bumblefoot - yes or no?

[Continental Drift]

The guy was nervous as hell... you could literally see him during his solo thinking "Oh shit... I'm playing lead guitar for Guns N' Roses?!?!". ?It was a shaky performance for him all-around.

That being said... there were still at least 3-4 moments in the show where out of nowhere I would hear this guitar sound/speed that I knew was beyond Finck's or Fortus's range.... and sure enough it was coming from Bumblefoot. As many others have said... give him a few shows to gel and get over the initial "I'm in GN'R!!" jitters.... I think he will be an axe slinging god by the time this band gets back from Europe... and perhaps the second most famous member behind Axl before it's all said and done... the guy's a virtuoso.

Very cool that he seems to be a nice guy too. It would seem like he should be able to get along with Finck and Fortus quite well. ?

[killingvector]

The guy was nervous as hell... you could literally see him during his solo thinking "Oh shit... I'm playing lead guitar for Guns N' Roses?!?!".  It was a shaky performance for him all-around.

That being said... there were still at least 3-4 moments in the show where out of nowhere I would hear this guitar sound/speed that I knew was beyond Finck's or Fortus's range.... and sure enough it was coming from Bumblefoot. As many others have said... give him a few shows to gel and get over the initial "I'm in GN'R!!" jitters.... I think he will be an axe slinging god by the time this band gets back from Europe... and perhaps the second most famous member behind Axl before it's all said and done... the guy's a virtuoso.

Very cool that he seems to be a nice guy too. It would seem like he should be able to get along with Finck and Fortus quite well. 

I agree with this. It was difficult seeing the band without Bucket on the left side of the stage. Admittedly, my interest was not as keen as it was in 2002. But despite this, I really think that Robin, Richard, and Tommy stepped up big time on Friday night. I've said it before, it is a HUGE disservice to these players that we have no studio released material for the public to appreciate their contributions. It is really time for these three guys to explode in the music world; they really deserve to get the accolades. In a strange way, the name of the band may help and hinder these efforts.

[PhillyRiot]

My theory is Bumblefoot is temporary.  I really think Slash is going to join this band in a month.  Axl is smart enough to figure out that with Slash back in this band the sky is the limit. 

[GNR_Green]

But to me, he is more like that session player that got his big break in GNR.? Guns N Roses was a dirty fucking band that lived a rough life.? Looks like the most Bumblefoot has been through is a case of not doing his laundry.? There is nothing dangerous or Iconic looking about this guy.?

This is fine, but I put the problem in bold.  Yeah the songs need to have energy still, but Axl is the only original member and as the vocalist he has more to do with the energy in the songs than the players.  I'm sure the band are still pretty bloody impressive, although I have to wait til Download festival to find out first hand 

GNFNR!!!!!

[Smoking Guns]

My point is this, Bumblefoot and Buckethead were great, but highly replaceable.

Complete and utter nonsense.

Those two are two of the most promising 'young' guitarplayers, they wouldn't be if tons of alternatives existed. To claim they can be replaced easily is very ignorant to say the least.

-PEACE-

Young?  Bucket is mid 30's and Ron Thal is almost 40.  There is nothing young about these guys.  Maybe the guys in Dragonforce are young.

[Smoking Guns]

AGAIN, I AGREE RON IS FUCKING BAD ASS.  My point by showing the links is that there are guys that can play anything he can out there.  And not just one other player, I showed you 4 guys that can be the man in GNR.   So now we are up to 6 shredders if you count Bucket and Bumble that can do the same job.  I like bucket because he was so different, but now it just like they are just plugging in another Shredder.  You can't plug in another Slash.

[Slipdisc]

My point is this, Bumblefoot and Buckethead were great, but highly replaceable.

Complete and utter nonsense.

Those two are two of the most promising 'young' guitarplayers, they wouldn't be if tons of alternatives existed. To claim they can be replaced easily is very ignorant to say the least.

-PEACE-

Young? ?Bucket is mid 30's and Ron Thal is almost 40. ?There is nothing young about these guys. ?Maybe the guys in Dragonforce are young.

Both are the same age and royally below forty (36 -37?ish), which is in fact young in the virtuoso sc?ne.Looking up we can only see people like Gambale and Holdsworth. The technically most accomplished among the virtuosos are way past 45 - 50, most in their fifties. Those other guys you mentioned are just kids. Bucket and Thal are among the younger in that scene (looking at achievements)?.

-PEACE-

Ps.

Ron plays and SINGS Delilah (LIVE)
  (recorded in a radio studio)

[Jimmy?]

Most all of us dirty guitar players have, at least once in our oft unappreciated existence, pondered the truly unanswerable question, "Who is the greatest guitarist of all time?" 
We've groaned when our favorite player wasn't picked in a "Top 100!" list, even though we were well aware that it was trite, wholly meaningless bullshit concocted by hipsters and douchebags (which, by the way, are one and the same).   
 
 We've argued with our fellow guitarists, perhaps even calling them "morons", "fools", or even "British", simply because their opinions were not parallel to ours.   

Well, quarrel no more, my guitar-lovin' chums. I have the answer to the aforementioned "unanswerable question." And it comes in the form of a fat, hairy, thimble-sporting Jew from New York named Ron Thal.

Quite simply, Ron Thal is a goddamn genius. (We'll divulge evidence of this later). Thal (a.k.a. Bumblefoot) has been making music for essentially his whole life, his first major release being "The Adventures of Bumblefoot (and Other Tales of Woe...)" which came out on Shrapnel Records in 1995. He stayed with Shrapnel through his second CD, "Hermit", in 1997, but escaped from the Hell that is business with Mike Varney soon afterward. He's done things completely independently ever since, releasing "Hands" (1998), "9.11" (2001), "Uncool" (2002), and "Forgotten Anthology" (2003) on his own label, "Hermit, Inc.".
 
Each and every one of Bumblefoot's CD's features a vast array of styles -- a truly unprecedented amount of diversity -- while sharing a sound that is all his own. His music is both beautiful and abrasive, raw and emotional, hilarious and brilliant. Basically -- the type of stuff that is undescribable, unless an excessive amount of adjectives are utilized. Well, you could always shorten the description to two basic words -- pure genius -- but I believe I mentioned that earlier, and I'd rather not repeat myself because the higher the number of large words I use, the more intelligent I seem. And, if I'm not mistaken, that's how you get pussy. 

From a guitarist's standpoint, Mr. Thal creates sounds that are almost unimaginable. He is a master of the instrument, including being well-versed in classical and jazz playing. However, 'tis on the electric guitar that Ronald unleashes a plethora of his own innovative techniques, some of which will be discussed on the next page. Even though he's too modest to admit it (and for that character trait, I have oodles of respect for him), there's absolutely nothing he couldn't play, which means he is completely free of any technical barrier that would infringe upon his artistic expression.
Most importantly, Bumblefoot conveys a certain feeling through his music that is often lacking in the over-produced, pseudo-computerized sound of progressive music. His music is filled to the brim with the sweet, lukewarm milk that is attitude. Ahh -- so refreshing. Straight from the teet.

www.essentialguitarist.com

 
 

[Neemo]

wow thats a crazy review? I can't wait to see/hear what he brings to the table

[Jimmy?]

See, the guy's really well respected in the guitar community. He gets rave reviews everywhere man! 

[Jimmy?]

http://www.guitarsucks.com/

Click enter and check out the intro vid? ?

[StoneTempleRoses]

^ Thats a nice vid!

StoneTempleRoses

[bigcash2002]

Bumblefoot will be fine IMO. ?I too believe is was a big night for him and that he was very nervous. ?I am optimistic because he is talented and afterall, it was warm up gig #1. ?By the time this band hits the states in the fall (assuming that they actually do), I think many will be impressed with him at that time. ?But I agree that his first showing wasn't close to what Fink did for opening night.

My 2 cents on opening night for bumblefoot:

1) His guitar solo mid show was fucking terrible..it sounded like noise, wasn't cohesive, etc. ?I actually prefer buckheads solo to this one. ?I kinda like it when the soloist mixes in something familar to their solo that the fans can enjoy: Slash=The Godfather Theme song, and Bucket=Star Wars Music....

2) The highlight for me, in regards to Bumblefoot, was the last solo of November Rain. ?He nailed it and it kicked so much ass!! ?Bumblefoot sounded very good on NR.

Lastly, for those not in attendance on the 12th, he didn't play the fucked up foot guitar the entire show..at times he played a Les Paul like the others.

[Naupis]

2) The highlight for me, in regards to Bumblefoot, was the last solo of November Rain.  He nailed it and it kicked so much ass!!  Bumblefoot sounded very good on NR.

I agree, hearing him nail that makes me not want to hear Robin playing lead, as Bumble is a clearly superior player. To relegate him to wallflower status with the exception of about 5 solos all night is a real disservice to the fans and band. Robin might be a nice guy and fun to have around for the band, but he can't sniff Bumble's jock in terms of ability, so it mystifies me he get's all the good leads just because he has been in the band the longest.

Everyone on this board loves Robin, and that's great. However, anyone at the Friday show could tell Fortus and Bumble are clearly better players, so should we really be giving guys major parts in songs on the basis of seniority or likability? I don't see why someone with Bumble's ability would sign on for that.

[Continental Drift]

Great review. He's VERY legit guys. Chill.

I honestly think that before long Bumblefoot will be the second biggest star in this band....

Excellent point about incorporating "familiar" music into the solos and bridges between songs. It's not rocket science.... hell listen to several UYI boots and you'll realize that a lot of the time all Slash was doing during those segments was just taking Stones, Hendrix, Zeppelin, etc. riffs and giving them back to us in a slightly different style... that's all it takes.

[Slipdisc]

Most all of us dirty guitar players have, at least once in our oft unappreciated existence, pondered the truly unanswerable question, "Who is the greatest guitarist of all time?"?
We've groaned when our favorite player wasn't picked in a "Top 100!" list, even though we were well aware that it was trite, wholly meaningless bullshit concocted by hipsters and douchebags (which, by the way, are one and the same).? ?
 
 We've argued with our fellow guitarists, perhaps even calling them "morons", "fools", or even "British", simply because their opinions were not parallel to ours.? ?

Well, quarrel no more, my guitar-lovin' chums. I have the answer to the aforementioned "unanswerable question." And it comes in the form of a fat, hairy, thimble-sporting Jew from New York named Ron Thal.

Quite simply, Ron Thal is a goddamn genius. (We'll divulge evidence of this later). Thal (a.k.a. Bumblefoot) has been making music for essentially his whole life, his first major release being "The Adventures of Bumblefoot (and Other Tales of Woe...)" which came out on Shrapnel Records in 1995. He stayed with Shrapnel through his second CD, "Hermit", in 1997, but escaped from the Hell that is business with Mike Varney soon afterward. He's done things completely independently ever since, releasing "Hands" (1998), "9.11" (2001), "Uncool" (2002), and "Forgotten Anthology" (2003) on his own label, "Hermit, Inc.".
 
Each and every one of Bumblefoot's CD's features a vast array of styles -- a truly unprecedented amount of diversity -- while sharing a sound that is all his own. His music is both beautiful and abrasive, raw and emotional, hilarious and brilliant. Basically -- the type of stuff that is undescribable, unless an excessive amount of adjectives are utilized. Well, you could always shorten the description to two basic words -- pure genius -- but I believe I mentioned that earlier, and I'd rather not repeat myself because the higher the number of large words I use, the more intelligent I seem. And, if I'm not mistaken, that's how you get pussy.?

From a guitarist's standpoint, Mr. Thal creates sounds that are almost unimaginable. He is a master of the instrument, including being well-versed in classical and jazz playing. However, 'tis on the electric guitar that Ronald unleashes a plethora of his own innovative techniques, some of which will be discussed on the next page. Even though he's too modest to admit it (and for that character trait, I have oodles of respect for him), there's absolutely nothing he couldn't play, which means he is completely free of any technical barrier that would infringe upon his artistic expression.
Most importantly, Bumblefoot conveys a certain feeling through his music that is often lacking in the over-produced, pseudo-computerized sound of progressive music. His music is filled to the brim with the sweet, lukewarm milk that is attitude. Ahh -- so refreshing. Straight from the teet.

www.essentialguitarist.com

 
 

Sums it up nicely...

Thal is great and has been so for many years...

-PEACE-

[PJ]

bumblefoot is great!
i prayed for him to get the gig... he is the only one that can replace BH and Slash at the same time and also shine..
he is great! i really couldnt believe when i heard he was the new  guy...

[blues rocker]

i've got no problem with the guy...he's a billion times better than buckethead, since he doesn't make the band look like a friggin circus freak show.

(a side not: i am pleased to see that finck has lost the goth look...with buckethead's retarded look, and finck's lame goth look, the 2002 version of gnr just did not look like a unit...then you had axl trying to look like a rapper or something...at least it seems now they have all decided to choose a more traditional "rock n roll" style)

however, they should at least try to refer to him as "ron", and not "bumblefoot"...we don't need to give people more reasons to bash the new band.

he seems to be highly respected in the "guitarist community", and axl would not have brought him in unless he was sure about him...

remember, axl is obsessive about his music and who he lets into the band. ?he won't chose someone until he has considered it carefully and has become familiar with the guy....

axl has taken 10+ years to make an album because he wants it to be perfect...he's not just going to let any old schmuck join the band and ruin it for him.

[jimmythegent]

To all the intelligent(long time) members of HTGTH: What do you think the purpose of having Bumblefoot in the band is if it winds up being this same setlist every night? How can this guy showcase himself if its mostly old material? I just dont see the point of having him if more new material isnt going to be played. Also, do you think he is a real member of GNR, or just a touring member?

I see him as a guy who could imitate Bucketheads solos basically, so they can make minimum adjustments to the new songs. And that is a shame. A poor mans version really. BH had something unique, this guy, to me, doesnt exhibit that 'star' quality

It's madness in my view - this guy got the gig 2 weeks ago? Prior to that, GNR management bullshitted the fans and basically called this guys integrity into question.? This is the new GNR lead guitarist who is essentially stepping into the great Slashs shoes (not to mention BH).

I find myself agreeing with the recent article that questioned the need for a shredder in GNR. I have questioned this all along, but? come to the conclusion that BH was so much more than that.

By the sounds of things, Finck has upped his game. Perhaps nesquick has been right all along?

[Saul]

Axl didnt "chose" him as said .. Joe Satriani 1st suggested him to the studio engineer (carem something) as a person who could replace Bucket .. ron met people in the studio (not axl) ... then he let slip he might "get the gig" and management shot him down. Seems with no real viable bucket replacement to be found (not just anyone , especially established players would accept the GNR gig , cause up to now gnr/axl's track record speaks for itself) they then went ahead and got back into contact with thal to come aboard and play buckets stuff live along with some other solo's.

As far as I know he has NOT recorded with the band and wont appear on the 1st two discs .. he could most certainly appear on the third ... if he is indeed a full time member and not just a touring bh replacement.