Classic Rock Magazine’s ’100 Greatest Guitarists’ Collectable EVH cover

August 27, 2009 85 Comments

The New Issue Of Classic Rock Goes On Sale Today

…And it comes with four massively collectible covers!

The September edition of Classic Rock is now on sale. It’s a special collector’s edition featuring the 100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time, as chosen by the 100 greatest living guitarists.

Inside the issue you’ll discover more six-string tributes than you can shake a tremolo arm at, including:

Slash on Mick Taylor, David Gilmour on Jeff Beck, Steve Vai on Brian May, Eddie Van Halen on Eric Clapton, Kirk Hammett on Uli Jon Roth, Joe Perry on Angus Young, Billy Gibbons on BB King, Ace Frehley on Pete Townshend, Mike McCready on Michael Schenker – and many, many, many more!

The new issue of Classic Rock comes in a special cardboard wallet. Inside the wallet you’ll find one of four immensely collectible covers: Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards or Frank Zappa!

Filed Under: Eddie Van Halen, Merchandise

Marvin

Tom jones influenced Tom Cruise so the number 3 guitarist is for Ynmgigiew Malmstien to paul st. ford. Eric claptin taught him everythin he know about music. how cna you be so blind?
pete

another magazine making a top 100 list and selling it,i wonder where eddie will rank next month?
andy

I just don’t get these “greatest guitar player” lists. It’s like trying to establish if burgers are superior to pizzas. Or if Blue kicks Green’s ass…
bangkokbobby

I hear what you’re saying realchris…but as I see it…and I certainly could be wrong…if I put Jimmy and Eric above Eddie because they influence him, I’d have to put Chuck Berry and Albert King above Eric because they influenced him. After Eddie came out in ’78, the 80s were FESTOONED with EVH-clones, for better or for worse. A whole legion of guitarists suddenly looked at the instrument and expanded what they thought was possible. In fact, maybe Yngwie should be a little higher on the list, too…since there were also the Shrapnel school of Yngwie-clones as well…

…plus I give EVH the nod on influence not only because of his innovative playing but also his influence on how guitars were built and made (but don’t say this loud enough for Floyd Rose to hear! lol!)…as has been said before, Eddie is like Hendrix and Les Paul combined….
http://none Ducky / Dirty Duck

Andy:

LOL! Well put brother!
Pete

DUCKY…that’s really cool about Vai! I hope he does pop in and that you have a cool story about it.

There’s definitely no “right or wrong”, so I totally respect your opinion about Satch’s playing. Ed definitely has a more “bluesman’s” feel in his string bends, where Satch will be more likely the notes before and after rather than bending the string. I like Satch’s velocity on such things just, but I also love Eddie’s feel. For all the “shredders”, Eddie still has the nicest feel, and gives his notes some personality. That was a point that a lot of the “speed guys” in the 80′s missed. Vai, Satch, Ed, I love them all.

Yeah, I think we can give Satch the nod for starting the whole successful rock instrumentalist mold. He was actually Vai’s teacher too, so he definitely did it before Vai. Vai made it even more popular though given his high-profile Roth/Whitesnake gigs in his “Passion & Warfare” era. I believe Satch’s “Surfing with the Alien” was the highest charting album of it’s kind though, for those that care about such things. Also, his G3 tours with Vai are kind of his baby.

Anyway, enough wanking about facts…if it melts your face, it’s good. If it doesn’t, get back to what’s working for ya baby!

Cheers everyone, it’s freakin’ FRIDAY!

Pete
theREALchris

Good point bangkokbobby. To do an influence list, it would almost be a family tree type thing and less of a list. Oh, and Andy…Blue vs Green. I take green. He is half Blue afterall…:)
bangkokbobby

…I certainly wouldn’t want to leave blue blue or make green envious so I’ll take aquamarine…lol…there’s really no right or wrong…it’s all personal…somebody could look at my list and say, “where are the influential punk rock guitarists…where are the influential grunge players…only one jazz guitarist…no classical guitarists? What about bluegrass? No Albert Lee? No Al DiMeola? No Holdsworth? No Wes Montgomery? No Segovia?” We could go on and on…all I know is EVH changed so much…even people who don’t name him as a stylistic influence may play guitars or amps that have a mark of Eddie’s influence…

…it makes me even more disappointed that so little new music has come from the Van Halen camp in the last decade…we always hear about Eddie working on music…but does it matter if we don’t hear it…
blake

Hey duck dirty dick!or should i say, Mr. know it all? People are’nt saying eddie is gay.the picture,whether its Eddie or not is gay. You are my hero duck. Keep boring us with your b.s.
lucky

100 greatest guitarists blah blah blah. Ed been a zillion of those and is just a silly marketing thing to get you to buy the same old interviews over and over again.

Ed isn’t “better” than Satriani, and Satriani isn’t “better” than Ed. I admit the last few albums Joe has put out have been on the dull side, but then how many guitar instrumental albums can you put out without sounding the same?

Love Vai, always will, but his newer stuff I find a little contrived and overproduced, but then that’s what he does. I like him best when it sounds off the cuff and when his arrangements aren’t so complicated. (you can thank Zappa for that).

Yngwie? He was the original neo classical shredder, and he still plays exactly the same way. Fine if I want to listen to 80′s riffing, but I can only handle one song at a time.
Michael

For all the Malmsteen haters out there I ask one thing. Listen to his Marching Out album. Give it a real, honest listen and you will hear an amazing musician who while admittedly is not mainstream, but is creative, beautiful and happy to follow his own course. Listen to “Overture 1383″. It’s beautiful. “Don’t Let it End” is a classic rocker. The whole album is incredible. It’s time we acknowledge his and other guitarists talents and quit simply comparing everyone to Eddie. They’re all worth enjoying.
SCAR

Damn, The duck got slammed by blake – that’s comedy!!!!
John

Eddie is Number 1, I have to put Jeff Beck second.
pushtoshove

Anybody can see the light scar…have a brew for me Scar!!
http://yahoo evh4ever

eddie is number one no doubt
haha hes the king of 6 strings
Ludwig

We all know King Edward stands above the rest!! He’s in his own league. There’s King Edward and then there’s the rest!!!

But in regards to the Vai and Satriani argument, I think Vai shreds all over Satriani!! Vai is a complete freak. I know people will never let Vai forget that Satriani was his teacher. BIG DEAL!!! My next door pal taught me how to play G & A chords, but that doesn’t make him that he owns me?!!!

Steve Vai’s solo work (including his work with Dave!) is far superior to Satriani’s. Vai comes from the Zappa institution of music making, where as Satriani is a teacher. There was nothing new or innovative that Satriani ever did. When terms such as ‘innovative’ or ‘revolutionize’ comes into the equation, instantly the names of Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton come straight to the fore. But I would like to include Steve Vai. Why? He took the ‘Solo Guitar’ to new heights, but he also prove his worth when he took the monumental task of playing guitar for David Lee Roth whom had the biggest shadow in rock guitar King Edward Van Halen to follow up on. Much respects to Vai.

Satriani is just a good teacher of the guitar, he plays and teacher’s by rules that guitar gods like Eddie and Hendrix broke!!!!!
SCAR

I hear ya push. This bud’s for you – cheers!!!
David Alexander, Toulca Lake

The three most significant rock guitarists are:

Edward Van Halen
Jimi Hendrix
Jimmy Page

PERIOD.

Any mention of Steve Vai, Satriani, Malmsteem, is laughable.

Ace Frehley has recorded more significant guitar songs and solos than those 3 combined. And thats just on Kiss Alive and Alive II. And Ace should not be mention in the top 10 either.
Texas Joe

Great to see Eddie Van Halen on that cover. Will buy it. I’d like to say also that if Nuno Bettencourt is not in the “top 100″ list that would be totally sad. They gotta show Nuno some love, he is a guitar god. Extreme is back and “Saudades de Rock” is excellent.

Eddie is da man but Nuno is amazing…
Karl

Michael, I have most of Malmsteen’s albums and I can confirm that he is, indeed, a one trick pony. That doesn’t make me a hater, just being real. And anyone who puts him in a top ten alongside the likes of Eddie, Page Beck or Hendrix knows nothing about guitar playing.
Karl

Oh, and by the way, most of the ‘rockers’ on Marching Out are the kind of cheese they put on straight to video thrillers when the hero is driving his Chevey along the coastal highway with the wind in his hair…
swingin’ sinner

David alexander I believe gene and paul wrote most of the memorable kiss songs, so c’mon dave gaimme a break! Ace only wrote one good song imo and thats cold gin. But to each their own, and about the photo: gotta love the seatbelt guitar strap!
Skutch

David Alexander, I would say that Chuck Berry had a bigger influence on guitar than Page. Don’t get me wrong, Page rules, but he didn’t redefine the instrument like Berry did. I’m sure Page had more emulators after him though.
Bocephus

Melmsteen..?

Joke.
steve

My son is 18 and plays the guitar. And is very good. The reason he plays is Mr Edward Van Halen!!!!! All the guitarists mentioned are also great musicians but Eddie change everything!!! Just my two cents. I know nothing about the guitar but Ed catches my ear more with that tone. Eds the best! I kinda like Vito Brata. Want to listen to a great guitarist. Pull up a youtube of Phil Keaggy amazing acoustic work.
http://vhnd surfsno2008

you act as if he has never been on a mag. named guitar god before. this is just filler..

we want a damn dvd at least.
most of you people must be new fans…
i’ve been on board since 1986!
Bluesbro

Steve, I love Phil Keaggy. If you like his style check out Adrian Legg on youtube … incredible guitarist with innovative ways to get sound effects out of his instrument

These lists are interesting, but something like this is so subjective. I like Jimi Hendrix, particulalry his blues stuff. But overall his rock material is sloppy IMO … maybe more the band lacking tightness (or over intoxication … lol). His charisma and stage presense alone, and all out guitar assaults give him his deserved fame I suppose. Just not my number 1 … not even close.

My favorite of all time? The greatest guitarist you have never heard of … Roy Buchanan. It is rumored that he was a significant Hendrix influence … there certainly is footage of them playing together. He also turned down the Rolling Stones offer to join the band … how badass is that. His shows were always attended by some of the most famous, well known guitarists of his time. He was known as the player that serious guatarists went to see play live. He pioneered the telecaster sound, and was an effects master without the use of pedals or other tricks … a virtuoso in ever sense of the word. He is proof that commercial fame has NOTHING to do with with being the so called ‘greatest’.

Unfortunately not much good footage survives him, but if you are interested go to youtube and search ‘Roy’s Blues (5)’. There is also a video of him covering Hendrix’s ‘Hey Joe’ that is great.

Rip Roy #1
kenny

is this magazine out yet???
swingin’ sinner

bluesbro, Roy was great would ‘ve loved to seen the rumored head cuttin jam with him and danny gatton if it really happened!
Bluesbro

Swingin’ Sinner, you are right. I am not sure who would win a picking contest between Gatton and Buchanan, but I bet a mouse could survive on the difference. Gatton was as great a jazz guitarist as I have ever heard … incredible technique and feel.

Interesting that both chose the ’53 Fender Telecaster as their instrument of choice … one hell of an axe!
http://none Ducky / Dirty Duck

blake…

Seems like you’re the one who’s bored.

I was actually thinking about changing my name here to mr. know it all, but it doesnt have the same punch that dirty duck has…

sorry i ruined your day
http://mg mark guest

This Is A Quote Recently Read On Vh Newsdesk That Sammy Hagar Has Said That Satriani Is The Complete Package When It Comes To Songwriting And Being A True Technician In The Studio.Go Ahead Sammy And Try To Put Your Chickenpop Up Against Any Van Hagar Album.How Dare You Sammy.Eddie Rules,Enough Said.
http://none Ducky / Dirty Duck

You wanna know the first thing i learned about rockstars?
They always praise each other for awhile then eventually clash…break up….talk shit about each other…find new musical partners…and talk about how THIS is the best person they ever worked with etc….

Give it time….I’m sure eventually sammy will have a problem with someone in this group or vice versa.

How can you play with eddie van fuckin halen for all those years, and bash him in almost every interview when he’s mentioned?
fish

Anyone locate this issue with the special cardboard cover? I found a big pile of the correct issue at the local magazine shop, but no cardboard covers on any of them…
JL

Seriously EVH may be a good guitar player but to rate him # 1 on a Top Ten list-you simply must joking. To rate him above Hendrix, Uli, Schenker and Page is ..well…obscene and so high school.