If you could put two guitar players onstage together, who would it be? Shakey Graves joins PG editors and our Reader of the Month in naming the fantasy guitar duos of our dreams.
Shakey Graves -- Guest Picker
What’s your favorite “guitar duo that never was?” A dream collaboration by two great guitarists, living or dead.
I would love to see Elliott Smith and Leo Kottke merge into some beautiful, terrifying, electrical bull of a duo. Fingerpicktopia.
My current obsession is... my $100 B.C. Rich Warlock named Count Axula. It has pink strings, looks like a teenager’s bong, and it plays beautifully. Also, points for the fact that no one can ever take it seriously, so the axe must sing! It’s like the ugly dog at the pound: It absolutely loves to play and it’s so rad.
Sam Hunter -- Reader of the Month
What’s your favorite “guitar duo that never was?” A dream collaboration by two great guitarists, living or dead.
I know Flea is a bassist, which is a type of guitar … I’ve always wanted a collab between Flea and Tom Morello. Hearing an album made by those two musical wizards would birth a funk/punk album almost too great to comprehend—like the singularity of a black hole.
My current obsession is... reading and memorizing chord books almost daily. I’m always looking for new or innovative ways of voicing my chords, so having a plethora to choose from is great.
Joe Gore -- Senior Editor
What’s your favorite “guitar duo that never was?” A dream collaboration by two great guitarists, living or dead.
While I’d have loved to be in the same room with Segovia and Dimebag, I’m going with the relatively predictable Hendrix and Prince.
My current obsession is... I wanted to try a solo guitar arrangement of Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis’ main theme from the ’60s caper film Topkapi, a simple yet quirky tune full of cool chromaticism. But damn it, Kostas Grigoreas beat me to it. Even worse, his arrangement and performance are awesome.
Tessa Jeffers -- Managing Editor
What’s your favorite “guitar duo that never was?” A dream collaboration by two great guitarists, living or dead.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe setting a tapestry for Gary Clark Jr. would conjure soulful lightning bolts. Also, hearing one of my favorite solos on the radio (at the end of RHCP “Dani California”) recently put a daydream in my brain of John Frusciante jamming with Jimmy Page.
My current obsession is... guitar parts that sound like distorted smash-face bass, or any blasting, raunchy, freak-out, rock ’n’ roll fuzz in general. See “Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)” by AWOLNATION.
Jason Shadrick -- Associate Editor
What’s your favorite “guitar duo that never was?” A dream collaboration by two great guitarists, living or dead.
At this point in his career, Eric Clapton has played with everyone, but hearing him matched up with a young gun like Julian Lage would be an interesting mix of gut-bucket blues and harmonic beauty.
My current obsession is... making practice time and rehearsals more effective by writing out charts that can be easily understood. The 1Chart app has been super handy for Nashville-style roadmaps.
