Your favourite "non-shred" guitar solos

General Music Discussion
#13

I always liked his leads way more than Walsh’s. I’d vote for Hotel California too, easily but I’ll list some others.

I was thinking of making a thread on “favorite guitar tones” and this is one of my favorites (and favorite solos too). Sorry, I know Christmas is over…

Same on this one, great tone, great solo

Someone else took Comfortably Numb but that solo is just perfect.

Sister Christian has the tastiest hair band solo I can think of (unfortunately not the great tone of the others I’ve mentioned, but hey, it was the 80’s):

Neal Schon has great tone and tastiness. I guess since he’s a shredder I’m disqualified for mentioning him due to the same “guilt by association” problem with Tommo’s submission. He’s just so damn melodic though.

Lastly (until I think of many many more), probably my favorite rock solo of all:

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#14

Solo is one minute in

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#15

I’m not sure if it counts as a solo…? But towards the end

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#16

How has no one listed this one yet?

#17

IDK. Depends on your definition of what is or is not a shredder. He might still might qualify you for this, although including him might open up the doors to players like Gary Moore etc.

Stone in Love is okay, but I prefer a song like “Send her my love” for this. It really hits his melodic side for how dead simple it really is.

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#18

That one’s great too!

#19

I take it back. This disqualifies you just on principle.

NO Stairway. Denied!

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#20

I know I know. Just remember though, it’s only so overplayed because it’s so great :slight_smile:

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#21

His Santana era is less shred. His back and forth with Carlos on this is good stuff. He was 16-17!

Probably the best example of his Santana era soloing.

Caravanserai is the most underrated rock album ever imo.

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#22

Also I think both Jeff Watson and Brad Gillis are too much on the cusp too now that I think of it. So you deff already treaded that line early,

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#23

How many Jeff Beck solos am I allowed to post? I’ll start with this…

I absolutely love Ritchie Blackmore’s playing in Rainbow

This might be my favourite solo by David Gilmour

And this is the reason I started playing the guitar in the first place

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#24

I was considering him an early shredder but if we aren’t. This solo is unreal for 1970.

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#25

Honestly, I have no idea what counts as “shred” anymore.

Does Scott Henderson count? What about Mark Knopfler? Is he too fast? Gary Moore?

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#26

Slippery slope for sure. I already mentioned Gary above as being a step too over that line, especially if you are going to start including someone like Neil Schon. Same with John Sykes or even Vivian Campbell who played one of the solos I mentioned above.

#27

When I made the thread I was specifically thinking “non-shred genre” so, not neo-classical or death metal etc.

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#28

Dang it, this is tough.

Anything by Jeff Beck. Dude was the best rock guitarist ever!
Anything by Jimmy Page! Jimmy rules!
Anything by Ritchie Blackmore! faaaaack Ritchie was sooo good! Plus, he came with a rotten attitude! lol
Anything by Tony Iommi - completely underrated guitarist in my mind - his lead stuff is great and in particular I just love what he did when Ronnie Dio was in the band…
Anything by Kieth and Ron of the Stones
Anything by Alex Lifeson
Anything by Derek Trucks
Anything by Angus Young
Anything by SRV
Anything by Lenny Breau
Anything by Les Paul
Anything by Chet Atkins
Everything by Tool - I am a big fan of his ability to “not” play guitar solos…
Bach - I am a huge fan. Not sure he was a shredder, 'cause he wrote all of his stuff for the greater glory of God…
Actual songs ummm

“Would” and “Them” By Alice in Chains
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Heart Shaped Box” By Nirvana
“Confidence Man” Jeff Healy
“Magic Man” Heart
“Surprise You’re Dead” Faith No More (I love Jim Martin’s guitar sound! Dry AF!)
“So What” Miles Davis Not guitar but I just absolutely love this solo…
Every song on “Thunder Seven” By Triumph - Rik Emmet really kicks ass without being a “shredder”
Ummm Every Iron Maiden song up featuring Dave and Adrian, I can’t get into Mr Gers… (Sorry)

Okay, I am starting to see a pattern. I had best stop here…

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#30

Okay screw it, I see where this thread is going…

…And that’s just over that line

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#31

Well someone had to do it…lol!

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#32

Love the intro volume swells in this one and the way it builds

I’m a simple man, you play phyrigian dominant and it gets put in my top lists.

This highlights my favorite aspect of his playing he’s a master at drawing the listeners attention by starting solos in very unique ways. The harmonic in this being a good example.

+1000 for the Tolkien reference +10 for the cool phrasing in this one.

I could write a near doctoral thesis on this song alone and the way the solos perfectly relate to the emotions the protagonist goes through in the song. Especially the ones in “Presentation” and “Soliloquy”

Might be the most underrated blues based soloist simply cause no one thinks of him as such and since he objectively wrote the most good riffs per capita of any guitarist in history his leads get ignored.

I still cannot play trills as flawlessly as this man

Obviously he incorporated more speedy “shreddier” playing later on.

This one is later Iommi perfection and I will not stop singing it’s praises until everyone has heard it.

Speaking of people who went from non shred to shred.

Tipton’s solo in this is flawless.

But this begs the question what’s the true borderline between shred and not shred. Where do things like this fall? The shredification of rock solos in the late 80s was just such a great time for music.

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#33

I have to give a shout out to Elliot Easton’s soloing in The Cars. Love this tune in general…

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