Was it ever about speed? ...
No it's not... You're absolutely right. But when you have a concert like 3G, with 3 out the worlds top 15 (mainstream) guitarists technically there are times at which they like to 'show off' and that's when speed often comes into the mix. 'Cause the whole G3 thing is basically 3 guys jerking off with their guitars. And while I don't really like the idea of listening to something like that 24/7, it's nice to look at some of the things they can do with their instruments every once in a while.
The term 'best' with guitarists or with any musicians should be used really carefully.. Is the sharpshooter who never misses his mark not the best there is? Of course he is. Is the fastest, most skilled and technically advanced guitarist not the best? Of course he is. Speed, bend accuracy/smoothness, timing... those are all things that can be measured. But is he the best musician? Not really no.. Not with those merits... It requires something more.
And all that rest is subjective. You can't measure how good a single song is with something. I for one am not that big of a Hendrix fan. I don't really care for most of his songs. But he is one of the best guitarists/musicians to date no questions asked. He played the instrument like no one else had done before him. This is the reason why the likes of Cobain or Dave Grohl keep popping up in all the '100 greatest guitarists' votings. Because it's a matter of opinion and not something that can be measured.
That's the only thing I objected to. People way too often say that he can't play for shit, or that Slash is 100 times better than BH. And then people start the next sentence with "He has so much more feeling" or "To me, being best..." Those are all opinions. Some people prefer other players to others. Fine. But it just irritates me when people say someone just can't play when in some cases it's obviously just false.
I never really got much out of Satch's playing... then again I'm not a guitarist, so maybe that has something to do with it.
I don't see it that way. Sure guitarists might look at Satch or any other guitarist and his playing a bit differently. But in the end good music is good music, and there's no amount of extra skill that can turn a crappy song into a great one. (btw.. I actually like Satriani best of the bunch)