Ted Nugent recently opened up about his guitar tone and the musicians who have shaped his playing.
The rock legend broke down the influences behind his signature sound. He cited a range of iconic guitarists spanning multiple generations, while also giving a notable shoutout to a newer-generation player he considers among the all-time greats.
“My guitar tone is a combination of Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Jimmy Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Billy Gibbons, and Jimmy Hendrix meets Leslie West,” Nugent said. “It’s fat. It’s rich. By playing with the guitar knobs, which you watch, you know, my guitar licks are cool as hell. The best in the world. My guitar licks are cool as hell, but watch my right hand. Good luck with that.”
Nugent then shifted his focus to the current generation of guitar players, expressing admiration for those carrying the torch today.
“Going back to Chuck Berry and what the guitar players of today — I’m leaving out some guitar players,” he continued. “Oh, Phil X who just did the Triumph tour. Now he’s out with Bon Jovi. These guitar players now are the best guitar players that have ever lived and I — and they all inspire me.”
The comments came during Talkin’ Rock with Meltdown, where Nugent also discussed his favorite Michigan hotspots alongside his reflections on guitar craft and inspiration.
Nugent’s praise for Phil X comes at a time when the Canadian guitarist has been making headlines for juggling duties across two major rock acts simultaneously. That feat has cemented his reputation as one of the most versatile players in the business.
Phil X, born Theofilos Xenidis on March 10, 1966, has been playing lead guitar with Bon Jovi since 2013. He officially stepped into the role full-time in 2016, replacing Richie Sambora. Many considered that transition nearly impossible to pull off seamlessly.
His connection to Triumph predates his Bon Jovi tenure by decades. Phil X’s relationship with the Canadian rock band stretches back to the early 1990s, making his recent involvement in their tour a full-circle moment rather than a new chapter.
Before landing one of rock’s most high-profile guitar slots, Phil X spent years working as a session guitarist. He built a reputation behind the scenes long before his name became widely known. The call that changed everything reportedly came out of nowhere — Jon Bon Jovi reached out to him directly, catching him completely off guard.
The combination of deep roots in classic rock and the technical firepower of today’s players is precisely what Nugent admires most. For him, the lineage running from Chuck Berry through to Phil X is not a contrast — it is a continuum, and one that continues to push his own playing forward.
