BY THE MID ’80s, the hard-rock guitar landscape was overrun with pointyguitar-wielding, Aqua Net–abusing “Shreddy” Van Halen speed demons.
Until Slash came along. The Guns N’ Roses guitarist is widely credited with triggering a 180-degree turn in the guitar universe, injecting the scene with a much-needed shot of bluesy soul and classic-rock style. And while those hair-conscious guitarists didn’t exactly disappear with his arrival, you could rightly argue that hard-rock guitar playing styles changed dramatically after Slash came on the scene.