Eddie Van Halen voted “Best Rock Guitarist of 2008″ by Guitar World readers

May 21, 2009 150 Comments

Robert_Yager The readers of the best selling guitar magazine in the world, Guitar World, recently voted Eddie Van Halen the “Best Rock Guitarist of 2008″ in the 15th Annual Guitar World Readers Poll. Eddie won by a landslide, receiving nearly seven times as many votes as the runner up, Angus Young.

We mention this poll because it’s not just another meaningless list written by some random music critic. Rather, this is a case where the people have spoken, voting Eddie Van Halen as their favorite guitarist for the umpteenth time. He remains hugely popular after 30 years. Quite impressive!

The poll was conducted at the end of 2008 and the results were printed in the April 2009 issue of Guitar World.

Congratulations, Eddie Van Halen! Best Rock Guitarist, indeed.

Filed Under: Eddie Van Halen

Bocephus

You’re G$@^@d@m right he did.

For as much heat the guy has taken from many of you..

He is still the king.

Edward Van Halen.

The album will come. I was just thinking today about it, and how good He and Dave can write songs together.
Erick

You’re on fire Rick! Good work.
Keep on telling all these sam and chickenfoot groupies, that are bashing EVH here all the time, about the greatest band on earth: THE MIGHTY VAN HALEN
pushtoshove

Uhh…The Facts. – There are lots of hardworking , talented , CURRENT ( Meaning writing new music !!! ) guitarists out there who are surely more “Current and Today” . Eddie was great and the tour was fun and had controversy but enough is enough. This is nostalgia and in-voting at its best, Ed is what he is but that was yesterday ( 15 + years ago ) . I would still pay to see them live in a heart beat and am waiting for new material but i think that the guys here ( wont mention any names-aftershock )that bash everyone for wondering how a guitarist that hasn’t produced ( meaning- sold to us ) any new music of merit for 10 + years ( vh III was pretty alright ) somehow deserves ” Best Guitarist of the Year ” needs to cut off his dyed black hair and lose the black stretch pants and sober up. The eighties are dead, aftershock , and have been for a long time. VH and The Foot both Rock and you all can kiss my ass.its beer thirty and i gotta go .C-YA!
Bob

I could read Rick’s comments all day. A nerd practicing scales? I love it. Thats exactly how i picture all these satch types. These guys sound like robots when they play. That isnt music. Thats why eddie is the best “Rock and Roll” guitar play. Period.
Jim

It’s about time Eddie finally is given the #1 spot at something. The guy is clearly the best ever by far, yet he always seems to get bumped to #2 or #3.
#1 is where Ed belongs.
Ed just showing up and playing all the great van halen songs that are 25-30 years old in concert is better than what any other guitarist has ever played or released in the last 20 years.
Jump50

I bow to KING EDWARD VAN HALEN everyday and blast my stereo speakers every time I put on their music!! Not listening to Van Halen LOUD is a crime!! Eddie is “The Atomic Punk” he re-landscaped the earth of Rock n Roll. When Eruption came out it was bigger than the Atomic bomb!!! He’s the king gunslingin’ shredder, a modern day marvel and the Beethoven/Bach of today. In fact King Edward’s 5150 Studio is now officially the “8th Wonder of the World”.

Congratulations King Edward!! May everything god has blessed you with spill out on the new VH album we so rightfully deserve!! I never doubted you, never abandoned you and never ever forgot about what a music treasure and a ‘heart of gold’ man you are. Your life has taken some hard beatings in recent times, but thank god you recovered from that horrible cancer & alcoholic disease, your marriage breakup and the death of your mother. Only good things happen to good people!!

P.S. A double album would be nice?!! And a 1st for Van Halen!!
BubbaCo

I think all this “BEST” talk is silly. I’ve been a huge VH fan since their inception and seen them several times, but to argue over who’s “#1″ is for grade schoolers. Eddie’s legacy as a musician is sealed…but let’s not let our little eruption erections get in the way of the fact that music is art. There is no finish line, and NOONE is truly the best.

Personally, I wish the VH boys, with Diamond Dave, would get their arse back in the studio and record the next “Unchained,” but it’s their life and they don’t have to if they don’t want to. In the meantime, I’m gonna keep listening to a variety of artists who continue to record, while at the same time find time to crank up the old tunes that I’ve loved for years. I gave WACF a spin today as a matter of fact…it’s as good today as it was when I was in middle school.

LONG LIVE THE MIGHTY VAN HALEN…AND CHICKENFOOT CAN KISS MY CHICKEN-HOLE!!!
Kayser Sozay

I consider Eddie Van Halen the greatest ever. I also consider him the greatest guitarist that hasn’t done anything in 11 years. And the greatest guitarist who hasn’t come up with anything original in his guitar solos in 25 years. But he’s still the king.
http://yahoo evh4ever

hell yea this is his
19th title he was the king and always be the
king eddie van halen i salute you
pushtoshove

Keyser… I respect your conviction and your loyalty
http://www.freewebs.com/maelstromcustoms/index.htm MAELSTROM

How about another poll? Here’s some suggestions:

Greatest athlete of 2008-Muhammad Ali
Greatest comedian of 2008-George Carlin
Greatest model of 2008-Cindy Crawford
Greatest Late-Nite talk show host of 2008-Johnny Carson
Greatest director of 2008-James Cameron for “Titanic”
Greatest music video of 2008-Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”
Greatest mystery cliff-hanger of 2008-Who shot J.R.?
Kayser Sozay

Maelstrom: Good point.
The Tin Man

Ed deservedly won every kind of poll out there in the glory days. But that was then. He had some great moments on the 2008 tour and some sloppy ones. The results of this poll would be far more credible if a new VH album had been out. Otherwise they represent nothing more than a nostalgia vote.
Simonhead

Cool!
EVH is still my no. 01 guitar hero. He deserves the best as he wrote the soundtrack of my youth! Hail, Edward!

\o/ \o/ \o/
Rick

It’s so hypocrytical (haggerocrytical) how some here blame Eddie for a nostalgia tour going on the road with Dave playing only classic VH songs. Isn’t that exactly what EVERYBODY wanted and waited for the last 20+ years??? Now he’s given all of us the treat and gets *beep* for it?? Uh oh where is the new music? Stick to CF, they’ll be selling you tons of new “music”, plus some tequila and hot sauce on top! Wow, that actually reminds me the barbeque season just started over here Cheers fellas!
Rodney

AFTERSHOCK….

I would agree that Ed is prob the greatist guitarist in history.
The best guitarist of 08……Nah.

We must have went to different shows on tour. I don’t remember checking into rehab the next morning…..but I do remember waking up beside a couple of senioritas that drank some cabo wabo…must have been one hell of a
blackout.

You can wear your 5150 striped shoes down the street singing
“Where have all the good times gone”. It still won’t bring back the days of Mighty VH.

TIN MAN…

Dead on bro….I guess coming out of hiding and obscurity of 10 years makes u the best guitarist of 08.
Definitly a nostalgia vote.

RICK
Ed also survived 10 years not writing any music….So what’s yer point ?!?
Jim Knapp

garysamuelroth,

I agree with you I am just disappointed with the way things have gone down over the years. I am sure drinking has a lot to do with it. I have a purple Music Man, an amber Peavey Wolfgang, a Frankenstrat replica and, a Jack Daniels bass. I would never get rid of any of them. I will always love the music they made and how it shaped my youth. I still get chills when I listen to it! I don’t fault Mike for going to the RRHOF with Sammy. They all shoulda been there like James, Lars, Kirk, Robert and Jason… Someone on here said that ‘a sober Ed is dangerous’ and I think that sums it all up!
Erick

Maelstron and K. Sozay:
EVH played guitar on a huge tour in 2008.
Cheers
Aftershock

Pushcomestoshove — I think you should check your watch. Judging by the content of your post, I’d say it was beer forty-five and you’d already been pounding them down for 15 minutes.

What you, Kayser Sozay and the rest of the usual suspects don’t seem to understand is this: Van Halen is on the way back. After being out of the public consciousness for most of the past decade, all it took was one reunion tour with Roth to put them right back near the top of the rock heap in terms of interest in what’s going on. Of course, the new album — when/if it arrives — will deliver put up or shut up time. We all know it’s going to come down to new music. Of course, this voting is based on Ed’s rep and the fact that he “mostly” delivered/met expectations on the last tour. So what? The point is, Van Halen is on people’s minds again. That’s all this poll shows.

Some of you can rag on Ed’s guitar line, the striped sneakers and the Guitar Hero: Van Halen game all you want. But it is product that many people are interested in and is helping build the interest momentum for the next album. Say what you want about it, but at least they’re not releasing some wacky video every couple days and essentially saying, “Look at me! Look at me! Somebody pay attention to me!”

I do wish Sammy and Mike well with Chickenfoot and expect that I will like the album when it is released. I doubt, though, that it will be on par with Led Zeppelin or Van Halen.
swade

Dont get me all wrong. I love Van Halen music. But he is not deserving of a current award that refects what he has done in the past couple years.
RWSICE9

Congrats to Ed, the 2007-8 tour was great! Saw it twice.

As for the Ed vs. Satriani debate.. think about this.. How many times has Satriani been in rehab for drug and or alcohol? How many times has Joe left his fans hanging, waiting for music…1 maybe 2 years between records. No catchy or memorable melodys from Joe?.. have you heard of say.. Summer Song, Satch Boogie, Always With Me, Always with you.. just to name a few? If you walked up to Ed on the street, do you think he would take the time to meet you, talk to you, and let you get a picture of yourself with him? Most likely not..Have you ever seen Joe so unbelievably screwed up from all the drugs he takes, that he can barely play his guitar on tour, with his nasty toes hanging out of his disgusting shoes (think VH 2004..)

Anyways, before you people go saying that anyone sucks, or is a crappy human being, do a little research for yourself, maybe listen to some of the material put out by any given musician before you bash them or the way they play.

If you want to see a truely versitile guitar player, go see Joe.. if you want to see a guitar player that seldom ventures away from a simple Major Scale in his playing, go see Ed.. that is of course if Ed actually makes his way back on to a stage sometime in the future..

CHICKENFOOT!!
Vanicionado

Thing is… why did the comparison even come up here?

Eddie is an amazing guitarist.

Joe is an amazing guitarist.

One talks about making new music.

One makes new music.

The world turns… and all us keep praying for a new VH album.

Right? We can all agree on that right?

Hallelujah!!
SCAR

The bottom line here, is that we are all dedicated VH fans and we just want more before it’s too late!!!
Kayzer Sozay

Aftershock: I’ll believe VH is on the way back when I see it. VH fans like me have been duped too many times to take Ed’s word for it. But as always, I hope Ed’s telling the truth and there will be new music soon.

I’m not convinced all is well in VH land simply because the reunion tour was a success. Ed and Dave have a lot of bad history that’s not easy to overcome when the egos involved are that big. I fear they were putting on an act during the tour in terms of acting like they were buddies again just for the $$.

Behind the scenes, they may have fallen right back into the same dynamic that has happened every other time they tried to get back together. I think it’s odd that they didn’t do any press or interviews during the entire tour. That says something. So I’ll believe there’s new VH music when I hear it because it may be they can’t work together.

But these are just my fears. If they do put out new music, I’ll be first in line to get it.
Rob

Reasonable enough. Why can’t Ed figure this out?
Christopher

They must not have heard him live this year. Dreck. Not the guitarist I once respected.
Matteau23

Kayzer I think you’re on to something there. I hope its not the case, but you’re right the whole tour was a very sterile situation. Even down to playing the same setlist every night, its almost like they just tried to create an antiseptic sitution.

In fact, I’d take it step further. If Eddie really has all of this wonderful material written (the infamous 10 cd’s worth), then a) why did the new songs in 2004 suck so much (and please don’t blame sammy’s lyrics, they were admittedly bad.. but the music was equally boring) and b) how hard would it really be for ed and al to polish it all up, have dave sing some vocals over it, pipe some wolfie vocals in and put it on a cd.

I just think its more of the same dissapointment from these guys that we’ve been fed since ’98.

I sincerely do hope I’m wrong because I’ve been craving a new VH album with any singer for 10 years. I just can’t get my hopes up anymore.
Rodney

” Where have all the good times gone ”

They forgot to sing this on the 08 tour.

VH has been a dissapointment since 95-96.
Im a realist….and the facts tell the story of the past 15 years.
JUANE5150

Hey Eddie!!!!

You are the best, thats true
But we ‘r waiting for a new cd with wolfgang playng basssssss (NEW FORMS OF BASSSS)
Everithing with new pure sounds,…. youre style & Dave

it will be a god end to the year…. coming 2010 VAN HALEN TOUR TO CHILE….PLEASE!!!!!!!

I dont speak good english but I try to.

You win “Best Rock Guitarist of 2008? and clearly es for the tour and the remembering songs, but we want a new cd and dvd (jejejeje) with hi definition to show it to our sons

Suerte a todos
Sorry for my inglish
Juane5150
RickieVanWhalen

Clearly there are some guitar posers on this site. So allow me to lay down the gauntlet, after all, I have been playing for over 30 years and know how to play satch and EVH very well. Here is a quick look at some of EVH’s most difficult and tasty stuff:

VH1
I’m the One – you can talk about eruption all you want. This tune personifies EVH. While it has been tabbed correctly I have never seen it played correctly at the right speed (specifically the ending). Satch does have the ability to play it but certainly has not show the ability to write it.
Ice Cream Man – EVH is playing a major triad or perfect fifth from the twelfth fret and sequences it all the up to the fifth string. Satch cannot do this because his hands are not big enough.
On Fire – a perfect demonstration that EVH draws from a deeper musical vocabulary the satch. The solo is the most atonal thing I have heard yet it sounds in key. It moves position so fast I just do not see satch as ever pulling it off.

VHII
Spanish Fly – hand satch a classical guitar and listen carefully to the silence. He cannot play this tune on many fronts.
Women in Love – the tapped artificial harmonics in the introduction are perhaps the most difficult and tasty thing he has done. NOBODY can replicate this.

Fair Warning
Mean Street – the intro is untouchable in terms of two handed tap technique and the rhythm is breath taking. Satch has never demonstrated this type of originality. The solo to the tune is in phrigian mode over a basic blues jam. Music theorist would tell you that this is impossible, yet the king does it.
One Foot Out the Door – NOBODY can play this. Nobody.

While I did not follow Van Hagar, I will say this about VHIII
Without You – the tapped harmonics in the intro are beyond satches technical abilities and EVH said it is his most difficult piece of music.
Year to the Day – and Clapton said that EVH can’t play blues. Who the F is Stevie Ray Vaughn.
http://james5313@sbcglobal.net james

Wow and he hasn’t done anything for 11 years!!! That’s amazing!!! Only he could do that!!!
phil

scar, im gettin drunk at your bar this weekend!
DANNY BOY

When you hear anything Ed has put down you INSTANTLY know it is him playing, that can’t be said for many people. I used to listen to THE STAR FLEET ALBUM constantly and would try to pick out Eds’ or Brian Mays jams, some bits were actually tough, but sure enough you could ALWAYS tell when Ed was playing!! What would really be cool is to hear some acoustic playing just for the hell of it-not too much of that out there..or is there?
ED IS THE SIX STRING KING———>
http://vhnd.com REDHEAD5150

I love Eddie but what new songs or material has been released since Cherone got axed? Satrini is the GUITAR KING!!! He loves his music and is always creating. Eddie lost the love of creating music or he would have something out! Also, Eddie is not a song writer unless he has help. Yes, like SAMMY HAGAR!!!!
jrod 1978

The reason EVH,Jimmy Page, Hendrix and all them old folks keep getting listed on these polls is because guitarist now days are a joke, they play their guitars drop tuned or not even tuned. there is no feeling in music anymore unless you listen to some classic act still playing. I still think there are other guitarist from that era that are overlooked and that alot of critics have tunnel vision to whom they choose. in my opinion satch is like the Kenny G of guitarist I would only listen to him if I was in an elevator or at a department store bathroom taking a leak.
SCAR

Phil, so am I!!!!!
Jump50

To RickieVanWhalen!!

Amen bro, enuff said!!
just the facts

Sad fact about all of us writing on this web site, is that we care more about VH than the actual VH brothers do.Not only has it been 11 years since VH III but how many years have gone by without word from the brothers as to what is going on.I know we heard from Ed recently but that was only because he was selling shoes, socks and shoe laces.The bottom line is that a long time ago this band was king- both with Dave and Sam. The only reason that we think they are relevant today is because we want them to be relevant.Ed has no real concern about the fans, unless he is selling something. Al? when was the last time Al said anything. We all waited years for DLR to return,and when he did where was the band, no radio, no TV and of course no DVD for those us us who did’nt have $100 bucks for a tix.I hope for some music but I think it’s time that we all get on with our lives,Ed will call when he wants to get paid.
pushtoshove

Aftershock: I am grateful for your reply and thank you for acknowledging me. You are 100 percent correct except for me ragging on Ed’s talent. I play guitar and have been for 25 years because I heard eruption when i was 11. Ed is talented and is the greatest innovator of his era and this era. Perhaps i am concerned that no-one has bested him and it is 2009. Either way , didn’t want to single you out but I think alot of fans are justifiably chomping at the bit concerning new Edward gold. I am and I know you are too. Keep your passion , it is one of the things that keeps this site good
http://www.501st.com Skutch

Here’s my question. Why should Eddie even feel obligated to record? Maybe he’s tired of the biz in that respect. He can do whatever he chooses. He is under no obligation to keep recording CDs for the rest of his life just to please some die hard fans. If he wants to just get married, hang out with Wolfie and be enjoy being rich for the rest of his life, that’s his choice. He has nothing to prove. Geez, the guy has the right to do that.

If Sammy wants to record a record every year, that’s awesome, because maybe that’s where his heart is and where his priority is. Everybody rags on Eddie because he hasn’t put out a CD in 11 years. He’s probably sick of the expectations people put on him.
http://www.musicgeekmedia.com Matt Collen

Congrats Eddie! You are the man!
http://myspace.com/timkarplus t1m

I do agree with some people here that, while Ed is a living legend, his playing on this most recent tour was not his very best. Still, I look forward to whatever new music comes our way.

As far as those porno soundtrack tunes he did, I thought they were pretty good. It was nice to hear him up to his old tricks again.
JUANE5150

VAMOS EDDIE…. ERES EL MEJOR!!!!!!!!!!!!
PERO SACA UN DISCO NUEVO PARA ESCUCHAR NUEVOS TEMAS DE VAN HALEN

VEN A CHILE
pushtoshove

Hey skutch here’s my reply. Because he said he would . Period . If he came out the last 2 interviews and said he was going to chill for a few years or whatever then cool . Ed is bringing this on himself by being vague and nobody likes being led along . Do you?
satovan

RickieVanwhalen, you obviously are a moron when it comes to talking about guitar: a major triad is not a perfect fifth it includes a perfect 5th, major third and the root! maybe you where drinking a 5th when you wrote this! The solo in meanstreet is in A minor so its not really that far out! And as for the fact of handing Satch a classical guitar and listen to the silence… that is just plain idiotic! Get help man, cause you need it!
Jeff

Oh yeah, congratulations Edward!!
Karl

Aftershock says:

“I do wish Sammy and Mike well with Chickenfoot and expect that I will like the album when it is released. I doubt, though, that it will be on par with Led Zeppelin or Van Halen.”

Here’s the news dude: The next Van Halen record is not going to be on a par with Van Halen.

p.s. I kept this one short. Otherwise you’d have dodged the point by turning it into a debate about where I’d put my commas…
Bo-Sox

RickyVanhalen, ya Eddie is great but Satch is the bomb and is excelling in his craft vs Eddie has not done anything ground breaking since the b-side of 1984.
Karl

I’ve just gone back and read RickieVanWhalen’s post telling us all how it is. Fuck me! Were you trying to make yourself sound like a prick or does it just come naturally. I’m surprised you could manage all that idiot musical analysis when you had both feet in your mouth. You tell us all the EVH that Satch can’t play just after telling us that you know how to play EVH very well. Guess that makes you better than Joe Satriani, then…
Rick

It cracks me up how you Haggaritas just don’t get it. Even if Satch was the more versatile and technically skilled player, he is still boring as hell and pale in comparison to Eddie on every level, as a player, as a songwriter, as a rockstar… Don’t get me wrong, I respect the guy, but if you don’t get, it cant be proven to you. Let me repeat here a quote from Paul Gilbert:

“My biggest guitar hero is named Edward. I have seen visions of freedom, virtuosity, and unspeakable joy that remain unmatched.”

So all of you self proclaimed I play 20+ years guitar masters (and I play too for some years, as well as piano, and I know my theory too): as long as you can’t convincingly claim to be on top of Paul Gilbert who knows a bit or two about rock guitar, then cut it.

Edward has been matched in terms of mere technical skill and virtuosity by many, but not been surpassed yet as the master of rock guitar period. Nobody has the groove of the guy.