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Why The Ashba Hate?


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Can someone explain to me why there is so much Ashba hate?

I admit that I have no problem with the guy. I like his live and studio versions of better where he adds his own take. I also like his GNR solo spots and the extra rev he added to the live version of This I love.

I can see some people finding his marketeering a bit crass. I don’t listen to his other stuff as I’m a Slash and Finck fan. The guy’s interview bravado is a bit annoying too, not to mention some stupid posts from his wife.

I rate Bucket, Slash & Finck over the other lead guitarists. Though Bumble is a nice guy, great player and arranger, his intended contribution to a GNR record seemed a bit naff. Admittedly I’ve not heard what Ashba wrote but Axl seemed keen and I rate Axl’s gut instinct over the other members.

I’m a basic guitarist, who loves music of many types, and has played a lot of instruments and sang over the years. I’ve not heard anything in Ashba’s playing that I fault. Are his critics musically literate enough to knock him? I’m not looking for a debate from any keyboard warrior, but if anyone is happy to discuss and clarify I’d greatly appreciate this please?

I also admit not to reading reams of posts.

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28 minutes ago, DeperilsofrockNRollDekednz said:
Are his critics musically literate enough to knock him?

I doubt any of us are musically literate enough to decipher the pure non-conformist atonal blob of notes that is DJ Ashba's Patience outro solo - except for Tommy Stinson who was so amazed that he had to stop what he was doing to clap on stage when DJ brought that moment of pure genius out

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Short answer; he's not Slash.

I personally preferred him to Robin Finck, especially on the older material - notably November Rain, where Finck was just an absolute shit show(in my opinion). I don't think classic songs like that are open to interpretation. Ashba played it a bit more by the book. 

All of the guys had their ups and downs. I was lukewarm on Ashba, but never particularly liked Finck. I guess Music, just like everything else is an acquired taste.

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I don't think he was all that bad at all. He was always very enthusiastic and quite good at keeping in contact with fans to one level or another (Bumble was probably the one one who did more on that front out of the whole NuGn'R cast). While cheesy, he did keep the live shows entertaining and made an effort to really engage with the crowd.

For the first year or two, he seemed to be pretty serious about his role with the band and kept the 'Swag' stuff pretty low. I figure that after 2011 or so, he probably realised that it was just going to be a case of more endless touring with no chance of new music being made, so he figured he might as well try and get something else out of his being a part of GN'R. Hence we got the 'Swag! Ashba water!' stuff more heavily in those final years. To be honest, I couldn't blame him.

 

Also, Ballad of Death and Mi Amore are great solo pieces and I would not have objected at all to them being given official releases had Axl bothered to put an album out during those years.

Edited by seely
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27 minutes ago, WhazUp said:

I doubt any of us are musically literate enough to decipher the pure non-conformist atonal blob of notes that is DJ Ashba's Patience outro solo - except for Tommy Stinson who was so amazed that he had to stop what he was doing to clap on stage when DJ brought that moment of pure genius out

Had a moment of panic when I thought I'd lost the links to the gifs I made, but looks like they're still on my Imgur account:

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And I agree with @seely; in 2010 he wasn't that bad (apart from butchering the TIL solo). He kept things simple, and got the crowd engaged. But once ASHBASWAGTM took over, and he started trying to do... something with the Patience outro solo, yeah, I wasn't a fan any more. Anyway, best of luck to him in his new ventures.

Edited by Amir
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I don’t usually care about a musicians “image” or “style” but his was embarrassingly laughable in gnr. That ridiculous faux top hat that he wore (notice he ONLY wore it in gnr, not sixx am)... was that meant to mock slash? Or to mimic him in some way? That ridiculous intro to WTTJ with the hogan ears? He was also, talent wise, the worst guitarist gnr ever had. When Finck left and was replaced by ashba, it was, to me, the end of nu gnr and any excitement I had about it.

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Honestly, when DJ was announced as the new guitarist in 2009 I was excited to hear what he'd bring to the band. And for the most part he was 'good enough', at first. I thought he was good at the 2010 show I saw. But in 2011-12, and especially after that, he playing became sloppier and his marketing/social media presence became insufferable. It was like he stopped practising guitar, and only practised how to sell ugly hats and bottled water.

 

And of course, there's the Hogan ears, Patience solo, SCOM intro, etc.

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49 minutes ago, sofine11 said:

Hoo boy, where to begin? In short, he was just awful in every way imaginable and represents the worst, most creatively bankrupt, era in GNR history. That’s all I got.

I don't personally think he was that awful, but do agree with the last part. That entire era was a bit of a mess. Mostly because of Axl himself. I think it yielded some of the most embarrassing Guns performances of all time. Given Axl's performances, you have to wonder if the musicians around him even gave a crap. 

the 2006 era was a wasted opportunity. The band was a machine, and Axl was on fire. 

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