What happened to Slash's guitar playing?

[Sosso]

3 minutes ago, jacdaniel said:

This is an utterly bizarre thread. 

I mean, Axl hasn't sounded great on lots of songs since at least 2017. Not to mention he has zero interest in actually writing new music. 

Frank is arguably the poorest drummer in the band's history. 

Melissa and Dizzy are not exactly essential members. 

Richards tone is quite poor and he overplays a lot on rhythm guitar.

The band played practically the same set list for years and years.

 

Of all the things to be annoyed about in the Guns N Roses world, I think this is a very minor issue. The band are selling out stadiums because Slash and Duff are back.

I don't even see the big issue with his CD solo's. I think they improved CD and Better and do most of the songs justice. 

 

Tell me that you are a not objective without telling me that you are not objective. 

[jacdaniel]

19 minutes ago, Sosso said:

Tell me that you are a not objective without telling me that you are not objective. 

Every post you've made on this thread is some kind of whining about Slash. 

He botched the solo the first time he played it live... Get over it 

[Sosso]

1 minute ago, jacdaniel said:

Every post you've made on this thread is some kind of whining about Slash. 

He botched the solo the first time he played it live... Get over it 

Not only Slash, I was dissapointed with Axl's performances on Slither and This I Love as well

[viruzzz]

I was really disappointed with Slash's This I Love solo since 2017.

That song was craving for a Slash solo since it was released.
Now Street of dreams, I feel the same.

Really disappointing.

Thing is, i'm used to get disappointed with Axl, but it seems now it's the same with Slash.

[Gunner Gilby]

5 hours ago, jacdaniel said:

This is an utterly bizarre thread. 

I mean, Axl hasn't sounded great on lots of songs since at least 2017. Not to mention he has zero interest in actually writing new music. 

Frank is arguably the poorest drummer in the band's history. 

Melissa and Dizzy are not exactly essential members. 

Richards tone is quite poor and he overplays a lot on rhythm guitar.

The band played practically the same set list for years and years.

 

Of all the things to be annoyed about in the Guns N Roses world, I think this is a very minor issue. The band are selling out stadiums because Slash and Duff are back.

I don't even see the big issue with his CD solo's. I think they improved CD and Better and do most of the songs justice. 

 

I agree that you don't need a second keyboardist (Teddy, Chris, Melissa). But Dizzy's cool. He plays great piano/keys on what songs need it and plays percussion on the rest. Besides which he's the longest serving band member besides Axl. He's more than paid his dues.

[thunderram]

7 hours ago, jacdaniel said:

This is an utterly bizarre thread. 

I mean, Axl hasn't sounded great on lots of songs since at least 2017. Not to mention he has zero interest in actually writing new music. 

Frank is arguably the poorest drummer in the band's history. 

Melissa and Dizzy are not exactly essential members. 

Richards tone is quite poor and he overplays a lot on rhythm guitar.

The band played practically the same set list for years and years.

 

Of all the things to be annoyed about in the Guns N Roses world, I think this is a very minor issue. The band are selling out stadiums because Slash and Duff are back.

I don't even see the big issue with his CD solo's. I think they improved CD and Better and do most of the songs justice. 

 

Well said. Perspective is important, and clearly lacking from a faction of fans on this forum.

Not only is SLASH not bad, even if he was, he is FAR down the list of what’s worthy of criticism regarding the current lineup of the band and the music they play,

[Beto 22]

12 hours ago, thunderram said:

Well said. Perspective is important, and clearly lacking from a faction of fans on this forum.

Not only is SLASH not bad, even if he was, he is FAR down the list of what’s worthy of criticism regarding the current lineup of the band and the music they play,

No he's not!

[Sosso]

Slash fanboys about Axl: He sounds like shit on Slither. Dude is finished. 

Slash fanboys about Slash: His reputation is more Important than his current guitar playing. He can play like shit and it still sounds good. 

[Free Bird]

11 minutes ago, Sosso said:

Slash fanboys about Axl: He sounds like shit on Slither. Dude is finished. 

Slash fanboys about Slash: His reputation is more Important than his current guitar playing. He can play like shit and it still sounds good. 

Seriously dude...? We're GNR fans. We're happy if the band succeeds and happy for Axl if he sings good. It seems like he's somehow prepared for this european leg but lets be honest. The bar is set very low by now and we're already impressed if Axl doesn’t sound like shit. On the current gigs he shows that he's still able to hit the notes and that's good, but in the last two decades he failed to deliver frequently and disappointed us again and again. Now Slash plays one or two weird solos on a show lately and you compare his performance to Axl's. That shows how blinded and biased you are... seriously. That's a joke dude. 

 

[Robert39]

Slash was awesome in Groningen, every body was talkin' about  his guitar playing !!!  They were all impressed !! He sounded more raw and gritty, then in Nijmegen 2017/2018.

[jacdaniel]

1 hour ago, Sosso said:

Slash fanboys about Axl: He sounds like shit on Slither. Dude is finished. 

Slash fanboys about Slash: His reputation is more Important than his current guitar playing. He can play like shit and it still sounds good. 

Are you 12 years old? 

[zepsun]

23 hours ago, jacdaniel said:

This is an utterly bizarre thread. 

I mean, Axl hasn't sounded great on lots of songs since at least 2017. Not to mention he has zero interest in actually writing new music. Agreed

Frank is arguably the poorest drummer in the band's history. Agreed - Two things about his drumming - he doesn't hit as hard as Steve and Matt (+Taylor Hawkins) do, and his sound is so fucking dry. Like there is no reverb and the drums are tuned so tight there is no boom factor to any of them. Matt and Steve had deep snares, and boomy toms, and bright shiny cymbals. Further to that, Frank doesn't leave much room between beats or during transitions. He has to fill in every second - I think this also affects Slash's playing. A harder drummer drives Slash to play meaner - and not necessarily shredding. 

Melissa and Dizzy are not exactly essential members. Indifferent to these two really. Dizzy has been playing the Estranged piano break a little too "honky tonky" lately though. I also like how that section on the album version breathes and has quiet/louder notes to it. Dizzy has taken away a lot of the dynamics lately. 

Richard's tone is quite poor (sounds thin and processed like he is using Amplitube or something) and he overplays a lot on rhythm guitar. Prior to Slash joining I think he did a great job fitting in, but now he overplays. He is playing some of Slash's single phrases an octave above or below (YCBM, Rocket Queen solo for example) and he is just off in his own world impersonating a harder Ronnie Wood. I don't think he and Slash get along at all - they are just co-workers.

The band played practically the same set list for years and years. I think they have a big list of songs now and they are using that pool to change it up, which is good. It just took a long time for them to build up that catalogue. Way too many covers though. Even KOHD should be cut down to the UYI version. 

 

Of all the things to be annoyed about in the Guns N Roses world, I think this is a very minor issue. The band are selling out stadiums because Slash and Duff are back. Would still love to see an original 5 or UYI hybrid show though, before Axl's voice dies any further. Slash and Matt/Steve really groove together. 

I don't even see the big issue with his CD solo's. I think they improved CD and Better and do most of the songs justice. Slash needs to tinker with the CD songs. I don't know why Slash's SoD solo was poor - maybe he forgot the song. 

 

I'm a guitar player, and have generally had distain for most of the guitarists in the 1998-2015 era. That being said, I've definitely noticed a change in Slash's playing, and not for the better. He definitely has a shred vibe going on and as a result there are fewer of those spontaneous melodic moments we used to get with solo outros, resolving over-bends, etc. This I Love should have definitely been treated better. One performance in 2016 had a good solo I believe. Other points in red quote-embedded. Agree mostly. 

 

Edited June 26, 2022 by zepsun

[Beto 22]

2 hours ago, jacdaniel said:

Are you 12 years old? 

No, he's telling how it is.

[jacdaniel]

1 hour ago, zepsun said:

I'm a guitar player, and have generally had distain for most of the guitarists in the 1998-2015 era. That being said, I've definitely noticed a change in Slash's playing, and not for the better. He definitely has a shred vibe going on and as a result there are fewer of those spontaneous melodic moments we used to get with solo outros, resolving over-bends, etc. This I Love should have definitely been treated better. One performance in 2016 had a good solo I believe. Other points in red quote-embedded. Agree mostly. 

 

90s Slash was probably his best era. He had a really great tone around then and just perfected those string bends. 

From about 2010 onwards with his solo stuff is when I noticed him shredding a lot more and to be fair I think it suits his solo band. He's super tight with those guys.

I do think there are times when he could slow it down a bit with Guns but it's largely overstated on here. If anything I think the band just lack some chemistry.

[Nintari]

On 6/25/2022 at 4:57 PM, viruzzz said:

I was really disappointed with Slash's This I Love solo since 2017.

That song was craving for a Slash solo since it was released.
Now Street of dreams, I feel the same.

Really disappointing.

Thing is, i'm used to get disappointed with Axl, but it seems now it's the same with Slash.

When I first heard TIL I thought, man... if only Slash had gotten a hold of this thing! But now, when I hear him play it, I think, man... Robin's solo was so much better.

I still think Illusions-era Slash would have blown us away, though.

[GnR Chris]

On 6/19/2022 at 5:21 AM, adamsapple said:

If he was pulling this shit off in my band I'd fire his ass and play the damn guitar solos myself. 

It isn't 1999 anymore. If Slash leaves Guns N' Roses, Guns N' Roses is effectively over.

[GnR Chris]

On 6/21/2022 at 5:06 AM, Free Bird said:

The guys play gigs for 3 hours with Axl sounding like a parody of his former self most of the time and you guys wank over an uninspiring Slash solo for a song that's known by probably 5% of the audience. 

 

Damn. I love "Street of Dreams," but you just really put everybody's whining over one small solo into complete perspective. 

[©GnrPersia]

7 hours ago, Free Bird said:

On the current gigs he shows that he's still able to hit the notes and that's good, but in the last two decades he failed to deliver frequently and disappointed us again and again.

 

Wait a minute. Axl failed to deliver in the last two decades?  How about 2002, 2006-07 and 2009-2011?

I'm really not an Axl fanatic anymore as he has disappointed me on many levels time after time but we have to be fair.

You mentioned "we're all GNR fans" but I doubt you ever followed NewGNR when jt was a thing otherwise you wouldn't mention 'past two decades'. Maybe I'm wrong but your definition of GNR fan probably excludes 1999-2014. 

Edited June 27, 2022 by ©GnrPersia

[Free Bird]

2 hours ago, ©GnrPersia said:

Wait a minute. Axl failed to deliver in the last two decades?  How about 2002, 2006-07 and 2009-2011?

I'm really not an Axl fanatic anymore as he has disappointed me on many levels time after time but we have to be fair.

You mentioned "we're all GNR fans" but I doubt you ever followed NewGNR when jt was a thing otherwise you wouldn't mention 'past two decades'. Maybe I'm wrong but your definition of GNR fan probably excludes 1999-2014. 

Sorry, I didn't knew I have to like and to follow new GNR to be a GNR fan. That was news to me. I apologize. Will never happen again 

Well... to me the first big disappointment was in 2001. Therefore you're right. I should have say 'more than two decades.'

Believe me, I really tried to like Axl's project but I couldn't stand his clean voice nor the freak show behind him. That's not what made me a GNR fan. So yeah, I was still shocked in 2002.

Then of course I stopped follow them consistently but I bought CD on day one of it's release. Regardless to say it was another disappointment. 2009-2011? I know he had a strong time at the end of 2009 and delivered in 2010 but if IRC he started very poor in 2009.

RIR 2011? Nothing more to say I guess...

"but in the last two decades he failed to deliver frequently"

That's what I said. Sometimes a single word can change the whole context...

 

 

 

[EvanG]

On 6/25/2022 at 8:33 AM, thunderram said:

You’re delusional if you believe he can’t. He chooses not to because he doesn’t want to. 

You probably never heard Stevie Ray Vaughan or BB King or Eric Clapton use those techniques very often, if ever, either. Or tap like EVH. 

Because it’s not to their liking or preferred style. SLASH is on record as never being interested in the tapping thing as he considers it an Eddie thing. 

Im pretty certain if he wanted to learn, use and perfect those techniques he could. 

Would you expect AXL to sing a Queen song like Freddie did? Or sing Black Hole Sun as Chris Cornell did??

Same goes for SLASH and guitar playing. He plays how he likes to play and doesn’t want to emulate anyone else. And God bless him for that!

Uhm… I didn’t say Slash can’t learn it but he never has, and considering he’s not the most technical guy, he’ll never be as fluent at sweep picking as those nu-GnR guys. And that’s ok.

Edited June 27, 2022 by EvanG

[SoulMonster]

Axl and Slash are long past their prime but they are still delivering kick-ass concerts and entertaining millions. It's cool. They are like 60. It is okay to not sing or bend a string like you did in your 20s.

[Free Bird]

11 minutes ago, EvanG said:

Uhm… I didn’t say Slash can’t learn it but he never has, and considering he’s not the most technical guy, he’ll never be as fluent as those nu-GnR guys. And that’s ok.

Yeah we don't know if he's able to use these techniques or not. We know he doesn't want to. And you're right, even if he wanted to, his technical ability wouldn't allow him to sound as good as Bucket or Ron when tapping.

But you you don't need this for the classic Guns stuff. And even for solos like TWAT he managed to sound good without using these techniques. 

[El Guapo]

1 hour ago, Free Bird said:

Yeah we don't know if he's able to use these techniques or not. We know he doesn't want to. And you're right, even if he wanted to, his technical ability wouldn't allow him to sound as good as Bucket or Ron when tapping.

But you you don't need this for the classic Guns stuff. And even for solos like TWAT he managed to sound good without using these techniques. 

If Slash would start using tapping and sweeping a lot now it would be strange as well

It was always part of his identity that he DIDN'T play like this, which made him more unique sounding in the 80s.

 

[DTJ80]

I like all the guitarists who have played on the material - variety and different styles is all good. The great thing about Slash (certainly during the Illusion days) was he could tell a story and emotion better than most by using about 1/4 of the notes. Stuff like November Rain and Estranged aren’t technical marvel’s…..and they don’t need to be as they are perfect in their approach as they are.

[El Guapo]

22 minutes ago, DTJ80 said:

I like all the guitarists who have played on the material - variety and different styles is all good. The great thing about Slash (certainly during the Illusion days) was he could tell a story and emotion better than most by using about 1/4 of the notes. Stuff like November Rain and Estranged aren’t technical marvel’s…..and they don’t need to be as they are perfect in their approach as they are.

Yeah, he kinda lost that along the way.