rvdseven]

Slash is arguably the best and most well known guitarist who's done his work in the confines of a band. Everybody knows his riffs, even if they can't tell you who he is. Everybody.

Dude the hell? ever herd of Eddie Van Halen? or maybe Randy Rhodes? dude slash is nothing compared to them and what they've done even if one is dead and the other has a cocaine problem

The fact you think the fact they're dead/have a drug problem would make a difference to how good their GUITAR PLAYING is alone is worrying. But more to the point you misunderstand what he's saying, he's not saying he IS the best, he's saying he's ONE of the best.

no i dont think just because their dead and have a drug problem make them look good as guitar players, but they make slash look terrible. maybe if you actually herd eruption or crazy train when randy did it then you'd see. also i never said that they were THE best im just saying that there are WAY better people then slash

Edited April 14, 2008 by rvdseven

[KevinStorm]

Slash is arguably the best and most well known guitarist who's done his work in the confines of a band. Everybody knows his riffs, even if they can't tell you who he is. Everybody.

Dude the hell? ever herd of Eddie Van Halen? or maybe Randy Rhodes? dude slash is nothing compared to them and what they've done even if one is dead and the other has a cocaine problem

The fact you think the fact they're dead/have a drug problem would make a difference to how good their GUITAR PLAYING is alone is worrying. But more to the point you misunderstand what he's saying, he's not saying he IS the best, he's saying he's ONE of the best.

no i dont think just because their dead and have a drug problem make them look good as guitar players, but they make slash look terrible. maybe if you actually herd eruption or crazy train when randy did it then you'd see. also i never said that they were THE best im just saying that there are WAY better people then slash

Christ, you sound like the guitarist in my old band. He types horribly and worships Randy Rhodes, too.

[rvdseven]

Slash is arguably the best and most well known guitarist who's done his work in the confines of a band. Everybody knows his riffs, even if they can't tell you who he is. Everybody.

Dude the hell? ever herd of Eddie Van Halen? or maybe Randy Rhodes? dude slash is nothing compared to them and what they've done even if one is dead and the other has a cocaine problem

The fact you think the fact they're dead/have a drug problem would make a difference to how good their GUITAR PLAYING is alone is worrying. But more to the point you misunderstand what he's saying, he's not saying he IS the best, he's saying he's ONE of the best.

no i dont think just because their dead and have a drug problem make them look good as guitar players, but they make slash look terrible. maybe if you actually herd eruption or crazy train when randy did it then you'd see. also i never said that they were THE best im just saying that there are WAY better people then slash

Christ, you sound like the guitarist in my old band. He types horribly and worships Randy Rhodes, too.

lol if you were trying to insult me you should try harder. Other forums have done worse then that. Second Randy Rhoads or any guitarest for that fact is better then your whole friggin band. Maybe thats why they get famous while your probably at home playing your moms garage

[K]

roffles lol u burned him gud.

go bk 2 ur moms basement kevinstorm. or shud I say kevinLAME.

ahahahahahaha

i fink this pic speaks 4 all of us