After 30 Years, Jon Never....

This is good stuff.

So just because one could play the guitar well, doesn't mean they could learn to play everything. It's almost like you have to be born with it.

The fact that Phil came in and did what he did, ranks him in that over the top gifted guitar playing category.

I do get why they got Phil because that would put a lot of the rest of the band but at the same time there is Bobby and Jon who could both play. Bobby used to play lead on Jon solo tours when he did Bon Jovi songs. I do remember him being way off but that was also 15 years ago. Why couldn't Bobby learn those solos? Phil makes it look effortless.

Phil's style is closer to Richie's than Bobbys. They tried the configuration where Bobby played lead in Richie's absence and it just didn't work. Bobby doesn't have that aggressive picking. I've said it so many times here but he bar band stuff and cover stuff is his forte, big chorused rock songs stacked with distortion not so much.

I give the guy a break during Jon's solo tours for his albums because it's not supposed to sound like the band. He can play whatever he wants in anyway because that's him but put him in a position where he has to sound like Richie and it drowns. I still consider him the MVP of Destination Anywhere!

It's about style and skill. Phil plays in the same "basis-in-the-blues-with-80s-guitar-hero-tricks-thrown-in" style that Richie does, whereas Bobby can only play in the 60's blues-based style. Pentatonic box for those of you who know what it means. It's like comparing Ace Frehley and Eddie Van Halen. Both great players, but totally different style. Eddie could play what Ace plays, but couldn't come up with the same lines. Ace could never ever play the stuff Eddie plays.

Bobby can play just fine in his own niche, but that niche isn't the one Richie plays in. Richie (or Phil) could play anything Bobby plays, but not necessary come up with the same sort of licks etc. Bobby couldn't play Bon Jovi's more iconic solos if his life depended on it. He could probably get pretty close, but he just doesn't have the chops for it.

And it's a question of taste, which do you like better. Technically Bobby isn't as good as Richie or Phil, but he's got other assets.

Ice

Around the LH tour I remember reading something about the bands gear and was surprised that all Jon had was an overdrive and a chorus pedal going through a marshal. But then again, he only used his Telecaster for like 2 songs tops. But I also remember how in The circle tour, his tone got really, drastically better. He did change guitars but the Teles have a great sound, I think he changed set ups but I can't confirm it.

As far as his playing goes, he's gotten better, his rhythm playing shows that, his leads I don't see that much of a difference in tbh. Just that they seem more controlled and flow better, but on a technical level he hasn't gotten any better, and he doesn't need to. His style fits much more on that Bobby, Bruce, South side type of playing, which is all right....

Yeah, that's what I was gonna say. The leads aren't that easy to get right, and especially with Richie, a lot of it is in the tone anyway. And to get these fat harmonics, which are crucial to the solos, is quite a challenge IMO.

Plus, why should he? I bet Richie can't play the bass line to Keep The Faith either.

To be fair he probably can

Technically - probably. But I doubt he's got it memorized. Like "Richie, here's a bass. Play Keep The Faith".

I'm not just talking about the opening lick. There's variations all over the track, and whether he's got a good ear or not, why would he know them all?

Plus - if he's such a good bass player, why did they get Hugh in the studio for all the records?

Why would a great guitar player have any trouble playing a bass line? He'd have it down in seconds. I'm not saying he'd be better than Hugh but bass isn't all that hard.

No idea why he hasn't but thank god he hasn't tried. He's got better over the years but he still stands in the one spot concentrating like his life depends on it.

Not saying concentrating is a bad thing, but he has no presence when he does a solo whatsoever.

I'd take it over Bobby's sex face, though...

I don't think he ever learned the bass line, that's what I'm getting at.

Plus - playing bass and guitar at a high level is actually very different. A ton of great guitar players think they can play bass, but overplay like hell. The instruments are used very differently.