Eddie Van Halen thought Jimi Hendrix was “sloppy”

Jimi Hendrix is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists and musicians of all time. His innovative guitar techniques included experimentation with feedback, and he became associated with his combination of a Fender Stratocaster, wah-wah pedal, and distorted amps. His contributions to guitar rock gained him widespread recognition, establishing his legacy in the annals of history.

Hendrix was many musicians’ favourite musician. Neil Young called Hendrix “the greatest electric guitar player who ever lived” in his authorised biography. Stevie Nicks has noted his influence on her music, style and humility. In the late 1960s, Billy Joel even pretended to be one of Hendrix’s roadies to sneak into one of his gigs. Many guitar legends since Hendrix have cited him as an influence on their music. 

But one rock legend who didn’t seem to rate Hendrix’s playing was Eddie Van Halen. Former Whitesnake guitarist Adrian Vandenberg spoke with Kylie Olsson for Ultimate Guitar in 2020, discussing his time with Eddie Van Halen. He mentions that the Van Halen guitarist thought Jimi Hendrix was “sloppy”.

He shares: “We didn’t really play-play, we just were there with guitars on the left. And he asked me who my favourite guitar player was. I said, ‘Well, it’s Jimi Hendrix.’ And he thought Jimi Hendrix was too sloppy; his favourite was Eric Clapton.”

He continues to recall working with Van Halen, stating: “He could play the solo to ‘Crossroads’ note-to-note, perfectly. As a kid, he just worked all those solos out. I was never patient enough to learn solos.” 

Van Halen’s guitar style differed from Hendrix’s. While Hendrix was part of the 1960s hippie psychedelic movement, making music for acid trips and Woodstock, Van Halen came up amidst 1970s glam rock. With bands like Bon Jovi and Kiss on the rise, upbeat hair metal was taking the place of fuzzy garage rock, and Van Halen were leading the movement.

Van Halen also included blues-influenced guitar in their music, hence why Van Halen might have favoured Clapton over Hendrix. Van Halen’s guitar style included his signature tapping, modified “Frankenstrat”, and use of dynamics. Like Hendrix, Van Halen’s impact on artists within the rock genre reached far and wide – even Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour has noted his influence. 

In an interview with Guitar Classics in 1985, he declared: “I can’t play like Eddie Van Halen. I wish I could. I sat down to try some of those ideas, and I can’t do it. I don’t know if I could ever get any of that stuff together. Sometimes I think I should work at the guitar more. I play every day, but I don’t consciously practice scales or anything in particular.” 

While Van Halen and Hendrix’s guitar styles may differ, both have come to be known as some of the greatest guitarists of all time. Hendrix pioneered the psychedelic rock of the 1960s, and Van Halen spearheaded the glam rock movement of the years that followed. Widely celebrated and loved within the wider rock genre, each generation of musicians since have been influenced by their playing.