I'm an old bastard (36), so I've had the privilege of seeing alot of great guitarists live over the years. I've seen Page, Vai, Malmsteen, Satriani, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Van Halen, George Lynch, Zakk Wylde, Jake E. Lee, Kirk Hammet, Alex Lifeson, John Petrucci, Stanley Jordan, Tom Morello, the Edge, Ty Tabor, David Gilmour, Eric Johnson, Ritchie Blackmore, Robby Kreiger, Keith Richards, Tony Iommi, Joe Perry, Angus Young, Jerry Cantrell, Dave Navarro, Vernon Reid, John Frusciante, Junior Brown, and probably some other really good ones I can't remember right now. My favorite place to see a show where I live is called the Celebrity Theatre, it only holds around 2000 people, there's not a bad seat in the house. I've seen some of the greatest guitar players there, Satriani, Vaughn, Petrucci, it's great because in a place like that you can actually see their fingers if you have halfway decent seats.

The most amazing show I ever saw, guitar-wise, was an acoustic set featuring John McLaughlin, Al Dimeola and Paco DeLucia there. I was center-stage, third row and I could see and hear them perfectly. There was no back-up band, no rhythm section, just three guys with acoustic guitars and I was so goddamned blown away. All three were just amazing and made me feel like I had the musical vocabulary of an infant. Me and my buddy (another guitar player) didn't say a word to each other on the way home. When I walked in the door and saw my guitar sitting there I just wanted to chuck it out the window.

Has anyone else been to a show like that, where you just couldn't get it together afterward?

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Live Rig
GUITARS -- 2 Burny RLC-70S's (Japanese Les Paul Custom copies) and a Japanese-made Fender Strat.Stage guitars
FX - Dunlop 95Q Crybaby wah - Vox TonelabLE multi-FX processor/amp-modeler - Boss GE-7 EQ - Boss DD-5 Digital Delay - Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor.
AMPLIFICATION - Modded Ampeg VT-22 (V4) 100-watt head (6L6GC power tubes) - Soldano 4X12 straight cabinet loaded w/Eminence Legend speakers.

I can second the DiMeola... Saw him in a small club in Seattle (Parkers) back in 1987 and sat probably 5 feet from him at a table on the edge of the stage. Was totally outrageous! Afterwards we hung out and met him and chatted with him for a good 30 minutes or so. Was very cool...

G3 was good (obviously )

My favourite was Iron Maiden with the 3 lead guitarists line up, especially Yanick Gers throwing his guitar in the air, doing some karate and catching it, or fighting Eddie mid-solo.

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-You are now breathing manually.
Gear

Trey Anastasio's solo band at the electric factory in philly. I was about 10 rows back center and got to just soak in the playing, which was just flat INSANE.
A close 2nd is Satch at Avalon in Boston, I was more impressed with the Stu bass solo then anythign else though, lol

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My Band - www.myspace.com/controlforsmilersphilly

Trey Guy. If any of ya'll have any questions on Trey tricks, tone or gear, chances are, I know the answer, PM me!

Rig Pics: http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g116/HenryMcGuigan/

RIG OF DOOM: Carvin Custom CT6T California Carved Top/Carvin Custom CT3M > Dunlop Cry Baby> Digitech Whammy I Reissue>MXR Dynacomp (Vodka ROSS Compressor mod) > Ibenez TS-9 Tube Screamer I (Vodka 808 mod) > Ibenez TS-9 Tube Screamer II (Vodka 808 mod) > Marshall JCM 2000 TSL 100 > Mesa 2x12 Cab w/Vintage 30's

Effects Loop I >Boss CH-1 Super Chorus > DD20 Giga Delay > Rocktron HUSH Noise Suppresion Pedal
Effects Loop II > Boss RT20 Rotary Speaker Ensamble

www.vodkamods.com

Misc: MPS PEDAL BOARD / EBow + / '79 Japanese Epiphone Les Paul (Dimarzio PAF ProII: Neck/Super Distortion: Bridge / Grover Tuners) Vox Wah / Morley Bad Horsie II Wah / Takamine Elec/Acoustic

i heard a live cd from those guys once and it was very intense. i didnt want to play much guitar after hearing that.. ha

as for rock and roll, the best guitar work was when i saw pearl jam two summers ago at the PNC Bank Arts Center.
i was buzzin from that for a few days

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http://www.myspace.com/AgencyMusic

CURRENT RIG:
Telecasters->Fullton Clyde Wah->MXR Phase 90 (r28 mod)->Fulltone Fulldrive2->Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-808->->Boss GE7 EQ->MXR Stereo Tremolo->Boss TU-2 Tuner->Boss Giga Delay->Crate V3112

AMPS
1959(?) Airline-Montgomery Ward
1967 Univox-Lafayette
1972 Fender Twin Reverb
1984 Marshall JCM 800 (2204)
1998 Fender Ultimate Chorus
2003 Crate V3112

I saw Steve Vai when he was in Dave Lee Roth's band a couple of times, that was pretty impresive...

but if your talking about being totally amazed and emotionally moved rather than impressed by technical ability then I'd say watching Joey Santiago when I saw the Pixies at the ****ty Preston Guildhall in 1990, that changed the way I thought about guitar playing completley. the mate I took with me, the one who took me to see Vai, hated it

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I like StylinStan

MiM Standard Telecaster with Fralin Blues Specials
Partscaster Tele:
Hondo H-935-RS

BYOC 250+ > BYOC Triangle Muff > BYOC Scipt 90 > Digidelay > BYOC Tremolo

Laney LC15R

Listen to the Freak Zone

Saw Steve Vai recently in Atlanta..

Unbelievable show.

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Now I think I have too many guitars...

Ibanez Jem7VWH
Ibanez RG-520 - Tone Zone / PAF Pro
Ibanez RG-2550 - Fred / Sustainiac Stealth Pro
Ibanez Art300-BKC
Martin HD-28v

Boss Super Chorus
Boss DD-3 Delay

Morley Volume Swell
Dunlop JH-1 Wah
Dunlop Crybaby
Boss DS-1 Distortion
Danelectro Fabtone

Peavey XXX 120w 2x12

When Eddie Van Halen casually walked on stage to join LA Guns at the Limelight Club in NYC. Eddie did 2 bar chords and then went to the Tracii's amps and came back with this HUGE tone.

It took 3-4 songs before people started to realise that The Man was on stage.

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Home Thread

Fat Strat into a Soldano, always.

This is hard.

On Saturday I stood right in front of J. Mascis' dual Marshall full stacks in a club with a capacity of 300 while he tore it up with the reunited Dinosaur Jr. That was probably the most incredible guitar playing I have seen live, as well as the most unique effects set up.

When I saw Mono from Japan play live a few weeks ago I felt like I had experianced something really special. Ever since I have thought differently about guitar, especially the use of distortion and reverb.

The three live guitar experiances that tie for third place were Yo La Tengo, Starflyer 59 and Shellac. I love Ira's (Yo La Tengo) guitar style and his use of chaotic solos. At one point in the show he took the guitar by the strings and held it like that while he sang. He can coax the most amazing sounds out of his guitar. Jason Martin (Starflyer 59) was my first guitar hero and continues to amaze me when I see him play live. I can't get enough of his lazy melodic playing. Steve Albini (Shellac) gets the award for teaching me to think differently about using guitar in a band format... to think outside the lines of "rhythm guitar or lead guitar"

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Rig thread | Rig photos | Myspace | Divisadero | Ok Assassin

When I saw Pantera and Sabbath in 1999. Toni Iommi and Dimebag are two of my favourite players of all time; seeing them both in one night was incredible!

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www.myspace.com/agesforthefall

Butthole Surfers.......in 91, first Lollapalooza show

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gear updates coming soon......stay tuned

Ekoostik Hookah - New Years Eve Eve, can't remember the year, House of Blues, Chicago.

During Keepin' Time, Jake from Umphrey's McGee came on stage. During the section where Sweeny usually goes off for 1 minute or so, they swapped licks blues style for 10 minutes.

I was absolutely floored, I have a CD of the show and it gives me chills to listen and reflect.

it's a tie:
Hella
Between the Buried and Me

Both blew me away.

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-David Eden Plexi Clone
-Fender Standard Tele w/Hot Rails in bridge
-MXR D+, Coron D10, TS-808 Clone

I haven't seen many shows but these 2 are my fave guitarist I've seen live:

Omar Rodriguez Lopez.... yeah I know everyone says he's sloppy, but he just put on a really really good show, Dancing and throwing his guitar on his back. Not to mention I love the Mars Volta, so I was in heaven for an hour.

The guy who plays George Harrison in this Beatles cover-band called Liverpool around here. I'm pretty much always front row (My girlfriend and her friend run the fan club) and he just rips out those classic Beatles solos like he owns them. I'm always trying to see what he's doing. I love how he uses the mic stand for a slide for the orchestra crashes on "A Day in the Life" pure sugar.

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I Like to go scree scree boop

Meshuggah, with Reflux opening.

From a metal standpoint, it's hard to get any better.

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Very old stage rig

Mourn not the dead
that in the cool earth lie...
But rather mourn the apathetic throng
the cowed and the meek
Who see the world's great anguish
and its wrong and dare not speak.
- Ralph Chaplin

"All good people are asleep and dreaming..."