Joe Satriani vs. Buckethead

[KingOfBBQ.]

A friend of mine at school really thinks Buckethead is better than Joe Satriani, but I don't think so. Basicaly, his arguement is "Buckethead can play ANYTHING Joe Satriani can, but Joe can't play Buckethead's stuff" which I think is a huge load of crap (The opinion and the logic behind it). I want your opinions on the two. In general, who do you think is a better player?

I realize most of you might say something along the lines of "They play totaly different music, it's not fair to compare the two" which is very true, I just want to know in terms of raw tallent who do you think is better.

[The Eye in the Sky!]

They can probably both play what each other can play. Talent is not just a judge of who can play faster or more technical. It's a combination of a bunch of things related to music.

Words that I go by are what my brother told me: "I can play anything that you show me. Any good guitarist can. A great guitarist writes that music that us good guitarists are playing."

Now for my opinion... neither. I have not found anything I really find interesting about either one.

[WTF d00ds?]

Now for my opinion... neither. I have not found anything I really find interesting about either one.

Methinks Jordan, perhaps?

My god, did you even need to ask this question? Buckethead, hands down. Now if we were talking buckethead vs Steve Vai or Yngwie Malmsteen, I'd pick either one of them in a heartbeat. Buckethead is probably in the top 10 best guitarists in the world, but he doesn't even come close to either one of them.

[The Eye in the Sky!]

It's a cool song for the game but nothing I'd listen to outside of it.

[Noise]

Oh f*cking please.

If it weren't for guitar hero, nobody would even know who, or what the f*ck Buckethead is. We'd probably be better off that way, too. Unfortunately, I gotta say he beats Satriani, albeit not by much.

I'm with Eye, both are talented, to a point, but not in the least bit fantastic.

[Spiner202]

I don't even know Satriani's work, but he wins. Buckethead is just shred and that's not all that great to listen to. My brother looked at the tab for Jordan, and keep in mind, though my brother is a good guitarist he struggles with solos, he said he could play the first half of the solo (solo B for Guitar Hero players) so I don't thinks he's all that great. And looking at the tab, it was all just trills too. I do think a lot of what I listen to COULD play like him, but they choose not to because then their music doesn't sound good. Listen to Helloween, I bet they can shred, and their music is fast and they do shred in solos, but the difference is that they can combine many musical elements into their song to make it sound great.

[coheed]

Meh, neither one of them particularly appeals to me. Satriani is okay (and I much prefer him to Malmsteen or Vai), but I don't even know enough of Buckethead's work to compare them.

[WTF d00ds?]

Listen to some of the stuff Buckethead did with Serj Tankian. Some of it is on his myspace.

[mr.rpg king]

They're both incredible guitarists so it's next to impossible to do a determination based on skill. Buckethead has some crazy original stuff, but what he plays is a lot more contemporary and electronic, and some of that doesn't quite hook well with me. Satriani on the otherhand is full of juice (skill), and he was on of the first people I ever heard to put eighteen riffs in a song and have them all be well thought out and soul-saving. Not to mention he gets at least one sphere of influence points seeing as he did train Steve Vai.

[WTF d00ds?]

I thought Vai trained him?

[KingOfBBQ.]

I thought Vai trained him?

No, Satriani taught Steve Vai as well as Kirk Hammett of Metallica.

[Cytosine]

Satriani, although Vai beats them both. Satriani taught Hammet and Vai, so he has influence as well.

[Cure4commoncold]

Satriani definitely over Buckethead. Buckethead is very overrated and is more smoke and mirrors than anything really out of the ordinary for a virutoso guitarist. Satriani's music is not only technical and impressive but it's also catchy and he's been a very commercially successful virtuoso guitarist while Buckethead has not and his music really is not catchy or definitive at all....

[AllThingsEqual]

I am going to have to go with Buckethead and it isn't because of how technical he is at all. Buckethead is one of the most soulful guitarists of our time. His albums Electric Tears and Colma have some of the most powerful guitar pieces I have ever heard. Colma puts me in tears every time. His technical stuff can get boring along with Satriani. It pisses me off when they shred out just to shred and not because it is needed *cough*Petrucci*cough*.

[WTF d00ds?]

Although, I'd take Zakk Wylde over both of them anyday.