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The appeal of DJ Ashba's musicianship

Bruno P.

By Bruno P.
in 2013

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Bruno P. SUPER GOD

Bruno P.

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He is mainly a guitarist in GnR, so he's supposed to provide tasteful guitar tracks. He is a songwriter, so he's supposed to provide good songs. He's also a backup singer. Realistically, this is what he'll do in Guns as he isn't going to produce a new album, so I ask you - what can DJ Ashba bring to the table musically? I've heard some of his albums, and while nothing was stand out, a few guitar tracks and songs were tasteful. Generic and cheese, but tasteful nonetheless. But I feel like if you are a Guns guitarist you gotta be better than decent. So, I have two questions...

What can DJ do musically outstanding in Guns?

What are his "big guns" as a guitarist and songwriter? (As in his best songs and solos)

I don't want to bash him or his look and his stage moves. This is dedicated to his musicianship so his fans can prove his worth and show us that he's a proper GnR guitarist.

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wasted LEGEND

wasted

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it seems like part of being a GNR guitarist is being able to work with Axl. Wanting to. If Axl says can you make that note on the solo longer or can you re-do it more like whatever. Then you have to be ready to jump. If you think it's done and Axl needs to shut up then no matter how great you are, it's not going to work. see Slash, Bucket as examples maybe. If Axl likes you, and you can work with him then that's the main thing. After that it's pretty subjective unless you really can't play.

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Bruno P. SUPER GOD

Bruno P.

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But he said that he was on Axl's radar for 10 years, and it's known that Axl said if DJ showed up at the auditions, he'd get the gig. Axl probably rates him highly, and he doesn't have a small fanbase. It's not huge but he's kind of relevant in today's rock scene. So I don't think Axl's main priority would be having some yes men willing to take his orders.

What can he really do musically?

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SoulMonster LEGEND

SoulMonster

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He is mainly a guitarist in GnR, so he's supposed to provide tasteful guitar tracks. He is a songwriter, so he's supposed to provide good songs. He's also a backup singer. Realistically, this is what he'll do in Guns as he isn't going to produce a new album, so I ask you - what can DJ Ashba bring to the table musically? I've heard some of his albums, and while nothing was stand out, a few guitar tracks and songs were tasteful. Generic and cheese, but tasteful nonetheless. But I feel like if you are a Guns guitarist you gotta be better than decent. So, I have two questions...

What can DJ do musically outstanding in Guns?

What are his "big guns" as a guitarist and songwriter? (As in his best songs and solos)

I don't want to bash him or his look and his stage moves. This is dedicated to his musicianship so his fans can prove his worth and show us that he's a proper GnR guitarist.

He can hopefully write riffs and guitar parts that bridge the bluesy, sleazy guitars we know from AFD with the experimental, wacky noises that might come from Bumblefoot ;) Basically preventing GN'R from becoming too unfamiliar to us who prefer the classic sound.

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wasted LEGEND

wasted

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I think it's part of it. You could be great, you could be Slash, but if you don't want to be part of Axl's vision or like how he does things.

All I've heard is Sixx Am. This is Gonna Hurt. He was in Beautiful Creatures too? You've got old skool, new skool thing right there.

Ballad of Death to me shows he can do a solo that you can put on an Axl ballad.

He wrote MF of the Year and Saints of Los Angeles for Crue?

So for me looking at his resume,

Ballad of Death

This is Gonna Hurt

Sure Feels Right

MF of the Year/Saints of Los Angeles

He can do a rocker, he can do a acoustic ballad, he can do a solo.

He's kind of glam metal, maybe that element fits with what Axl wants to do next?

Plus he wants to be there, Axl likes him.

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Blunoze Junior

Blunoze

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This video pretty much sums up who should be playing lead on any new material:

I have no problem with Ashba playing lead live on some of the older stuff, but in my eyes Bumble should be the 'Izzy' and Fortus the 'Slash' for any recordings. Not that they are going to record anything though of course!

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Bruno P. SUPER GOD

Bruno P.

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Sure Feels Right is very good. Really liked it.

Goodbye My Friends is great and he does a good-to-great job on the guitars.

Heart Failure is good. It gets better at the end, right after the spoken part (solo, chorus, etc).

Intermission, didn't like this one. Too much wah wah going on and the soloing is decent to good.

Life After Death, again too much wah wah going on on this one. The playing is decent to good.

The live version of Intermission even reminds me a bit of Ballad of Death/Mi Amor.

That being said, too much wah wah going on all the time, lol. That doesn't help at all. As I thought, he's good in studio and at times he's great, but nothing did really stand out to me. I've listened to his albums a few years ago, I liked them, but that's about it. Gonna listen to them again now. Maybe I'll like them better now...

Fuck, I just realized that I've got both albums in my HD. Wasted a lot of time on youtube. :lol:

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machinegunner Senior

machinegunner

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He can go a bit dark or goth, and can swing it back to Americana. Seemed to have a knack for the lyrical in his playing when I saw him up close. All the Americana elements in GN'R music are important from the bible belt to the west coast, up to Seattle and then across to the east coast (where there are more urban elements -- hardcore, punk, etc -- that Ron, Richard and Tommy perhaps specialize more in), and I believe that being from Indiana and all as well could help him to portray these elements well in good harmony with Axl.

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Voodoochild SUPER GOD

Voodoochild

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Bruno, I think "tasteful" isn't really something to describe Ashba's work. Far from it. His notes choice's are always the most predictable ones. His tone is overly sweetened, his wha is exagerated and he doesn't know how to use clean and crunchy sounds. So yeah, there's nothing tasteful there.

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Bruno P. SUPER GOD

Bruno P.

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That being said, too much wah wah going on all the time, lol.

It's funny that Axl [apparently] said the gig was DJ's if he wanted it; before DJ, there was one guy they auditioned and I can't remember his name, but he didn't get it because he "used too much wah" :lol:

:lol: Unless that guy was Kirk Hammett, I don't think most guitar players would use more wah wah than DJ :lol:

Bruno, I think "tasteful" isn't really something to describe Ashba's work. Far from it. His notes choice's are always the most predictable ones. His tone is overly sweetened, his wha is exagerated and he doesn't know how to use clean and crunchy sounds. So yeah, there's nothing tasteful there.

Yes, but I think some of his work sounds decent-to-good because I know how it'll sound next :lol: can't really explain, but when I'm listening to his solos I'm like "he's going there next", and he then goes. When I'm listening to Bucket, Robin or Ron I'm like "What the fuck did they just do?", and it sounds awesome!

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Voodoochild SUPER GOD

Voodoochild

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Bruno, I think "tasteful" isn't really something to describe Ashba's work. Far from it. His notes choice's are always the most predictable ones. His tone is overly sweetened, his wha is exagerated and he doesn't know how to use clean and crunchy sounds. So yeah, there's nothing tasteful there.

Yes, but I think some of his work sounds decent-to-good because I know how it'll sound next :lol: can't really explain, but when I'm listening to his solos I'm like "he's going there next", and he then goes. When I'm listening to Bucket, Robin or Ron I'm like "What the fuck did they just do?", and it sounds awesome!

Thats why I said his choices were the most predictable ones. Ashba is all about not taking risks. I really can't understand why Axl would want that after so many cutting edge guitar players.

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jellyzero Full

jellyzero

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That being said, too much wah wah going on all the time, lol.

It's funny that Axl [apparently] said the gig was DJ's if he wanted it; before DJ, there was one guy they auditioned and I can't remember his name, but he didn't get it because he "used too much wah" :lol:

too much wammy bar - not wah

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The Glow Inc. FRONTMAN

The Glow Inc.

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.

It's funny that Axl [apparently] said the gig was DJ's if he wanted it; before DJ, there was one guy they auditioned and I can't remember his name, but he didn't get it because he "used too much wah" :lol:

I remember that piece of info. It was in a Jason Becker interview about another guitarist however it wasn't that he used "too much wah" but "too much his whammy bar".

And, well, I listened to that guy's playing and it screamed 80's, Shrapnel Records guitarist ( yeah, I know Ron was signed on Shrapnel twenty years ago ).

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