How Well Does Dave Play His Axe?

[Nickdfresh]

I am wondering, recalling something faintly about Dave saying something to the effect of, "how do you play this fucking thing?" during a concert in 84' as to how good of a guitarist that Dave is.

I know he would play parts on Ice Cream Man live and periodically whip out his guitar for a few other songs. But does anyone know how good he actually is?

Could he play a solid rhythm guitar like Paul Stanley, but just chose not too in order to perform his kicks and machete stuff? Or was it just for show (like in the case of Mick Jagger?)
http://www.rareads.com/scans/14828.jpg:guitar:

[chuckg34]

He sounds like he is a good fingerpicker. When I saw him live, he played the intro to "Could This Be Magic" and then played some fingerstyle riffs.

He can play enough to get by.

[RogueHorseman]

Exactly.

Thing is, Dave did that "how the f*ck do you play this thing?" joke on myself bit not only to provide comedy relief, but to also give the audience a way to relate to him as an artist while MOST IMPORTANTLY building up one Edward Van Halen as a guitar "god" in contrast.

Extremely smart marketing............ He was "putting Ed over", and at his "expense". Very giving.

He gave everything he had to that band, heart, soul... marketing genius. When people say Dave was the heart and soul of Van Halen it is the Gods honest truth.

[fe_lung]

Extremely smart marketing............ He was "putting Ed over", and at his "expense". Very giving.



Huh? I thought this guy was supposed to be an ego-maniac that cared only about himself and belived that HE was the show..... That description almost sounds like.... someone who respected his bandmates. Hmmmm, could Ed be full of shit?

[loss of fools]

when i saw dave the intro he did to icm was pritty simular to spanish fly so he cant be that bad

[academic punk]

That was Dave on VHI playing Eruption, you know.

Fine. Don't believe me.

[buckshotjenkins]

Originally posted by academic punk
That was Dave on VHI playing Eruption, you know.

Fine. Don't believe me.


hysterical. that's the best answer ever!

[Nickdfresh]

I think Dave's biggest contribution to CVH guitar work was hiding Eddie's Heineken and Chablis before recording sessions!

[Roguesgirl]

Originally posted by fe_lung
Extremely smart marketing............ He was "putting Ed over", and at his "expense". Very giving.



Huh? I thought this guy was supposed to be an ego-maniac that cared only about himself and belived that HE was the show..... That description almost sounds like.... someone who respected his bandmates. Hmmmm, could Ed be full of shit?

Ed was most definitely full of shit with a lot of that. Dave had a ton of respect for Ed, and ed knew it. Dave just never kissed his ass. And dave made him work hard. Dave was always a tease when it came to Ed. He would joke and say things like "we named the band after Alex". And then he would smile real big into the camera or wink or something.

Dave sure did have an ego; he knew he was the best frontman ever. But, he also knew what he had in EVH and he sold that at every show and in every interview.

By saying "how the fuck do you play this thing", he was pointing out that Ed was the "The Guitar God", while he was "The Frontman" just fucking around with a guitar.

[DavidLeeNatra]

well...can you pay higher respect than announcing somebody as the "king of six strings and ten fingers"?

[academic punk]

Originally posted by DavidLeeNatra
well...can you pay higher respect than announcing somebody as the "king of six strings and ten fingers"?

I have an ex-girlfriend who I considered the queen of the G-string and five fingers...

how I miss her...

[Panamark]

I always thought Sammy's insistence in playing along with Ed
was so fucking disrepectful.

Dave knew Ed was the King and gave him props and never tried
to play along, as if he was a worthy equal. Fuck, the more you
think about Sammy the more he sucks..

Dave knew his role, Sammy thought he was a competent guitarist
that could add to the Van Halen sound. What a tool ??

[Kelly]

True, Sammy's playing didn't particularly add anything to the Van Halen sound to my ear. If anything, it turned it into a bit of a dirge, like they had to play down so he could keep up!

[DavidLeeNatra]

Originally posted by academic punk
I have an ex-girlfriend who I considered the queen of the G-string and five fingers...

how I miss her...

:D ...but I like it if they use all ten fingers...

[DavidLeeNatra]

Originally posted by Panamark
I always thought Sammy's insistence in playing along with Ed
was so fucking disrepectful.

Dave knew Ed was the King and gave him props and never tried
to play along, as if he was a worthy equal. Fuck, the more you
think about Sammy the more he sucks..

Dave knew his role, Sammy thought he was a competent guitarist
that could add to the Van Halen sound. What a tool ??

so true...and it kicked ed out of the guitar-player polls and into the keyboard player section...

to let osammy bin hagar play the guitar for VH is like having a hot-dog-griller as a cook in a five star restaurant...

[Matt White]

DAVE can play folk guitar and Delta Blues style guitar well enough to accompany himself. I remember EVH, trying once again to slag DAVE, refereing to his style of playing as "jive guitar". Classy guy that EVH.......

[Dave IS VH]

Dave is a pretty good guitar player, I wouldn't consider him the best, but he could keep his own up on stage. He just likes to sing and give a kick ass performance on stage, rather then play guitar.

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by Kelly
True, Sammy's playing didn't particularly add anything to the Van Halen sound to my ear. If anything, it turned it into a bit of a dirge, like they had to play down so he could keep up!

It is true. I wouldn't mind a guitar accompaniment to EVH onstage. The problem is that, by his own admission in an interview, Sammy could never play rhythm guitar and sing at the same time (which is why he always had one or two backing guitarists in his solo acts). So he ended up playing a sloppy second lead along with Eddie and Ed would often take the rhythm parts, which is a pedestrian waste of Ed's talent.

EVH also said once in an interview that he cut out playing two guitar tracks, one rhythm & one lead, on studio recordings around the F.U.C.K. album I think, since he was the only one playing live and it sounded awkward.

[BrownSound1]

The best I've ever heard Dave play is from a radio show where he played "79th and Sunset." His guitar is always tuned to an open chord, so that helps him a bit too.

[DlocRoth]

Originally posted by Roguesgirl
Ed was most definitely full of shit with a lot of that. Dave had a ton of respect for Ed, and ed knew it. Dave just never kissed his ass. And dave made him work hard. Dave was always a tease when it came to Ed. He would joke and say things like "we named the band after Alex". And then he would smile real big into the camera or wink or something.

Dave sure did have an ego; he knew he was the best frontman ever. But, he also knew what he had in EVH and he sold that at every show and in every interview.

By saying "how the fuck do you play this thing", he was pointing out that Ed was the "The Guitar God", while he was "The Frontman" just fucking around with a guitar.


Thats all there is to it!

Well said.

A 5 star post.

[Figs]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
How Well Does Dave Play His Axe?

not very

[Carmine]

Originally posted by academic punk
I have an ex-girlfriend who I considered the queen of the G-string and five fingers...

how I miss her...

lol...is she workin at Scores now???

[h3yl0]

He doesnt play it as much as Hagar with VH cause he realizes he'd look like shit next to eddie.