100 Greatest Rock Guitar Players

[Rogue]

Nicely Done Here (http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_newguitar.html)

Some room for discussion here.
For starters...Randy Rhodes is way too high at #12.
Angus #50?
75 guitar players better than Neil Young? Not on THIS list!
I could switch #3 and #4.
And #5 with #6.
3 of Ozzy's guitar players in the top 100 (not counting Tony Iommi)


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

[SoonerStormchaser]

This list has no credibility as Alex Lifeson is buried waaaay behind Neil Schon...Alex should be in the top 5!

[soonerscuba]

I think Prince is too low, and BB King not being on the list is beyond comprehension.

[King Crimson]

too much emphasis on post-Eddie Van Halen and faux-("hair" and spandex pants) metal pyrotechnics for my taste. Pete Townshend, #54?

Mick Ronson should be higher as well.

[yermom]

Jimi might get top billing because he died young. i think Clapton could easily be #1. i think their range puts them a touch over Jimmy Page, who is probably my personal favorite to listen to.

i'm kinda surprised to see Jerry Cantrell

and Buckethead? #30? wow. i guess i need to listen to more of his stuff...

two of my favorites not on the list though are Jack White and Dan Auerbach

and i guess Ozzy is pretty good at picking guitarists :eek:

[tommieharris91]

Richie Blackmore and Randy Rhodes are too high.

[Frozen Sooner]

****ing BUCKETHEAD ahead of Mark Knopfler and Nuno Bettencourt?

[Sooner_Havok]

This list has no credibility as Alex Lifeson is buried waaaay behind Neil Schon...Alex should be in the top 5!

I wouldn't say top 5, but definitely in the top 20 if not not 10.

BTW, Brian May FTW!!!! Astrophysicist and guitarist!

[Rogue]

Jimi might get top billing because he IS THE GREATEST GUITAR PLAYER EVAR!!! blah blah blah...
Fixed.

[Rogue]

Pete Townshend, #54?



Yeah, WTF is THAT all about?

[tommieharris91]

I wouldn't say top 5, but definitely in the top 20 if not not 10.

BTW, Brian May FTW!!!! Astrophysicist and guitarist!

Heh, I know someone who is getting a Computer Science Ph.D. and can play a few Jimmy Page solos.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

too much emphasis on post-Eddie Van Halen and faux-("hair" and spandex pants) metal pyrotechnics for my taste. Pete Townshend, #54?

Amen. That's screwed.

I might catch flack for this, but Neil Young doesn't even belong within a sniff of this list.

[def_lazer_fc]

too much emphasis on post-Eddie Van Halen and faux-("hair" and spandex pants) metal pyrotechnics for my taste. Pete Townshend, #54?

Mick Ronson should be higher as well.

heh, at least guitar world didn't make the list. they seem to confuse playing cheesy shred metal with...talent. fast = good.

[Rogue]

TF, has it been so long since you heard Cortez The Killer?

[yermom]

****ing BUCKETHEAD ahead of Mark Knopfler and Nuno Bettencourt?

not to mention Slash :eek:

[yermom]

Fixed.

i said "might" but i'd maybe drop him to #3 at the worst

[Curly Bill]

not to mention Slash :eek:

Ah come on, Slash should be rated higher then #44. He should be somewhere in the top 20.

...and Kirk Hammett at #35? pffft...my ***, he shouldn't even be on the list.

[yermom]

Ah come on, Slash should be rated higher then #44. He should be somewhere in the top 20.

...and Kirk Hammett at #35? pffft...my ***, he shouldn't even be on the list.

i'm saying Slash is below Buckethead. that's just wrong

[Curly Bill]

i'm saying Slash is below Buckethead. that's just wrong

Ooops, my bad. Yeah, wrong indeed.

[Curly Bill]

...and Angus Young only at 50 ??
....and Keith Richards only at 51 ??

[Curly Bill]

...and Mike McCready should be ranked considerably better then 79.

[yermom]

Keith Richards has probably moved up in my mind lately.

my love for Pearl Jam is fairly well documented, but Mike McCready has never exactly stood out to me, other than being the guitarist in some of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands. Pearl Jam hasn't ever really been about the guitar for me, i guess

[King Crimson]

heh, at least guitar world didn't make the list. they seem to confuse playing cheesy shred metal with...talent. fast = good.

shred is a good word for it. about 60% of the list is "100 Greatest...Rock Guitar Solo...Players"....and that appears to be about the range of what's being considered. certainly a prejudice towards more "inflated" styles of playing in a particular "group" style format where after a couple strings of verse-verse-chorus...the "lead guitarist" takes a step to the end of the stage and honks out the mandatory herniated and overblown solo.

no Richard Thompson? Nigel Tufnel?

[Curly Bill]

my love for Pearl Jam is fairly well documented, but Mike McCready has never exactly stood out to me, other than being the guitarist in some of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands. Pearl Jam hasn't ever really been about the guitar for me, i guess

Love me the solo from Wishlist, that right there is enough to move him higher in my book.

[King Crimson]

Richard Thompson--Fairport Convention, solo
D. Boon--Minutemen
Dr. Know--Bad Brains
Ian MacKaye, Guy Piccioto--Minor Threat, Fugazi
Johnny Marr--Smiths, Modest Mouse
Lemmy--Motorhead
Bob Mould--Husker Du
Ron Ashton--the stooges
Tom Verlaine--Television

[soonerinabilene]

Keith Richards has probably moved up in my mind lately.
my love for Pearl Jam is fairly well documented, but Mike McCready has never exactly stood out to me, other than being the guitarist in some of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands. Pearl Jam hasn't ever really been about the guitar for me, i guess

Yeah i was thinking the same thing. I mean, Yellow Ledbetter is genius, but the rest of their songs are not really all that difficult to play. Their music has never been amazing when it comes to technicallity. Their lyrics and delivery is what set them apart for so long.

And i may get negged because there is so much hate for Creed, but Mark Tremonti should be on this list. Yeah, Scott Stapp was a tool, but youtube tremonti's solos and Alter Bridge stuff and tell me he doesnt belong on here.

And I didnt see Alexi Laiho either, which is wrong imo.

[def_lazer_fc]

Richard Thompson--Fairport Convention, solo
D. Boon--Minutemen
Dr. Know--Bad Brains
Ian MacKaye, Guy Piccioto--Minor Threat, Fugazi
Johnny Marr--Smiths, Modest Mouse
Lemmy--Motorhead
Bob Mould--Husker Du
Ron Ashton--the stooges
Tom Verlaine--Television

now is this "best" or "favorite". i would have to think favorite.

my fave (obviously not "best" by any means)
Bob Mould - Husker Du
Pete Townshend - The Who
George Harrison - Beatles
Robbie Robertson - The Band
Omar Rodriguez - Mars Volta
Kevin Shields - My Bloody Valentine
Steve Albini - Shellac

[King Crimson]

i'm not saying those are my favorites, just that the definition of "rock guitarist" overwhelmingly preferred by most of the list eliminates many sub-genres in rock playing that aren't the standard guitar "god" solo impresario.

[KC//CRIMSON]

That list is jacked. It's almost impossible to rate that many great players.

[def_lazer_fc]

i'm not saying those are my favorites, just that the definition of "rock guitarist" overwhelmingly preferred by most of the list eliminates many sub-genres in rock that aren't the standard guitar "god" solo impresario.

gotcha. good list either way.

[MR2-Sooner86]

Oh my God whoever made that list is obviously deaf. This list looks more like a populatirty contest. I'll just go over the top 10.

1. Jimi Hendrix* - Jimi Hendrix Experience

Ok people he was good. Real good. He was NOT the best though. He could have been but the fame got to him. What he "could have" come out with does not hold water. What he left us is good but it doesn't compared to others who moved on.

2. Eric Clapton - Yardbirds, Cream, Derek & The Dominos, Solo

I agree he's good but I don't feel comfortable with him at #2 as I think there are a couple who could fill the spot. However I don't mind him being at #2 as he's clearly good enough to be there.

3. Jimmy Page - Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, The Firm

Ok call me biased as I'm a huge Zeppelin fan. This Jimmy beats the other Jimi. Lets not forget he played the greatest solo in history.

4. Jeff Beck - Yardbirds, Jeff Beck Group, Solo

May step on some toes but this guy just never did it for me.

5. Eddie Van Halen - Van Halen

I like Van Halen but...no. If we're doing 80's metal then why not lets say, oh, Kirk Hammett? Oh yeah, he didn't do a blurb at the beginning of a concert that became Eruption and it's the only thing you're known for.

6. Stevie Ray Vaughan* - Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble

*puts on flame suit* This guy is overrated.

7. Joe Satriani - Solo

Is he so high on the list because he gave lessons to so many well known guitarist?

8. Ritchie Blackmore - Deep Purple, Rainbow, Blackmores Night

No.

9. Steve Vai - David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, Solo

Double No.

10. David Gilmour - Pink Floyd, Solo

This is why this list is bull****. David Gilmour should at least be in the top 3 and has an argument for #1. Comfortably Numb is only second to Stairway to Heaven on guitar solos and it's well over five minutes long. Lets not forget Time, Young Lust, and so many others. If you think he's average you suck at music and shouldn't listen to it ever again.


Oh yeah, whoever said Slash was worthy to even be in the top 20, seriously go jump off a cliff. He's the most overrated guitarist I've ever heard for doing nothing. November Rain? That song sucks *** and he beat out a Jimi Hendrix solo.

[King Crimson]

Lemmy's a bass player....i got a little ahead of myself. thanks KC//.

[KC//CRIMSON]

5. Eddie Van Halen - Van Halen

I like Van Halen but...no. If we're doing 80's metal then why not lets say, oh, Kirk Hammett? Oh yeah, he didn't do a blurb at the beginning of a concert that became Eruption and it's the only thing you're known for.


His debut came out in 1977 and no one was playing like that, no one. He single-handedly changed the face of rock guitar. He's definitely with in the top five of all time.

[yermom]

yeah, if all you got is Eruption, then you aren't paying attention :D

EVH set trends and was a serious badass

of course, his ego running into DLR's was another "eruption"

[tommieharris91]

6. Stevie Ray Vaughan* - Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble

*puts on flame suit* This guy is overrated.


Seriously? I don't blame you for giving props to Page and Gilmour, but at #6 SRV is about right where he should be.

[tbl]

I honestly believe that to truly rate guitarists, one has to be a guitarist (flame away non-musician types). :D
I'm not saying opinions can't be had about who their favorite guitarist is or who they like to listen to, but anybody that has ever played guitar and spent time trying to get good will quickly understand that Jimi is indeed the best guitarist ever and there isn't anybody else that is really close. I'm not saying there aren't amazing guitarists out there, but that guy truly was on another level. In every way imaginable, the guy was in a league of his own. It's just a fact. It has nothing to do with his untimely death or any kind of mystique or legend that people have built about him. He is the best. Watch the clips. Listen to the songs. The legend and mystique are there for a reason. Any guitarist on that list would acknowledge that Jimi is #1, and not b/c it's the right thing to say. It's because they know it to be true.

Clapton is good enough to be in the top 5, but after Jimi there's plenty of argument for a couple of guitarists to round it off. SRV, Page, Clapton, Beck, Allman, and even EVH are all up there. I'm not a huge fan of EVH's style (shredding, tapping, whatever), but the guy was very innovative and is the best at what he does.

Pete Townsend down that low is very deserving, and IMO he doesn't need to be on the list at all. He's fooled people into believing he's talented b/c he seems to think so but all he has is the windmill (which he stole from Keith) and smashing his guitars. When it comes to playing great lead guitar, he's not even close to the top. Yes his band was innovative as the first real hard rock band and he could write some great songs, but his lead/solo guitar work is very average. It just is...

I'm very surprised Gilmour is #10. He's definitely a solid and good guitarist, has a style of his own, but his stuff is pretty easy to play. He's said himself that he doesn't think he's a great guitarist but he knows how to play the right notes at the right time.

I am surprised Angus is #50. I know some people don't think he's that great, but I've always been impressed with his solo's, not to mention the method in which he delivers them on stage. His finger speed is very impressive, but it's not all speed like the Vai's of the world, but rather delivered with balls, soul, and feeling, whereas those guys are purely technical. I never liked the Vai and Satriani genre. I know they're amazing at what they do, but it just lacks everything that I'm looking for in music.

What's amazing about the blues based guitarists is every single solo they play is based in either minor pentatonic or the standard major scale. Every one of them. All the Jimi, Page, Beck, Clapton, Allman, SRV, Angus, etc, are all based there (mostly in minor pentatonic). To do that much with so few notes is pretty amazing.

Ultimately lists like this are very subjective (obviously) and we all have differing opinions b/c what are we qualifying as "best"? When I think of great guitarists, I think of innovation, creativity, speed (it has to be included), feeling, playability, and "is it easy to cover".

Notable left off: Thurston Moore. The crazy tunings and stuff they do is mind boggling to me.

[yermom]

i could maybe see SRV at #6 being a little high, but dude was pretty awesome

he might also be getting death points

[KC//CRIMSON]

i could maybe see SRV at #6 being a little high, but dude was pretty awesome

he might also be getting death points

I think there are quite a few getting death points. SRV was great. He just took the Hendrix style and expanded it. I think he's certainly in the top 10 to 15 somewhere.

[tbl]

Oh my God whoever made that list is obviously deaf. This list looks more like a populatirty contest. I'll just go over the top 10.

1. Jimi Hendrix* - Jimi Hendrix Experience

Ok people he was good. Real good. He was NOT the best though. He could have been but the fame got to him. What he "could have" come out with does not hold water. What he left us is good but it doesn't compared to others who moved on.

2. Eric Clapton - Yardbirds, Cream, Derek & The Dominos, Solo

I agree he's good but I don't feel comfortable with him at #2 as I think there are a couple who could fill the spot. However I don't mind him being at #2 as he's clearly good enough to be there.

3. Jimmy Page - Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, The Firm

Ok call me biased as I'm a huge Zeppelin fan. This Jimmy beats the other Jimi. Lets not forget he played the greatest solo in history.

4. Jeff Beck - Yardbirds, Jeff Beck Group, Solo

May step on some toes but this guy just never did it for me.

5. Eddie Van Halen - Van Halen

I like Van Halen but...no. If we're doing 80's metal then why not lets say, oh, Kirk Hammett? Oh yeah, he didn't do a blurb at the beginning of a concert that became Eruption and it's the only thing you're known for.

6. Stevie Ray Vaughan* - Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble

*puts on flame suit* This guy is overrated.

7. Joe Satriani - Solo

Is he so high on the list because he gave lessons to so many well known guitarist?

8. Ritchie Blackmore - Deep Purple, Rainbow, Blackmores Night

No.

9. Steve Vai - David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, Solo

Double No.

10. David Gilmour - Pink Floyd, Solo

This is why this list is bull****. David Gilmour should at least be in the top 3 and has an argument for #1. Comfortably Numb is only second to Stairway to Heaven on guitar solos and it's well over five minutes long. Lets not forget Time, Young Lust, and so many others. If you think he's average you suck at music and shouldn't listen to it ever again.


Oh yeah, whoever said Slash was worthy to even be in the top 20, seriously go jump off a cliff. He's the most overrated guitarist I've ever heard for doing nothing. November Rain? That song sucks *** and he beat out a Jimi Hendrix solo.

When I was typing my post this hadn't been posted yet, but I'm thinking I pretty much countered everything you just said (except for Clapton, Vai, and Satriani). I agree Page is great, but he's not better than Jimi. Not close... and Stairway is the "greatest solo of all time"? Stairway? Good song and a decent solo, but there are scores of dudes that can play it note for note, as they can almost every other thing Page has done. That said, I still think he's top 5 easily, but he is NOT better than Jimi.

So you think Gilmours solo's are great, why? Because they're long? Comfortably numb as second only to Stairway? Dude... I can play the solo from Comfortably Numb and I'm a 30 year old father of three that works in the lighting industry for a living. Again, I'm not saying Gilmour isn't good, but if I can play it, I have a hard time putting it in the top 10.

[King Crimson]

Thurston Moore was never going to make it. the list doesn't even throw a bone in that direction, style-wise. that said, i'm a big fan of TM and thought about including him in my "counter-list" above.

[tbl]

His debut came out in 1977 and no one was playing like that, no one. He single-handedly changed the face of rock guitar. He's definitely with in the top five of all time.

Yup. I don't even care for his style of guitar playing (though I do like a lot of VH songs) and I can acknowledge what he did. I don't like it, but it was definitely innovative and it takes talent to do it.

[tbl]

Thurston Moore was never going to make it. the list doesn't even throw a bone in that direction, style-wise. that said, i'm a big fan of TM and thought about including him in my "counter-list" above.
I know, but that just proves that they've either never listened to Sonic Youth or more importantly tried to play their songs. Like I said, the creativity in that band is practically unrivaled. When you go to the extreme to put a file under 4 of the strings at a higher part in the bridge and still have them tuned all crazy and somehow manage to make a song out of all 6 strings, you're doing something pretty amazing. I don't like all of Sonic Youths stuff as some of it does border on noise and gets too artsy, but they also have some really great songs too and Thurston has a sound that's completely original and impossible to duplicate.

[def_lazer_fc]

Pete Townsend down that low is very deserving, and IMO he doesn't need to be on the list at all. He's fooled people into believing he's talented b/c he seems to think so but all he has is the windmill (which he stole from Keith) and smashing his guitars. When it comes to playing great lead guitar, he's not even close to the top. Yes his band was innovative as the first real hard rock band and he could write some great songs, but his lead/solo guitar work is very average. It just is...


from a person that is a HUGE townshend fan, this post is completely accurate.

[def_lazer_fc]

i too am in the camp that absolutely hates anything "SRV", vai, or satriani. hell, it could easily be argued that yngwie is an amazing guitarist as well, but that guy sucks. you are technically gifted and play fast. congrats. but i think rating a guitarist has many more aspects to it than just how "good" they were. what did they play? did it sound good? did it have emotion? or did he just "shred it up" bro?!

[Mixer!]

So you think Gilmours solo's are great, why? Because they're long? Comfortably numb as second only to Stairway? Dude... I can play the solo from Comfortably Numb and I'm a 30 year old father of three that works in the lighting industry for a living. Again, I'm not saying Gilmour isn't good, but if I can play it, I have a hard time putting it in the top 10.
This is the crux of the argument, isn't it? What makes a guitarist great? Gilmour, Clapton, and Vaughn have great tone that really knocks you on your a$$ to listen to. Any guitarist can learn to play the notes, but it's how they play it that really elevates them. JMO.

Also: Zappa is way too low, Harrison should be higher than Richards, and Neil Young's work with Crazy Horse is awesome. Go back and listen to Rust Never Sleeps and re·ac·tor, it's bludgeoning.

[Curly Bill]

Neil Young's work with Crazy Horse is awesome. Go back and listen to Rust Never Sleeps and re·ac·tor, it's bludgeoning.

Is this good?

...cause I don't really think I don't want to be bludgenoed by my guitar players.

[yermom]

i too am in the camp that absolutely hates anything "SRV", vai, or satriani. hell, it could easily be argued that yngwie is an amazing guitarist as well, but that guy sucks. you are technically gifted and play fast. congrats. but i think rating a guitarist has many more aspects to it than just how "good" they were. what did they play? did it sound good? did it have emotion? or did he just "shred it up" bro?!

i'm not sure why SRV is mentioned with Vai and Satriani

i liked Vai in bands, but the solo stuff like that doesn't really hold my interest

[def_lazer_fc]

i'm not sure why SRV is mentioned with Vai and Satriani

i liked Vai in bands, but the solo stuff like that doesn't really hold my interest

oh, you didn't know i was a music nazi and absolutely hate some things. (theres no reasoning with me on this.) 3 of these things are the three guitarists i mentioned. i absolutely cant stand any of them. srv is thrown in b/c thats the most popular name drop your avg person.

reason i hate vai.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e376/def_lazer_fc/STEVE_VAI1-1.jpg

classic video from icarus line. most will hate, but watch the last where the singer smashes the SRV case and takes the guitar. priceless (http://youtube.com/watch?v=EpvoWEAbmTo)
you might recognize the guitarist as the current guitarist of NIN

[Rogue]

Other than the point about needing to be a guitar player and somehow thinking that what tbl can or can't play and how that compares to the greats, I agree with most of what he said.

That site has lists of other cool stuff too. Guitar solos, guitar players - all genres, drummers, guitar riffs, etc.

[OklaPony]

Lists like these are fun to read, cuss, and discuss but the premise is shaky and some of the results are seemingly arbitrary.

Bo Diddley but no Carl Perkins?
Andy Summers wasn't influental enough for this list?
Brian Setzer single-handedly revived rockabilly guitar in the modern era.
Jimmy Bryant
Danny Gatton
Scott Henderson
Michael Landau
Tommy Emmanuel (maybe Aussies don't qualify?)
Frank Gambale
Jeff Baxter
Andy Timmons
Ted Nugent (OK, that one's a stretch)

[Mixer!]

Might as well throw Frank Marino from Mahogany Rush in there. ;)

[Taxman71]

Nugent at 113
Dave Mustain at 173?

[SoonerProphet]

Those that are castigating Buckethead might want to check out some Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains. And to keep with the Claypool tip, Todd Huth and Larry LaLonde ain't bad either.

[r5TPsooner]

No Mick Mars? WTF? The guy plays pretty good with a crippled back and all.

That list IS a joke.

[yermom]

Those that are castigating Buckethead might want to check out some Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains. And to keep with the Claypool tip, Todd Huth and Larry LaLonde ain't bad either.

i just said i wasn't sure he should be above Slash, not that i wanted to take his balls

[SoonerProphet]

Oh, and any list without Tim Sult is pretty lame too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPlg_Dshdcc&feature=related

[SoonerProphet]

nah, its all cool.

castrate vs. castigate

[Frozen Sooner]

Those that are castigating Buckethead might want to check out some Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains. And to keep with the Claypool tip, Todd Huth and Larry LaLonde ain't bad either.

I'm sure he's a good guitarist.

He's not better than Mark Knopfler, widely considered the best example of his particular type of guitar playing.

[SoonerProphet]

I'm sure he's a good guitarist.

He's not better than Mark Knopfler, widely considered the best example of his particular type of guitar playing.

Just never got into Dire Straits, but the riff on Sultan of Swings is pretty snazzy.

[Animal Mother]

I honestly believe that to truly rate guitarists, one has to be a guitarist (flame away non-musician types). :D
I'm not saying opinions can't be had about who their favorite guitarist is or who they like to listen to, but anybody that has ever played guitar and spent time trying to get good will quickly understand that Jimi is indeed the best guitarist ever and there isn't anybody else that is really close. I'm not saying there aren't amazing guitarists out there, but that guy truly was on another level. In every way imaginable, the guy was in a league of his own. It's just a fact. It has nothing to do with his untimely death or any kind of mystique or legend that people have built about him. He is the best. Watch the clips. Listen to the songs. The legend and mystique are there for a reason. Any guitarist on that list would acknowledge that Jimi is #1, and not b/c it's the right thing to say. It's because they know it to be true.

Clapton is good enough to be in the top 5, but after Jimi there's plenty of argument for a couple of guitarists to round it off. SRV, Page, Clapton, Beck, Allman, and even EVH are all up there. I'm not a huge fan of EVH's style (shredding, tapping, whatever), but the guy was very innovative and is the best at what he does.

Pete Townsend down that low is very deserving, and IMO he doesn't need to be on the list at all. He's fooled people into believing he's talented b/c he seems to think so but all he has is the windmill (which he stole from Keith) and smashing his guitars. When it comes to playing great lead guitar, he's not even close to the top. Yes his band was innovative as the first real hard rock band and he could write some great songs, but his lead/solo guitar work is very average. It just is...

I'm very surprised Gilmour is #10. He's definitely a solid and good guitarist, has a style of his own, but his stuff is pretty easy to play. He's said himself that he doesn't think he's a great guitarist but he knows how to play the right notes at the right time.

I am surprised Angus is #50. I know some people don't think he's that great, but I've always been impressed with his solo's, not to mention the method in which he delivers them on stage. His finger speed is very impressive, but it's not all speed like the Vai's of the world, but rather delivered with balls, soul, and feeling, whereas those guys are purely technical. I never liked the Vai and Satriani genre. I know they're amazing at what they do, but it just lacks everything that I'm looking for in music.

What's amazing about the blues based guitarists is every single solo they play is based in either minor pentatonic or the standard major scale. Every one of them. All the Jimi, Page, Beck, Clapton, Allman, SRV, Angus, etc, are all based there (mostly in minor pentatonic). To do that much with so few notes is pretty amazing.

Ultimately lists like this are very subjective (obviously) and we all have differing opinions b/c what are we qualifying as "best"? When I think of great guitarists, I think of innovation, creativity, speed (it has to be included), feeling, playability, and "is it easy to cover".

Notable left off: Thurston Moore. The crazy tunings and stuff they do is mind boggling to me.

Horse sh!t
By your logic, very few opinions on this board concerning anything are of any value. How many people on this board plyaed football at OU? How many have been POTUS? All my life it has been half azzed musicians that take the fun out of being a music fan because they think the fact that playing the riff from "Black Dog" in their grarage in front of two people means their opinion holds more water than the opinion of someone that understands that music is about WRITING YOUR OWN MUISC AND HAVING YOUR OWN STYLE! Not just rote memory puking of Hendrix or Calpton or Page. It takes a lot of guts to be so self-impressed. Write and perform an instant classic on tour in front of thousands and then your opinion will be elevated.

[Animal Mother]

WHY CAN'T I EDIT MY GODDAM POSTS!!!!

[Fugue]

WHY DO I POST!!!!


I had no trouble. ;)

[SoonerInKCMO]

Am I the only one here that thinks Rik Emmett (http://www.rikemmett.com/), formerly of Triumph, should be somewhere on this list?

BTW - Rik's going to be in freakin' Pryor, OK on 7/11.

[Sooner_Havok]

I Personally think that the Reverend Horton Heat should be on there somewhere. He may have been a coked up fiend for a long time, but he was/is a damn good guitarist.

[Curly Bill]

I Personally think that the Reverend Horton Heat should be on there somewhere. He may have been a coked up fiend for a long time, but he was/is a damn good guitarist.

The use of performance enhancing drugs eliminated him from consideration. :D

[Sooner_Havok]

The use of performance enhancing drugs eliminated him from consideration. :D

I'll accept that :D

[Animal Mother]

I had no trouble. ;)

Scalpel please Nurse Ratchet!!

[Lott's Bandana]

Johnny Ramone
Ace Frehley
Roger Daltrey

Who could forget this head banging performance?

ek0IGMX4XWA

Seriously, all you who love this kind of discussion would really enjoy the documentary in the Sundance section of COX cable On-Demand. Look under the "FreeZone" in the main menu. Great interviews, footage and music from 40 years of The Who. Check it...

[soonerboomer93]

This is the crux of the argument, isn't it? What makes a guitarist great? Gilmour, Clapton, and Vaughn have great tone that really knocks you on your a$$ to listen to. Any guitarist can learn to play the notes, but it's how they play it that really elevates them. JMO.

word

[soonerboomer93]

Horse sh!t
By your logic, very few opinions on this board concerning anything are of any value. How many people on this board plyaed football at OU? How many have been POTUS? All my life it has been half azzed musicians that take the fun out of being a music fan because they think the fact that playing the riff from "Black Dog" in their grarage in front of two people means their opinion holds more water than the opinion of someone that understands that music is about WRITING YOUR OWN MUISC AND HAVING YOUR OWN STYLE! Not just rote memory puking of Hendrix or Calpton or Page. It takes a lot of guts to be so self-impressed. Write and perform an instant classic on tour in front of thousands and then your opinion will be elevated.

word up

[Blue]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ5SVDYBNrY

pretty good Living Colour geetar jam. I 2nd Jack White should atleast be on there.

[OUstud]

John Frusciante is way too low.

[King Crimson]

John Frusciante is way too low.

oh please. that's he's even on this list is enough. where's Hillel Slovak?

i saw the Peppers in 87, 88. before Mother's Milk or Blood Sugar (the Frusciante records). Blood Sugar is a ton of bricks great record, but to put Frusciante in the top 100 on that alone is absurd. Mother's Milk is a record with a lot of filler and bluster. does the world need a song about Magic Johnson?

Fru is a nice, talented guitarist who went down a very bad road for a while but he's not better than where he's ranked here. at minimum, that's generous.

[yermom]

he's probably better now than he was then

[King Crimson]

if you want tragedy and great guitar, it's Robert Quine.

match this resume: Richard Hell & the Voidoids, Lou Reed (notably on The Blue Mask), Brian Eno (on Nerve Net), John Zorn, Ikue Mori, Marc Ribot, Marianne Faithfull (Strange Weather), Lloyd Cole, Tom Waits (Rain Dogs), Matthew Sweet, Odds, Jody Harris {Escape}, and many more, including a rare 7" by Lester Bangs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Quine

edit: yermom, note he's cousin to Dan Auerbach.

[Howzit]

Kudos for Warren Haynes, but no Derek Trucks? Pffffffffft.

[Rogue]

Kudos for Warren Haynes, but no Derek Trucks? Pffffffffft.

I'll be seein' 'em both again next weekend at Rothbury.
I 2nd DT, smokin' jams.

[King Crimson]

i got no problem with Jimi Hendrix as #1.

[SouthFortySooner]

SRV. I've listened, closely. He doesn't miss a note. It's like he doesn't attempt one he can't make. Beautiful. Not on the list, but having seen Gary Richrath more than once he made REO fun fun. Flame out dead points go to Tommy Bolin, his solo work has a mystery you can sink your teeth into. jmo's