In my opinion, and that is all it is- Eddie Van Halen is the greatest, and Hendix is #2. Eddie inspired me to start playing in the first place, which is wierd because 20+ years later, I dont sound anything like him(unless I'm covering one of his tunes). Eddie was the first guitar virtuoso. I dont really listen to Hendrix that much, ...I respect Hendrix for what he did for the instrument and music in general for that matter(hence hes #2), but its not my cup of tea.