# Bands with 3 guitarists



## halsinden (Jun 8, 2009)

what do people think of them? any bands that have used this format and done well with it?

and nope, i'm not really a fan of iron maiden. at all.

similarly, there was a band on the same label as interlock (my old band) for a while who had 3 guitarists. the inbreds. i wasn't a fan of that, either.

i seem to remember a band called sacred sin who had 3 though, they were really good.

H


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## Marv Attaxx (Jun 8, 2009)

The only band with 3 guitarists I can think of right now is whitechapel and it works very well, they kick ass


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## Mazzakazza (Jun 8, 2009)

I'm in one. Kinda

We use a third guitarist (our singer) in just a few songs, where we wanna add more meat to a rythym section, and layer lead over the top. Recording, the other guitarists play those live parts that he covers, its just a pure functionality thing, where we feel that rythym behind a break is thin.


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## Randy (Jun 8, 2009)

Periphery.


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## WhitechapelCS (Jun 8, 2009)

Marv Attaxx said:


> The only band with 3 guitarists I can think of right now is whitechapel and it works very well, they kick ass


 

beat me too it


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## troyguitar (Jun 8, 2009)

You're not going to get a much better example of "doing well with it" than Maiden and Skynyrd.


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## wannabguitarist (Jun 8, 2009)

troyguitar said:


> You're not going to get a much better example of "doing well with it" than Maiden and Skynyrd.



Periphery?


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## TheSixthWheel (Jun 8, 2009)

Although it's not a constant 3rd guitarist and although it's not metal, I went to see Oceansize on saturday night at the Hi Fi Bar in Melbourne. It was awesome stuff. Here's one of their songs which features their bassist as a 3rd guitarist. Apologies for the sound, my camera doesn't have the greatest mic.


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## JohnIce (Jun 8, 2009)

The singer in my band is a good strummer, so we do some layering around him at times. But we're not a metal band, I imagine it's hell both writing for and playing tightly in a 3-guitarist metal band. I have a hard enough time writing for two guitarists in my metal band.


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## PnKnG (Jun 8, 2009)

JohnIce said:


> The singer in my band is a good strummer, so we do some layering around him at times. But we're not a metal band, I imagine it's hell both writing for and playing tightly in a 3-guitarist metal band. I have a hard enough time writing for two guitarists in my metal band.



Well often with 3 guitarists its 2 rhythm guitar that play in harmony with each other of some sort and 1 lead guitar.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Jun 8, 2009)

Eh I watched some emo-ish band live at a bamboozle that my friends wanted to watch and they had 3 guitarists. Seemed over-excessive since the 2 of them were doing something and the 3rd guy would just do backup vocals and strum a few chords on occasion.

Some people make it work beautifully other people are the equivalent of 8 string guitarists who use 3 strings.


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## Scar Symmetry (Jun 8, 2009)

TheSixthWheel said:


> Although it's not a constant 3rd guitarist and although it's not metal, I went to see Oceansize on saturday night at the Hi Fi Bar in Melbourne. It was awesome stuff. Here's one of their songs which features their bassist as a 3rd guitarist. Apologies for the sound, my camera doesn't have the greatest mic.




Oceansize FTW


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## vortex_infinium (Jun 8, 2009)

JONAS BROTHERS! Nobody said it had to be good bands with 3 guitarists.


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## gunshow86de (Jun 8, 2009)

FREEBIRD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## BurialWithin (Jun 8, 2009)

vortex_infinium said:


> JONAS BROTHERS! Nobody said it had to be good bands with 3 guitarists.


 ha ha awesome


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## troyguitar (Jun 8, 2009)

wannabguitarist said:


> Periphery?



I guess that depends on how you define "doing well" - I've never heard of Periphery outside of this forum whereas EVERYONE knows Freebird and every metal fan knows Maiden.


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## Setnakt (Jun 8, 2009)

Esoteric. They are epic psychadelic funeral doom, and many songs are arranged with 1 distorted rhythm guitar, one clean rhythm guitar walking through an arpeggio or whatever, and the third guitar playing lead which really carries the melody (and is played by the vocalist I believe). Besides their bass player and drummer they also have a keyboard player. The mix gets a little busy, but that's the point  They're also one of my favorite bands. http://www.myspace.com/esotericuk


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## vampiregenocide (Jun 8, 2009)

troyguitar said:


> I guess that depends on how you define "doing well" - I've never heard of Periphery outside of this forum whereas EVERYONE knows Freebird and every metal fan knows Maiden.



I think Hal was referring more to actually getting a working band with 3 guitarists without their egos exploding, rather than becoming famous as it were.

When I saw Placebo live, they had a third guitarist, also found this band on myspace who are pretty good, they have 3 guitarists _and_ 2 vocalists:

http://www.myspace.com/millicentgroveuk


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## metallatem (Jun 8, 2009)

Dragpipe - believe they're now defunct


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## Konfyouzd (Jun 8, 2009)

i heard in flames did this but i don't know if that's true or not. i think having 3 guitarists would make some things easier to pull off live. i know there are a lot of songs i hear that have a riff in the background and then a harmony over top. i'd imagine it's difficult to pull that off live with just 2 guitarists although i've seen some of these bands live and it seems to sound just fine. i'm not really sure what the hell is going on up there on stage, though


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## kung_fu (Jun 8, 2009)

My friend used to have a band with three guitarists. He tells me he could never keep the lineup together, not sure if this had to do with egos or not. The only other bands i've heard do this are Chuck Calibre (local band) and WhiteChapel, neither of which i feel make effective use of the third axe. Kind of overkill.

Edit: oh Maiden also


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## sessionswan (Jun 8, 2009)

I could be wrong on this but...didn't The Acacia Strain have 3 guitarists at one point? I know it's just DL now but for some reason I seem to recall hearing that.


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## Nitrox (Jun 8, 2009)

Hawthorne Heights had three guitarists before one of the guitarists died.

Hawthorne Heights suck though so nevermind...


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## thebhef (Jun 8, 2009)

Lynyrd Skynyrd


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## PeteyG (Jun 8, 2009)

Andrew WK


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## Yen (Jun 8, 2009)

Isis, sometimes their keyboard guy switches to play 3rd guitar.


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## polydeathsphere (Jun 8, 2009)

Setnakt said:


> Esoteric. They are epic psychadelic funeral doom


 ...that genre is a handful. 

I don't know how Periphery wasn't the first name dropped here, and of course Iron Maiden was more well known they've had generations to sink into society, although they did pretty much dominate shit early on.


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## kung_fu (Jun 8, 2009)

Yen said:


> Isis, sometimes their keyboard guy switches to play 3rd guitar.



Ah yes. Genesis did this quite frequently as well. They pulled it of beautifully too.


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## ZXIIIT (Jun 8, 2009)

Fuzz-Huzzi
FUZZ-HUZZI on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads


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## distressed_romeo (Jun 8, 2009)

Blue Oyster Cult?

Leatherwolf?


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## kung_fu (Jun 8, 2009)

I think Boston may have as well  (Singer, Scholz, ?), and Def Leppard


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## Variant (Jun 8, 2009)

kung_fu said:


> Def Leppard



 The Lep have employed three on occasion, and often used three completely different layered guitar tracks in studio. In many cases its a great effect.


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## TomAwesome (Jun 8, 2009)

TheSixthWheel said:


> Although it's not a constant 3rd guitarist and although it's not metal, I went to see Oceansize on saturday night at the Hi Fi Bar in Melbourne. It was awesome stuff. Here's one of their songs which features their bassist as a 3rd guitarist. Apologies for the sound, my camera doesn't have the greatest mic.




Oceansize is very win.


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## Joeywilson (Jun 8, 2009)

i think the OP should define "doing well"

there is doing well getting money n' hos

and there is doing well at making good music and applying the 3 guitars in an effective way

i suspect periphery will do both as im very surprised they arn't signed


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## Konfyouzd (Jun 8, 2009)

vortex_infinium said:


> JONAS BROTHERS! Nobody said it had to be good bands with 3 guitarists.


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## halsinden (Sep 8, 2009)

this keeps coming up actually, especially over on the whitechapel 8 string thread.

there seems to be this massively popular knee-jerk reaction to metal bands with 3 guitarists. i'm aware that i'm putting my kneck on the line here, but i'm going to hazard a guess at saying that so many people who balk against the whole 3 guitarist thing have decided the band 'don't need' the extra guitarist before they've even investigated into whether that's the case.

it does make me think about whether the same would apply to bands like king crimson who have made extremely valid use of 2 drummers, 2 bassists etc...

H


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## distressed_romeo (Sep 8, 2009)

If we're talking non-metal bands, then what about the California Guitar Trio, or McLaughlin/DeLucia/DiMeola?


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## Konfyouzd (Sep 8, 2009)

I think someone has already said this, but I've seen some bands that only have 1 or 2 guitarists and some of the things they try to do live don't quite work out the same way as it did on the the CD because in parts where there are actually 3 guitar parts, the bass player just fills in. Sometimes it's nice to have some distorted chords behind a melodic harmonized lead. 

Doesn't Steve vai's band have like 3 or 4 guitarists? (Sorry if that's already been mentioned) From what I've seen (I haven't seen much) one of them always seems kind of extraneous, but maybe I'm not listening well enough.


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## distressed_romeo (Sep 8, 2009)

Konfyouzd said:


> I think someone has already said this, but I've seen some bands that only have 1 or 2 guitarists and some of the things they try to do live don't quite work out the same way as it did on the the CD because in parts where there are actually 3 guitar parts, the bass player just fills in. Sometimes it's nice to have some distorted chords behind a melodic harmonized lead.
> 
> Doesn't Steve vai's band have like 3 or 4 guitarists? (Sorry if that's already been mentioned) From what I've seen (I haven't seen much) one of them always seems kind of extraneous, but maybe I'm not listening well enough.



With the Breed, Dave Weiner was the dedicated rhythm guitarist, and Tony MacAlpine switched between guitar and keys as needed.


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## Konfyouzd (Sep 8, 2009)

^ Ahh well that explains it. Thanks. 

That's a really good setup, actually.


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## CrushingAnvil (Sep 8, 2009)

troyguitar said:


> You're not going to get a much better example of "doing well with it" than Maiden and Skynyrd.



End thread.

Whitechapel don't really make use of that factor too much. You wouldn't guess.

Oh, almost forgot about Thin Lizzy.

 ... Or should I say


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## telecaster90 (Sep 8, 2009)

I'm actually working on a three guitar project right now. The singer plays dobro and sticks mostly to rhythm. The other guitar player is rooted in blues and he does more of a bluesy rhythm or stuff with open tunings and slide. I just fuck around with triads higher up on the neck to stay out of the way of what they're doing and add to the total wall of sound.


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## halsinden (Sep 8, 2009)

ok, so indulge me here&#8230;

in interlock we were signed to anticulture records. there was a band on the early roster called the inbreds, and they truly lived up to their name. i don&#8217;t pull punches about them because they were immediately detrimental to our careers and went out of their way to make life more difficult for us, other bands on the roster and other human beings in general. they had 3 guitarists which i believe was in the interest of performing iron maiden-like dual harmony leads whilst still having rhythmic backing. all the times i had the misfortune of seeing them live or being on the same bill as them, i don&#8217;t actually remember them ever achieving this. not even once. (but then, hey, don&#8217;t take my word for granted; according to them we mimed to a backing track&#8230. i feel justified in saying that they were drunken arseholes who made 50% more under-rehearsed, sludgy bullshit noise by the addition of third-man rather than put it to at least intriguing use.

additionally, i don&#8217;t like iron maiden. never have. i don&#8217;t enjoy the galloping rhythm part and dual-harmony lead thing.

i DO however like whitechapel. i don&#8217;t always feel that i&#8217;ve picked up on when they&#8217;ve put the 3 guitar thing to absolute, noticeable-on-record use but i DO appreciate the visual of the format in their videos and i have to say that i think that the melody starting at 0:35 on this video is fucking inspired and wouldn&#8217;t be the _quite_ as strong live without the rhythm part doubled.

the other thing i note is that arguably the &#8216;industry standard&#8217; of having quad-tracked rhythm parts in two-guitarist metal bands is very much present & accepted as a recording technique these days. surely that is then halved immediately as soon as you play live? with all the complaint from people against 3 guitarist metal bands seems to have this undercurrent that the antagonists are demanding that said 3-guitar band is nearly permanently performing three part harmonies and complex polyrhythms otherwise impossible to perform with simply 2 guitarists&#8230; i&#8217;m at odds with this. why therefore isn&#8217;t the same demanded of two guitar bands? from anthrax to meshuggah, a large and arguably predominant amount of the music (especially live) is two guitarists doing exactly the same thing for extended periods of time. why? because it sounds huge. oh right, but no because apparently as 2 guitars already sound huge live, a third would be perfunctory and might even muddy the sound. thanks heavens nobody uses more than 2 guitar tracks when recording then&#8230;

so, using the anti-3 guitar logic, most standard metal bands should get rid of the second guitarist as they&#8217;re only very rarely being used to the full potential. no? no.

double standards, much?

H


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## XeoFLCL (Sep 8, 2009)

Our band currently has 3 guitarists. I do the leadwork for the most part and I also throw in parts on keyboard or backing vocals when needed. We all have very different influences, with mine being bands like Nevermore, Fear Factory, Behemoth, and The Absence, the other guitarist is into stuff like Whitechapel and Beyond the Buried and Me, and the last is into more southern metal like Pantera, Crowbar, and Down. We don't have any recordings yet and are in the middle of writing songs so I don't have many examples, but one thing is for sure, it takes a good right hand to make it work but besides that there's no reason to not try it


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## Customisbetter (Sep 8, 2009)

The Receiving End of Sirens (now defunct) had three guitarists. One of the guitarists/singers started The Dear hunter which occasionally switches between three guitars and synth.


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## halsinden (Sep 8, 2009)

XeoFLCL said:


> Our band currently has 3 guitarists. I do the leadwork for the most part and I also throw in parts on keyboard or backing vocals when needed. We all have very different influences, with mine being bands like Nevermore, Fear Factory, Behemoth, and The Absence, the other guitarist is into stuff like Whitechapel and Beyond the Buried and Me, and the last is into more southern metal like Pantera, Crowbar, and Down. We don't have any recordings yet and are in the middle of writing songs so I don't have many examples, but one thing is for sure, it takes a good right hand to make it work but besides that there's no reason to not try it



i'll be interested to hear that, man.

H


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## XeoFLCL (Sep 8, 2009)

halsinden said:


> i'll be interested to hear that, man.
> 
> H


Yeah, even better we're all on 7 strings  Not sure when but we should have songs ready before october hopefully (since we're looking to at least play shows by then)


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## halsinden (Sep 8, 2009)

XeoFLCL said:


> Yeah, even better we're all on 7 strings  Not sure when but we should have songs ready before october hopefully (since we're looking to at least play shows by then)



hahahaha, you sound like a US version of my band. we've taken a fair while to get stuff out and have even gigged before release.

H


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## scottro202 (Sep 8, 2009)

I bet most of these have been said before, but I'm lazy and don't feel like reading the whole thread

Brand New Sin
Iron Maiden (newer)
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Whitechapel

I think that some bands use it well, some don't. it all depends on what you need in your music. If your music requires 3 guitars, so be it. If you wanna be "different" for the sake of being different,


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## oompa (Sep 8, 2009)

zeppelin did do some songs with 3 guitars didnt they?

aside from previously mentioned böc, skynyrd and maiden etc. didnt thin lizzy do three guitars back when?


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## scottro202 (Sep 8, 2009)

oompa said:


> zeppelin did do some songs with 3 guitars didnt they?
> 
> aside from previously mentioned böc, skynyrd and maiden etc. didnt thin lizzy do three guitars back when?


 
Zeppelin probably did songs with 3 guitar arrangements, but AFAIK Page was the only dedicated guitarist, when doing these songs live I guess he just improvised as far as arrangements go


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## GazPots (Sep 8, 2009)

Oceansize are perhaps my favourite 3 guitarist band (aswell as a separate bassist).


Supreme layers and awesome harmonies etc.


I'm currently in a band that uses 3 guitarists and we use it in a similar style. Lots of atmosphere and stuff and then there is plenty of meat when it gets heavy. Main point is don't have everyone doing the same thing. 


As for metal bands with 3 guitarists im not so sure. But then again i like bands to have epic clean sections aswell as heavyness.


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Sep 8, 2009)

On some tours, Steve Vai.

I have no problem with it, so long as each one fills a purpose.

Personally, I don't think Jannick Gers adds anything to Iron Maiden that Smith & Murray are capable of holding down on their own. I don't care much for his style either, he could just play rythym guitar for all I care, just my own preference.


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## ivancic1al (Sep 8, 2009)

TonyFlyingSquirrel said:


> On some tours, Steve Vai.
> 
> I have no problem with it, so long as each one fills a purpose.
> 
> Personally, I don't think Jannick Gers adds anything to Iron Maiden that Smith & Murray are capable of holding down on their own. I don't care much for his style either, he could just play rythym guitar for all I care, just my own preference.


 

but to be fair, they need a third guy to do some of the 3 part harmonies when teh y play live. otherwise, parts would be missing. i agree that he's not the best soloist, but i feel like he's just there to make the songs work 'logistically' on tour. $.o2


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## All_¥our_Bass (Sep 8, 2009)

About the two guitarists playing the same (live) thing deal, I understand it is to recreate that "double-tracked" sound live.

However, I would really love to see a band where there were 2 bassists and 3 or 4 guitarists all doing harmony and/or counterpoint most or all of the time. That would be so cool.


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## Joel (Sep 8, 2009)

The Eagles?


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## troyguitar (Sep 8, 2009)

Did Thin Lizzy really play with 3 guitarists at once? If so, I feel bad for not knowing that 

2 of my favorite players in the world were in that band, Gary Moore and John Sykes.


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## CrushingAnvil (Sep 9, 2009)

troyguitar said:


> Did Thin Lizzy really play with 3 guitarists at once? If so, I feel bad for not knowing that
> 
> 2 of my favorite players in the world were in that band, Gary Moore and John Sykes.



Yeah, My mistake, Gary Moore replaced Gorham(?) I think.



techdeath16 said:


> The Eagles?



Glenn Frey, Don Felder and Joe Walsh played on the 'Hotel California tour'.


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## fuzzboy (Sep 9, 2009)

Molly Hatchet


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## eleven59 (Sep 9, 2009)

Nine Inch Nails have always had a dedicated guitarist, a bassist who also plays guitar on some songs and keyboards on a few, a keyboardist who plays guitar on a few songs, and Trent himself playing guitar, bass or keyboards on some songs. Occasionally, all 4 are playing guitar, mostly because they don't have anything else to do, and it creates a cool wall of sound.

On this one, they have 5 guitarists thanks to Dillinger Escape Plan joining them on stage


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## D-EJ915 (Sep 9, 2009)

Sex Machineguns have a 3rd guitarist live when they're doing solo battles, does that count? lol Only other band that hasn't been mentioned that I know has had a 3rd guitarist at some point was Becoming the Archetype and he was basically just to add to the rhythm, he played essentially the bass part.


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## signalgrey (Sep 10, 2009)

Hawthorne Heights

3 guitars, 0 talent


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## poopyalligator (Sep 10, 2009)

signalgrey said:


> Hawthorne Heights
> 
> 3 guitars, 0 talent



Hahahaha i was just thinking that


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## metaljohn (Sep 10, 2009)

With Dead Hands Rising


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## Felicitera (Sep 10, 2009)

Radiohead!


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## signalgrey (Sep 10, 2009)

^ and sometimes they have 0 guitarists hahaha

love them


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## built4sin (Sep 10, 2009)

sessionswan said:


> I could be wrong on this but...didn't The Acacia Strain have 3 guitarists at one point? I know it's just DL now but for some reason I seem to recall hearing that.


 on 3750 they had 3 guitar players, now down to just one. still one of my favorite albums. smoke ya later and halcyon are my favorite songs they've done.


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## Rick (Sep 10, 2009)

signalgrey said:


> Hawthorne Heights
> 
> 3 guitars, 0 talent



Hate to point this out but I think they're down to 2. I believe one of them died a couple of years ago.


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## Adam Of Angels (Sep 10, 2009)

^I think that's true, although I really don't know how I know that.

Doesn't Heaven Shall Burn, or Beyond The Embrace have 3 guitarists?


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## Loomer (Sep 10, 2009)

I am sort of ashamed that this thread had to go 7 pages before someone said this, but:

Atheist! 
Granted, it was only on one album, but my God did it work out beautifully. On their last record, "Elements", they had three Guitarists. Two of them lefties, even..


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## Adam Of Angels (Sep 10, 2009)

What sort of music do Athiest play? All I know about them is that Peter Iwers from In Flames mentions liking them a lot.


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## Loomer (Sep 10, 2009)

Hard to say. Let me just put it like this:

If it wasn't for these guys, Technical Metal would probably never have taken off. 
They're like a technical thrash band, with some heavy Jazz influences, and some SERIOUSLY wicked bass work. Check out "Unquestionable Presence", and get blown away. These guys were so far ahead of their time!


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## All_¥our_Bass (Sep 12, 2009)

^Yeah it's like jazz-thrash.

It's really original and interesting.


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## Shawn (Sep 12, 2009)

I liked the fact that Skynyrd had 3 guitar players.  Some bands though, not so good. I know Maiden sounded awesome with 3 guitar players.


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## Triple7 (Sep 12, 2009)

It appears that Ihsahn's touring band has 3 guitarists as well.


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## halsinden (Sep 12, 2009)

Triple7 said:


> It appears that Ihsahn's touring band has 3 guitarists as well.



you have NO IDEA how much i will now be using this information as a major arguing point now.

H


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## Triple7 (Sep 12, 2009)

halsinden said:


> you have NO IDEA how much i will now be using this information as a major arguing point now.
> 
> H



For?


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## halsinden (Sep 12, 2009)

Triple7 said:


> For?



the amount of people i know who hate whitechapel (for apparently being 3 guitarist posers) and who worship ihsahn.

H


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## Adam Of Angels (Sep 12, 2009)

What Ihsahn does with 3 guitarists doesn't change Whitechapel's poserdom though.


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## Triple7 (Sep 12, 2009)

halsinden said:


> the amount of people i know who hate whitechapel (for apparently being 3 guitarist posers) and who worship ihsahn.
> 
> H



Hahaha nice dude, glad I could help, I am a fan of both myself


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## Adam Of Angels (Sep 12, 2009)

Just to add, I've never listened to Whitechapel, so I was just kidding.


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## halsinden (Sep 12, 2009)

Adam Of Angels said:


> What Ihsahn does with 3 guitarists doesn't change Whitechapel's poserdom though.



of course it doesn't, you're absolutely right, it does however shoot down something of the 'them / us' principle that many of the more extremist metal fans i know cling to, and for them to admit that ishasn can possibly do wrong is like blood from stone. ihsahn has done no wrong here, more that he's seen the need for more input, which as far as i'm concerned so have whitechapel.

H


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## Scar Symmetry (Sep 12, 2009)

halsinden said:


> of course it doesn't, you're absolutely right, it does however shoot down something of the 'them / us' principle that many of the more extremist metal fans i know cling to, and for them to admit that ishasn can possibly do wrong is like blood from stone. ihsahn has done no wrong here, more that he's seen the need for more input, which as far as i'm concerned so have whitechapel.
> 
> H



this 

I see nothing poser-esque about having 3 guitarists. if your music requires 3 guitarists, then that is your decision and does not make you in anyway a poser.

in fact, I personally think 3 guitarists is an underused idea and would love to be able to explore the possibilities in a band with 3 guitarists myself.

granted, people would call us 'posers' and say we copied Whitechapel, but that _really_ wouldn't bother me.


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## halsinden (Sep 12, 2009)

Scar Symmetry said:


> this
> 
> I see nothing poser-esque about having 3 guitarists. if your music requires 3 guitarists, then that is your decision and does not make you in anyway a poser.
> 
> ...



mate, the bigger point is actually a lot more simple - what if you CHOOSE to use three guitarists? there's no law. there's no _system_ by which it's officially decided that, because of your component parts, you can now no longer be considered as valid musicians.

as this entire thread has proven, there have been bands who have seen fit to use more than the 'standard'. sadly, what this has also meant is that punters have decided that since you've decided to do something out of the norm, you're not worth considering.

H


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## Scar Symmetry (Sep 12, 2009)

halsinden said:


> mate, the bigger point is actually a lot more simple - what if you CHOOSE to use three guitarists? there's no law. there's no _system_ by which it's officially decided that, because of your component parts, you can now no longer be considered as valid musicians.
> 
> as this entire thread has proven, there have been bands who have seen fit to use more than the 'standard'. sadly, what this has also meant is that punters have decided that since you've decided to do something out of the norm, you're not worth considering.
> 
> H



no I completely agree, I didn't word my post very well as I was eating some pizza


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## Rick (Sep 12, 2009)

What the hell is a "punter?" 

I know you're not talking about the American football "punter."


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## Adam Of Angels (Sep 12, 2009)

Yeah, I think having 3 guitarists is badass - you can just layer shit like mad. 3 violinists is better than 2, right?


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## Scar Symmetry (Sep 12, 2009)

Rick said:


> What the hell is a "punter?"
> 
> I know you're not talking about the American football "punter."



Rick, get with the lingo man, jeeeeez! 



Adam Of Angels said:


> Yeah, I think having 3 guitarists is badass - you can just layer shit like mad. 3 violinists is better than 2, right?



right


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## Rick (Sep 12, 2009)

So what the hell is it?

I'm too old and I don't live in the UK.


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## Scar Symmetry (Sep 12, 2009)

Urban Dictionary: punter


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## Rick (Sep 12, 2009)

I love British people.


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## Sindwulf (Sep 13, 2009)

halsinden said:


> you have NO IDEA how much i will now be using this information as a major arguing point now.
> 
> H


 

That's the thing I REALLY love about Ihsahn, is his ability to layer music. I always find stuff in Prometheus that I haven't "heard" before previous listens. Speaking of which, most of that album is nearly impossible to play live without a third guitarist.


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## Adamh1331 (Oct 3, 2009)

Godspeed You! Black Emperor


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## Hypothermia (Oct 3, 2009)

Cult of luna


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## darren (Oct 3, 2009)




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## BlindingLight7 (Oct 3, 2009)

the acacia strain (old)
periphery
whitechapel
thats all i think


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## tc1570 (Oct 22, 2009)

Electro Quarterstaff on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads


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## synrgy (Oct 22, 2009)

I know I'm hella late on this thread, but I wanted to chime in.

ALL the bands I think have done this well have already been mentioned, so I don't have anything to add in that regard, but everything I've been writing for the last 2 years or so has been 3 guitar arrangements. In most cases it's one rhythm and 2 harmonized leads, but sometimes it's 2 rhythms and 1 lead.

Is it harder to do 'well'? Maybe. When it IS done well, is it a bajillion times more awesome than it would be with just 2 guitars? Absolutely!! 

Plus, I think *most* major label recordings with 2 guitar bands have so many layers that it's as if there are 9 guitar players on the recording. That's why so many bands sound so fucking weak live in comparison to on their records.. My opinion, anyway..


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## stryker1800 (May 15, 2010)

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet but scale the summit has three guitar players, they also seem to be a good testament to the fact that every member has to play guitars with the same number of strings.


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## CatPancakes (May 15, 2010)

tc1570 said:


> Electro Quarterstaff on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads



Beat me to it!

Insanely amazing band


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## kung_fu (May 15, 2010)

stryker1800 said:


> I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet but scale the summit has three guitar players, they also seem to be a good testament to the fact that every member has to play guitars with the same number of strings.



I'm not that into STS, but i thought it was 2 guitars and a bass


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## BrainArt (May 15, 2010)

kung_fu said:


> I'm not that into STS, but i thought it was 2 guitars and a bass



Yep, Chris plays 8s, while Travis plays 7s.


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## Antimatter (May 15, 2010)

I think on John Petrucci's solo album, "Suspended Animation" there were four guitars on one track. If I remember correctly, one was doing fifths on the low E, another was doing higher rhythms, another was leads, and yet another was arpeggios. It worked together well, and it was fun to listen to because you could listen to it multiple times and hear all the different parts.


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## xwmucradiox (May 15, 2010)

One of my old bands had three guitar players. Everything was some sort of harmony live or a pair of guitars playing harmony while another played a riff underneath. Then the other half of the music was folky ambient music like GYBE so that had loads of layers too with all three guitars using loopers to build the song.


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