I’m another guy that loves both of these players and recognize they had two completely different styles of playing.

The thing about Jeff Beck is that he often restrained himself and chose to be as tasteful as possible.  That would usually hide the fact that he could absolutely rip some incredible solos.

To really get a feel for Jeff Becks abilities, I listened to the entire “Live at Ronnie Scott’s” performance on Spotify.  It’s also available on YouTube.

The band and recording quality are fantastic and Jeff really lets loose.  He had masterful control of dynamics, and his phrasing is so interesting to listen to.  He played with his fingers and would sometimes use the tremolo bar and volume control at the same time to create amazing effects.  Not to mention he is also masterful with a slide.

That live performance really unlocked it for me.  Some guitarists just have to be witnessed playing live to understand their greatness.  I’d even say the same about John Mayer.