Mario,

You're a guy who knows how to hit the nail on the head.

With McLaughlin you can start at any point in any solo and hear a machine-gun burst of notes. At least that's what I hear. He does not seem to be a melodist as an improvisor. In other words, I can't imagine singing or even remembering any "licks" that might make me say, "yeah!" The only feature I can tell you about what I hear is that it's fast, not that it's, say, bluesy or Trane-like or has the same quality X that that other guitarist over there has, etc.

Paco, on the other hand, seems to deliver melodic ideas along with the speed. From my point of view, speed devoid of ideas is like a double-talk artist who can do it at high speed. So, er, whad 'e say?

Dean