Famous guitarists who have grown/improved over time

mk5

Roadie
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Just heard a new Metallica song. Got to the solo and it’s the same slop Kirk Hammett has been playing since he joined the band.

Got me thinking. After a certain point, I think some guitarists go into maintenance mode.

Who are some guitarists who have improved their technique/tone/sound/etc. as time has passed?

I would say Steve Vai is one. He has always had the chops; the Hydra thing is amazing. While I think his tone peaked with the Bogner/Egnater era of 1995-1997, a strong case could be made for DLR era.

Not a massive fan, but I think Mark Tremonti has improved over the years, as well.
 
First one that comes to mind is George Harrison.

He seemed to really come into his own as a player after The Beatles
 
Very old news by now, but I remember the first time I heard these solos, picking my jaw up off the floor and saying, "When TF did these old dogs learn to play like this?!?"

 
Frank Gambale, Greg Howe, Vinnie Moore. There are a quite afew.

One that from my prime that rarely gets a mention is Carlos Cavazo from Quiet Riot. Track his growth from the earlier albums to QR's last, can tell why a few on the late 70's/early 80's scene were of the opinion he was on the same level as Eddie, Randy and George.
 
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When Iommi Released Heaven and Hell with Dio, I found his playing had jumped up a few notches
I remember sayin Damn never heard Iommi play like that before
I’d say Tony was “on the move” as early as SBS, but yes, he has certainly matured over the years and decades.

I suppose it’s likely/ inevitable that every serious, active player improve in some way, whether that change is obvious to the listener or not.
 
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