What's your ideal "new" GNR lineup?

Greetings!

This is my first actual post on this forum (I did read through the Dead Horse section before posting this), but this is a topic I've been wanting both to get off my chest and collect other's opinions on for quite a long time.

First and foremost, allow me to point out that I am an "old" (87-93) GNR sympathizer. I'm always going to think that the lineups within this time period were the best that GNR ever had and their sound is irreplaceable. That's my opinion and nothing will change that. But at the same time, I'm a realist. A reunion with any of the lineups from 87-93 will most likely never happen and the closest we'll ever get is Axl bringing Izzy out every now and then for a few shows. As such, it's useless to be stuck in the past. You gotta embrace what's given to you.

My opinion on new (97-present) GNR has fluctuated wildly with time. Initially, I was an ignorant old sympathizer who turned a blind and angry eye to any mention of new GNR. But, that changed when I decided to watch GNR's performance at the 2006 Download Festival. To say the very least, I was blown away. The band was powerful and Axl was in fine form. Most importantly, the band had forged a new identity for itself, one that kicked a lot of ass.

But naturally, time goes on. Chinese Democracy was released and quite honestly I'm not too much of a fan of it. For me, there are some songs that rank as GNR's best (I.e. "Better" or "Catcher in the Rye"), but for the most part, I believe the album is just a thick mess of sound. Also, the lineup changed with the departure of Robin Finck/Brain Mantia for DJ Ashba/Frank Ferrer and this lineup has remained static ever sense.

Ever since 1997, a volley of musicians have come and gone through the GNR camp, each bringing a variety of different perks that have helped create a new sound for the band. So my question for you all is this: If you could take any of the players from 1997 to present day and create your ideal lineup, who would they be and why? Do you prefer the 2001 incarnation of GNR? Do you think that the current lineup is the best they've ever had? Do you think that their best lineup would a combination of both past and current players? I really want to hear your opinion on this!

And for the record, here's mine (With opinions on the current lineup too):

I have my own opinions on what new GNR should be. At the core, I'm always going to believe that GNR is a HARD ROCK band. Not an industrial or progressive band, but a HARD ROCK band. Their best music, regardless of any lineup is lean and mean HARD ROCK. In my opinion, the best music on Chinese Democracy are the songs that balance old GNR swagger with the dense sound and production that Axl seems to favor so much.

I think GNR should forge a new identity of mixing old with the new. So for me, the best music that new GNR could make is still lean and mean, but now with a much tighter and technically proficient band. I'm really thinking that the band should be going for something with AFD-like fire and minimal production mixed with the excellent playing from CD (And potentially a SMALL amount of the industrial tone). This new sound could be the catalyst for a large amount of new music and also allow the old music to be reinterpreted in awesome new ways (Instead of just playing it straight like the studio versions).

And as for the players, I'm very much a believer of a "trim-the-fat" philosophy. I haven't had the chance to attend a GNR concert yet, but I've watched a fair share of their full concerts online (Download 2006, Rock AM Ring 2006, LA Forum 2011, Sydney 2013) to get a general idea of what a concert from them is like. Yes, the playing is very tight, the jams are cool, the set-lists are immaculate and overall the concerts rock, but I still can't get over the notion that the playing is kind of bloated (As a result from too many people on stage) and none of the songs are drastically different from the studio versions (I mean, I enjoy the hits, but I enjoy seeing a band work with them in a new context even more).

So without further adeu, here's my ideal "new" GNR lineup (PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THIS IS MY OPINION):

1) The Frontman - Axl Rose: Well this is kinda obvious (He is the sole constant member after all). But honestly, I think Axl has kind of let himself go. When I saw Axl perform at the Download Festival in 2006, he was built like he was in 1991, had a roaring voice and kinda made a new trademark for himself with cool-looking cornrows. Nowadays, he's gained a lot of weight and hides behind thick clothes with stupid glasses and hats. I know a lot of people will argue that they don't care if he's fat or not, but get real; your music is affected by the shape you're in. I also understand he can't roar like he could in 1987 but his voice has gone under some pretty bad degradation since 2006 and as such, he needs to adjust appropriately and find a new voice for himself. Granted he's gotten a lot better with this and his voice is still in good form, but nonetheless his Mickey-Mouse wail is unacceptable. Whether it be down-toning (Robert Plant has forged a heck of an identity for himself) or voice coaching (A lot of singers over 50 get it, so why not Axl?), I think he owes it to himself to get back in top-shape if he wants to please his fans. There's no excuse for a musician to not give 110%.

2) Bass - Tommy Stinson: I love Tommy and I'm also a huge Replacements fan. He's got a much wider musical range than Duff ever did and he can also roar on the vocals. I'd love to see him take the lead on some new songs in the future. My only complaint is that when compared to Duff, his bass is kinda drowned out in the mix of the other players and as such, I think he should either turn the volume up or adopt a bit more of an aggressive playing style.

3) Guitars - Bumblefoot and Richard Fortus: I'm kind of against a three guitar concept in general as I think it bloats the sound. There's only a few bands I know that successfully implemented three standing guitarists (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, Whitechapel) but I sincerely don't think that GNR is one of them. I know a lot of people will argue that "Oh AFD had guitar overdubs" but once again, I don't go to concerts to hear straight studio versions of songs. A great live band takes the space given for a song and finds new ways to work with it. Besides, two guitarists did it originally just fine.

Buckethead and Robin Fincke are great players, but I don't think they fit GNR's image very well. As for Ashba, my opinion on him has grown (He's a great player - The Ballad of Death is an epic solo), but I just can't get over his image. The whole washed-up Motley Crue vibe is stupid and I'm always going to think he's a Slash copy (For the record, he wasn't wearing that stupid hat prior to his tenure with GNR). I'm always going to think a third guitar doesn't add anything amazing to the mix and any GNR song (CD included) can be done with two guitarists.

So let those two guitarists be the best ones that GNR has had since 1997: Bumblefoot and Richard Fortus. Bumblefoot is a top-par player and class act; he can easily handle any main riff and also go wild on any solos. Richard is one of the best rhythm players I've ever seen and I love how he can also stretch out to take a lead role whenever the situation calls for it. They mesh together well and I know they both have the skill to tackle any song they want. The duo is powerful, tight and also much more skilled than any other guitarists that GNR has ever had.

4) Drums - Brain: Simply put, anybody who can drum with Les Claypool and Bucketheadl obviously has some merits. He's got both the groove of Steven Adler and the power of Matt Sorum. It's a real shame he left the band, but naturally family comes first.

But on the topic of drummers, I'm not a big fan of Frank Ferrer. Yes, he's gotten a lot better and his drumming is rather suited to the CD songs, but I think his style is kinda soft and stale. To be quite honest, I think he's the worst drummer GNR has ever had and he runs circles around all of the previous ones.

5) Keys - Dizzy Reed: He's a bit of a fixture now, isn't he? Humor aside, Dizzy is an excellent keyboardist and not too bad on the percussion either.

But one thing I will never understand is why the hell Chris Pitman is even in the band. I mean seriously, why does the band need a SECOND keyboardist? The only other group who ever successfully implemented that combination was the Band and GNR is not even remotely close to them. I understand if he was needed to complete the lineup in the early 90's, but that niche was filled over a decade ago and I see no reason why he's kept around. On top of that, I rarely see Chris playing in any of the live footage I've seen him in and if he is playing, it's not audible at all. I think he does programming/synthesizers or something along those lines, but that's not what GNR is about for me at all! Finally, he comes off as a complete asshole in all of the interviews I've seen him in. I remember when Axl was asked on Jimmy Kemmel on who would be the first one to go from the current lineup and he said, "Probably Chris" and I'd welcome that with open arms. He's the biggest example of a waste of space and anything he can do, Dizzy can do better alone.

So, that's what I think. Now my question is, what do YOU think?

Thank you for reading and I'm very excited to see your opinions!