Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

PUCKBOY99

PUCKBOY99

Irish Flagologist
Well, not really a competition.......just wonderring who you guys preferred & why?

I got both of their newest cds for Christmas & although they're the "NEW" country, I think these 2 guys definitely stand out over the rest.


Brad Paisley = nice mix of old school & newer pop country, Tele picker extraordinaire...Dr Z amps user...good voice & great tunes.

Keith Urban = nice mix of old school rock & newer pop country, Tele & LP Jr. banger, Bad Cat amps user...good tunes & GREAT voice!!!

Anyone know what pedals they use? I saw Paisley over the summer & it looked like his pedal use was minimal; Urban I've only seen in videos or with John Fogerty on tv & it looked like he had a fair amount going on a pedalboard.

Anyway, just curious if anyone liked them. Every now & then you see threads mentioning Paisley, but not so much for Urban & just wonderring why.

:beerchug:
 
Re: Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

im not a country fan but both those guys can play and have great tone
 
Re: Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

they're both great...i'm more of a Paisley guy is suppose!?

he just seems more down to Earth and more "country"...kind of a throwback...i like that about him!
 
Re: Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

I prefer Paisley. In this day of popular Country, he's a nice fresh reminder of what traditional Country is and how to properly play a Tele. :D I love his tone and his skills. The Kung Pao Buckeroos stuff on his CD's crack me up.

Brad uses plenty of pedals. Last pics I saw he had a couple Xotic Effects pedals, a Tubescreamer (Keeley modded), other various overdrives, a couple delays and reverb pedals. There's some other stuff too.
 
Re: Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

The next time I talk to Brad, I'll ask him what pedals he uses. I don't talk to him much, so it will probably be a while. If anything, my friend Kevin (Brad's college roommate)(it's awkward saying "my friend Kevin" since he used to be my math teacher) can get ahold of him and ask.

I'm not a country person at all, but I'd have to pick Keith Urban. Brad can kick out some awesome solos, but I just don't really like his music. He's a great guy and everything, but just don't really dig his songs and I think he gets a bit too much hype. At least it's a lot of hype around where I live since he's from here and everything.

However, if I had the third option, I'd rather listen to nothing than either of them.
 
Re: Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

I am going to be completely honest and state my opinion boldly.

I like both guys, however, I truly 1000% know that Brad could walk all over Keith, eat him for lunch, spit him out and kick him in the nads as a guitar player.

I think a local music store owner put it well when he said that Keith is a rocker at heart whereas Brad is country at heart.

I think Brad is more unique in his style and has an even more unique tone that is instantly recognizable.

Keith is good, but there again just another pretty boy with good chops and good rock/country tone.

Brad is the first person in longer than I can remember that has come into the mainstream country scene that deserves to get the attention he gets as a singer, songwriter and especially guitar player. He is an absolute master guitar slinger.
 
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Re: Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

B Bent said:
I am going to be completely honest and state my opinion boldly.

I like both guys, however, I truly 1000% know that Brad could walk all over Keith eat him for lunch, spit him out and kick him in the nads as a guitar player.

I think a local music store owner put it well when he said that Keith is a rocker at heart whereas Brad is country at heart.

I think Brad is more unique in his style and has an even more unique tone that is instantly recognizable.

Keith is good, but there again just another pretty boy with good chops and good rock/country tone.

Brad is the first person in longer than I can remember that has come into the mainstream country scene that deserves to get the attention he gets as a singer, songwriter and especially guitar player. He is an absolute master guitar slinger.
Click to expand...

Well, you have to give Keith Urban some credit. It's hard being country at heart when you're not from this country.
 
Re: Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

timorousme said:
Well, you have to give Keith Urban some credit. It's hard being country at heart when you're not from this country.
Click to expand...

This is true. I like the guy 100% but compared to Brad Paisley it is like Gary Coleman trying to whip Chuck Noriss's butt. I just don't see it.

Yeah I know Terry I turned it into a comparison. Sorry. :blackeye: :fingersx:
 
Re: Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

B Bent said:
I am going to be completely honest and state my opinion boldly.

I like both guys, however, I truly 1000% know that Brad could walk all over Keith eat him for lunch, spit him out and kick him in the nads as a guitar player.

I think a local music store owner put it well when he said that Keith is a rocker at heart whereas Brad is country at heart.

I think Brad is more unique in his style and has an even more unique tone that is instantly recognizable.

Keith is good, but there again just another pretty boy with good chops and good rock/country tone.

Brad is the first person in longer than I can remember that has come into the mainstream country scene that deserves to get the attention he gets as a singer, songwriter and especially guitar player. He is an absolute master guitar slinger.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the opinion, but I'd put "Rollercoaster" up against "Make A Mistake" any day....and not be too sure of who's kicking who in the nads.

They can both friggin' SMOKE.....just 2 different playing styles, which is probably why I like them both & both definitely have their place. :beerchug:
 
Re: Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

Oh yeah, Brad is 100% the reason for my recent Tele GAS and acquisition of a Tele, which I sadly had to sell. That's ok though. I still have Tele GAS so I'll just have to build one with a neck that I'm comfortable with.

Like a recent guitar mag said, "Brad Paisley: The Eddie Van Halen of Country Music".

Greg, I'm with ya 100% on all points.
 
Re: Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

Brad Paisley has been endorsing Keeley pedals lately - looks like he uses "Keeley Mods" and well as his original pedals. I saw the ad in Vintage Guitar.
 
Re: Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

ErikH said:
Like a recent guitar mag said, "Brad Paisley: The Eddie Van Halen of Country Music".
Click to expand...

Or better yet remember what Guitar World (or was it Guitar 1) labeled him when they featured him on the cover?


"Eddie Van Halen on Cornbread"
 
Re: Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

B Bent said:
Or better yet remember what Guitar World (or was it Guitar 1) labeled him when they featured him on the cover?


"Eddie Van Halen on Cornbread"
Click to expand...

Yup, that's right. :laugh2: Great headline.
 
Re: Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

if i had 1/10th the tele skills that Paisley has...i'd be the happiest guy on earth...i kid you not!
 
Re: Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

Urban is a poser doing music in the style of the week. Does he even write his own tunes? Paisley can play circles around him, has a style unique to himself and is instantly recognizable. Urban has a deal because they girls lose their **** over him. It sells records I guess but Australian country singer? Please.....
 
Re: Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

Regardless what one thinks of Keith, I think there are so many more dimensions to Brad's playing that make him a much more complete player. It's not just about who's picking more notes or who has more soul, although these things are very important. But I really think it is about the complete package.

Brad can pick--few would doubt that. But I really like that he is very aware of using rhythm in his solos as a device for creating interest. Most country players who can pick sound like a machine gun spitting out a steady, yet fast series of percussively twangy notes. Impressive, but it can get boring really quick. Brad's sound, on the other hand, slips and slides all over the place (in a good way). How many country players using sweep picking like Brad (or sweep picking at all)? Seriously. How many use rests, pickup notes, and grace notes like Brad? I'm reminding of Aebersold's list of 10 things that create interest in a solo (http://www.jazzbooks.com/jazzhandbook/26_things_that_create_interest.pdf)

I also really like Brad's slurring. It's also very slippery, yet in a different way. I think it's one of those things that identify his sound. His notes seem to sustain much longer and have a distinct attack and release, however it is ridiculously clean and controlled.

Brad's tone. I've never been a fan of EL84 amps, but Brad has made me seriously question my bias. My favorite Tele tone by far.

For some reason, I occassionally hear a little Brian Setzer in Brad's playing. It comes and goes really quick, just enough to flirt with the ears, yet not so much that the casual listener would pick up on it.

Put together, Brad comes across very playful, almost injecting a sense of humor into his playing here and there.

Yet as much as I've tried to break down Brad's playing and mimic is nuances, I find myself coming no where close because, with Brad's playing, the whole is really greater than the parts.

I think all of this has to be taken into consideration when comparing two guitarists. Maybe Keith does more for some people, but I think when we ask the quesiton of who is better, Brad is the king of the mountain in this battle.
 
Re: Brad Paisley vs. Keith Urban

Paisley is flat out a better guitar player but that's just one aspect of the comparison. The truth is that Brad is one of the best guitar players on the planet and lays waste to most other players including those in the rock, metal, jazz, country, and folk genres. It's hard to believe he is so good while playing mostly clean.

But it's not all about how well you play the guitar. I love both artists from a songwriting standpoint and feel that they are about equal in this respect. Both have a bunch of great tunes and are a credit to their professions. I certainly think they are both a huge leap above what usually comes out of Nashville.

I grew up hating country music (which is strange because I love folk and bluegrass) but these two (along with a few others) have literally forced me to pay attention and develop an appreciation. My tele gas is definitely on the upswing because of these guys.

Eric
 
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