# What are the benefits of having two guitars in a rock band? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 17, 2005, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238 "2005-05-17T14:14:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/21 "2005-05-17T20:08:16Z")
Listen to AC/DC. Constant use of two guitars that go great together. One can’t get a sound like AC/DCs really any other way. Didn’t early incarnations of Meatwood Flack have 3 guitars? Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green, and. . .someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/22 "2005-05-17T20:17:37Z")
Quite simple really. You need to shove the neck of one guitar under the chin of the club promoter, forcing him against the wall. Then your partner uses the second guitar to smash open the cash box and get the money you were originally promised for the show. It’s all about economics. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/23 "2005-05-17T20:35:16Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > [Incredulous] > Who in the world would name their poor child Pat Smear? Don’t answer that… I’m just feeling sorry for the guy. > [/Incredulous] Pat Smear is his “punk” name, like Jello Biafra, Joey Ramone or Cheetah Chrome… ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/24 "2005-05-17T21:45:26Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > Didn’t early incarnations of Meatwood Flack have 3 guitars? Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green, and. . .someone else. Peter Green, Danny Kirwan, and Jeremy Spencer. (Mick Fleetwood’s a drummer.) And they were hot in their day. The live at the Boston Tea Party CDs (three volumes) are a great source of extended blues-jammin’ goodness. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/25 "2005-05-17T22:17:40Z")
When you’re starting out, one of the benefits of _not_ having two guitar players is that the meager amount you get paid at the end of the evening goes further. Plus it’s easier to fit 4 people in a car than 5. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/26 "2005-05-17T22:41:41Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I guess that’s it. Sure, as other posters mentioned - you can certainly do two-guitar harmony work with two guitars - and it can sound great. I would also point out the Stones - where Keith Richards’ vision of having two guitars that weave into each is just brilliant - neither is quite fully rhythm or lead and it can be damn near impossible to tell where one leaves off and the other begins. **Television** were the perfect example of this: Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine’s intertwining soloing on _Marquee Moon_, where they weave in and out and around each other seems almost telepathic, and the effect is just breath-taking. Slight hijack: besides Keith, who was your favourite Stones guitarist? I was always partial to Mick Taylor, whose slide work offset Keith’s rhythm playing beautifully. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/27 "2005-05-17T22:50:31Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Pat Smear is his “punk” name, like Jello Biafra, Joey Ramone or Cheetah Chrome… Or like Darby Crash, Smear’s bandmate in The Germs years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/28 "2005-05-17T22:58:55Z")
> [@Case Sensitive](#): > > Slight hijack: besides Keith, who was your favourite Stones guitarist? I was always partial to Mick Taylor, whose slide work offset Keith’s rhythm playing beautifully. Oh, yeah, definitely Mick. All due respect to Ronnie, but with him it’s a bit like the Stones have two Keefs (a scary one and a smiley one). And I think of Brian more as the sitar-recorder-dulcimer-harmonica-_whatever_-and-guitar guy than as strictly the Stones’ guitarist. Note that on the _Let It Bleed_ tracks he played on, he played autoharp and percussion, not guitar. Mick Taylor, though, with stuff like “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” and the _Ya-Ya’s_ version of “Sympathy for the Devil”–he’s the man. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/29 "2005-05-18T01:47:37Z")
How about Genesis? Listen to Genesis with Steve Hackett and then when he left. Thankfully, Tony Banks’ keyboards became more important in the music. Mike Rutherford simply can not play lead guitar like Steve Hackett. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/30 "2005-05-18T02:36:53Z")
Just give **The Outlaws** a listen. You will hear the magic of more than one guitar. IMHO the best guitar band ever. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/31 "2005-05-18T03:31:30Z")
Thin Lizzy switched from a one-guitar configuration to a two-guitar configuration because Phil Lynott never wanted to be in a pickle if a guitarist quit on him again. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/32 "2005-05-18T04:31:20Z")
> [@SmackFu](#): > > Plenty of bands have two guitar players. There’s a difference between having two lead guitars, and one lead and one rhythym (Lou Reed has said if he had his time over again he’d still choose to be a rhythym guitarist!). Did you particularly mean one or the other? My favourite exponent of twin lead guitars is Wishbone Ash. Magic. I did hear that in early concerts all 5 members of Blue Oyster Cult played guitar on some tracks! Didn’t happen when I saw them a few years ago. But they had credits for “stun guitar” on at least one of their early albums. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/33 "2005-05-18T05:12:31Z")
> [@](#): > > What are the pros/cons of the various configurations? **Pros:** It freakin’ ROCKS, dude. **Cons:** Who cares? ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/34 "2005-05-18T06:16:14Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > The song that immediately came to mind after reading the title was _Green Grass And High Tides_ by the Outlaws. Nice blending of guitar work there from at least two, if not three, guitars. An excellent memory from college days - the University of Illinois guy who had the 11 p.m. (or whatever) shift one semester started every show with this one. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/35 "2005-05-18T06:18:25Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > Check out the guitar duet at the end of _Hotel California_ by the Eagles. Then tell me what the point is of having two guitarists. One of the sweetest duets of modern time… ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Kenneth\_Noisewater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@Dr.Kenneth\_Noisewater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Kenneth_Noisewater)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/36 "2005-05-18T08:33:00Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > Check out the guitar duet at the end of _Hotel California_ by the Eagles. Then tell me what the point is of having two guitarists. They have three. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/37 "2005-05-18T09:36:57Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > Thin Lizzy switched from a one-guitar configuration to a two-guitar configuration because Phil Lynott never wanted to be in a pickle if a guitarist quit on him again. Thin Lizzy played _Jazz Odyssey_? ---
**Author:** ![Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoundrel_Swanswater)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/38 "2005-05-18T13:32:49Z")
Does anybody know how many guitar-players are in the Queens of the Stone Age? It sounds like 3 at least. I love the tapestry of guitar these guys can weave, where it is really hard to tell the different guitars apart. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/39 "2005-05-18T14:01:06Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > I did hear that in early concerts all 5 members of Blue Oyster Cult played guitar on some tracks! Didn’t happen when I saw them a few years ago. But they had credits for “stun guitar” on at least one of their early albums. Who played Cowbell? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-of-having-two-guitars-in-a-rock-band/304238/40 "2005-05-18T14:13:51Z")
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