Best Guitarist of all time?

[WinslowBodden]

Let the battle begin.

Best guitarist - Jimi Hendrix/Jimmy Paige/Clapton

THREE WAY TIE!

Most entertaining - Angus Young.

[Boston]

Unless those are the options, you didn't really answer the question.

[Ewing]

Hendrix and nobody even comes close. Name another person who can play the guitar with their teeth and make it sound better than most people when they play with their hands.

[Chucky]

I personally love Frank Zappa, even though he might not be the best

My favourite, even though its not really guitar, would be Robert Randolph

with an honourable mention going to Jeff Healey

[Severe Punishment]

Eric Clapton / Cream
Eddie Van Halen / Van Halen
Pete Townsend / The Who
Jimmy Hendrix / The Jimmy Hendrix Experience
Keith Richards / Rolling Stones
Angus Young / AC-DC
Zakk Wylde / Ozzy Osbourne
Randy Rhodes / Ozzy Osbourne
Mark Knopfler / Dire Strait
Prince
Slash / Guns And Roses
Brian May / Queen
B.B. King
David Gilmour / Pink Floyd
Joe Satriani
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Joe Perry / Aerosmith
Ace Frehley / KISS

[One guy who you must see at least once is]
Herman Li / Dragonforce

His finger speed and technique is astounding (at first)..although most of their songs sound to similar ...you have to at least check out his style and see that someone picked up where Eddie Van Halen left off.

here's a small list of guitarists who could hold their own.

[Addict]

just wait for the first funny guy who says: 'that youtube guy, funtwo'
i hate that funny guy already.

[Hurricane Ditka]

Jimmy Paige and it's not even close. Hendrix is very overrated.

[Severe Punishment]

Jimmy Paige and it's not even close. Hendrix is very overrated.
So is Paige. I put up a small list of the most successful guitarists...however if we "have" to put someone at the top, I don't see
anyway Clapton isn't at the top followed by Eddie VH.

[wiscbadgerfootball]

Jimi Hendrix.. it just isn't a question in my mind

[757Dawg]

Overall, it's probably Jimi Hendrix. He really was the total package when it comes to the electric guitar. Innovation, skill, etc.

[Hurricane Ditka]

Don't forget to mention sloppy.

[fenikz]

how have Robert Johnson & Duane Allman not been mentioned

Jimi wasn't as technically sounds as a lot of people playing today but he was definitely far more original & has a style like no other

& all though i will never argue against Led Zeppelin being the greatest band of all time, Paige is over rated, most of his riffs were copied from old blues musicians like Johnson & Muddy Waters, and basically all of their cd's have 2-3 covers on em

[jayceheathman]

just wait for the first funny guy who says: 'that youtube guy, funtwo'
i hate that funny guy already.

LOL, when I first saw the title of this thread I thought about his little clip on Youtube.

[Addict]

LOL, when I first saw the title of this thread I thought about his little clip on Youtube.

hopefully that post prevents someone from saying it.

Same thing goes for JerryC or whatever the hell his name is.

[josh07039]

Can someone define "best" in terms of guitar player. Does it mean innovation, being technically sound, or some other intangible quality of greatness that you can't exactly put your finger on.

[Paul]

A guy alot of people don't know about, but who is absolutely sick is John Squire from The Stone Roses. I highly highly reccomend that you check there stuff and check Squire'' guitat work:

Elephant Stone
I Am the Resurrection
Waterfall
Breaking Into Heaven!!!

[WinslowBodden]

Unless those are the options, you didn't really answer the question.

I made the topic, and then said in my opinion those three are the greatest and that I cant choose between one of those three as "the best"

[JoeMontainya]

Jimmy Hendrix and its by a landslide. Hes the inovater, the creator, top of the line. Most of those options would even admit it themselves. I gaurantee theres not a single guitarist out there thats ignorant enough, when asked, if they thought they were better than Jimmy Hendrix. Just like no NBA player should say they are better than Jordan.

[ATLDirtyBirds]

Jimi Hendrix.. it just isn't a question in my mind

FTW.

10char

[awfullyquiet]

um.

robert johnson wins.
he's more of an innovator in guitar playing than hendrix.
hendrix may have revolutionized electric guitar.
but johnson revolutionized how guitar was played.

duane allman is also top ten material who wasn't named.

oh
and chuck berry. if there wasn't chuck berry. there would be no rock and roll
because elvis wouldn't have someone to copy off of.

[Cashmoney]

Phil Keaggy

[KCJ58]

Jimi Hendrix no questions asked

[tEk]

john petrucci should be mentioned. but i will give it to three men.

clapton, paige, dimebag darrel.

[tEk]

Jimmy Hendrix and its by a landslide. Hes the inovater, the creator, top of the line. Most of those options would even admit it themselves. I gaurantee theres not a single guitarist out there thats ignorant enough, when asked, if they thought they were better than Jimmy Hendrix. Just like no NBA player should say they are better than Jordan.


its Jimi bro!

[Paul]

Alrite Jimi fans, who is #2?

[Stufazz]

number 2. i personally am a fan of Johnny Winter but whether he is number 2 im not sure.

[rainbeaukid2]

here is my top 5 in no particular order

hendrix
clapton
yngwie malmsteen(sp?)
slash
duane allman

[kalbears13]

The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time
Posted Aug 27, 2003 12:00 AM

1Jimi Hendrix
2 Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band
3 B.B. King
4 Eric Clapton
5 Robert Johnson
6 Chuck Berry
7 Stevie Ray Vaughan
8 Ry Cooder
9 Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
10 Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones
11Kirk Hammett of Metallica
12 Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
13 Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead
14 Jeff Beck
15 Carlos Santana
16 Johnny Ramone of the Ramones
17 Jack White of the White Stripes
18 John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
19 Richard Thompson
20 James Burton
21 George Harrison
22 Mike Bloomfield
23 Warren Haynes
24 The Edge of U2
25 Freddy King
26 Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave
27 Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits
28 Stephen Stills
29 Ron Asheton of the Stooges
30 Buddy Guy
31 Dick Dale
32 John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service
33 & 34 Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth
35 John Fahey
36 Steve Cropper of Booker T. and the MG's
37 Bo Diddley
38 Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac
39 Brian May of Queen
40 John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival
41 Clarence White of the Byrds
42 Robert Fripp of King Crimson
43 Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic
44 Scotty Moore
45 Frank Zappa
46 Les Paul
47 T-Bone Walker
48 Joe Perry of Aerosmith
49 John McLaughlin
50 Pete Townshend
51 Paul Kossoff of Free
52 Lou Reed
53 Mickey Baker
54 Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane
55 Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple
56 Tom Verlaine of Television
57 Roy Buchanan
58 Dickey Betts
59 & 60 Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien of Radiohead
61 Ike Turner
62 Zoot Horn Rollo of the Magic Band
63 Danny Gatton
64 Mick Ronson
65 Hubert Sumlin
66 Vernon Reid of Living Colour
67 Link Wray
68 Jerry Miller of Moby Grape
69 Steve Howe of Yes
70 Eddie Van Halen
71 Lightnin' Hopkins
72 Joni Mitchell
73 Trey Anastasio of Phish
74 Johnny Winter
75 Adam Jones of Tool
76 Ali Farka Toure
77 Henry Vestine of Canned Heat
78 Robbie Robertson of the Band
79 Cliff Gallup of the Blue Caps (1997)
80 Robert Quine of the Voidoids
81 Derek Trucks
82 David Gilmour of Pink Floyd
83 Neil Young
84 Eddie Cochran
85 Randy Rhoads
86 Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath
87 Joan Jett
88 Dave Davies of the Kinks
89 D. Boon of the Minutemen
90 Glen Buxton of Alice Cooper
91 Robby Krieger of the Doors
92 & 93 Fred "Sonic" Smith, Wayne Kramer of the MC5
94 Bert Jansch
95 Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine
96 Angus Young of AC/DC
97 Robert Randolph
98 Leigh Stephens of Blue Cheer
99 Greg Ginn of Black Flag
100 Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5937559/the_100_greatest_guitarists_of_all_time/

[TitleTown088]

Slow hand. They don't call him "god" for no reason.

[Giantsfan1080]

I think George Harrison is a little underrated by most people.

[themaninblack]

clapton=distortion.

[22,895]

They have Pete Townsend 50th? That's BS! That list is garbage. Keith Richards 10th? I mean he's good but he ain't 10th. Vernon Reid is a very underrated Guitar player and he should be in the top 10. Easy.

[tEk]

to not have dimebag darrel on that list means its complete bs to begin with.

[dabears10]

How about we break it up, and then possibly count up the votes for each category and base points depending on the place you get in each category?
Or is that too much work...

[Bigbadbob72]

thats the biggest joke ever of a list. How is jack white 17 but the dude from dream theater and angus young at the end of the list or not even on it. What a joke.

[tEk]

thats the biggest joke ever of a list. How is jack white 17 but the dude from dream theater and angus young at the end of the list or not even on it. What a joke.
totally agree. and dream theater guy is john petrucci.

[Bigbadbob72]

ya i just didn't want to embarrass myself by misspelling his name

[ElectricEye]

I don't really have any place naming the best guitarist of all time, since I don't listen to a lot of the names mentioned, but guys I really like are Tony Iommi, Dimebag(RIP), and as tEk was saying John Petrucci. I have some major problems with the Rolling Stones list, which I've actually seen. Metal players are really given a bad hand there. Again, as tEk mentioned, Jack White that high is absurd. Kirk Hammett at 12 is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard in my life too. He's not even in the top 100, IMO. Dave was, is, and always will be the better player out of the two, despite him being an ass. Brian May is a bit low as well. Stevie Ray Vaughn should top 5 as well.

[Ewing]

Alrite Jimi fans, who is #2?

It's a toss up between Clapton and Paige. Although I'm not a fan of Clapton's music there's no denying he's one of the greatest guitar players of all time. AS for Paige you can argue that he was the most talented member of possibly the best band ever. Other than Jimi my favorite guitarist is Tom Morello but mentioning him among Paige and Clapton would be blind fandom.

[tEk]

It's a toss up between Clapton and Paige. Although I'm not a fan of Clapton's music there's no denying he's one of the greatest guitar players of all time. AS for Paige you can argue that he was the most talented member of possibly the best band ever. Other than Jimi my favorite guitarist is Tom Morello but mentioning him among Paige and Clapton would be blind fandom.well clapton got his best know lick from duane allman. so thats some points for the souther slide master there. and the song you may ask, " Layla".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2sfelvHAlU&mode=related&search=

[Scar]

Rolling Stone? Didn't that used to be a music magazine? Judging by that list, it's probably a good thing they're sticking to political essays instead these days.

[Rob S]

Eddie Van Halen and Brian May are 1, 2 imo.

[drowe]

Eddie Van Halen gets my vote for #1.

[bsaza2358]

This thread is going to be a lot of arguing. There is no real measure to determine the best guitarist ever. It's like trying to argue the best band or songwriter of all time. There are some big time players on the list, but it's all about opinion.

[Addict]

Did anyone mention Mark Knopfler? I heard he was considered one of the best...

[ncst8fan83]

1. Stevie Ray Vaughan
2. Dickie Betts
3. Eric Clapton
4. Robert Johnson
5. Eric Johnson

Most underrated guitarist of all-time is Lindsey Buckingham

[someone447]

1. Jimi Hendrix-He was the most innovative guitarist in history. Hell, he even play lefty on a right handed guitar.
2. Eric Clapton- Just flat out amazing.
3. Stevie Ray Vaughan- Wow. My uncle was in the parking lot after the concert that he died at.
4. Duane Allman- Another one that is flat out amazing.
5. Jimmy Page- Guitarist for one of my favorite bands of all time, oh ya, he wasn't too bad either...

[Tha Wootster]

Knopfler is my favorite but Hendrix is the best

[Giantsfan1080]

Did anyone mention Mark Knopfler? I heard he was considered one of the best...

He's another great guitarist and also underrated. I saw him in Radio City two years ago and he put on a pretty good show. Good call on mentioning him.

[RyanLeaf#1]

The Edge and Slash

[EdReedUnstoppable]

My personal favorite guitar players, since its all based on opinion and you can't prove 1 guy is superior, are Dimebag Darrell, Zakk Wylde, and Randy Rhoads. Some other greats are guys like......

John 5 (Marilyn Manson)
George Lynch (Dokken/Lynch Mob)
Yngwie Malmsteem
Synyster Gates (Avenged Sevenfold)
Adam Dutkiewitcz (Killswitch Engage)
Joel Stroetzel (Killswitch Engage)



I will say the most overrated guitarists in my opinion are.....

Kurt Cobain
Jack White
The Edge

[Addict]

Kurt Cobain
Jack White
The Edge

Cobain is overrated as a guitarist, but as a songwriter he was really good at making simple songs that stuck in your head, so overrated guitarist yes, overrated artist, no.

Jack White - yeah I never really got what everybody likes about this guy, he's not really all that special and should be shot for writing 'the doorbell'

The Edge - I freakin' hate U2. So I hate the Edge. Biggest moron to walk this planet since... eh.... Bono.

[EdReedUnstoppable]

Cobain is overrated as a guitarist, but as a songwriter he was really good at making simple songs that stuck in your head, so overrated guitarist yes, overrated artist, no.

Jack White - yeah I never really got what everybody likes about this guy, he's not really all that special and should be shot for writing 'the doorbell'

The Edge - I freakin' hate U2. So I hate the Edge. Biggest moron to walk this planet since... eh.... Bono.


Well I don't hate U2, I don't even hate Edge but I hate that people at like he is some amazing guitarist, all he does is overdub his playing and create effects in the studio, but as a strait up guitar player he is average at best.

[Don Vito]

It is Jimmy Page imo. I think he is better than Hendrix, who probably is #2. Randy Rhoads was nasty too.

[Addict]

Well I don't hate U2, I don't even hate Edge but I hate that people at like he is some amazing guitarist, all he does is overdub his playing and create effects in the studio, but as a strait up guitar player he is average at best.

You don't hate u2? Listen to Vertigo once and join the 'I hate u2 club'

nah even all my u2 hate aside, the Edge isn't remotely as good as people say he is.

[Moses]

I thought Clapton was seen as the best by most?

[Jughead10]

Everyone on these boards hates U2. Most at least. Which is probably why the average age is about 15-16. If I was Bono or the Edge I wouldn't even be caught dead in the same room with some of the bands people listen to here.

[Addict]

Everyone on these boards hates U2. Most at least. Which is probably why the average age is about 15-16. If I was Bono or the Edge I wouldn't even be caught dead in the same room with some of the bands people listen to here.

I never said 'I hate U2 and so should everyone' or even 'I hate u2, my bands are better', all I said was that u2 has regressed enormously the past bunch of years and that their cover of 'one' with Mary J. Blidge was the icing on cake that signed their demise. U2 isn't even close to the engaged band that wrote 'sunday bloody sunday' or the songwriting band that wrote 'with or without you' and 'one' (the original).

Honestly, even though I disliked Bono's voice as long as I can remember I respected u2 for those things, now they've regressed into this sorry bunch of morons who go around singing happy songs about sunny skies and occasionaly make a pathetic attempt to write some quality.

I never claimed the bands that I like are better and I damn sure never used it as an argument to support my opinions about u2. So your post makes no sense whatsoever.

I should write a book. I'll name it "From bloody sunday to beautiful day, the demise of u2".

[EdReedUnstoppable]

I never said 'I hate U2 and so should everyone' or even 'I hate u2, my bands are better', all I said was that u2 has regressed enormously the past bunch of years and that their cover of 'one' with Mary J. Blidge was the icing on cake that signed their demise. U2 isn't even close to the engaged band that wrote 'sunday bloody sunday' or the songwriting band that wrote 'with or without you' and 'one' (the original).

Honestly, even though I disliked Bono's voice as long as I can remember I respected u2 for those things, now they've regressed into this sorry bunch of morons who go around singing happy songs about sunny skies and occasionaly make a pathetic attempt to write some quality.

I never claimed the bands that I like are better and I damn sure never used it as an argument to support my opinions about u2. So your post makes no sense whatsoever.

I should write a book. I'll name it "From bloody sunday to beautiful day, the demise of u2".

Ill go along with that theory U2's latest efforts have been terrible but I still love old U2.

[Jughead10]

I never said 'I hate U2 and so should everyone' or even 'I hate u2, my bands are better', all I said was that u2 has regressed enormously the past bunch of years and that their cover of 'one' with Mary J. Blidge was the icing on cake that signed their demise. U2 isn't even close to the engaged band that wrote 'sunday bloody sunday' or the songwriting band that wrote 'with or without you' and 'one' (the original).

Honestly, even though I disliked Bono's voice as long as I can remember I respected u2 for those things, now they've regressed into this sorry bunch of morons who go around singing happy songs about sunny skies and occasionaly make a pathetic attempt to write some quality.

I never claimed the bands that I like are better and I damn sure never used it as an argument to support my opinions about u2. So your post makes no sense whatsoever.

I should write a book. I'll name it "From bloody sunday to beautiful day, the demise of u2".

Its not just you. I've seen it a ton of times. In all the music threads for about the past 2 years. U2 is very unpopular amongst these boards. I'll agree though, "One" with Mary J was horrendous. Now there is someone I hate. Mary J Blige.

Funny thing is I'm a big U2 fan and Sunday Bloody Sunday is one of my least favorite songs of theirs. Sure there are happy songs like Beautiful Day but then they still are making amazing songs like "Sometimes you can't make it on your own" or one of my favorites "Miracle Drug". Overall how to dismantle an atomic bomb was much much better than their previos Cd.

As for the bands you like. It wasn't a shot at you. I actually didn't even read what you like. I just know pretty much in general some of the bands that are popular with the posters on this site. For them to praise them and then kill U2 I find pretty humorous.

[Phrost]

As voted by his peers, Clapton.

[Addict]

Its not just you. I've seen it a ton of times. In all the music threads for about the past 2 years. U2 is very unpopular amongst these boards. I'll agree though, "One" with Mary J was horrendous. Now there is someone I hate. Mary J Blige.

I don't like Mary J. Blidge either but the thing that set me off was that u2 was actually willing to rape one of it's best songs like that, just to sell a few extra records. I know u2 is very unpopular, but I don't feel that should mean I should start liking them just because others don't like them either.


Funny thing is I'm a big U2 fan and Sunday Bloody Sunday is one of my least favorite songs of theirs. Sure there are happy songs like Beautiful Day but then they still are making amazing songs like "Sometimes you can't make it on your own" or one of my favorites "Miracle Drug". Overall how to dismantle an atomic bomb was much much better than their previos Cd.

I like Sunday Bloody Sunday for the message it carried and the subject, the song itself isn't all that great. But I never really liked u2, just respected them for what they did in the past, but the stuff they've brought out, like the 'one' cover, 'Beautiful Day' and 'Vertigo' really ticked me off. The other songs didn't really do much in holland (it's not the kind of music they like 'round here, the stuff they like I refuse to classify as 'music')


As for the bands you like. It wasn't a shot at you. I actually didn't even read what you like. I just know pretty much in general some of the bands that are popular with the posters on this site. For them to praise them and then kill U2 I find pretty humorous.

I know, I didn't take it personal, I just wanted to make perfectly clear that I don't do that stuff.
And I suppose that it doesn't really matter what kind of music you like you're still inclined to form an opinion about other bands. The fact I like Pennywise and Bad Religion doesn't mean I can't dislike the Sex Pistols (theoretically, I do love the pistols, but just making a point). I never really got the entire "it was the first music of it's kind, so if you like it's offspring, you can't dislike them"-issue. And if you were referring to rap, I think that's a strange statement, YOU may dislike rap music (don't konw if you do, doens't really matter either) but if they like rap and dance music that still gives them every right to critisize u2, hell they still have the right to critisize everything. It's all about opinions and taste...

Gustibus non disputandum I guess ;) (I don't know what the saying is in english, sorry)

[Jughead10]

It's all about opinions and taste...

It sure is. Some people just have bad ones.

[Addict]

It sure is. Some people just have bad ones.

damn you for making me spill my drink.

[drowe]

Everyone on these boards hates U2. Most at least. Which is probably why the average age is about 15-16. If I was Bono or the Edge I wouldn't even be caught dead in the same room with some of the bands people listen to here.


yeah, i'm 27 and i hate U2. damn sellouts

[EdReedUnstoppable]

yeah, i'm 27 and i hate U2. damn sellouts

Why are they sellouts? They just changed dude, it happens its not selling out, they were friggin huge before they changed their sound.

[Jughead10]

Why are they sellouts? They just changed dude, it happens its not selling out, they were friggin huge before they changed their sound.

And if I could choose any musician to make more money it would be Bono because I know a ton of it would be going to places where it is truly needed.

[Addict]

And if I could choose any musician to make more money it would be Bono because I know a ton of it would be going to places where it is truly needed.

in front of his eyes (sorry, had to make a sunglasses-joke)

[Shiver]

I want njx to come in here and trash U2.

[WinslowBodden]

You don't hate u2? Listen to Vertigo once and join the 'I hate u2 club'

nah even all my u2 hate aside, the Edge isn't remotely as good as people say he is.

Why does everyone hate Vertigo so much...?

Just curious.

[ncst8fan83]

besides the fact that it sucks ass?

[WinslowBodden]

besides the fact that it sucks ass?

I would like more of an explanation, I never listened to old U2, so I don't know what they used to be like, and I don't really have any problem with Vertigo, so I was curious why everyone else hates it.

[McBain]

thats the biggest joke ever of a list. How is jack white 17 but the dude from dream theater and angus young at the end of the list or not even on it. What a joke.

jack white is a guitar god. some people play guitar, jack white takes the guitar, bends it over his knee and has his way with it and it sounds ******* amazing.

[ncst8fan83]

oh yeah, those out-of-tune strings do wonders for me. give me a freakin break. that douche couldn't play his way out of a wet paper bag.

[fenikz]

Jack White is actually a really good guitarist, his solo during the grammys a few years ago was just insane, he limits himself in the white stripes to play simple things, its the whole concept of the band

[EdReedUnstoppable]

jack white is a guitar god. some people play guitar, jack white takes the guitar, bends it over his knee and has his way with it and it sounds ******* amazing.


HAHAHA, Jack White couldnt be a guitar God if Jesus Horatio Christ himself touched him and gave him some actual talent.

[Stufazz]

The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time
Posted Aug 27, 2003 12:00 AM

1Jimi Hendrix
2 Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band
3 B.B. King
4 Eric Clapton
5 Robert Johnson
6 Chuck Berry
7 Stevie Ray Vaughan
8 Ry Cooder
9 Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
10 Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones
11Kirk Hammett of Metallica
12 Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
13 Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead
14 Jeff Beck
15 Carlos Santana
16 Johnny Ramone of the Ramones
17 Jack White of the White Stripes
18 John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
19 Richard Thompson
20 James Burton
21 George Harrison
22 Mike Bloomfield
23 Warren Haynes
24 The Edge of U2
25 Freddy King
26 Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave
27 Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits
28 Stephen Stills
29 Ron Asheton of the Stooges
30 Buddy Guy
31 Dick Dale
32 John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service
33 & 34 Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth
35 John Fahey
36 Steve Cropper of Booker T. and the MG's
37 Bo Diddley
38 Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac
39 Brian May of Queen
40 John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival
41 Clarence White of the Byrds
42 Robert Fripp of King Crimson
43 Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic
44 Scotty Moore
45 Frank Zappa
46 Les Paul
47 T-Bone Walker
48 Joe Perry of Aerosmith
49 John McLaughlin
50 Pete Townshend
51 Paul Kossoff of Free
52 Lou Reed
53 Mickey Baker
54 Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane
55 Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple
56 Tom Verlaine of Television
57 Roy Buchanan
58 Dickey Betts
59 & 60 Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien of Radiohead
61 Ike Turner
62 Zoot Horn Rollo of the Magic Band
63 Danny Gatton
64 Mick Ronson
65 Hubert Sumlin
66 Vernon Reid of Living Colour
67 Link Wray
68 Jerry Miller of Moby Grape
69 Steve Howe of Yes
70 Eddie Van Halen
71 Lightnin' Hopkins
72 Joni Mitchell
73 Trey Anastasio of Phish
74 Johnny Winter
75 Adam Jones of Tool
76 Ali Farka Toure
77 Henry Vestine of Canned Heat
78 Robbie Robertson of the Band
79 Cliff Gallup of the Blue Caps (1997)
80 Robert Quine of the Voidoids
81 Derek Trucks
82 David Gilmour of Pink Floyd
83 Neil Young
84 Eddie Cochran
85 Randy Rhoads
86 Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath
87 Joan Jett
88 Dave Davies of the Kinks
89 D. Boon of the Minutemen
90 Glen Buxton of Alice Cooper
91 Robby Krieger of the Doors
92 & 93 Fred "Sonic" Smith, Wayne Kramer of the MC5
94 Bert Jansch
95 Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine
96 Angus Young of AC/DC
97 Robert Randolph
98 Leigh Stephens of Blue Cheer
99 Greg Ginn of Black Flag
100 Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5937559/the_100_greatest_guitarists_of_all_time/

not a fan of hammett, especially at 11. Hetfield writes alot of the solos and guitar riffs. he is a beast on guitar so i would have him ahead of hammett

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

Here are some of my favorites:

Eric Clapton
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Jimmy Page
Jeff Beck
Duane Allman
Pete Townshend
Keith Richards
Eddie Van Halen
Alex Lifeson
Mick Mars
Yngwie Malmsteen
Kim Thayil


Before anybody says anything, yes, I know I left Hendrix out.

[Shiver]

Kurt Cobain as the 12th best guitarist is funny, and I even really like Nirvana.

[ncst8fan83]

i'm surprised no one has said joe walsh

[Addict]

Kurt Cobain as the 12th best guitarist is funny, and I even really like Nirvana.

Yeah but cobain was good because he did a lot with relatively little, his stuff was pretty easy to play and still catchy as hell, not a guitar wizzard or anything.

and I can't believe the list rates the Edge of u2 (who is not even that great) over Mark Knopfler, Neill Young, Van Halen, Dick Dale, Angus Young and a bunch of other great guitarists... that's outrageous.

And this guy isn't even on the list?

http://www.jameslimborg.com/STEVE_VAI.jpg
c'mon now

[awfullyquiet]

The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time
Posted Aug 27, 2003 12:00 AM

1Jimi Hendrix
2 Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band
3 B.B. King
4 Eric Clapton
5 Robert Johnson
6 Chuck Berry
7 Stevie Ray Vaughan
8 Ry Cooder
9 Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
10 Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones (high twenties)
11Kirk Hammett of Metallica (in the seventies, for sure. he's good, but no revolutionary, not even fantastic)
12 Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
13 Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead (probably around 30, 13 is too high)
14 Jeff Beck
15 Carlos Santana
16 Johnny Ramone of the Ramones (can we say not even on the list)
17 Jack White of the White Stripes (deserves to be around fifty... he's a great guitarist. any who says otherwise should really actually listen to the white stripes. i don't like them, but he's a fantastic guitarist. you're just all listenining to fell in love with a girl and seven nation army))
18 John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
19 Richard Thompson
20 James Burton
21 George Harrison
22 Mike Bloomfield
23 Warren Haynes
24 The Edge of U2 (in the 90's not even in the top 30)
25 Freddy King
26 Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave (actually he's perfect right here)
27 Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits
28 Stephen Stills
29 Ron Asheton of the Stooges
30 Buddy Guy
31 Dick Dale
32 John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service
33 & 34 Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth
35 John Fahey
36 Steve Cropper of Booker T. and the MG's
37 Bo Diddley
38 Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac
39 Brian May of Queen (WAY TOO LOW, in the low 10's for sure)
40 John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival
41 Clarence White of the Byrds
42 Robert Fripp of King Crimson
43 Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic
44 Scotty Moore
45 Frank Zappa (probably in the 30's... 40's seems a bit too low)
46 Les Paul
47 T-Bone Walker
48 Joe Perry of Aerosmith
49 John McLaughlin
50 Pete Townshend (early 20's? i don't get the who hate of RS?)
51 Paul Kossoff of Free
52 Lou Reed
53 Mickey Baker
54 Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane
55 Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple
56 Tom Verlaine of Television
57 Roy Buchanan
58 Dickey Betts (is amazing. but, derek trucks, as said by the allman brothers, more specifically gregg and his uncle butch, that he's better than dickey, and nearly as good as duane was.)
59 & 60 Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien of Radiohead
61 Ike Turner
62 Zoot Horn Rollo of the Magic Band
63 Danny Gatton
64 Mick Ronson
65 Hubert Sumlin
66 Vernon Reid of Living Colour (and he's still good. cult of personality on GH3 ftw)
67 Link Wray
68 Jerry Miller of Moby Grape
69 Steve Howe of Yes
70 Eddie Van Halen
71 Lightnin' Hopkins
72 Joni Mitchell
73 Trey Anastasio of Phish
74 Johnny Winter
75 Adam Jones of Tool
76 Ali Farka Toure
77 Henry Vestine of Canned Heat
78 Robbie Robertson of the Band
79 Cliff Gallup of the Blue Caps (1997)
80 Robert Quine of the Voidoids
81 Derek Trucks
82 David Gilmour of Pink Floyd (should be in the 40's. seriously)
83 Neil Young
84 Eddie Cochran
85 Randy Rhoads
86 Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath (too low. maybe low 50's?)
87 Joan Jett
88 Dave Davies of the Kinks
89 D. Boon of the Minutemen
90 Glen Buxton of Alice Cooper
91 Robby Krieger of the Doors
92 & 93 Fred "Sonic" Smith, Wayne Kramer of the MC5
94 Bert Jansch
95 Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine (YES!)
96 Angus Young of AC/DC
97 Robert Randolph
98 Leigh Stephens of Blue Cheer
99 Greg Ginn of Black Flag
100 Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5937559/the_100_greatest_guitarists_of_all_time/


now, who's majorly missing

ian williams, don caballero
Dave Pajo, tortoise/slint
Anders Björler, At the Gates
Otomo Yoshihide
Adrian Legg
Django Reinhardt? Seriously.

i'm just glad lennon didn't make the list
and as far as steve vai goes? sure he's a technical god, he's got the ears of a demon. i just think that his techniques don't come out of his brain, they come out of the gods of paganini and mozart and bach.
then again, i just loathe listening to petrucci, vai, buckethead, and satriani...
on paper, they're phenomenal.
just not fun to listen to.

oh, who else is underrated? kevin cadogan of third eye blind.
he's fantastical.

[keylime_5]

If you ask any guitar guru this question, they will say, "You mean who do I think is the second best guitarist of all time?" because anyone who knows anything about guitar knows that no one is in the same building as Jimi Hendrix, not even a mile near the same building. He is like far beyond any skill level anyone will ever come near in guitar. No one was better, and no one will even come close to being as good.

I think Clapton was the second best ever. Before Hendrix everyone agreed he was the best. Jeff Beck, Page and Allman are right there with Eric though. Maybe BB King, Buddy Guy, and Chuck Berry are up there.

[keylime_5]

i'm surprised no one has said joe walsh

very underated

[keylime_5]

HAHAHA, Jack White couldnt be a guitar God if Jesus Horatio Christ himself touched him and gave him some actual talent.

you gotta be kidding. Jack White and John Mayer are the 2 best new guitarists nowadays. Both are amazing talents

[keylime_5]

I think this settles the debate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA38TWQ0d-s

[tEk]

I think this settles the debate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA38TWQ0d-swell worth the 4 minutes of my life.

[Tobzilla]

I think Tom Morello is extremely underrated when it comes to this debate, because he uses the guitar in such an imaginative way.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7LFUva7Xe94

http://youtube.com/watch?v=UZC-YQ_uQUg&mode=related&search=
there's two more of these....very cool ****

Wikipedia - "Critically acclaimed, he is said to use the guitar in a unique and imaginative way; rather than just plucking the strings, his maneuvers include toggling between two pickups - one on and one off - while fretting notes to mimic the sound of a DJ's crossfader, using feedback from the amp and the Digitech Whammy to create a solo, and creating sounds in the strings using innovative techniques utilizing the guitar's jack and an allen wrench. He is still a very accomplished traditional metal guitarist, as heard on some of his earlier recordings such as "Know Your Enemy" and "Take the Power Back", which both have very fast fret work."



Also the guys in the band dragonforce are simply amazing, although I don't consider them one of the best.

[awfullyquiet]

all those power/fantasy metal guys all hover around 110 in my book.

but i agree with you with tom morello. not only is he a good guitarist. he uses everything on the guitar to go post-modern. yes i know i used that 'word'... but i think it's the first time i've ever used it to describe guitar work.

[Phrost]

all those power/fantasy metal guys all hover around 110 in my book.

I think we all do.

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

If you ask any guitar guru this question, they will say, "You mean who do I think is the second best guitarist of all time?" because anyone who knows anything about guitar knows that no one is in the same building as Jimi Hendrix, not even a mile near the same building. He is like far beyond any skill level anyone will ever come near in guitar. No one was better, and no one will even come close to being as good.

I think Clapton was the second best ever. Before Hendrix everyone agreed he was the best. Jeff Beck, Page and Allman are right there with Eric though. Maybe BB King, Buddy Guy, and Chuck Berry are up there.

See, this is why I left Hendrix off of my list of personal favorites. I'll probably get beaten to death for saying this, but damn it Hendrix is getting to be a little bit overrated. Was he a simply brilliant musican? Absolutely! Did he do some revolutionary stuff? You bet your ass! Is he one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all-time? No freakin' question about it! Is he the greatest guitarist of all time? You could definitely make that claim with widespread agreement, but oh my god he is NOT miles miles miles and miles ahead of everybody else. Hell, SRV played Voodoo Child better than Hendrix. That's right, I said somebody else played a Hendrix song better than Hendrix. Deal with it.

It chaps my ass when people act like a case can't be made for the Eric Clapton's, Stevie Ray Vaughan's, Duane Allman's, B.B. King's, Robert Johnson's etc. of the world when it comes to talking about greatest guitarists. Please explain what you mean by "far beyond any skill level" of any other guitarists. In the grand scheme of things, Robert Johnson was much more influential than Jimi Hendrix, actually you could say by "miles and miles." Clapton excelled in many more musical styles. As much as people like to believe so, Jimi Hendrix is not the be all and end all when it comes to talking about the greatest guitarist of all-time.

[keylime_5]

Vaughn and Clapton will admit to you that Hendrix was light years ahead of them. You can ask them (except fors Stevie Ray, he's dead). It's pretty obvious how much better Jimi is. I think he pretty much invented a wide array of sounds and created some distortion boxes that were unheard of before he started playing.
Stevie Ray's whole career was that he could play Hendrix. He was great, but Jimi played with his teeth and behind his back better than almost anyone can frontways. SRV can't play with his teeth, etc. quite like Jimi, and he never got his guitar to sound like Jimi's. Jimi really is light years ahead of everyone.

[keylime_5]

Marc Bolan is very underated too. All his stuff was basically rock-a-billy and simple blues riffs that he rocked out on, but he made every song he ever wrote catchy as hell. t.rex never gets old to me.

Also, I'm suprised that Prince is not on Rolling Stones' list. I've seen some lists where he is ranked in the top 30. He is amazing too at guitar. David Gilmour was no pushover either.

[22,895]

Jack White is a great guitarist. The things he does is crazy. The new song Icky Thump I think he has a great solo. Morrello is also a very good guitarist also. Mark Tremboni or something like that is very underrated.

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

SRV can't play with his teeth, etc. quite like Jimi, and he never got his guitar to sound like Jimi's.

You were making something of a decent point up until here. Hendrix was always experimenting with guitar effects, such as pedals, fuzzboxes and feedback manipulation. SRV liked to use very few effects, he liked a much cleaner sound. You see, SRV never TRIED to make his guitar sound like Jimi's.


Jimi really is light years ahead of everyone.

Based on what? Your personal opinion? The opinions of others? It's all subjective! I'm really tired of people buying into the hype that Hendrix is far and away the best ever, and that it's a fact. Great cases could be made for a few others. Jimi was simply amazing... the same could be said for others, at a pretty equal level. You can choose, if you so please, to completely ignore the handful of other guitarists who have reached the same level of greatness. I've made clear my disgust with the matter.

[keylime_5]

What I meant about Stevie's sound was that it never had as good of a sound as Jimi's. Didn't mean to insinuate that he tried to do that, just that he never made the screams that Jimi did and that took away from him.

Who is the greatest anything is very subjective, but of all the greatest anything lists the answer to this one is much more obvious than any other. I can't see anyone possibly arguing a valid point that anybody was close to being as skilled at guitar as the Hendrix was. I mean pretty much anybody someone would make a case for would admit that they're no Hendrix. He was like a godsend for guitarists, a freak of nature.

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

I can't see anyone possibly arguing a valid point that anybody was close to being as skilled at guitar as the Hendrix was. I mean pretty much anybody someone would make a case for would admit that they're no Hendrix. He was like a godsend for guitarists, a freak of nature.

I think Clapton and SRV are closer in pure skill than you think/would like to admit, but yes, I would agree that Jimi was the most skilled. However, when we're talking about the greatest of all time, you have to factor in not just skill, but things like influence and impact on guitar playing, and the ability to excel playing different musical styles -- I don't think anybody in their right mind thinks Jimi is #1 in either of those categories.

I think the fact that you agree with me that something like this is totally subjective, and then go on to say that Jimi was "light years" and "miles and miles" ahead of everybody else is mind-boggling. I also don't think a guy like Clapton or SRV would ever come out and say "I'm the best to ever play guitar." Nobody with respect for, well, MUSIC would say something like that.

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

Just for the record, if I had to put personal favorites aside and tell you who I think the greatest guitarist of all-time is, I would say Jimi Hendrix. However, I think Slowhand is only a step behind, and SRV, Duane Allman, and Robert Johnson are only a matter of feet, as opposed to many miles away.

[keylime_5]

Well Jimi was probably the most influential guitarist other than Robert Johnson in rock and roll history.....though Jimmy Page probably comes close since basically every heavy metal band rips of Page. A lot of guitarists had major major impacts on guitar playing, it's pretty much impossible to rank them other than to have Robert Johnson #1, the man was the original bluesman, all rock and roll stems from him basically.

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

Moving on...

Has Billy Gibbons been mentioned yet? He's not the best, but he's damn sure top 25-50. Hendrix once named him as HIS favorite guitarist.

[keylime_5]

Just for the record, if I had to put personal favorites aside and tell you who I think the greatest guitarist of all-time is, I would say Jimi Hendrix. However, I think Slowhand is only a step behind, and SRV, Duane Allman, and Robert Johnson are only a matter of feet, as opposed to many miles away.

That's your opinion yeah, but IMO those have to be feet from an ant's point of view not a person's

[Tobzilla]

There is no definitive answer to this question...it's all a matter of personal opinion. People saying that ______ is unquestionalbly the greatest guitarist of all time are just ignorant. So quit bickering.

[keylime_5]

I think Mick Taylor/Keith Richards was probably the best guitar DUO there was. Maybe Dickie Betts/Duane Allman was the best, but they were very different styles. I'd say Richards>Betts (better songwriter and much better riffwriter too) and that Allman>Taylor as far as the lead guitarist. But Mick Taylor and Duane Allman are probably the two best slide guitarists you can listen to.

Brian Jones, the Stones' first guitarists is pretty underated. If he wasn't a great great guitarist, he was definitely one of the best rock musicians ever. He could play any instrument very well without any lessons, pretty crazy. And he pretty much formed and named the Rolling Stones

[keylime_5]

There is no definitive answer to this question...it's all a matter of personal opinion. People saying that ______ is unquestionalbly the greatest guitarist of all time are just ignorant. So quit bickering.

I'm just saying that's what he's regarded as in the rock community. end of that topic please

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

Which sounds better? Honestly now...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHgGTTPsvkw&mode=related&search=

OR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peLIN6bRm9M

?


By the way, just thought you should know, SRV could play behind his back too ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_s3rNuR8wo


I might have to rethink this whole thing. The more SRV I see, the more tempted I am to put him above Hendrix...

[keylime_5]

I can't believe you honestly say that about SRV. He was great, but Jimi was pure bliss man. He cannot be topped. He made his guitar do things that no other man ever did again.

Jimi's sounded way better by far, thanks for proving my point. He hit high notes in there that are unreachable. And his distortion puts his a notch above SRV's. Oh yeah, and Jimi wrote that guitar part, which is a guitar part that really blows away most other guitar songs. I don't get how you don't see how many levels Jimi is above Vaughn and Clapton, etc. It is extremely obvious to me, and I love SRV as a musician, so that's saying something.

(and btw, yeah I know SRV can play behind his back, but I didn't want to mention Jimi's teeth thing w/o the back thing) little known fact: Jimi got a lot of his stuff from Buddy Guy, who I have seen in concert (had my hands resting on the stage in fact)

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

I can't believe you honestly say that about SRV. He was great, but Jimi was pure bliss man. He cannot be topped. He made his guitar do things that no other man ever did again.

Such as???

[awfullyquiet]

I think Mick Taylor/Keith Richards was probably the best guitar DUO there was. Maybe Dickie Betts/Duane Allman was the best, but they were very different styles. I'd say Richards>Betts (better songwriter and much better riffwriter too) and that Allman>Taylor as far as the lead guitarist. But Mick Taylor and Duane Allman are probably the two best slide guitarists you can listen to.

Brian Jones, the Stones' first guitarists is pretty underated. If he wasn't a great great guitarist, he was definitely one of the best rock musicians ever. He could play any instrument very well without any lessons, pretty crazy. And he pretty much formed and named the Rolling Stones

hmm. taylor/richards doesn't deserve to be the best duo.

i can name at least four pairs of guitarists who, while may not be as technically proficient on the outside, still combine to form a better guitar pair then those two. and one pair is not betts/allman.

[keylime_5]

I mentioned Betts/Allman, and I can't argue with that. But I just happen to be a monstrous Rolling Stones fan and Richards/Taylor was great. I think Rolling Stone voted them as the best guitar duo.

Actually the best guitar duo was probably Clapton/Allman of Derek and the Dominos but that doesn't really count since they only cut one record.

[WinslowBodden]

There is no definitive answer to this question...it's all a matter of personal opinion. People saying that ______ is unquestionalbly the greatest guitarist of all time are just ignorant. So quit bickering.

And that is exactly why I made this thread :)

[Kslice28]

Theres too many great guitarist out there to pick just 1 or even a top 10 but this is how I see it

Technique- Paul Gilbert
Originality- Jimi
Feel- Clapton
Style- Steve Vai
Speed- Shawn Lane

[Phrost]

Theres too many great guitarist out there to pick just 1 or even a top 10 but this is how I see it

Technique- Paul Gilbert
Originality- Jimi
Feel- Clapton
Style- Steve Vai
Speed- Shawn Lane

KIMBO IS THAT YOU!>!>!?!?!1

[Kslice28]

KIMBO IS THAT YOU!>!>!?!?!1

the one and only....breaking bread all day

now...you ready to run this son?

[Phrost]

the one and only....breaking bread all day

now...you ready to run this son?

Quite ready, I heard your ass is grass in this MMA league.

[Space Ghost]

Eric Clapton is mmy favourite, there is no way to unanimmously pick one guy, you can only go by majority.

[josh07039]

I know I wouldn't exactly call him greatest of all time, but in terms of amateur guitarists I've heard, this guy on Youtube call troubleclef is really good.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=troubleclef
His Beatles covers are unbelievable .

[casskid]

Paige is all right-its just that the people he stole from where much more interesting then he could ever be.

Its hard to break down guitar players because of all the categories. For instance Vaughn and Clapton have techinical skill out the wazoo but couldnt match the soul of any of the blues guitar players before them. So based on getting that blues feeling they fail, but are have extrodonary techinical talent. Jack White (live) is one of the best combinations of just playing what he feels but also posses great technical talent. Dan from the Black Keys is a great contemporey guitarist, but for my money the best guitar players are Eddie Baraneck from the Sights and the guitar players from the Datsuns.

I cant remember his name, maybe some one can help with it, but he was a blues player that played a 12 string that to this day no one understands how he played guitar. That has to count for something.

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

Such as???

Go on, I'm waiting...


Face it man, you've bought into the Jimi Hendrix: "the one and only guitar god" hype. Don't worry, you're far from being the only one. For as good as Jimi was, and he IS definitely, without a doubt top 3 greatest of all-time, he was not "miles and miles" ahead of everybody. For everything great that he did, he also had more weaknesses than Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Hendrix was a sloppy player. It was his style, but he was sloppy nonetheless. His performances were NEVER consistent. He had a pretty equal number of great shows as he did subpar shows. Also, his live stuff almost NEVER sounded the same twice. Slowhand and SRV were always great, always consistent, night in and night out. Hell, watch some clips of the 2005 Cream reunion at RAH - Clapton, at 60 years old, had THE FLU and still churned out some of the best guitar playing you'll ever hear. You're so blind and unaccepting to the fact that there are other guys who could very well be the greatest of all time because you've been reeled in, hook line and sinker, and made to believe that the first commandment of guitarists is that "Jimi Hendrix is the lord, god of the guitar, and you shall have no other gods before him." Not so, man, not so.

[xooberon]

omar rodriguez lopez is my favourite guitarist. hendrix and frusciante are very close though, and i really like nick drake's style of playing as well.

[keylime_5]

It has nothing to do with the hype. I know a lot about guitarists, I'm a rock musician and all (drums not guitar though) and I've heard em all, and Hendrix is far and away better at guitar than everyone else. I have read many things about how Jimi came out in the late 60s and was considered "light years ahead of his contemporaries at the craft of guitar playing", but I don't need to see it in print to know how awesome the man was. It's a shame we didn't get to hear what kinda crazy stuff Jimi would've churned out in the 70s.

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

Well, seeing how you don't even play guitar, it's no wonder you can't tell me the things that you claim Hendrix "made his guitar do that no other man ever did again." You pretty much ignore every point I make with no rebuttal other than "he's the best because I say he's the best and I'm too hardheaded to admit that there have been other guys at or very near his talent level." Admit Hendrix had weaknessess. Admit he was sloppy, admit he was inconsistent, just as I admit he did amazing things. But god damn it, admit that there have been others on his same level of greatness. This is a joke.

By the way, Hendrix isn't the only one to ever play behind his back or with his teeth, if that's what you were talking about. And I really don't think gimmicky stuff like that weighs too heavily in the debate over best guitarist of all-time, anyway.

[xooberon]

Well, seeing how you don't even play guitar, it's no wonder you can't tell me the things that you claim Hendrix "made his guitar do that no other man ever did again." You pretty much ignore every point I make with no rebuttal other than "he's the best because I say he's the best and I'm too hardheaded to admit that there have been other guys at or very near his talent level." Admit Hendrix had weaknessess. Admit he was sloppy, admit he was inconsistent, just as I admit he did amazing things. But god damn it, admit that there have been others on his same level of greatness. This is a joke.

By the way, Hendrix isn't the only one to ever play behind his back or with his teeth, if that's what you were talking about. And I really don't think gimmicky stuff like that weighs too heavily in the debate over best guitarist of all-time, anyway.

he did play a right handed guitar left handed though, you have to truely be special to pull that off

[keylime_5]

Yes, Hendrix was left handed and he took a righty strat and turned it upside down, switching the strings. But he could play right handed too and you can't even tell the difference. That's pretty crazy.

Jimi's sound can't be matched, no one had a guitar sound that sweet. He makes Clapton and Stevie's guitars sound plain and dull. He was crazy good, way way better than the next guy, and a lot (i mean a LOT) of people absolutely agree with that. I really don't care if you change your mind, just telling you the popular and the experts' opions on Jimi. You won't find anything so close to unaminomity when it comes to who was the best what as you will with Jimi and the whole guitar debate. I'd say if there was a worldwide poll then Jimi would have about 95 to 99 percent of the vote for greatest guitarist ever.

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

Yes, Hendrix was left handed and he took a righty strat and turned it upside down, switching the strings. But he could play right handed too and you can't even tell the difference. That's pretty crazy.

Jimi's sound can't be matched, no one had a guitar sound that sweet. He makes Clapton and Stevie's guitars sound plain and dull. He was crazy good, way way better than the next guy, and a lot (i mean a LOT) of people absolutely agree with that. I really don't care if you change your mind, just telling you the popular and the experts' opions on Jimi. You won't find anything so close to unaminomity when it comes to who was the best what as you will with Jimi and the whole guitar debate. I'd say if there was a worldwide poll then Jimi would have about 95 to 99 percent of the vote for greatest guitarist ever.

You're f'n insane... not that much, bud. I'd say 70-75 percent at most, which is still very damn good. But you see, worldwide, there actually are a whole lot of people who really know guitar and acknowledge the fact that there are a hand full of guys in Jimi's "league" who, while they aren't quite on the same level in terms of hype, most certainly are in terms of talent. You just happen to fall into the same category that a lot of people do... people who really don't know all that much and think of Jimi Hendrix as the ONLY option for the greatest to ever pick up a guitar. I'm sure you learned that from musically challenged parents, or peers, or whatever; it's not your fault. ;)

[someone447]

You're f'n insane... not that much, bud. I'd say 70-75 percent at most, which is still very damn good. But you see, worldwide, there actually are a whole lot of people who really know guitar and acknowledge the fact that there are a hand full of guys in Jimi's "league" who, while they aren't quite on the same level in terms of hype, most certainly are in terms of talent. You just happen to fall into the same category that a lot of people do... people who really don't know all that much and think of Jimi Hendrix as the ONLY option for the greatest to ever pick up a guitar. I'm sure you learned that from musically challenged parents, or peers, or whatever; it's not your fault. ;)

I think Jimi is the only option for greatest guitarist ever, but I also get that Clapton and SRV and a few others are very close. But Jimi changed the way the electric guitar was played. He was a true pioneer, something that neither Clapton or SRV was.

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

I think Jimi is the only option for greatest guitarist ever, but I also get that Clapton and SRV and a few others are very close. But Jimi changed the way the electric guitar was played. He was a true pioneer, something that neither Clapton or SRV was.

This is my whole point! I also would say that Hendrix is the greatest, but there ARE others who are close. I just can't stand people who act like a case can't be made for anybody not named Jimi Hendrix for GOAT. I'm sorry but there is not this HUGE, enormous gap in talent between Hendrix and Clapton, there just isn't.

[keylime_5]

I could probably make of list of guitarists I know and that would be probably somewhere around 200 some. Jimi Hendrix isn't even my favorite artist, in fact I think Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin are probably tied or ranked just above Jimi in terms of my favorite groups, but there's no denying Jimi was better than any of those guys. It's not like I'm a Hendrix freak and love him more than any other band. I see/hear Jimi's guitar and see/hear Clapton and Vaughn and Page and Beck, etc. just as much and those guys can't hold a candle to how Jimi. Clapton and those guys are elite guitar players. Jimi is a notch above. You can't really compare him to those other guys really.

[xooberon]

fripp in his prime had just as much talent, maybe even more so than hendrix imo

[someone447]

This is my whole point! I also would say that Hendrix is the greatest, but there ARE others who are close. I just can't stand people who act like a case can't be made for anybody not named Jimi Hendrix for GOAT. I'm sorry but there is not this HUGE, enormous gap in talent between Hendrix and Clapton, there just isn't.

I see it the same way I do the Deion Sanders argument. Both are indisputably the best, but the gap isn't that wide. But I don't think a legitimate case can be made for anyone but Jimi Hendrix, just as I don't think a legitimate case can be made for anyone not named Deion Sanders. However, there are people who are close, but to say either of them aren't the best is flat out wrong.

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

Eh, I have to disagree. If there are people that are close, then a case could be made. Hendrix had more weaknesses as a guitar player than Eric Clapton. There, I just made a case.

[someone447]

Eh, I have to disagree. If there are people that are close, then a case could be made. Hendrix had more weaknesses as a guitar player than Eric Clapton. There, I just made a case.

Rod Woodson could tackle better than Deion, I made a case too, it doesn't make it a good one.

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

Rod Woodson could tackle better than Deion, I made a case too, it doesn't make it a good one.

Ironically, I consider Rod Woodson a better corner than Neon Deion. Shrug.

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

He was a true pioneer, something that neither Clapton or SRV was.

Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa... how did I manage to miss this?! Eric Clapton wasn't a pioneer? Are you kidding me? He MADE modern rock and roll lead guitar. He created feedback, sustain, distortion! He played louder and more aggressive than anything that had been done in the 60s. He's one of the most influential guitarists of all-time. You just made one of the most ridiculous claims anybody could make when discussing music, seriously.

I think the problem is people have forgotten about old, Cream-era Clapton and only think of post-Derek and the Dominos Clapton; trust me, he's toned it down A LOT. Go listen to "Steppin Out" and keep in mind when this was done. Then, come back here and try to tell me that Clapton wasn't a pioneer.

[keylime_5]

Yes, but you see when those guys play their sound doesn't blow people out of the building. They are great great guitar players, but you don't watch them and say "wow that solo was out of this world" quite like you do when you hear Hendrix. His playing totally outweighs the rest of the band more than Clapton's or Page's did. (slowhand did have a different style though so that really wasn't what he was going for, but still)

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

Yes, but you see when those guys play their sound doesn't blow people out of the building. They are great great guitar players, but you don't watch them and say "wow that solo was out of this world" quite like you do when you hear Hendrix. His playing totally outweighs the rest of the band more than Clapton's or Page's did. (slowhand did have a different style though so that really wasn't what he was going for, but still)

This proves to me that you are a prime example of what I'm talking about when I say:
I think the problem is people have forgotten about old, Cream-era Clapton and only think of post-Derek and the Dominos Clapton; trust me, he's toned it down A LOT. Go listen to "Steppin Out" and keep in mind when this was done. Then, come back here and try to tell me that Clapton wasn't a pioneer.

Seriously, go listen to Clapton from the 60s. His sound blew people out the building. It's so very frustrating when you come off so blatantly ignorant to Clapton in his prime.

[keylime_5]

I don't want to undersell Clapton, and yes he had some awesome guitar work in the 60s that rocked like hell compared to his slower bluesy stuff in the 70s that was more smoothe. But even his great rockin' Cream and Blind Faith work didn't blow away like Hendrix did live.

To lighten things up a bit, this is my opinion of the top 10:
1-Hendrix


2-Clapton
3-Beck
4-Page
5-Vaughn
6-Allman
7-Berry
8-Guy
9-King
10-R.Johnson

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

Eh... I'm over this. If you want to believe that there is some sort of enormous gap separating Hendrix from a few other greats, so be it. You're way off, though.


Here's my 10:
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Eric Clapton
3. Stevie Ray Vaughan
4. Robert Johnson
5. Chuck Berry
6. B.B. King
7. Duane Allman
8. Jimmy Page
9. James Burton
10. Jeff Beck

[keylime_5]

I saw BB King and Buddy Guy, and I must admit that when I saw King his guitar sounded sweeter than Guy's (Lucille was singing pretty good), but Guy didn't have as big a backing band and worse sound system, and he is Chicago blues. Guy did more as a showman, and from what I've seen of his old stuff in the 70s I put him above King even though King is probalby a better player. Close call there.

[fenikz]

I don't want to undersell Clapton, and yes he had some awesome guitar work in the 60s that rocked like hell compared to his slower bluesy stuff in the 70s that was more smoothe. But even his great rockin' Cream and Blind Faith work didn't blow away like Hendrix did live.

To lighten things up a bit, this is my opinion of the top 10:
1-Hendrix


2-Clapton
3-Beck
4-Page
5-Vaughn
6-Allman
7-Berry
8-Guy
9-King
10-R.Johnson

booo robert johnson above all

[awfullyquiet]

booo robert johnson above all

i agree.

the margin between jimi and slowhand is next to nil. the margin between them and SRV is slim. the margin between them and allman is a foot. jeff beck is around 30 paces back...
but robert johnson, as far as influence, style, technicality, and if you turn his record up in tempo around 27% to where it pitch corrects to around E tuning... you'll see, A) how fast he's playing, B) his amazing accuracy and fingerpicking skills and C) just how damn good he is...

so. he, as fenikz says. is above all, for serious.

beneath them all, you have BB, Chuck, and Guy.

so. as far as playing right handed guitar left. SO MANY guitarists who are left handed do it. it's not hard. you just flip it upside down. i dated someone who was left-handed. and played his guitar upside down. sure, it's a little weird. but easy to get used to.

jimi was sloppy. there's no denying that though. slowhand. srv. not nearly as much. sure, if jimi lived to be 60, you could speculate he'd get more polished. but i don't think that'd be the case. his sloppyness was his signature, he used cascading levels of gain to disguise alot of his mistakes. kind of like page was sloppy, cobain was sloppy... and to say they were bad guitarists is a pretty shallow statement. but, technically sound guitarists like vai and satriani don't have the soul, the composition that page or cobain did... and the best guitarists find a happy medium. i.e. slowhand, srv, jimi, and of course. robert johnson.

so. the two schools are. either A) you're a tech supporter and prefer guitarists to be technically proficient... or B) you like noise, you like sound, and probably aren't a guitarist or major enthusiast. either way, you can love them. but to say the sloppier one is way better is ridiculous.

[EdReedUnstoppable]

Eh... I'm over this. If you want to believe that there is some sort of enormous gap separating Hendrix from a few other greats, so be it. You're way off, though.


Here's my 10:
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Eric Clapton
3. Stevie Ray Vaughan
4. Robert Johnson
5. Chuck Berry
6. B.B. King
7. Duane Allman
8. Jimmy Page
9. James Burton
10. Jeff Beck

I like how people just completely ignore metal guitarists.

Randy Rhoads is one of the greatest guitarists, definitely better than some on your list thats for sure. He could shred anybody, but then he also played classical style and created some extremely beautiful pieces of music, He would be at or near the top of my list.

[awfullyquiet]

ERU. metal guitarists have gotten sloppy over the past 15 years.

there are some rather fantastic ones though who do deserve to be on the list.
but alot of what makes metal metal is the production that goes into cleaning up insane (or inane) riffs.

[EdReedUnstoppable]

ERU. metal guitarists have gotten sloppy over the past 15 years.

there are some rather fantastic ones though who do deserve to be on the list.
but alot of what makes metal metal is the production that goes into cleaning up insane (or inane) riffs.

Randy Rhoads has been dead for 23 or 24 years, and his playing is superior to most if not all guitar players. And if we're bringin sloppyness to the table then that eliminates Hendrix. I love Hendrix but maybe one of the sloppiest guitar players in history.

[McBain]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1kU9gacXQo

to the jack white doubters. seriously, jack white is jesus with a guitar. make sure you watch the whole video.

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

i agree.

the margin between jimi and slowhand is next to nil. the margin between them and SRV is slim. the margin between them and allman is a foot. jeff beck is around 30 paces back...
but robert johnson, as far as influence, style, technicality, and if you turn his record up in tempo around 27% to where it pitch corrects to around E tuning... you'll see, A) how fast he's playing, B) his amazing accuracy and fingerpicking skills and C) just how damn good he is...

so. he, as fenikz says. is above all, for serious.

beneath them all, you have BB, Chuck, and Guy.

so. as far as playing right handed guitar left. SO MANY guitarists who are left handed do it. it's not hard. you just flip it upside down. i dated someone who was left-handed. and played his guitar upside down. sure, it's a little weird. but easy to get used to.

jimi was sloppy. there's no denying that though. slowhand. srv. not nearly as much. sure, if jimi lived to be 60, you could speculate he'd get more polished. but i don't think that'd be the case. his sloppyness was his signature, he used cascading levels of gain to disguise alot of his mistakes. kind of like page was sloppy, cobain was sloppy... and to say they were bad guitarists is a pretty shallow statement. but, technically sound guitarists like vai and satriani don't have the soul, the composition that page or cobain did... and the best guitarists find a happy medium. i.e. slowhand, srv, jimi, and of course. robert johnson.

so. the two schools are. either A) you're a tech supporter and prefer guitarists to be technically proficient... or B) you like noise, you like sound, and probably aren't a guitarist or major enthusiast. either way, you can love them. but to say the sloppier one is way better is ridiculous.

I bow to you.

By the way, if we're talking about technical proficiency alone, the greatest guitarist of all-time would be Yngwie Malmsteen. He plays with a scalloped fretboard, so there is literally NO room for error.

[JETS5128]

not sure if he's been mentioned, but michael angelo batio is incredible

[awfullyquiet]

malmsteen was totally screwed on the R.S.'s top 100.

the only reason why he gets hate is because he plays things that should be played on a classical guitar on a souped up electric to mixed effects.

as far as skill goes, he's one of the most technical. and besides, i can listen to him for more than ten minutes at a time... which is a feat considering that i can barely listen to satriani, petrucci, or vai for extended periods of time.

his work with paganini though is top notch.

[Severe Punishment]

Addict -
"The Edge - I freakin' hate U2. So I hate the Edge. Biggest moron to walk this planet since... eh.... Bono."
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=11worst

You are not alone.


Here's a little excerpt on his feelings towards "The Edge"

Maddox
"This song was supposedly written about the daughter of guitarist "The Edge." Yeah, that's his nickname: The Edge. I used to think names like "The Edge" or "Spike" were cool, but then I turned 12."

[someone447]

i agree.

the margin between jimi and slowhand is next to nil. the margin between them and SRV is slim. the margin between them and allman is a foot. jeff beck is around 30 paces back...
but robert johnson, as far as influence, style, technicality, and if you turn his record up in tempo around 27% to where it pitch corrects to around E tuning... you'll see, A) how fast he's playing, B) his amazing accuracy and fingerpicking skills and C) just how damn good he is...

so. he, as fenikz says. is above all, for serious.

beneath them all, you have BB, Chuck, and Guy.

so. as far as playing right handed guitar left. SO MANY guitarists who are left handed do it. it's not hard. you just flip it upside down. i dated someone who was left-handed. and played his guitar upside down. sure, it's a little weird. but easy to get used to.

jimi was sloppy. there's no denying that though. slowhand. srv. not nearly as much. sure, if jimi lived to be 60, you could speculate he'd get more polished. but i don't think that'd be the case. his sloppyness was his signature, he used cascading levels of gain to disguise alot of his mistakes. kind of like page was sloppy, cobain was sloppy... and to say they were bad guitarists is a pretty shallow statement. but, technically sound guitarists like vai and satriani don't have the soul, the composition that page or cobain did... and the best guitarists find a happy medium. i.e. slowhand, srv, jimi, and of course. robert johnson.

so. the two schools are. either A) you're a tech supporter and prefer guitarists to be technically proficient... or B) you like noise, you like sound, and probably aren't a guitarist or major enthusiast. either way, you can love them. but to say the sloppier one is way better is ridiculous.

That's me.

[keylime_5]

I'm not liking the sloppy vs. technically sound argument. John Bonham and Keith Moon weren't techincally sound as some other drummers who weren't considered as great. To say Moon was a fundamental drummer is far from the truth. But he was certainly one of the 3 best of all time, if not the best. Same kinda deal for guitarists. Clapton and Hendrix are definitely top two, even if you don't agree that there was as big a gap as I do.

[Kslice28]

Heres a top 100 from digitaldreamdoor.com....its not perfect but far better then that rolling stones garbage

1. Jimi Hendrix* - Jimi Hendrix Experience
2. Eric Clapton - Yardbirds, Cream, Derek & The Dominos, Solo
3. Jimmy Page - Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, The Firm
4. Jeff Beck - Yardbirds, Jeff Beck Group, Solo
5. Eddie Van Halen - Van Halen
6. Stevie Ray Vaughan* - Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
7. Joe Satriani - Solo
8. Ritchie Blackmore - Deep Purple, Rainbow, Blackmores Night
9. Steve Vai - David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, Solo
10. David Gilmour - Pink Floyd, Solo
11. John Petrucci - Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment
12. Randy Rhoads* - Quiet Riot, Ozzy
13. Allan Holdsworth - Solo
14. Paul Gilbert - Mr. Big, Racer X, Solo
15. Yngwie Malmsteen - Rising Force, Solo
16. Phil Keaggy - Glass Harp, Solo
17. Jason Becker - Cacophony, David Lee Roth Band, Solo
18. John Mclaughlin- Mahavishnu Orchestra
19. Duane Allman* - Allman Brothers Band, Derek & the Dominos
20. Chuck Berry - Solo
21. Eric Johnson - Solo
22. Steve Howe - Yes, Solo
23. Neal Schon - Santana, Journey, Solo
24. Brian May - Queen
25. Gary Moore - Thin Lizzy, Colosseum II, Skid Row, Solo
26. Bo Diddley - Solo
27. Steve Morse - Deep Purple, Dixie Dregs, Steve Morse Band, Solo
28. Carlos Santana - Santana
29. Tony Iommi - Black Sabbath
30. Buckethead - Solo, Praxis, Thanatopsis, The Deli Creeps, Cornbugs, GNR,
31. Mark Knopfler - Dire Straits, Solo
32. Marty Friedman - Cacophony, Megadeth, Solo
33. Nuno Bettencourt - Extreme, Mourning Widows
34. Shawn Lane* - Black Oak Arkansas, Willy, Solo
35. Kirk Hammett - Metallica
36. Uli Jon Roth - Scorpions, Solo
37. Terry Kath* - Chicago Transit Authority
38. Alex Lifeson - Rush
39. Frank Zappa* - Mothers of Invention, Solo
40. Rory Gallagher* - Solo
41. Dimebag Darrell* - Pantera
42. Peter Green - Fleetwood Mac, Solo
43. Robin Trower - Procal Harum, Solo
44. Slash - Guns N' Roses, Slash's Snakepit, Velvet Revolver
45. Mick Taylor - John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Rolling Stones
46. Robert Fripp - King Crimson
47. Tom Morello - Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave
48. Michael Schenker - Scorpions, UFO, MSG, Contraband
49. Ry Cooder - Solo
50. Angus Young - AC/DC
51. Keith Richards - Rolling Stones, Solo
52. Michael Angelo Batio - Nitro, Solo
53. John Squire - Stone Roses
54. Pete Townshend - The Who
55. Steve Hackett - Genisis
56. Zakk Wylde - Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society
57. George Harrison* - Beatles, Traveling Wilberys, Solo
58. Alvin Lee - Ten Years After
59. Dave Davies - Kinks
60. Jerry Cantrell - Alice In Chains, Solo
61. Steve Stevens - Billy Idol
62. Johnny Winter - Solo
63. Dickie Betts - Allman Brothers Band, Dickey Betts & Great Southern
64. John Cipollina* - Quicksilver Messenger Service
65. Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band
66. Steve Cropper - Booker T. & MG's/Stax sessions
67. Adrian Belew - King Crimson
68. Joe Bonamassa - Solo
69. Steve Lukather - Toto, Solo
70. Jerry Garcia* - Grateful Dead
71. Joe Perry - Aerosmith
72. Prince - Prince & The Revolution
73. Kim Mitchell - Max Webster, Solo
74. Adrian Smith - Iron Maiden
75. Dave Murray - Iron Maiden
76. Neil Young - Buffalo Springfield, CSNY, Solo
77. Billy Gibbons - ZZ Top
78. Tony MacAlpine - Solo
79. Mike McCready - Pearl Jam
80. Adam Jones - Tool
81. Gary Hoey - Solo
82. Leslie West - Mountain, Solo
83. Peter Frampton - Humble Pie, Frampton's Camel, Solo
84. Dick Dale - Del-Tones
85. Vito Bratta - White Lion
86. Mickey "Guitar" Baker - 50's sessions/ Mickey & Sylvia
87. John Frusciante - Red Hot Chili Peppers
88. Ronnie Montrose - Montrose, Edgar Winter Group
89. Mick Ronson* - David Bowie, Solo
90. Roy Buchanan* - Solo
91. Warren Haynes - Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule
92. Vinnie Moore - Alice Cooper, Solo
93. Robbie Krieger - Doors, Solo
94. Chris DeGarmo - Queensryche
95. Jake E. Lee - Cutting Crew, Ozzy, Badlands, Solo
96. Glen Tipton - Judas Priest
97. Joe Walsh - James Gang, Eagles, Solo
98. K.K. Downing - Judas Priest
99. Eddie Hazel* - Funkadelic
100. Alex Skolnick - Testament

keep in mind this is only considering rock guitarist

[keylime_5]

I had Van Halen 11th, so...
I like that they have Jeff Beck where he belongs. He doesn't get enough dap because he wasn't in a super hit band like Led Zeppelin or the Stones (though he turned down the offer from the Rolling Stones when Mick Taylor quit).

But that list has Richards too low. He wrote more catchy guitar riffs than anyone ever by a lot. While he wasn't a shredding lead guitarist in the style of Clapton or Allman, he was a riff machine.

[Chucky]

Considering Robert Johnson isnt even on that list is kind of sad, also Jerry Garcia 70th. I am a huge dead fan, and am prob biased but 70 is a little low for him. Also Ry Cooder is waaaaaaayyyyy toooooooo low. ANd no mention of Robert Randolph is pathetic

[Mr. Stiller]

It's hard to sit here and give anyone "Greatest guitarist of all time"..

You look at Innovators...

Paige, Clapton, Hendrix, and so on..

Then you look at 80's Rock..

Van Halen invented Tapping and mainstream guitar solo's as we know them now.

The 90's didn't hold a lot of Bands..


I just surfed through the thread... and I didn't see these names (If I missed them I apologize)..


Joe Perry, Aerosmith ~ Any budding guitarist would love to be able to achieve the Joe Perry sound. Joe Perry plays effortless and has made tons of records and recorded a lot of great guitars.

John Petrucci, Dream Theater ~ The guy is probably one of the most, how do you say, Ballad rocker. He writes some of the greatest guitar parts I've ever listened to. His solos are perfect and fit whatever he puts them in. Listen to "A Change Of Seasons", it'll give you a complete feel for Mike Portnoy, John Myung, and John Petrucci.. the Keyboardist and Lead Singer aren't that good.. but John Wrote a great piece.

Joe Satriani ~ He is just great guitarist. Not only a great player, but a great teacher... if you listen to his and Steve Vai's music, you'll hear a lot of comparative pieces. For those that don't know, Satch taught Vai guitar. Vai got signed and got his mentor signed.

Mark Tremonti, Creed/Alter Bridge ~ I know people will bash me for this, but I love Tremonti's guitar work. No matter what song he plays, it's just full of character, and full. A lot of bands will write a song, and they rely on the vocals, but Tremonti wrote some great guitar parts that actually had fullness and character. Not to mention, I met Mark and people will sit here and bash him for his "Radio Music", but he gave me a CD of just his instrumental work (He had 3 guitar tracks, 2 bass tracks and a drum track for each song) and it was some of the best technical and melodic music I've ever heard, he's definitely underrated, because he's played in Creed/Alter Bridge.

[EdReedUnstoppable]

It's hard to sit here and give anyone "Greatest guitarist of all time"..

You look at Innovators...

Paige, Clapton, Hendrix, and so on..

Then you look at 80's Rock..

Van Halen invented Tapping and mainstream guitar solo's as we know them now.

The 90's didn't hold a lot of Bands..


I just surfed through the thread... and I didn't see these names (If I missed them I apologize)..


Joe Perry, Aerosmith ~ Any budding guitarist would love to be able to achieve the Joe Perry sound. Joe Perry plays effortless and has made tons of records and recorded a lot of great guitars.

John Petrucci, Dream Theater ~ The guy is probably one of the most, how do you say, Ballad rocker. He writes some of the greatest guitar parts I've ever listened to. His solos are perfect and fit whatever he puts them in. Listen to "A Change Of Seasons", it'll give you a complete feel for Mike Portnoy, John Myung, and John Petrucci.. the Keyboardist and Lead Singer aren't that good.. but John Wrote a great piece.

Joe Satriani ~ He is just great guitarist. Not only a great player, but a great teacher... if you listen to his and Steve Vai's music, you'll hear a lot of comparative pieces. For those that don't know, Satch taught Vai guitar. Vai got signed and got his mentor signed.

Mark Tremonti, Creed/Alter Bridge ~ I know people will bash me for this, but I love Tremonti's guitar work. No matter what song he plays, it's just full of character, and full. A lot of bands will write a song, and they rely on the vocals, but Tremonti wrote some great guitar parts that actually had fullness and character. Not to mention, I met Mark and people will sit here and bash him for his "Radio Music", but he gave me a CD of just his instrumental work (He had 3 guitar tracks, 2 bass tracks and a drum track for each song) and it was some of the best technical and melodic music I've ever heard, he's definitely underrated, because he's played in Creed/Alter Bridge.


I agree with that 100%, Tremonti is an awesome guitar player who always looks like he is enjoying himself to the fullest.

[Kslice28]

Considering Robert Johnson isnt even on that list is kind of sad, also Jerry Garcia 70th. I am a huge dead fan, and am prob biased but 70 is a little low for him. Also Ry Cooder is waaaaaaayyyyy toooooooo low. ANd no mention of Robert Randolph is pathetic

That list was mainly for modern rock guitarist. The follow list includes all genres of music.

1. Andres Segovia
2. Django Reinhardt
3. Jimi Hendrix
4. Chet Atkins
5. Wes Montgomery
6. T-Bone Walker
7. Charlie Christian
8. B.B. King
9. Robert Johnson
10. Joe Pass
11. John Williams
12. Julian Bream
13. John McLaughlin
14. Merle Travis
15. Phil Keaggy
16. Sabicas
17. Jeff Beck
18. Pat Metheny
19. Lenny Breau
20. Micheal Hedges
21. Paco De Lucia
22. Les Paul
23. Sol Hoopii
24. Ry Cooder
25. Eric Clapton
26. Leo Kottke
27. George Van Eps
28. John Fahey
29. Jimmy Page
30. King Bennie Nawahi
31. Danny Gatton
32. Jim Hall
33. Christopher Parkening
34. Al DiMeola
35. Buddy Emmons
36. Eddie Van Halen
37. Speedy West
38. Allan Holdsworth
39. Chuck Berry
40. Eddie Lang
41. Lonnie Johnson
42. Joe Maphis
43. Derek Bailey
44. Adrian Legg
45. Albert King
46. Carlos Montoya
47. Buddy Guy
48. Duane Allman
49. Narciso Yepes
50. Stevie Ray Vaughan
51. Bill Frisell
52. Davy Graham
53. Elmore James
54. Doc Watson
55. Stanley Jordan
56. John Scofeild
57. Larry Coryell
58. Robert Fripp
59. George Benson
60. Albert Lee
61. Steve Vai
62. Steve Morse
63. Jerry Byrd
64. Bola Sete
65. Tommy Emmanuel
66. Steve Cropper
67. Laurindo Almeida
68. Ramon Montoya
69. Tal Farlow
70. Eric Johnson
71. Koo Nimo
72. Raymond Kane
73. Yngwie Malmsteen
74. John Renbourn
75. Freddie Green
76. Bert Jansch
77. Baden Powell
78. John Abercrombie
79. Randy Rhoads
80. Sandy Bull
81. David Gilmour
82. Noel Boggs
83. Gabby Pahinui
84. Ledward Kaapana
85. Manuel Barrueco
86. Shawn Lane
87. Blind Willie Johnson
88. Sonny Sharrok
89. Freddie King
90. Fred Frith
91. Maybelle Carter
92. Muddy Waters
93. Sonny Greenwich
94. Larry Carlton
95. David Russell
96. Joe Satriani
97. Tony Rice
98. Charley Patton
99. Paco Pena
100. Kenny Burrell

http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com

[keylime_5]

I'm not clearly getting what you mean by Van Halen inventing mainstream guitar solos. Before the 1990s almost every rock and blues song had a guitar solo featured. Van Halen just carried on that tradition. I think with punk rock and grunge getting mixed into the mainstream the guitar solo has died in popular rock music -it's only alive in garage rock, jam rock, and metal nowadays. (which is why bands like the white stripes, weezer (until their recent breakup), RHCP, and the like are soo much better than those other bands who chart generic music).

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

Here is a nice quick sample of Yngwie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFMqQj6SfJs

[Mr. Stiller]

I'm not clearly getting what you mean by Van Halen inventing mainstream guitar solos. Before the 1990s almost every rock and blues song had a guitar solo featured. Van Halen just carried on that tradition. I think with punk rock and grunge getting mixed into the mainstream the guitar solo has died in popular rock music -it's only alive in garage rock, jam rock, and metal nowadays. (which is why bands like the white stripes, weezer (until their recent breakup), RHCP, and the like are soo much better than those other bands who chart generic music).

I understand that. But Van Halen opened the door for the tapping and oddball technique solo's that you'll hear from Wylde/Dimebag(RIP)/Hammett/both guys from dragonforce.

Those solo's aren't really able to be played without Halen. He invented the modern solo. I'm not saying Clapton, Paige and so on didn't have solo's, they did, just not as crazy and in depth as Van Halen.


Ironically One of my most favorite Solo's is VH on Michael Jackson's beat it.

As for the bolded part, it's not that the solo has died and isn't around, there are still plenty of bands with Solo's. But I think the fact remains that the newer bands are just mainstream 4-power chords per Verse/Chorus. But no one wants to hear a solo.


Though I forget his name, but the lead guitarist from Avenged Sevenfold is damn good. As is the guys from Dragonforce.


But lets be honest... Justin King/Erik Mongrain are three of the most amazing guitarists ever... As well as personal Favorites.

Justin King:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=N6NA9nd4Fgs

http://youtube.com/watch?v=UMSDWfsLQKY

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yh_24DXNy8E

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cRRF_M2T-vY&mode=related&search=

ERIK MONGRAIN:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AbndgwfG22k

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OxnCUu9IAkw

http://youtube.com/watch?v=aDGXs3wuaPQ&mode=related&search=

Andy McKee:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ddn4MGaS3N4

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dt1fB62cGbo&mode=related&search=

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JsD6uEZsIsU&mode=related&search=

If you get a chance, download Andy McKee's "Art of Motion"

[Mr. Stiller]

I agree with that 100%, Tremonti is an awesome guitar player who always looks like he is enjoying himself to the fullest.

He plays like.. Rock Ballads, makes them look easy... and I know I'll likely get criticized for this, but if he were in Metallica, he would blow Hammett out of the water, he's really that good.

[awfullyquiet]

I'm not liking the sloppy vs. technically sound argument. John Bonham and Keith Moon weren't techincally sound as some other drummers who weren't considered as great. To say Moon was a fundamental drummer is far from the truth. But he was certainly one of the 3 best of all time, if not the best. Same kinda deal for guitarists. Clapton and Hendrix are definitely top two, even if you don't agree that there was as big a gap as I do.

and you're right.
moon was about as sloppy as they come? was he influential? sure. was he a fantastic drummer. eh. i can see that.

but does that make him the best drummer? no.
not particuarly.

damon che, neal peart, and buddy rich.
now those are the best drummers. bar none.

portnoy is good. he's boring though.
free-jazzers do the same thing with more intensity.

[Shiver]

Tremonti is a very good guitarist, but he's never been in a good band.

[WarrenMoonHOF]

I love this topic as everyone always blurts out the popular names. To call Clapton innovative is a slap in the face to Buddy Guy and Otis Rush and every other player that Clapton copied. His work with Cream was interesting and by far the best at what he did. Hendrix is #1, from there you have to mention Page, SRV and Van Halen. But there are tons of players better then the names mentioned. Michael Schenker, Gary Moore, Scott Gorham and Rik Emmett are some of the most gifted players of all time.

[keylime_5]

and you're right.
moon was about as sloppy as they come? was he influential? sure. was he a fantastic drummer. eh. i can see that.

but does that make him the best drummer? no.
not particuarly.

damon che, neal peart, and buddy rich.
now those are the best drummers. bar none.

portnoy is good. he's boring though.
free-jazzers do the same thing with more intensity.

Ah you see, there it is. I'd rather listen to Bonham and Moon over Portnoy and Peart any day of the week. They may not be as fundamentally sound, but they are more fun to listen to and their drumming sounds a lot better. That's all there is to it. Moon and Bonham are arguably #1 and #2 and they weren't fundamentally sound, but they sounded like drumming you want to hear and have fun with. Rich is great though, fun and fundamental. John and Keith had qualities that outweighed fundamentals too, for instance Bonham made his drums really low and loud and used big sticks to made a thundrous sound that was unmatched. Moon was so wild and such an entertainer on stage, and his loudness and innovative use of crash cymbals made him top notch.

Kinda a similar argument towards Hendrix and the like.

[drowe]

Ironically One of my most favorite Solo's is VH on Michael Jackson's beat it.



ya know...i'm a huge Van Halen (not van hagar) fan, and I almost agree with this statement. it's just a rockin' solo and adds a lot to the song. but, check out Fair Warning. that is by far my favorite Van Halen album and includes all 3 of my top 3 VH songs (mean street, unchained, sinner's swing) and i think it's some of Eddie's best work.

[drowe]

Mark Tremonti, Creed/Alter Bridge ~ I know people will bash me for this, but I love Tremonti's guitar work. No matter what song he plays, it's just full of character, and full. A lot of bands will write a song, and they rely on the vocals, but Tremonti wrote some great guitar parts that actually had fullness and character. Not to mention, I met Mark and people will sit here and bash him for his "Radio Music", but he gave me a CD of just his instrumental work (He had 3 guitar tracks, 2 bass tracks and a drum track for each song) and it was some of the best technical and melodic music I've ever heard, he's definitely underrated, because he's played in Creed/Alter Bridge.

another statement i find myself in complete agreement with. at the time it came out, i LOVED My Own Prison. then Creed obviously sold out beyond all belief. but, yeah, great guitar playing there. Mark should punch Scott Stapp in the head.

[Mr. Stiller]

Tremonti is a very good guitarist, but he's never been in a good band.

Exactly, I'm just crazed at the fact that people actually realize that... Say it on a guitar board and the metal heads will bash him because he played in Creed.

I wish Tremonti Luck in his solo career, not that he's pursuing it, but he should. I think he's up there (And actually a lot better than Satch/Petrucci), it's just hard to look past the fact he was in Creed. Though he still wrote great guitar riffs in that band, he was a sell-out.

That leaves you with an ethical question... How many actual bands aren't sell outs when they sign with a major label?


As for Tremonti, he did punch Stapp in the face... numerous times. Stapp was calling him out and got in a bar fight. Tremonti knocked him the F*CK out and then Stapp came back later and got in a fight with the guys from 311.

[Mr. Stiller]

ya know...i'm a huge Van Halen (not van hagar) fan, and I almost agree with this statement. it's just a rockin' solo and adds a lot to the song. but, check out Fair Warning. that is by far my favorite Van Halen album and includes all 3 of my top 3 VH songs (mean street, unchained, sinner's swing) and i think it's some of Eddie's best work.

It's not like I haven't heard those solos.

If I had to say my favorite solo... it would single-handedly be Cathedral.

[xooberon]

and you're right.
moon was about as sloppy as they come? was he influential? sure. was he a fantastic drummer. eh. i can see that.

but does that make him the best drummer? no.
not particuarly.

damon che, neal peart, and buddy rich.
now those are the best drummers. bar none.


billy cobham??

[awfullyquiet]

Ah you see, there it is. I'd rather listen to Bonham and Moon over Portnoy and Peart any day of the week. They may not be as fundamentally sound, but they are more fun to listen to and their drumming sounds a lot better. That's all there is to it. Moon and Bonham are arguably #1 and #2 and they weren't fundamentally sound, but they sounded like drumming you want to hear and have fun with. Rich is great though, fun and fundamental. John and Keith had qualities that outweighed fundamentals too, for instance Bonham made his drums really low and loud and used big sticks to made a thundrous sound that was unmatched. Moon was so wild and such an entertainer on stage, and his loudness and innovative use of crash cymbals made him top notch.

Kinda a similar argument towards Hendrix and the like.

oh, no, i agree. in my opinion, they get two scores.
one for their fundamental skills, the other for their creativity.

the reason why moon and bonham are as high as they are are that they were brilliant drummers. moon was friggan fast on the toms, with gravity rolls that make me sick to my stomach. sure, they didn't have the precision, but if it's out of 100, bonham would rank the better drummer as far as technique (76T/74C) and moon had the better musicianshipness, and would be like 64T/78C... (T=tech/c=creativity)... now, compare them to portnoy, who'd be closer to 84T/47C, or Damon Che who's 93T/69C, or Neal Peart who's 84T/76C... (btw, those numbers are all arbitrary based on what i think... they're not ranked scores... subdivided). the well rounded ones are 'better'.

i mean i listen to many crap bands. but those who have creative, but not necessarily good drumming are easier to listen to than precise, but really monotonous drumming. the same goes with guitar, sure, it's easier to listen to hendrix over malmsteen because of the 'groove'. does that make malmsteen worse? yes. does hendrix sloppiness count against him? yes.

in determining the best. i think those are really to be accounted for.

oh. and billy cobhan is good. not on the same level is peart, che, and rich

[drowe]

It's not like I haven't heard those solos.

If I had to say my favorite solo... it would single-handedly be Cathedral.

ah, you clearly know your Van Halen :)
sorry, i musta just assumed you were casual fan.

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

Best drummer? Buddy Rich, bar none. Ginger Baker is second. He's definitely the most underappreciated; if he would have died at the height of Cream's popularity he'd be a bigger name than Bonham and Moon are today. He's an excellent rock drummer AND an excellent jazz drummer. Not to mention, he's the godfather of playing with two bass drums. He could carry a beat with just his feet better than most could with their hands. Watch some old videos of his solo on "Toad" and try to tell me he's not right up there.

[Mr. Stiller]

ah, you clearly know your Van Halen :)
sorry, i musta just assumed you were casual fan.

:)

I've been playing Bass guitar since 10, Electric/Acoustic since 15, Drums/keyboard since 19 and listening to music all my life. I'm 21 now.

I think what would be a harder list would be greatest bassists of all time...


You got Slap Artists, like Mark King, Flea... Stu Hamm, Marcus Miller, Primus, Alexis Sklarevski... So on..

You have great Technique Players.. Victor Wooten, John Entwistle...

Tap Artists ~ Billy Sheehan, Stu Hamm...


Just off the top of my head.

Of course I have to go with Woot's, the only guy I ever heard did a Hammer-on/Pull off on a Harmonic... not to mention he did a bend during a slide of a Harmonic... I didn't think it was physically possible.... I don't think I've ever seen someone as good as Woots.

[awfullyquiet]

Best drummer? Buddy Rich, bar none. Ginger Baker is second. He's definitely the most underappreciated; if he would have died at the height of Cream's popularity he'd be a bigger name than Bonham and Moon are today. He's an excellent rock drummer AND an excellent jazz drummer. Not to mention, he's the godfather of playing with two bass drums. He could carry a beat with just his feet better than most could with their hands. Watch some old videos of his solo on "Toad" and try to tell me he's not right up there.

Ginger Baker is top 15 in my book.
yeah.
wtf. bonham and moon both died, immortalized in drumming history.

i knew that they both died. i know how they both died. but i never thought it that way.

[awfullyquiet]

:)

I've been playing Bass guitar since 10, Electric/Acoustic since 15, Drums/keyboard since 19 and listening to music all my life. I'm 21 now.

I think what would be a harder list would be greatest bassists of all time...


You got Slap Artists, like Mark King, Flea... Stu Hamm, Marcus Miller, Primus, Alexis Sklarevski... So on..

You have great Technique Players.. Victor Wooten, John Entwistle...

Tap Artists ~ Billy Sheehan, Stu Hamm...


Just off the top of my head.

Of course I have to go with Woot's, the only guy I ever heard did a Hammer-on/Pull off on a Harmonic... not to mention he did a bend during a slide of a Harmonic... I didn't think it was physically possible.... I don't think I've ever seen someone as good as Woots.

yeah. wooton is gifted. and that's putting it mildly. i have no idea how he can do it. no idea. i've played bass for nine years now. he plays so many partial harmonics with the fretless at semi and quarter frets that the precision is sick.

i also say, never forget joe lally, and p-nut from 311.

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

Ginger Baker is top 15 in my book.
yeah.
wtf. bonham and moon both died, immortalized in drumming history.

i knew that they both died. i know how they both died. but i never thought it that way.

Baker's got to be higher than just top 15, man. Top 10, at least. Much more talented than Moon and Bonham.

[keylime_5]

Baker is top 5, maybe 3rd behind Bonham and Moon. He was pretty darn awesome, made some really unique beats with those toms and the double bass drums. If it weren't for Baker, then Moon would never have made a double bass drum set. Mitch Mitchell was good too, but he was a sloppy yet great player like his guitarist. But Moon made a much more explosive sound (no pun intended) than any other drummer by far. He was really something else, and no one no matter how hard they tried could imitate Keith's energy on drums. Bonham's dynamics were so good that he has to be a little higher than Baker. After hearing Baker called the best drummer in the world, Bonham took four drum sticks at the same time and wrote the drum part for "Four Sticks".

I don't think that sloppiness really takes away from a guitar player really. Technique is in reality just a set of rules to make you play guitar better, if you have perfect technique you are great. But whoever said "this is how you must play guitar or else you're not great". Technique really is guidelines, you can be a "sloppy" player and still blow away the competition. Hendrix played with his thumb a lot and while that's not considered perfect technique in guitar playing, it worked perfect for what he was doing.......and no one is better at making a wah pedal work for them than Jimi, not even Clapton who was awesome with a wah.

[Mr. Stiller]

Baker is top 5, maybe 3rd behind Bonham and Moon. He was pretty darn awesome, made some really unique beats with those toms and the double bass drums. If it weren't for Baker, then Moon would never have made a double bass drum set. Mitch Mitchell was good too, but he was a sloppy yet great player like his guitarist. But Moon made a much more explosive sound (no pun intended) than any other drummer by far. He was really something else, and no one no matter how hard they tried could imitate Keith's energy on drums. Bonham's dynamics were so good that he has to be a little higher than Baker. After hearing Baker called the best drummer in the world, Bonham took four drum sticks at the same time and wrote the drum part for "Four Sticks".

I don't think that sloppiness really takes away from a guitar player really. Technique is in reality just a set of rules to make you play guitar better, if you have perfect technique you are great. But whoever said "this is how you must play guitar or else you're not great". Technique really is guidelines, you can be a "sloppy" player and still blow away the competition. Hendrix played with his thumb a lot and while that's not considered perfect technique in guitar playing, it worked perfect for what he was doing.......and no one is better at making a wah pedal work for them than Jimi, not even Clapton who was awesome with a wah.


Mark Tremonti is great with a Wah pedal, as is Hammett, but not by effects does a guitar player make, mm-hmm.

I think Creativity. And Hendrix had to use his thumb because he was playing a right handed model upside down. Fender rolled their necks (I think they still do).. They rolled it for a right hand. That makes it all the more amazing what hendrix did, because I've played a 69' Fender Tele I believe and you can feel how it's rolled for the natural "righty". To get a sense of what I mean... buy a Squier Strat/Tele, and play it upside down and restringed, see how foreign it feels.

[EdReedUnstoppable]

Mark Tremonti is great with a Wah pedal, as is Hammett, but not by effects does a guitar player make, mm-hmm.

I think Creativity. And Hendrix had to use his thumb because he was playing a right handed model upside down. Fender rolled their necks (I think they still do).. They rolled it for a right hand. That makes it all the more amazing what hendrix did, because I've played a 69' Fender Tele I believe and you can feel how it's rolled for the natural "righty". To get a sense of what I mean... buy a Squier Strat/Tele, and play it upside down and restringed, see how foreign it feels.

Hendrix used a ton of pedals, so you can't try to tear down one guy by saying it takes pedals to make him and then praise a guy who used pedals like crazy.

[22,895]

Heres a top 100 from digitaldreamdoor.com....its not perfect but far better then that rolling stones garbage

1. Jimi Hendrix* - Jimi Hendrix Experience
2. Eric Clapton - Yardbirds, Cream, Derek & The Dominos, Solo
3. Jimmy Page - Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, The Firm
4. Jeff Beck - Yardbirds, Jeff Beck Group, Solo
5. Eddie Van Halen - Van Halen
6. Stevie Ray Vaughan* - Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
7. Joe Satriani - Solo
8. Ritchie Blackmore - Deep Purple, Rainbow, Blackmores Night
9. Steve Vai - David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, Solo
10. David Gilmour - Pink Floyd, Solo
11. John Petrucci - Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment
12. Randy Rhoads* - Quiet Riot, Ozzy
13. Allan Holdsworth - Solo
14. Paul Gilbert - Mr. Big, Racer X, Solo
15. Yngwie Malmsteen - Rising Force, Solo
16. Phil Keaggy - Glass Harp, Solo
17. Jason Becker - Cacophony, David Lee Roth Band, Solo
18. John Mclaughlin- Mahavishnu Orchestra
19. Duane Allman* - Allman Brothers Band, Derek & the Dominos
20. Chuck Berry - Solo
21. Eric Johnson - Solo
22. Steve Howe - Yes, Solo
23. Neal Schon - Santana, Journey, Solo
24. Brian May - Queen
25. Gary Moore - Thin Lizzy, Colosseum II, Skid Row, Solo
26. Bo Diddley - Solo
27. Steve Morse - Deep Purple, Dixie Dregs, Steve Morse Band, Solo
28. Carlos Santana - Santana
29. Tony Iommi - Black Sabbath
30. Buckethead - Solo, Praxis, Thanatopsis, The Deli Creeps, Cornbugs, GNR,
31. Mark Knopfler - Dire Straits, Solo
32. Marty Friedman - Cacophony, Megadeth, Solo
33. Nuno Bettencourt - Extreme, Mourning Widows
34. Shawn Lane* - Black Oak Arkansas, Willy, Solo
35. Kirk Hammett - Metallica
36. Uli Jon Roth - Scorpions, Solo
37. Terry Kath* - Chicago Transit Authority
38. Alex Lifeson - Rush
39. Frank Zappa* - Mothers of Invention, Solo
40. Rory Gallagher* - Solo
41. Dimebag Darrell* - Pantera
42. Peter Green - Fleetwood Mac, Solo
43. Robin Trower - Procal Harum, Solo
44. Slash - Guns N' Roses, Slash's Snakepit, Velvet Revolver
45. Mick Taylor - John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Rolling Stones
46. Robert Fripp - King Crimson
47. Tom Morello - Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave
48. Michael Schenker - Scorpions, UFO, MSG, Contraband
49. Ry Cooder - Solo
50. Angus Young - AC/DC
51. Keith Richards - Rolling Stones, Solo
52. Michael Angelo Batio - Nitro, Solo
53. John Squire - Stone Roses
54. Pete Townshend - The Who
55. Steve Hackett - Genisis
56. Zakk Wylde - Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society
57. George Harrison* - Beatles, Traveling Wilberys, Solo
58. Alvin Lee - Ten Years After
59. Dave Davies - Kinks
60. Jerry Cantrell - Alice In Chains, Solo
61. Steve Stevens - Billy Idol
62. Johnny Winter - Solo
63. Dickie Betts - Allman Brothers Band, Dickey Betts & Great Southern
64. John Cipollina* - Quicksilver Messenger Service
65. Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band
66. Steve Cropper - Booker T. & MG's/Stax sessions
67. Adrian Belew - King Crimson
68. Joe Bonamassa - Solo
69. Steve Lukather - Toto, Solo
70. Jerry Garcia* - Grateful Dead
71. Joe Perry - Aerosmith
72. Prince - Prince & The Revolution
73. Kim Mitchell - Max Webster, Solo
74. Adrian Smith - Iron Maiden
75. Dave Murray - Iron Maiden
76. Neil Young - Buffalo Springfield, CSNY, Solo
77. Billy Gibbons - ZZ Top
78. Tony MacAlpine - Solo
79. Mike McCready - Pearl Jam
80. Adam Jones - Tool
81. Gary Hoey - Solo
82. Leslie West - Mountain, Solo
83. Peter Frampton - Humble Pie, Frampton's Camel, Solo
84. Dick Dale - Del-Tones
85. Vito Bratta - White Lion
86. Mickey "Guitar" Baker - 50's sessions/ Mickey & Sylvia
87. John Frusciante - Red Hot Chili Peppers
88. Ronnie Montrose - Montrose, Edgar Winter Group
89. Mick Ronson* - David Bowie, Solo
90. Roy Buchanan* - Solo
91. Warren Haynes - Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule
92. Vinnie Moore - Alice Cooper, Solo
93. Robbie Krieger - Doors, Solo
94. Chris DeGarmo - Queensryche
95. Jake E. Lee - Cutting Crew, Ozzy, Badlands, Solo
96. Glen Tipton - Judas Priest
97. Joe Walsh - James Gang, Eagles, Solo
98. K.K. Downing - Judas Priest
99. Eddie Hazel* - Funkadelic
100. Alex Skolnick - Testament

keep in mind this is only considering rock guitarist

They don't have Vernon Reid. This list sucks. Reid is a very underrated guitar player. They don't even have Robert Johnson who created it all and not even (you guys are gonna bash me) Jack White. I mean Jack White is really sick with that guitar. Also, Mark T. of Creed is very underrated also and he deserves to be mentioned.

[Mr. Stiller]

Hendrix used a ton of pedals, so you can't try to tear down one guy by saying it takes pedals to make him and then praise a guy who used pedals like crazy.

I think you mistook what I was getting at.

Hendrix was a revolution... and it's more that he's great because of creativity, than Pedals..

Tremonti and Hammett use pedals, and well, but I wouldn't put them on the same Plateau as Hendrix.


I mean I have a RPX400, MMX Distortion and a ****** 2x12 Crate amp, but That doesn't mean I'm great because I can tweak my sound.

[EdReedUnstoppable]

I think you mistook what I was getting at.

Hendrix was a revolution... and it's more that he's great because of creativity, than Pedals..

Tremonti and Hammett use pedals, and well, but I wouldn't put them on the same Plateau as Hendrix.


I mean I have a RPX400, MMX Distortion and a ****** 2x12 Crate amp, but That doesn't mean I'm great because I can tweak my sound.


I just like Tremonti's style, Im pretty much over the whole best guitarist thing cause you can't pick just one their all great. Nice gear btw, I rock a Crate 2x12 also with a Crybaby From Hell, and a Metal Master!

[Mr. Stiller]

I just like Tremonti's style, Im pretty much over the whole best guitarist thing cause you can't pick just one their all great. Nice gear btw, I rock a Crate 2x12 also with a Crybaby From Hell, and a Metal Master!

Very nice, I got the RPX400 because I could record through USB... but Frankly.. it's god awful, it's nearly impossible for the Software to EQ the input right... So, I run my Guitar, into the RPX, then the MMX, to my Amp, then run my Amp to my Eurorack Mixer to my computer, though I haven't put it together since I moved last year, but I'm moving again here soon and I'll be recording again thank god.

[keylime_5]

You gotta be more than just a guy who is techincally great and can play all this wild stuff to be considered one of the best guitar players ever. A bunch of those guys like Malmsteen and other soloists (who don't really make that much music but rather just play guitar really good and that's it) aren't considered among the greatest because they don't create these awesome riffs and play great songs or anything. You gotta make a mark. You don't have to be a great songwriter (Jeff Beck was a great guitarist for great bands, but not really a Jimmy Page or Keith Richards in writing), but that certainly makes you better than if you're not.

Back to Hendrix: Jimi didn't just use wah pedals, he invented a lot of kinds of distortion boxes and the like which is why his guitar sound was unheard of before him, and his personal settings have gone virtually unduplicated.

[EdReedUnstoppable]

Very nice, I got the RPX400 because I could record through USB... but Frankly.. it's god awful, it's nearly impossible for the Software to EQ the input right... So, I run my Guitar, into the RPX, then the MMX, to my Amp, then run my Amp to my Eurorack Mixer to my computer, though I haven't put it together since I moved last year, but I'm moving again here soon and I'll be recording again thank god.

Thats badass dude, I gotta find a way to start recording stuff so I could put up a myspace of me on guitar and try to find a band or somethin.

[Mr. Stiller]

Thats badass dude, I gotta find a way to start recording stuff so I could put up a myspace of me on guitar and try to find a band or somethin.

If you ever want to get a computer setup let me know.. i've tried it 15 ways.. I'm sure one will work for you.

[awfullyquiet]

If you ever want to get a computer setup let me know.. i've tried it 15 ways.. I'm sure one will work for you.

audacity is the way to do it on the cheap.
and it's so ridiculously easy if you're not looking to create too many post-production effects that you'd need with pro-tools.

[Mr. Stiller]

audacity is the way to do it on the cheap.
and it's so ridiculously easy if you're not looking to create too many post-production effects that you'd need with pro-tools.

True, but if you know where to look, that shouldn't be a problem.. but it's just getting a quality Guitar to PC setup.

[awfullyquiet]

True, but if you know where to look, that shouldn't be a problem.. but it's just getting a quality Guitar to PC setup.

especially if you're directly connecting.
any way you look it up, you're gonna have to get a quality box. to convert mic signals into sound formats.

[Shiver]

I am going to buy my first electric guitar fairly soon. Any suggestions? Preferably within the price range of a 17-year old.

[Staubach12]

I can't decide between Clapton and Hendrix...

[wiscbadgerfootball]

I am going to buy my first electric guitar fairly soon. Any suggestions? Preferably within the price range of a 17-year old.

I'd get something crappy until you decide you are definitely going to stick with it

[TPFKA#1SaintsFan]

I am going to buy my first electric guitar fairly soon. Any suggestions? Preferably within the price range of a 17-year old.

Get a Squier Strat. It's what I started out with and I still play it every now and then. Best bang for your buck if you're a beginner.

[Mr. Stiller]

especially if you're directly connecting.
any way you look it up, you're gonna have to get a quality box. to convert mic signals into sound formats.

I had all my bands equip so I just run my amps through a Eurorack 8 Channel Mixer, to Stereo RCA outs to a 1/8" input jack in my Audigy4

[Mr. Stiller]

play it first and play it through an amp you're likely to buy. if you cheap out too much, you'll end up with equipment you can't practice on. i'd agree with the squier strat. good practice guitar, and, realistically, capable of smaller gigs if you ever played with anyone.

Agreed, I would ultimately suggest the squier strat pack. It's normally $250, it gives you a 15-watt practice amp, Squier stratocaster guitar, Electronic tuner, Instructional DVD, Cable, Gig bag, guitar strap, some picks.

The one i found on Musiciansfriend.com (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Stop-Dreaming-Start-Playing-Affinity-Strat-HSS-Pack-With-Fender-Frontman-15G-Amp?sku=513288)

You can choose between Black, Metallic blue, and metallic red.

The nice thing is about this guitar, it gets you everything to start and as you get better, you can tweak.


I would suggest using that guitar to get ahead for 3-6 months while saving your money.

Then look into pedals. With that guitar, instead of shelling out $1000+ you can get the "American" Fender pickups for around $200.. so your $450 investment has the same tone as the $1000+ guitars, not to mention you can upgrade the neck as well (www.warmoth.com).

There's plenty of places to go after you decide if you're going to stick with it.


My advice is to play that guitar until you think your guitar is the only thing holding your sound back, then start tweeking.