LES PAUL

truly the first guitar nerd of all, les had a knack and an obsession with tinkering with gadgetry. what made him unique was that he created all those gadgets himself! from being one of the midwifes of the modern solidbody electric, to his pioneering sound-on-sound recordings, to his invention of multi-track recording machines, les was an innovator whose efforts helped shape modern music production techniques. his recordings (his instrumentals, and his vocal tunes with wife/partner mary ford) still sound incredible even today, and are must listening. A formidable guitarist, les was still creating, tinkering  and playing well into his 90s, and he WAS STILL SHOWING A glee and sense of fun that would rival most teens starting out on the instrument. RIP, friend.


 

while all guitarists are dedicated to their instruments and their music to a certain level of mania (manifested in gear acquisition syndrome, endless practice regimens, etc.), true guitar nerds manifest themselves by taking their obsession with the guitar and their music to the nth degree. not every guitarist can be a guitar nerd. Ted nugent, for example (at least you wouldn’t say that to his face!). there have been many guitar nerds throughout history, and here is my dedication To and celebration of several of them.

if there are any nerds I may have missed - or if you’re a nerd who wants to be added - drop me a line and i’ll do an update to this page.

Rick nielsen

what is there to say? He dresses like bowery boy huntz Hall! He wears cardigans as part of his stage uniform! He obsessively collects vintage guitars! And he has new guitars commissioned with special features like 5 necks and that look like himself. But he’s the buzzsaw behind Cheap Trick, and his combo of Chainsaw guitar and catchy melody will have you humming along. Bonus points for being a tag team with Drum Nerd Bun E. Carlos.

buddy Holly

one of rock’s early pioneers, buddy certainly had a fashion sense that screamed “nerd”. Sweaters, jackets and of course those prominent horn-rimmed glasses. however, don’t be fooled - a great singer, writer and interpreter of many early 50s classics, and an energetic rhythm player. plus he was the first rocker to help popularize that futuristic space machine known as the fender stratocaster. 22 is definitely too young an age to die.

Elvis Costello

ah, mr. McManus! Looking like a lower-rent Buddy Holly (or Dennis the Menace’s Dad), He certainly looks like the guy the jocks like to pick on in high school. And his past as a computer programmer certainly gives him geek cred. But Elvis is a genuine original, and his fierce songs and even fiercer lyrics certainly made him a formidable player in the 70s punk scene with his band The Attractions (who looked just as geeky as he but had serious chops). And while he’s grown more sophisticated with age, he still has a way with a lyric.

Plus he lived out a geek fantasy when he married Diana Krall.

Rivers cuomo

ah, C’mon! The guy is named “Rivers”! He wears horn rims! He’s a Harvard grad! He named his band “Weezer”, for goodness sakes!

Don’t let those facts - or the fact that he’s an emo dude - put you off, though. Rivers is a killer guitar player, and isn’t afraid to throw in a mind-melting solo into his poppy but raging compositions. His playing is cool, even back in the 90s when it wasn’t cool to show you had serious metal chops in the alternative era. And dig his use of dynamics, going from sweetly clean to blowtorch intensity on the turn of a dime.

Lisa Loeb

she plays guitar. She writes songs. She wears glasses and looks seriously geeky. But you’d be surprised how many guitarists find her incredibly hot. Including me! Did you see the cover to her album “Firecracker” ?  That....uh, excuse me, I really need to take a cold shower about now.........

Brian May

What? Queen’s axeman is a geek?

Let’s check out the evidence:

PH.D in infrared astronomy (and actually earned it) ?Check.

Wrote a book on the origins of the universe with Sir Patrick Moore? Check.

Wrote a book on stereoscopic photography? Check..

Collects Star Wars figurines? Custom made lifesized ones? Check.

Mac user? Check.

Yep, his geek cred goes through the roof at mach 3 :)