Syd or Dave
 

I'm a huge Pink Floyd fan,however this question always comes to mind,Syd Barret or David Gilmour.
My opinion is simple really,Dave. He has a better voice and he is obviously a better guitarist. And also I think they became a better band after Syd went crazy and split,
However what do you think?

Crazy comparison that has been argued so much on here and other countless boards. Gilmour is my favourite guitarist bar none and his melodies and song arrangement gave the Floyd a great base to continue on. However Barrett was definitely the more progressive and definitely laid the ground for Floyd. Without Barrett the Floyd would not exist. Listen closely though to later Floyd music and you can still hear Barrett strumming away in the background.

I David Gilmour is the better guitarist, but I like Syd Barrett's voice more. Floyd really came into their own when Roger took control, after he left they became really boring.

When Roger left they became boring?

Yep. The two after Final Cut are just horrible for me

what are you talking about, they were just fine without waters. i chose gilmour cause he has some of the most awesome solos ever. and i agree with jackhammer syd is kind of the glue of the floyd :P

Pink Floyd became a typical stadium rock band after Roger Waters left. Nothing against David Gilmour, but Pink Floyd lacked the dynamic tension without Waters - though Waters didn't help matter by developing into a megalomaniac & thusly Final Cut is simply depressing.

But - regarding Syd or Dave, it's just too close to call in my view. Obviously Pink Floyd wouldn't exist without Barrett, but Pink Floyd wouldn't sound like it does without Gilmour.

They are both excellent musicians and their styles are so distinct from each other, which makes them difficult to compare. I find that Syd's music is more personal and emotional which makes it easy to connect with him as an artist, but with Gilmour's music, it's like... where is he? Which doesn't take away from the quality of the music, of course, but it is something that influences a person's engagement with the music. I think Dark Side of the Moon is one of my favourite albums ever, but I feel more of a "connection" with Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and am more inclined to cite it my favourite Floyd album IT'S STUPID I KNOW.

Gilmour is by far the best, Syd was great but if he hadn't been on later floyd wouldn't have been nearly as good.

I could live without the 70s stadium prog style Pink Floyd easily.

But a world without those early singles & Piper At The Gates Of Dawn is unthinkable.