I know it's subjective and tricky to rate guitar players so this is more my favorites....but I rate them also technically and power and emotionally too. Also ALL the guitar players in the ABB were very good musicians.
1. Duane Allman.
No other guitarist in the ABB could light a fire on stage like Duane. Listen to the first and third solos on You Dont Love Me and Duane's solo on Elizabeth Reed on Fillmore East for proof positive. No ABB guitarist played with that kind of power and energy.
2. Dickey Betts.
Melodic and intense with his own unique tone and style. The most creative guitar player ever in the ABB. Blue Sky, Jessica etc, etc.
3. Jack Peason.
4. Derek Trucks.
5. Warren Haynes.
6. Dan Toler.
I put Jack ahead of Derek because his regular guitar I liked better than Derek and Jack's slide was usually just as good.
Warren is s fantastic guitarist and knows a million songs and has lots of guitar licks. But not Duane Allman or Dickey when Dickey was in his prime and to me not Derek or Jack on slide but still very good. Warren's slide on live Blue Sky versions are usually outstanding.
Dan Toler could light up a straight guitar solo on songs like Liz Reed.
This is how I see it and all 6 of the ABB guitar players are really good during their prime years and Jack, Warren and Derek are still in their prime!!
Bass.
1. Berry Oakley
2. Lamar Williams
3. Otiel Burbage
4. Allen Woody
5. David Goldflies.
No bass player contributed to the ABB sound like Berry. All the others are very good. Its almost too close to call after Berry Oakley.
Best? up to you
Favorite? Dickey Betts
My favorites are :
1- Derek trucks
2 - Duane Allman
3 - Dickie Betts
Well I have had some musicians tell me David Goldflies wasn't good enough to be in the ABB. Just thought of that. Don't know I agree but it is true when they put the band back on the road in 1989 rather than calling Goldflies, they held auditions which Woody won and as far as I know David Goldflies didn't show for the auditions but many players did. Gregg said one guy was actually really good and nailed the music but Gregg didn't think he could be on the road with him. Just something about him. Gregg also said he knew Allen Woody was the guy before he heard him play. Just how he looked and carried himself.
He is good. Was it when they decided to tour in 1989 and chose Allen Woody or in 1997 when Warren and Allen quit and they hired Otiel?
Best for me is Duane, favorite is Dickey.
Favorite and Best 
1) Derek
2) Jack
3) Duane
4) Warren
5 ) Dickey
6) Jimmy
7) Dan
1) Duane
1A) Dickey
Everybody else led by Derek Trucks and a cast of fine players in their own right. Me? I don't see how Dan Toler makes this list at all.
Danny could burn - many examples on Gregg’s late 80s stuff, also w/DB&GS, esp acoustically on Collectors Vol I - his ABB stuff isn’t Dan at his best
:oVince, I’m as surprised to see ya putting HTN above Idlewild South, as you are my liking some of the Arista stuff (c’mon bro I Know ya love So Long 😛 ) - bomb all around - btw has David Grissom been mentioned - he only played 1-2 shows though I think
Zakk Wylde - He only needed one show and it just couldn't be beat. He absolutely loves the Allmans. Knows all the tunes. Gets a Dream Call that many here would love to get. "Can you save our ass in less than 24 hours and do a show with no rehearsal?" - Zakk says sure. Plays a dream gig and plays like.........Zakk Wylde and people hate him for Eternity. That is Impact and makes Zakk #1. It was also my most requested show in my trading days. Number 2 is not even close.
Duane - He started the band and was a 6 String King.
Dickey - He wrote the tunes and is a 6 String King.
Warren - He was exactly what the band needed in 89. And he just kept getting better. He co-wrote with everyone and they made albums. Without him - shows but no music. Warren returns and saves the band a 2nd time. Writes songs and the band releases an album. I love Derek but he just didn't get the band in a studio and never would have without Warren's input. Look at the songwriting from 89 on and tell me how Warren is not #4.
Jack - Because he is Jack.
Derek - See Jack.
Jimmy - Tore it up for a whole tour and had a blast. Franklin Tower Highlight. After years of teasing it before Blue Sky - They do the Entire Tune. Jimmy plays a million notes just like Zakk did but is accepted because well....he is Jimmy.
Dan - He was Dangerous but not enough for me. Great player and no shame being behind any of the guys above him.
Who do I think the best soloist in The Allman Brothers was as far as skill, note selection, groove and pure musical genius. Chuck Leavell. he can play a simple chord and it will be better than everyone else.
My Dream ABB album would be one with Chuck joining the Original 6. Duane would have loved Chuck.
Warren - He was exactly what the band needed in 89. And he just kept getting better. He co-wrote with everyone and they made albums. Without him - shows but no music. Warren returns and saves the band a 2nd time. Writes songs and the band releases an album. I love Derek but he just didn't get the band in a studio and never would have without Warren's input. Look at the songwriting from 89 on and tell me how Warren is not #4.
My Dream ABB album would be one with Chuck joining the Original 6. Duane would have loved Chuck.
Dickey and Warren for me.
Good post about Warren. Dead on. This is subjective, but he might be one of the most important members of that band. Canadian Mule points them out. I have always thought that.
I thought of "what if's/hypotheticals" one time. What if Warren was never in Dickeys Band, that made the transition to the ABB? Where and what would the ABB be today? There would have been no Mule, given the Matt Abts connection and Woody …. thye probably would have never met, but I could be wrong. There could have been a HUGE trickle down effect . I am sure we all would know of Mr Haynes regardless, due to his talent, but in what form?
Chuck with original members...that would have been a dangerous combo on stage for sure!
[Edited on 2/17/2020 by jszfunk]
[Edited on 2/17/2020 by jszfunk]
[Edited on 2/17/2020 by jszfunk]
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Duane
Derek
Dickey
Jack
Warren
not a knock on Warren - the company is among the best there is
Best: Derek by a country mile
Favorite: Duane by a country mile
Only seems to make sense when comparing the two since Duane was late to guitar by most iconic players history and very late to slide guitar. Couple that with the fact he was gone by 24 and Derek has had decades longer to perfect the instrument.
To those who disagree with me take solace in the fact I've been told twice by good friends who are accomplished musicians that I have a horrible ear for music. And not told in a joking or malicious way at all.
[Edited on 2/17/2020 by DeadMallard]
:oVince, I’m as surprised to see ya putting HTN above Idlewild South, as you are my liking some of the Arista stuff (c’mon bro I Know ya love So Long 😛 ) - bomb all around - btw has David Grissom been mentioned - he only played 1-2 shows though I think
I'd defer to the ABB members deciding who is good enough to play with them in the band. If good enough for Dickey & Gregg, then more than good enough for me.
Tough one....
Duane is my favorite and the greatest Allman Brothers guitars, IMO. I didn't initially appreciate him like I do now.
Dickey is the sound that drew me to the ABB....Jessica, Blue Sky, Melissa, Ramblin Man and his sound was a major defining factor in the band's signature sound.
Derek is my favorite living musician. He'd be my favorite guitarist even if he didn't play slide. His work on Desdemona and the coda to High Cost of Low Living are essential Allman Brothers work.
Warren was the sound that legitimized the ABB upon their return in 1990, even though he wasn't an original. His slide in the early 90s made it sound like the Allman Brothers. Even when he played on the Blues Traverler song Mountains Win Again it sounded as much "ABB" as it did "Haynes." Hard to underestimate his impact on the band over his 22 years of his membership. And what an acoustic jammer he was too when the ABB went that direction.
Jack is so dang good, but his quirky jazz style is not always 100% my cup of tea. Then again, he still floors me repeatedly in multiple environments. Loved his work in High Falls during his time in the band. His work on the Gregg Tribute Show at the Fox in 2014 still grabs me every time.
Danny was a hell of player but sounded too much like Dickey during his time in the band. When he returned to Great Souhtern in 2001, he really had a much different less-ABB type style. My buddy said at a DB&GS show around 2003 (not in a disparaging way) "It's hard to believe he was ever in the Allman Brothers."
Jimmy can flat out wail. I've seen him WSP 25 times or more including 4 times in the past 14 months. He's too many notes and a little "metallic" at times but what a talent. I love those Summer 2000 recordings....and probably appreciate them more than I did during the shadow of Dickey's departure. Every time he guested with the ABB in their final 15 years was a treat.
What talent!!!!
I see some or a good portion named Derek as the best. Is that based on his slide playing only or.........?. Just curious.
[Edited on 2/18/2020 by jszfunk]
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
My ratings as players only - not as writers/composers.
Derek
Jimmy
Jack
Duane
Warren
Dickey
Dan
All incredible players - but for me there’s a pretty significant separation between Derek, Jimmy, and Jack and the others. LAFE and First Set were my first two Allman albums and the ones that got me hooked on the band. Duane, Dickey, and Warren absolutely blew my mind and shaped the way I listened to music going forward - I would never in a million years have imagined the same band would have 3 more guys pass through it who I all liked a fair bit better than those first 3 players that hooked me on the ABB.
slothrop8. I wish you had seen Duane Allman live. Duane was cocky, confident, in charge and had fire and energy in his solos that was never replaced in the band.
Listen to the energy and power on Duane's first and second solos on You Don't Love Me on LAFME. And his solo on Elizabeth Reed on LAFE.
With all due respect to the great Derek, Jimmy and Jack, they never lit up a solo like that.
I know they were brothers so some bias I suppose, but Gregg Allman said near the end of his life that his brother was the best guitarist he ever worked with. Gregg said Duane could light a fire on the stage in a New York minute.
Dickey Betts was the most creative of any guitar player that was in the band. It's why he is worth more money than Derek, Warren and Jack combined. And in his prime Dickey was a great player with his own sound and style and great tone.
I submit the band wouldn't have made it if the last lineup had been the first. They would have been as big as Widespread Panic or Blues Traveler more than likely but not as big as the original ABB. They would have had Gregg's songs but not Dickey's. And Duane's fire and leadership and Berry's unique bass style also were crucial to the success and sound of the band.
That is my take. I saw all the lineups and all were good. Even the Dan Toler David Goldflies lineup could get hot and smoke a song. That lineup's albums are my least favorite but all 3 and especially Enlighten Rogues have some good songs on them.
[Edited on 2/18/2020 by blackey]
Interesting post in that it appears as though the vote is split between those who saw and recall the brothers pre-'79 and those who know the band from '89 >>>>
Love the thread even though there is no right answer.
Except mine ….
1. Duane
2. Dickey
3. Warren
4. Derek
The thread title says "in the ABB." I can only give that title of "best in the ABB" to Dickey and Duane. Those 2 wrote the most memorable tunes and had the most legendary performances.
Derek Trucks is probably my favorite living guitarist. I saw Dickey play very well in the 80s and 90s but cannot ignore the 2 dozen or so times I've seen Derek kill it in the past 2 decades. I live in the current millennium and cannot deny it; this guy is the hottest guitar ticket since the 90s.
I do agree that Warren is the man who held the ABB together from 1989 onwards; he was the driving force. Derek is obviously the driving force behind his own bands but I never got that sense with the ABB. Warren helped write songs, he sang, he arranged, and you could feel his muscle and discipline.
Having said that - I do think Derek helped inspire the band and draw the crowds in a way that Warren plus someone like Dan Toler might not have. Derek is a unique player, and the music-loving crowd wanted that. Even on this site, fans complain about Rocking Horse and Soulshine - no one complains about Derek taking a solo.
All of the ABB guitarists are giants, but these are my personal favorites.
1. DICKEY BETTS
My favorite guitarist ever. His tone, be it sweet and melodic or stinging blues, is just so perfect.
2a. DUANE ALLMAN
What he did in such a short amount of time is unmatched. I love listening to his sweet dobro or backing up Delaney & Bonnie as much as a fiery "Dreams" solo.
2b. DEREK TRUCKS
Yes, Duane reinvented electric slide guitar, but Derek's style is such a different beast, he just has more years under his belt. No one today burns a solo today like Derek - slide or no slide.
3. JACK PEARSON
Definitely the most complete guitar player to have ever been in the ABB, there is nothing Jack can't do, including absolutely destroying "Dreams" every time he plays it.
4. WARREN HAYNES
The glue that kept the ABB together for so long. Warren, Dickey, & Woody was such a powerful combo during their run.
5. JIMMY HERRING
He pushed the band's music to new places when it was in mothballs. Those 2000 shows are interesting curios, but I never thought Jimmy's style completely sounded like the ABB.
6. DAN TOLER
An exceptional guitarist in his own right, but I can't say I was ever blown away. His best work was probably in the Gregg Allman Band in the 1980s - away from Dickey's shadow and before he went full on whammy bar.
Blackey, I saw the original lineup twice and once was the legendary Fillmore east show. I agree the original lineup was the best and i consider the Fillmore show the best concert I have ever gone to. With that said, I consider Derek the best guitarist to play in the brothers. I am not talking about songwriting just guitar playing. I also think the general public was much more attuned to their music in the late sixties/early seventies and that Derek would have been much more famous in that period than today.
Olddog. Derek is fantastic. Best slide player to my ears. Like his regular guitar playing a lot but I would hesitate to put Derek ahead of players such as Eric Johnson, Steve Vai and several other technical wizards on regular guitar.
Duane Allman's solos on Liz Reed and You Don't Love Me on Fillmore East to me have more fire and energy than ANYTHING I've heard from Derek or any other guitarist who has been in the ABB. I'm talking about really bringing the smoke to a solo not technically. So Duane is number one for me. Derek is technically better than Duane even on slide. But can Derek play Statesboro Blues or Must Have Did Someone Wrong or One Way Out on Eat A Peach better than what Duane laid down? No. For what is required for those songs, Duane is as good as it gets.
I'm not sure Derek's regular guitar would top Dickey on those songs especially on One Way Out. On something like Bag End Derek would technically out do a 1971 Dickey Betts but One Way Out? Do you think so?
Derek is fantastic. Best slide player to my ears. Like his regular guitar playing a lot but I would hesitate to put Derek ahead of players such as Eric Johnson, Steve Vai and several other technical wizards on regular guitar.
I wouldn't hesitate for a second. Also, remember Derek is (expertly) finger-picking in open E, he has created his own style and sound, something the Guitar Center shredders can't do.
Zakk Wylde - He only needed one show and it just couldn't be beat. He absolutely loves the Allmans. Knows all the tunes. Gets a Dream Call that many here would love to get. "Can you save our ass in less than 24 hours and do a show with no rehearsal?" - Zakk says sure. Plays a dream gig and plays like.........Zakk Wylde and people hate him for Eternity. That is Impact and makes Zakk #1. It was also my most requested show in my trading days. Number 2 is not even close.
If you're gonna give Zakk credit for getting 24 hours notice, then at least give an honorable mention to Ron Holloway (yeah, not a guitar player) who was called to fill in for Warren Haynes the afternoon of a show at Penns Peak.
Zakk Wylde - He only needed one show and it just couldn't be beat. He absolutely loves the Allmans. Knows all the tunes. Gets a Dream Call that many here would love to get. "Can you save our ass in less than 24 hours and do a show with no rehearsal?" - Zakk says sure. Plays a dream gig and plays like.........Zakk Wylde and people hate him for Eternity. That is Impact and makes Zakk #1. It was also my most requested show in my trading days. Number 2 is not even close.
If you're gonna give Zakk credit for getting 24 hours notice, then at least give an honorable mention to Ron Holloway (yeah, not a guitar player) who was called to fill in for Warren Haynes the afternoon of a show at Penns Peak.
I think Jimmy Herring also only got a couple hours notice the day of 10/3/09 to fill in for Warren when Warren ran into plane trouble.
Derek is fantastic. Best slide player to my ears. Like his regular guitar playing a lot but I would hesitate to put Derek ahead of players such as Eric Johnson, Steve Vai and several other technical wizards on regular guitar.
I wouldn't hesitate for a second. Also, remember Derek is (expertly) finger-picking in open E, he has created his own style and sound, something the Guitar Center shredders can't do.
agreed
Listen to the Storm, where Derek's guitar playing tells the story of Hurricane Sandy. Or Shame, where the anger is coming through.
Playing lots of notes fast is not the definition of a great musician.
Derek is a great player who can do anything. What he does most, imo is transmit emotion when he plays.
Blackey when you say technical ability are you referring to speed. The reason i ask is you always refer to speed guys when you use the term. For me speed is the least important aspect of guitar playing. In fact when Derek plays slow I tend to like it best. I can't say that for too many players maybe Jeff Beck and David Gilmour. I also can't rate players by song as you do I just like who i like. While many here may call it blasphemy I like the solo in Midnight in Harlem as much as any solo by any of the guys mentioned. If I was going to talk about fast players I would rate Jimmy Herring above, Vai, Johnson or any of the other speed guys mentioned. Again this is just my opinion and nothing more as I don't think of it as best just who I like.
