Who are your top 5 guitarists of all time?

[Nick Young]

For me, its this:

1. Peter Green
2. Jimi Hendrix
3. Stevie Ray Vaughan
4. John Frusciante
5. Paco Lucia
Generic list, but that's my top 5 right now based on who I'm the most impressed with every time I listen to them. Who are yours?

[dr.hee]

You mean like favorite guitarist regardless of style?

Jimi Hendrix
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Michael Landau
John Scofield
Scott Henderson

[nathanjizzle]

i dont know much but i know john fruciante is great.

[DukeDelonte13]

in no particular order, im sure i'm leaving a ton out but 5 off the top of my head are:

jimmy page
al di meola
Eddie Van Halen (underrated among guitar snobs IMO)
stephen stills
Stevie ray vaughan



i like Jimi Hendrix a lot but i think he is hyped up to supernatural status.

[dr.hee]

i like Jimi Hendrix a lot but i think he is hyped up to supernatural status


He's hyped for the wrong things imo. His songwriting, rhythm guitar ideas and tone are far more impressive to me than his playing from a technical point of view. But many seem to care for the flashy showoff stuff more, which he mostly did to sell records and create a rockstar image. It's really not a "GOAT guitarist" thing to me, that's silly. But his influence on future musicians and the stuff he came up with in just a few years is huge. Completely ahead of his time, even today only a handful of players can pull off his tracks convincingly.

[LJJ]

Tom Verlaine
Richard Lloyd
Jimi Hendrix
Ry Cooder
Magic Sam

[Pra]

Top 2 for me

Carlos Santana
James Hetfield (Metallica)


The rest of my list would come from post 2000 bands like Coheed & Cambria's Claudio Sanchez; The Dear Hunters Casey Crscenzo, Map & Atlses Dave Davison, Anthony Green's solo acoustic stuff etc.

[moaz]

I Know you mean here "US" culture related (electric) guitarists, and all lists here are great.

I like classic guitars and if you are really interested in the instrument you should widen your horizon :-). You can't go anyway without the Spanish connection which has beside the classics the great flamenco guitarists. Here are two examples, if you like them just google the rest.

Andres Segovia (classic)
http://youtu.be/lCeebWgjrrU
If you are more interested check his "circle". You'll find players from all the world who trained by him (he was born in 1893).

Paco de Luc

[Nick Young]

[QUOTE=moaz]I Know you mean here "US" culture related (electric) guitarists, and all lists here are great.

I like classic guitars and if you are really interested in the instrument you should widen your horizon :-). You can't go anyway without the Spanish connection which has beside the classics the great flamenco guitarists. Here are two examples, if you like them just google the rest.

Andres Segovia (classic)
http://youtu.be/lCeebWgjrrU
If you are more interested check his "circle". You'll find players from all the world who trained by him (he was born in 1893).
[B]
Paco de Luc

[Patrick Chewing]

1. Dimebag Darrell
2. Eddie Van Halen
3. Jimmy Page
4. Jimi Hendrix
5. Tony Iommi

[moaz]

That guys on my list but I truthfully have to admit to myself that I only really enjoy listening to him playing for about an hour at a time, and then I get bored and want to listen to something with more variety. I saw him live a year ago and there were a few times where he went on an on by himself for about 15 minutes at a time, with no backing band or nothing playing anything, behind him and to me it just started to sound samey. I guess my philistine ears are not meant to hear flamenco. I wonder what that guy would sound like on a strat

Sry missed paco in your list :hammerhead: .

I agree with you, he could be tiresome to hear after a longer time. I was also in one in his concerts, but I was lucky that he decided to play some of the more "active" compositions. I was told by friends who play themselves that even his slowest more boring pieces are just master pieces that are difficult to play.

I was in other concert where a group of current flamenco players played together (not Gypsy Kings style) and that was one of the best music experiences I had in my life.

[travelingman]

Favorite guitarists

1. <---
2. Dimebag
3. EVH
4. Dean Deleo
5. Reb Beach

[Nick Young]

can you explain Van Halen to me, I hear he's one of the best ever but when I listen to his music it doesn't really do anything for me. What's that guys deal and whats the best stuff to listen to by him? What's so great about him?

[johndeeregreen]

After Hendrix, SRV, and Clapton, there are probably dozens of guys who could round out my top 5 favorite guys. Just off the top of my head:

Ritchie Blackmore
Vince Gill
Brad Paisley
Billy Gibbons
Steve Gaines
Randy Rhoads
Gary Moore
Brent Mason
David Gilmour
Albert King
T-Bone Walker
EVH
Joe Walsh
Angus Young
Mark Knopfler
Johnny Winter

[Duderonomy]

can you explain Van Halen to me, I hear he's one of the best ever but when I listen to his music it doesn't really do anything for me. What's that guys deal and whats the best stuff to listen to by him?
One of the greats of all time ahead of Page behind Hendrix. He wrote his solo on Beat it in 15 minutes. Simply put he has less time invested in that song than you do if you have heard the song over 5 times.

[johndeeregreen]

He's hyped for the wrong things imo. His songwriting, rhythm guitar ideas and tone are far more impressive to me than his playing from a technical point of view. But many seem to care for the flashy showoff stuff more, which he mostly did to sell records and create a rockstar image. It's really not a "GOAT guitarist" thing to me, that's silly. But his influence on future musicians and the stuff he came up with in just a few years is huge. Completely ahead of his time, even today only a handful of players can pull off his tracks convincingly.
Spot on. He's the Jesus Christ of electric guitar. There is before Hendrix and after Hendrix.

Additionally, saying Hendrix is overhyped but having SRV, a diehard Hendrix disciple, in your top 5 is sort of confusing to me.

[Trollsmasher]

Iommi
Hetfield
Gilmour
Wolf Hoffmann
Mikael Akerfeldt

[PHX_Phan]

Mikael Akerfeldt

:cheers:

Also:
Hendrix
Gilmour
SRV
Dimebag

[travelingman]

can you explain Van Halen to me, I hear he's one of the best ever but when I listen to his music it doesn't really do anything for me. What's that guys deal and whats the best stuff to listen to by him? What's so great about him?

His lasting impact on the electric guitar is his popularization of the tapping method in his solos. He, of course, did not invent the tapping method, but by bringing it to the forefront of rock music he influenced a great sum of the 80's hair metal guitarists and all who were influenced by the latter. His works "Eruption" and "Spanish Fly" are both instrumental tracks that are highlighted by usage of tapping. He also was known for his use of the phaser and flanger effects, with accompanying delay too.

[chosen_one6]

Jimi Hendrix
Eric Clapton
Eddie Van Halen
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Carlos Santana/John Petrucci/Joe Satriani/Tom Morello

I cheated but I don't care. Too many to name.

[dr.hee]

Additionally, saying Hendrix is overhyped but having SRV, a diehard Hendrix disciple, in your top 5 is sort of confusing to me.

Well to me, SRV doesn't sound that much like Hendrix...more like Albert King on steroids. I just love his tone. Don't really care that he mainly played the same dozen blues licks everybody does, it just sounded so f*cking huge. He began to model his sound after Hendrix a bit more in his late sober years, where he sometimes used a fuzz face in addition to his usual tubescreamer setup. But on his studio records, I don't think he's that close to Hendrix sound wise.



can you explain Van Halen to me, I hear he's one of the best ever but when I listen to his music it doesn't really do anything for me. What's that guys deal and whats the best stuff to listen to by him?

The tapping thing was already mentioned. But besides EVH having a huge influence on the way the electric guitar gets approached from a technical point of view, he also had a very creative way to combine lead and rhythm guitar. There are just a lot of little things going on in his playing. I don't listen to Van Halen at all, just don't care about the type of music. But EVHs playing just kicks ass.

Just imagine a song like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzkXGIRaxcI) without all the fills and simply played like guitar 101 with power chords and stuff like that. Van Halen is still ahead of most guitarists in that regard. His phrasing is underrated as well. He was never sounding as perfect and polished as the later shred guys like Vai or Satriani...much closer to the great blues guitarists imo...you know, like sounding a bit drunk and stumbling through the tune but still able to pull it off.

So to me, while I don't like his music, I think he has pushed the approach of blues guitarists as far into hard rock and shred as possible.

[johndeeregreen]

Well to me, SRV doesn't sound that much like Hendrix...more like Albert King on steroids. I just love his tone. Don't really care that he mainly played the same dozen blues licks everybody does, it just sounded so f*cking huge. He began to model his sound after Hendrix a bit more in his late sober years, where he sometimes used a fuzz face in addition to his usual tubescreamer setup. But on his studio records, I don't think he's that close to Hendrix sound wise.
I'm not talking about SRV necessarily sounding like Hendrix, although he certainly can and did at points, I'm talking about SRV not being SRV without Hendrix. The huge impact Hendrix had on making Stevie Ray the the player he was is undeniable. Which is why I find it strange to see that Hendrix is overrated yet a guy who worshipped his playing is fantastic. To me that's like saying SRV is overrated but you love John Mayer.

Additionally, despite blues being such a basic form of music, I don't think it's fair to say he played the same licks everyone else did prior to him. You watch enough of his live stuff, he's pushing phrases out there that had never really been attempted before him.

[Nick Young]

His lasting impact on the electric guitar is his popularization of the tapping method in his solos. He, of course, did not invent the tapping method, but by bringing it to the forefront of rock music he influenced a great sum of the 80's hair metal guitarists and all who were influenced by the latter. His works "Eruption" and "Spanish Fly" are both instrumental tracks that are highlighted by usage of tapping. He also was known for his use of the phaser and flanger effects, with accompanying delay too.
christ that is the shittiest type of guitar music for me, no wonder I don't like his music.

[JMT]

No particular order, as these are the first that come to mind. List likely different next week:

Frank Zappa
Steve Howe
David Gilmour
Rory Gallagher
Al Di Meola

[dr.hee]

Which is why I find it strange to see that Hendrix is overrated yet a guy who worshipped his playing is fantastic. To me that's like saying SRV is overrated but you love John Mayer.

What I meant by Hendrix being overrated is that some people put him on this throne above every other guitarist that ever lived...where he doesn't belong imo. But he's still one of my favorites, just not this larger than life mythical figure. More within a group of players I really admire. Like saying Wilt isn't the GOAT, but within my personal top 10 list. I mean there are some horrible Hendrix bootlegs out there, sometimes he sounded almost as crappy as Frusciante, lol. Basically, me having other musicians in the same group/tier as Hendrix would be blasphemous to some people, so that's the overrated part. He's still one of my favorites, which I don't think liking SRV as well is a contradiction.

...and I like John Mayer a lot. He's kind of underrated because he pulls off the guitar geek gearhead thing while constantly getting laid by supermodels and shit. Dude's living the dream. And just a very good musician.

[outbreak]

no particular order I like

brian setzer
clapton
SRV
mike bloomfield
howard roberts
hendrix
knopfler

[RedBlackAttack]

Hendrix's stuff still sounds innovative to me, all these years later. And, yes, while a lot of people tend to focus on his flashy stuff like playing with his teeth, it was the subtle nuances that separate him from anyone who came before him. His rhythm playing was a revelation. He would bar chords with his thumb while adding the most killer accents on the high strings... it was as though he was playing rhythm and lead at the same time.

And, it shouldn't all be about how fast you can play. If that's your criteria, Van Halen and his disciples are for you. Personally, I can't listen to EVH. His playing gives me a headache. Sure, he's very fast and technically sound, but it's just too much.

I'll take Neil Young doing his three note solos over most of EVH's stuff. No offense to his fans. He is very good at what he does. It's just not for me.

With that said, I love David Gilmour for exactly the reasons I don't like EVH. Gilmour is never going to blow anyone away with his technique or speed, but he knew what notes to play, when to play them, and when not to play which can be just as important.

He was incredible at piecing together melodic solos and getting the most out of every note he hit. To me, that's the most important aspect of guitar playing.

Hendrix had the lethal combination of virtuosity and that innate instinct of just knowing what notes to hit and when. That's a rare quality and why, to me, he's at the top of the list.

[Budadiiii]

Richards is probably the GOAT.

[RedBlackAttack]

I'm also going to throw a shout out to Jorma Kaukonen, who was the lead guitarist for Jefferson Airplane. Where he really shines is his fingerstyle on tracks like Genesis (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVlllUuQWew), Hesitation Blues (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77-vQJtbFas) and Embroyonic Journey (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbcMa3is-vw).

Just amazing acoustic work in an innovative style.

[fsvr54]

John Fahey is my all time favorite

For those metal guys, how has Chuck Shuldiner not been mentioned

[RedBlackAttack]

Richards is probably the GOAT.
As a rhythm player, he's damn good. Again, not technically mind-blowing, but incredible song-writing and instincts.

He didn't play much lead though.

[L.Kizzle]

No love for the King brothers (BB, Albert, Freddie and the much slept on Earl King?)
Steve Cropper
Chuck Berry
Prince
Jesse Johnson

Not my 5, just a few who hve not been named yet.

[Nick Young]

I just watched this concert called G3 because I heard all these guitarists were good. It was Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen. At the end they all came on together and played Rocking in the Free World and Little Wing. It was really the worst thing ever. Neil Young does more then all three of these guys put together and they murdered Hendrix in the worst way possible. I always see those three guys high on lists of greatest ever guitarists but they sucked pretty bad apart from technique which was impressive, which just made it more sad because they just wasted it playing bad songs and bad covers of good songs. Also Steve Vai played with a triple neck guitar but only used one of the necks, and when he was on stage a wind machine was always blowing his hair back, wtf is this shit.

[johndeeregreen]

I just watched this concert called G3 because I heard all these guitarists were good. It was Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen. At the end they all came on together and played Rocking in the Free World and Little Wing. It was really the worst thing ever. Neil Young does more then all three of these guys put together and they murdered Hendrix in the worst way possible. I always see those three guys high on lists of greatest ever guitarists but they sucked pretty bad apart from technique which was impressive, which just made it more sad because they just wasted it playing bad songs and bad covers of good songs. Also Steve Vai played with a triple neck guitar but only used one of the necks, and when he was on stage a wind machine was always blowing his hair back, wtf is this shit.
Yeah those G3 jams are intolerable. I'm sorry you subjected yourself to that.

[Crystallas]

Everyone is allowed their opinion. But for me, personally, I'm just happy only one person mentioned Clapton, who IMO is far too over-rated. Which is sad, he does have some awesome contributions, but not goatworthy.

[Heavincent]

John Petrucci, Dimebag, Marty Friedman, Kirk Hammett, and James Hetfield.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zlMTSPjRLQ

[dr.hee]

I just watched this concert called G3 because I heard all these guitarists were good. It was Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen. At the end they all came on together and played Rocking in the Free World and Little Wing. It was really the worst thing ever. Neil Young does more then all three of these guys put together and they murdered Hendrix in the worst way possible. I always see those three guys high on lists of greatest ever guitarists but they sucked pretty bad apart from technique which was impressive, which just made it more sad because they just wasted it playing bad songs and bad covers of good songs. Also Steve Vai played with a triple neck guitar but only used one of the necks, and when he was on stage a wind machine was always blowing his hair back, wtf is this shit.

Vai and his wind machine :lol I mean all three are incredible players, but G3 is horrible. Those Hendrix covers they do with all the pointless solos and shit...if you really have to cover Hendrix, then like SRV or Andy Timmons (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv4nJMVYWz8)(underrated imo). John Mayer is pulling it off as well(Wait Until Tomorrow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkAjv52asFs)). But the shred guys somehow don't get it imo.

There are only a few highly technical players I can somewhat enjoy. Guthrie Govan is just ridiculously good. His music is at least tolerable, and as a player, the guy's unreal. Can do just about anything on a guitar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T02w4PiEGQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_0QizlG7Rs

[johndeeregreen]

I've posted this a million times, but this is my favorite of all the Little Wing covers. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEuVH_16vRg)

[DeuceWallaces]

All you listing Page are idiots. Anyway:

Gilmour
Schon
Moore
Hackett
Beck

[QUIZZLE]

All you listing Page are idiots. Anyway:

Gilmour
Schon
Moore
Hackett
Beck

:applause:

[pauk]

Tony Iommi
Dimebag Darrell
James Hetfield
Jimi Hendrix
Carlos Santana

[Lebowsky]

[QUOTE=moaz]I Know you mean here "US" culture related (electric) guitarists, and all lists here are great.

I like classic guitars and if you are really interested in the instrument you should widen your horizon :-). You can't go anyway without the Spanish connection which has beside the classics the great flamenco guitarists. Here are two examples, if you like them just google the rest.

Andres Segovia (classic)
http://youtu.be/lCeebWgjrrU
If you are more interested check his "circle". You'll find players from all the world who trained by him (he was born in 1893).

Paco de Luc

[BlazerRed]

Tom Delong?

[Balla_Status]

Is James Hetfield really that good? I never thought of him as that good since he was the rhythm guitarist for Metallica.

**** I need to get my guitar back.

[Breezy]

For the record I don't necessarily think these are the 'best' in term of technical prowess but the best in terms of creative and artistic ability.

1. James Hetfield
2. Mikael Akerfeldt
3. Al Di Meola
4. David Gilmore
5. Paul Allender

guy's like Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Kirk Hammett are all technically superior players (Not over di meola) but there is more to wielding the axe.

[Breezy]

Also to the Hendrix argument from earlier....I'll come right out and say it. Most guitar players from the 60's and 70's have since become overrated. Not as good in skill or songwriting as the players that came after them.

Hendrix = Good but posthumously overrated
Richards = Doesn't sniff a top 1000 list unless your on heroin.
Clapton = Actually deserves the credit he gets.
Page = Still living off of Cashmere and Stairway credit
SRV = Can't use his pinky
Harrison = Are you high people?

[rufuspaul]

Angus Young
Alex Lifeson
Johnny Marr
Mick Ronson
The Edge

[Nick Young]

Also to the Hendrix argument from earlier....I'll come right out and say it. Most guitar players from the 60's and 70's have since become overrated. Not as good in skill or songwriting as the players that came after them.

Hendrix = Good but posthumously overrated
Richards = Doesn't sniff a top 1000 list unless your on heroin.
Clapton = Actually deserves the credit he gets.
Page = Still living off of Cashmere and Stairway credit
SRV = Can't use his pinky
Harrison = Are you high people?
The guy underrated here is Peter Green. He was the best of the 60s guitarists, equal with Hendrix, and no one talks about him now. In July 1969 Fleetwood Mac were the headliners of a festival in Central Park, New York, playing above Chuck Berry, The Byrds and Led Zeppelin.

I only started listening to him a few years ago but I think he's the best of the 60s guitarists.

Also this guy named Robert Johnson, he sounds like two guitarists playing at once, rhthym, lead and blues fills at the same time.

I honestly think these old guys are better. No one can play like Peter Green today. Or Robert Johnson. But also, maybe the modern super clean recording processes might have something to do with that. Stevie Ray Vaughan for example recorded in the 60s would have sounded so sick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE4HGlmtOcg
This guys such a boss. Too sick for words.

[pauk]

As far as technical prowess, creativity, innovation i am going with:

1. Yngwie Malmsteen
2. Steve Vai
3. Joe Satriani
4. Al Di Meola
5. Eddie Van Halen

[johndeeregreen]

All you listing Page are idiots.
I don't believe this.

:cheers:

[DeuceWallaces]

Good call Rufus; forgot Mick Ronson.

[Stempel, HERB]

All you listing Page are idiots.

Joke is on you pal. I've linked your post to an ultra exclusive zep forum. It requires an invite and you'll never get one with that attitude. The guys over there are all laughing at you.

[rufuspaul]

Brian May should get an honorable mention.

[Heavincent]

Is James Hetfield really that good? I never thought of him as that good since he was the rhythm guitarist for Metallica.

**** I need to get my guitar back.

Yes. He's the greatest rhythm guitarist of all time. He often gets underrated because he's not a "shredder" like most of the guys you see on these lists.

[dr.hee]

Yes. He's the greatest rhythm guitarist of all time. He often gets underrated because he's not a "shredder" like most of the guys you see on these lists.

What are your criteria for ranking rhythm guitarists? What's "greatness" in this context and how do you assess it?

[Heavincent]

What are your criteria for ranking rhythm guitarists? What's "greatness" in this context and how do you assess it?

You know why many of Kirk Hammett's solos sound as good as they do? Because of Hetfield chugging away in the background. That's the sign of a great rhythm player. He has also has written many of the most memorable riffs in the metal genre. Tony Iommi is the only guy in metal I can think of who has written as many memorable riffs as Hetfield.

Obviously all of this is subjective though.

[dr.hee]

You know why many of Kirk Hammett's solos sound as good as they do? Because of Hetfield chugging away in the background. That's the sign of a great rhythm player. He has also has written many of the most memorable riffs in the metal genre. Tony Iommi is the only guy in metal I can think of who has written as many memorable riffs as Hetfield.

Obviously all of this is subjective though.

Ah okay, I definitely agree with him having played a lot of memorable and iconic stuff. But I don't like a single Hammett solo, lol. The rhythm parts in Metallica songs are far more interesting to me than their attempts at guitar solos.

[Heavincent]

Ah okay, I definitely agree with him having played a lot of memorable and iconic stuff. But I don't like a single Hammett solo, lol. The rhythm parts in Metallica songs are far more interesting to me than their attempts at guitar solos.

Really? I know a lot of people don't like how much Hammett uses the wah pedal and he's definitely not the tightest guitarist in the world, but there are a bunch of awesome solos on Metallica's first 5 albums imo.

[johndeeregreen]

You know why many of Kirk Hammett's solos sound as good as they do? Because of Hetfield chugging away in the background. That's the sign of a great rhythm player. He has also has written many of the most memorable riffs in the metal genre. Tony Iommi is the only guy in metal I can think of who has written as many memorable riffs as Hetfield.

Obviously all of this is subjective though.
Before I re-read that and saw you classified it as "metal," I was about to say, the Young brothers say hello.

You make a good point though. Rhythm guitarists and rhythm sections in general tend to be criminally underrated, unless they are as flashy and the frontmen. Something to be said about a rock solid rhythm section that the lead guitarist has a connection with, can rely on, and not worry about them following. Just give 'em a look and they all know what it means.

[Overdrive]

No order everythings my opinion as I don't rate technical prowness since that is just one aspect of a musician.

Little Richard's lead guitar guy:

The thing that set him apart the most and remarkably still do weren't his showmanship, his riffs and licks in general, but that he made it appear that he's free. Not in a jazzy way, but in his own way. He did what he pleased and what he felt and that's something alot of musicians lose during their careers. I guess he would've survived he might have changed sooner or later, too.
His use of effects paved the way for many guitarists to come. I love his compositions, but imo the songs he covered emphazied way more what set him apart from fellow musicians.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLGctGhAWU4

The least known of the Yardbirds:

From Hardrock, to Fusion, to Pop, to Classic(but not classical) and he did that his own way. His tone is so distinctive that if you listen to some random piece you know it's him. He basically was the guy that started to use the the volume poti as an additional tool for his music. Aside from that he completely arranges his songs, always handpicks his musicians(Tal Wilkenfeld is awesome) and basically gave birth to my favourite Stevie Wonder tune

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC02wGj5gPw

Ozzy's first:

He's the riffmaster, simple as that. Anybody that remotely listened to rock music knows atleast one of his riffs. As a bassplayer Geezer is the man for me from Sabbath, but Tony basically defined the harmonic choices for a whole genre. Diminished 5th, that note injected fear into people throughout the centuries.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5yR5XhCIeg

Ozzy's second:

One of Van Halen's disciples. He did it better, maybe not in a technical way, but he combined the new techniques, the resurgence of classical scales and modes in modern rock music, without making anybody who's not a guitarjerking elitist throw up after listening to his music for 5 minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YagUPjF-E0k

Zoso:

Although they admittely they took alot of "influence" from blues musicians and contemporaries they came up with alot of great riffs that imo changed the way rock music was approached forever. Before them most mainstream rocksongs had basic chord patterns and at the maximum simple riffs played over them He made it seem like a song made of one chord has a hell of a riff and enjoyable for the audience(saying he lives off Stairway and Kashmir is very narrowminded imo, because these are for sure not musician's choice to present his body of work - although both are fantastically arrenged songs if you ignore the cheesiness for Stairway)
btw: JPJ is my personal GOAT and absolutely > Page in this band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9bP-LbR8u8

HM: Rory Gallagher, Ritchie Blackmore, Malcolm Young(a bassplayer's dream - he's so solid on the rhythm you could go bananas on the bass, too bad ACDC's music overall won't allow this)


Regarding Clapton:

He sold his soul at the crossroads, I'm 100% sure of that. I really love his choice of tone for any song he does. It always transports the mood he wants to project. His licks are on the point, his voice totally fits his style, he's a disciple of the blues in rock like no other(maybe Peter Green rivals him), but he's absolutely soulless out on stage. I loved him before I saw him live, but, but it stunned me how somebody could be that robotic performing music that came straight from his heart. Over the years I watched alot of his performances, but only Unplugged struck me as the sole exception.

Regarding Peter Green:

He was great, but his substance abuse was about to put him into Syd Barrett territory. He's still out there touring afaik, but nothing comes close to his early stuff - Nick Young you should check out Gary Moore's bluesy stuff if you haven't already, Peter Green was his idol. He even bought Green's(the real thing not a signature model) guitars as soon as he had the money to do so.

Regarding The Edge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y9KEtiQ8CM#t=56m56s
This totally breaks down U2 for me never liked them, they just don't do it for me.

[Trollsmasher]

Hetfield still manages to make the band sound solid live with Lars doing Lars things.

That alone qualifies him for the GOAT rhythm guitarist:rockon:

[boozehound]

crazy seeing hetfield listed as the best rhythm guitarist (in any genre) of all time.

Most of these lists suck ass. Oh well, you can tear mine apart as well.

Duane Allman - Massively underrated here and most everywhere. People only think of his slide playing, but his fretted playing is equally incredible. There is a reason he was a top session ace for everyone from Herbie Mann to Aretha. Also, the lick Clapton is most famous for (the response of the layla call and response), is actually him. Check out his extensive discography and then remember that he died at age 24. 3 years before all the club 27 deadbeats.

Bill Frisell - This guy has been a mainstay in the modern jazz scene for three decades. Despite having an immediately recognizable sound, he continually re-invents himself and can hang in any genre (from bluegrass to metal, samba to fusion).

Tony Rice - There may be faster flatpickers out there, but he is the person who re-launched the acoustic guitar as a lead instrument in modern bluegrass. Impeccable phrasing and great tone.

So many to choose from down the stretch. I go with Lil' Wayne and Kurt Cobain!
OK, probably not.

Clarence White, Frank Zappa, Lowell George, Les Paul, Robert Fripp, John McLaughlin, Grant Green, Ry Cooder, Steve Cropper, Mike Bloomfield and Django all deserve mention along with lots of other great musicians.


Howevah, since its my list, I am rounding out my top five with
Warren Haynes
Robbie Robertson (great great riff based playing. His role in a group with two keyboards was incredible).

[GOBB]

Slash is the best guitarist of all time. November rain

trolls r us

[Budadiiii]

Slash is the best guitarist of all time. November rain

trolls r us
You crave attention more than any one ever has on here.

Not a troll, but a weird guy. Just a very strange guy.

[Overdrive]

crazy seeing hetfield listed as the best rhythm guitarist (in any genre) of all time.
[...]
Duane Allman
[...]
Robert Fripp
[...]
Robbie Robertson (great great riff based playing. His role in a group with two keyboards was incredible).

Good calls imo. I basically learned to know Allman from the Layla riff and interlude to bad most people are on Clapton's jock.

Hetfield is very highly regarded, because of his destinctive body of work. If he was the rhythm guy for some obscure band nobody would give a shit. He's really good, but not as many make him out to be.

[Pushxx]

I don't know who is the GOAT, but Joe Satriani is my favorite guitarist.

Crystal Planet is the shit.

[johndeeregreen]

Some I can't believe I forgot:

Wes Montgomery
Jeff Healey
Colin James
Mike Cooley
Roy Buchanan
Derek Trucks
Steuart Smith

[click2kill]

Zakk Wylde
Steve Vai
Paul Gilbert
Yngwie Malmsteen
Michael Angelo Batio

[johndeeregreen]

Also Randy Bachman.

[QUIZZLE]

Hendrix
Frusciante
Schon
Lifeson
Knopfler
Mike Campbell

[MadeFromDust]

Ahhhh no way I can narrow it down to just 5, mainly because of songs I really like in general, in which they were the lead guitarists

Paul Wilbur
Robert Plant
Carlos Santana
Eddie Van Halen
Kirk Hammett
Aldo Nova
Tommy Shaw
Matthias Jabs
Don Felder
Chris DeGarmo
David Gilmour
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Nancy Wilson
Lindsey Buckingham
Gary Rossington
Ted Nugent
Neal Schon
Tom Scholz
Steve Lukather
Frank Hannon
Mark Kendall
George Lynch
Alex Lifeson
K. K. Downing
Glenn Tipton
Eric Clapton
Pete Townshend
Roy Clark

[boozehound]

johndeeregreen

Default Re: Who are your top 5 guitarists of all time?
Some I can't believe I forgot:

Wes Montgomery
Jeff Healey
Colin James
Mike Cooley
Roy Buchanan
Derek Trucks
Steuart Smith
good list here. lots of incredible chops and solid style as well

[boozehound]

Good calls imo. I basically learned to know Allman from the Layla riff and interlude to bad most people are on Clapton's jock.

Hetfield is very highly regarded, because of his destinctive body of work. If he was the rhythm guy for some obscure band nobody would give a shit. He's really good, but not as many make him out to be.
I dont disagree with people that hetfield is a very good rhythm player and perhaps the best metal rhythm player (though that is moot, endlessly debatable). Though I am way to far out of the metal loop at this point in my life to really know.

It is interesting to see how people's genre predilections influence their choice for this list. Lotta rockers out here in the ISH fam

[MadeFromDust]

Hendrix
Frusciante
Schon
Lifeson
Knopfler
Mike Campbell
Dammit I knew I would forget someone

[boozehound]

[QUOTE=click2kill]Zakk Wylde
Steve Vai
Paul Gilbert
Yngwie Malmsteen
http://heavystreet.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Nitro.jpg

This guy has always been too cheesedick for me. Sure, he can shred, but damn, it ends up being pretty boring and formulaic IMO. I do think some of his classical/metal stuff is alright

[Overdrive]

It is interesting to see how people's genre predilections influence their choice for this list. Lotta rockers out here in the ISH fam

I guess it has to do with the stuff I do myself, never could I take Page instead of guys like Reinhardt, De Lucia or Segova who are the (supposed) GOATs of their genre, if it wasn't for my bias as a musician.

[DukeDelonte13]

[QUOTE=click2kill]Zakk Wylde
Steve Vai
Paul Gilbert
Yngwie Malmsteen
http://heavystreet.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Nitro.jpg

This guy has always been too cheesedick for me. Sure, he can shred, but damn, it ends up being pretty boring and formulaic IMO. I do think some of his classical/metal stuff is alright


that's not yngwie in that pic. I think that dude with the double guitar's name is michaelangelo or some sh*t.

Yngwie is a fat f*ck now. My little bro saw him live not too long ago, said it was one of the most rediculous shows he's ever been too.

Despite being an old fat f*ck now he's still wearing the leather pants, ruffled shirt, stadium hair, all the jewelry, doing the high kicks, etc. :oldlol: :oldlol:

A lot of metal has that tongue-in-cheek element to it but Yngwie is just comically delusional. It's still 1983 for him.

Here's another fun fact. Les Claypool was an engineer on his rising force album.

http://highoctanemusicnews.com/wp-content/uploads/YNGWIE4.jpg

[Nick Young]

Ahhhh no way I can narrow it down to just 5, mainly because of songs I really like in general, in which they were the lead guitarists

Paul Wilbur
Robert Plant
Carlos Santana
Eddie Van Halen
Kirk Hammett
Aldo Nova
Tommy Shaw
Matthias Jabs
Don Felder
Chris DeGarmo
David Gilmour
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Nancy Wilson
Lindsey Buckingham
Gary Rossington
Ted Nugent
Neal Schon
Tom Scholz
Steve Lukather
Frank Hannon
Mark Kendall
George Lynch
Alex Lifeson
K. K. Downing
Glenn Tipton
Eric Clapton
Pete Townshend
Roy Clark
Yeah Lindsay Buckingham is a guy I dont get either. Sometimes I see this guy really high on GOAT guitar lists, to me I like some of the Buckingham Nicks Fleetwood Mac but he's pretty plain for the most part and middle of the road. In concerts I have heard some pretty cool solos but not GOAT worthy.

Also Townsend is a guy who on studio recordings he always sounds really plain and boring and then live he goes insane and shreds these really bluesy solos all concert long, or atleast he used to when he was younger.

Whoever recorded the Who in studio really screwed it up, you can't hear any energy and some of the songs it just makes them sound like the kinks or zombies.

[Jailblazers7]

I don't have the knowledge of music to really give a best of list but my top 5 favorites are probably:

Hendrix
Grant Green
Wes Montgomery
Prince
Albert King

[rufuspaul]

Ahhhh no way I can narrow it down to just 5, mainly because of songs I really like in general, in which they were the lead guitarists

Paul Wilbur
Robert Plant
Carlos Santana
Eddie Van Halen
Kirk Hammett
Aldo Nova
Tommy Shaw
Matthias Jabs
Don Felder
Chris DeGarmo
David Gilmour
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Nancy Wilson
Lindsey Buckingham
Gary Rossington
Ted Nugent
Neal Schon
Tom Scholz
Steve Lukather
Frank Hannon
Mark Kendall
George Lynch
Alex Lifeson
K. K. Downing
Glenn Tipton
Eric Clapton
Pete Townshend
Roy Clark


Highly underrated imo, probably because he did his best work in a pretty cheesy band.

Starts at 3:51 ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K71crcHcWg)

[JohnFreeman]

David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Gilmour
Eric Clapton
Mark Knopfler

[boozehound]

[QUOTE=boozehound]


that's not yngwie in that pic. I think that dude with the double guitar's name is michaelangelo or some sh*t.

Yngwie is a fat f*ck now. My little bro saw him live not too long ago, said it was one of the most rediculous shows he's ever been too.

Despite being an old fat f*ck now he's still wearing the leather pants, ruffled shirt, stadium hair, all the jewelry, doing the high kicks, etc. :oldlol: :oldlol:

A lot of metal has that tongue-in-cheek element to it but Yngwie is just comically delusional. It's still 1983 for him.

Here's another fun fact. Les Claypool was an engineer on his rising force album.

http://highoctanemusicnews.com/wp-content/uploads/YNGWIE4.jpg
Yeah, my post got ****ed up. It was supposed to bold Michael Angelo Batio, whos name is no longer there. Malsteem isnt my cup of tea either, but hes worlds better than batio IMO.

Batio looks pretty haggard himself. Which is why I chose a pic from his glory days with Nitro (singer could sing 6 octaves, etc. Glam rock's most technically precise band!)

[boozehound]

Yeah Lindsay Buckingham is a guy I dont get either. Sometimes I see this guy really high on GOAT guitar lists, to me I like some of the Buckingham Nicks Fleetwood Mac but he's pretty plain for the most part and middle of the road. In concerts I have heard some pretty cool solos but not GOAT worthy.

Also Townsend is a guy who on studio recordings he always sounds really plain and boring and then live he goes insane and shreds these really bluesy solos all concert long, or atleast he used to when he was younger.

Whoever recorded the Who in studio really screwed it up, you can't hear any energy and some of the songs it just makes them sound like the kinks or zombies.
There is no doubt that the Peter Green FM runs circles around the later incarnations. I also dont get the idea that Lindsay is something special as a guitarist.

[DukeDelonte13]

[QUOTE=DukeDelonte13]
Yeah, my post got ****ed up. It was supposed to bold Michael Angelo Batio, whos name is no longer there. Malsteem isnt my cup of tea either, but hes worlds better than batio IMO.

Batio looks pretty haggard himself. Which is why I chose a pic from his glory days with Nitro (singer could sing 6 octaves, etc. Glam rock's most technically precise band!)


Good old Nitro. I have a soft spot in my heart for ultra cheesy power metal. I used to be in a power metal band back in high school. Got fired from it because I went to college a few hours away from home. They are playing shows all over the world to this day. It's not like they are making tons of money but man would I have loved to play a metal festival in europe. One of my biggest heartbreaks ever.

[rufuspaul]

There is no doubt that the Peter Green FM runs circles around the later incarnations. I also dont get the idea that Lindsay is something special as a guitarist.


Not many rock guitarists use his bluegrass picking style. He's probably listed for that unique quality.