Nelskie,
Good post! When I first heard EVH, I was amazed. His tone,technique, the songs, (melodic comes to mind), were simply amaziing. Of course, everyone has their own idea of what sounds "good". Some prefer jazz/fusion, some like blues, power chords, etc. (what's up with rap/hip-hop?).
Eddie put it all together and did it well. No-one I had ever heard before had such taste, tone, and showmanship. One other thing. He had FUN! You could tell he was having a ball playing. I try to have fun every time I play. Even if I suck, I play as hard as I can and enjoy myself. Eddie obviously did his homework and put in the time to refine his skills to a level above any players out there at the time. Most people will never have the natural ability to reach the level he achieved. Does that mean give up? No, it means play yer *** off every chance you have. Let me ask a question. How many players have you heard who are so fast you can hardly seperate the notes they play? They are techniquely so adept it's unreal, yet how many do you hear who play something that is PLEASING TO YOUR EAR? That's what Eddie's done, in spades, for me at least. There are some things Joe Satriani does that are as good, in my opinion, but Eddie was there long before. He set the bar HIGH, and one more question, as far as the critics who won't get off his A$...
If any one of us had his ability, put in the countless hours to play that well, had searched and perfected our own idea of "that holy grail of tone", written songs of that caliber, and set the world on it ear, musically, as it were...do you think our ego might be a little on the "large" side? Just wondering.
Glenn