I thought this quest was a nice turn of events:

"Hey Steve, Mike from Jackson (dawg pound) here. I got a
question for your Chop Shop blog. I know you always ask your guests about guitar
players, well I thought I'd turn it around on you. Give me your thoughts, in 5 words or less, on the following guitar players.

Eddie Van Halen, Shaun Morgan, Phil Collen(for my wife,a huge DL fan),
Tony Rombola, Zakk Wylde(for my 9 year old who loves Ozzy), Kirk Hammett

Thanks and take care."

Mike I can’t do it in 5 words or less, but here is my unrehearsed response:

Eddie:

Believe it or not I think he’s under rated as a rhythm player, he’s come up with some of the best, and most fun licks ever! He’d be a top 20 guitar player of all time even if he never played a lead, but he did and that makes him a top 5 guitar player in my book. He’s beyond brilliant.

Shaun:

Shaun is obviously a good writer, He builds good riffs into songs with strong melodies, but he hasn't realized that solos are back! I know he can do more that he's show us so far...

Phil:

I know Phil is a classy player and very talented, but all my favorite Def Leppard songs are on the first 3 albums, with Pete Willis and Steve Clark. Phil is a fine player but never really moved me much.

Tony:

I love Tony’s crunch, he has a lot of power in his playing. What I also love about Tony is he just wants to play and learn. He’ll sit down and jam with whoever he’s out on tour with just to learn and have fun.

Zakk:

One of my best friends in the music biz. Zakk is the most powerful rhythm player I can think of. His chops are so thick! Plus Zakk can be brutal and tender, not everybody can pull that off. I also love that he plays piano, banjo, and can really sing as well. Also is there a better, more appropriate solo in the world that “Mama I’m Coming Home”?

Kirk:

He had me at “Fade to Black”. Kirk has that knack for finding the right notes to really complete a solo. I’ve never been in love with his tone, sometimes it’s a bit thin, but then again that tone really complements James and fits Metallica perfectly.