Mick Mars - Infos and/or Opinions

[RV52]

Late to the party, I know.
Last week I saw, for the first time, a concert (DVD) of Motley Crue.
Any infos here about Mick Mars' Strats?
I'd like to read your opinions about his skills as a guitarist too.

And of course, a happy new year to you all.

 

[Dave2512]

He's better than he gets credit for and IMO the only thing interesting regarding MC.

 

[Serenity]

Killer player and massively underrated. His live tones, especially since Dr Feelgood, have been awesome. He's one of the reasons i picked up a guitar in the first place.

 

[sahhas]

Vintage Guitar mag had a profile of him from a few years ago and had a good writeup of his guitars he used. He has a fair amount of vintage guitars, one of his main stage guitars (at the time of the article) was a 60s player strat that he modded. i think he said it had been parted out (not original), so wasn't collectible in those terms, so he made it one of his main stage guitars....a few years ago i heard the beginning of Dr. Feelgood come on at a fitness center, and when I heard the feedback i wondered "who is this?" then when i heard Vince's voice and the chorus, i thought: wow-Mick is certainly a better guitar player than i thought!

 

[1941WillysMB]

From reading their bio, it seems like he really held the group together in the early days. Being older and less about partying, he was sort of the voice of reason amongst a bunch of raging kids.

His playing, tone and attitude have always impressed me.

 

[cvansickle]

I agree that Mick Mars is terribly underrated, but Motley Crue was completely a sum of its parts. Mick's sound and style was tailor made for Crue; you couldn't plug him into just any band and get a satisfying result. But what he did with Crue had moments of sheer amazement, IMO. I saw them live in the 80s twice, once really close to the stage (Girls Girls Girls tour). I was blown away by his sound and style, and I went out the next day and bought a Kramer Beretta!

 

[boldaslove1977]

i finally got around to seeing them live... for their second-to-last show ever at the staples center last year. could not believe how good he sounded. not that i thought he'd be bad, but he exceeded expectations.

maybe i'm the last to know this... but you hear shades of jeff beck in his live playing that don't necessarily come out on the albums.

 

[Hammered]

Not much to ad other than I saw Motley the first time of many on Halloween 1982. Mick used a black Les Paul for that gig

 

[A-Bone]

How's his health?

 

[boldaslove1977]

I agree that Mick Mars is terribly underrated, but Motley Crue was completely a sum of its parts. Mick's sound and style was tailor made for Crue; you couldn't plug him into just any band and get a satisfying result. But what he did with Crue had moments of sheer amazement, IMO.

this is a great point... and it goes for all of 4 of them.

 

[paranoid70]

He seemed like the one cool guy in a band full of a-holes.

 

[Fishyfishfish]

Mick is a sweet dude that loves guitars/gear.

 

[Guitarworks]

Never been a fan. I chuck him in the same file with Richie Sambora - I don't detest his playing but I was never inspired by his playing or songwriting either.

 

[Fatherflot]

As I recall, he has dealt with pretty serious health challenges his entire life -- Ankylosing spondylitis, an awful form of arthritis since he was a teen.

 

[ReddRanger]

I was a Crue fan growing up and I've always liked his playing. Mick has been criticized for not being as technically proficient as other players from their heyday, but his rawer bluesy style is actually what I prefer about him.

 

[garret]

Saw one of "The Last Tour" shows a year or so ago. I though his tone live was great!

Didn't dig his early sound as much as the later albums. But preferred the early songs.

Mick can play man. Not earth shattering but created some great riffs. He has my respect.

 

[standard24]

As I recall, he has dealt with pretty serious health challenges his entire life -- Ankylosing spondylitis, an awful form of arthritis since he was a teen.

The way I heard him describe his health malady in an interview, was that his bones were fusing together to form one long spine-bone. Extremely painful.

 

[mikebat]

I feel sorry for him about his health. Sucks.

I was never a fan but his tone improved as the years piled on. His sound on the debut record was really not to my liking. Very razor like.

But Vince Neil was the real reason I could never really listen to Motley Crue. The songs and rhythm section were the highlight for me.

 

[SL_22]

Like others have said, he doesn't get the credit he deserves for his abilities or the success of the band. His riffs were the driving force of the music.
He's probably the primary reason I picked up the guitar.
After seeing the video of Looks that Kill, I begged my parents for a guitar. I loved that sound. I still think his tone on Shout at the Devil is one of the best from the era. It's mean & aggressive.
He sounds great on Theatre of Pain as well. His solo in Home Sweet Home ain't fancy, but it's one of my all time favorites.
Seeing them live is where he shows what he's capable of. His transitions from rhythm to lead and back are flawless.
I got to see them twice on the girls tour, twice on the feelgood tour, & a few other times since, He's always sounded fantastic.

 

[ksandvik]

Just the sheer massive sound he could produce as the only guitar player in the band on live shows is pretty amazing.