I am torn between Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana. Jimi Hendricks comes in a VERY close third.



Cat

Eddie Van Halen

Jimi Hendrix was the greatest guitarest of all time, period. He was the pioneer for guitar, and set the standards of guitar players.


Personally (ducking here), I think Hendrix is verrrrry overrated.


I absolutely love Classic Rock, and I can't name one Hendrix song I would even buy. :P

Then you must not really love classic rock.



My favorite is Slash.

Then you must not really love classic rock.



...to each his own. :)


I am torn between Page and Clapton myself.

Jimi Hendrix was the greatest guitarest of all time, period. He was the pioneer for guitar, and set the standards of guitar players.


I totally agree.





Personally (ducking here), I think Hendrix is verrrrry overrated.


I absolutely love Classic Rock, and I can't name one Hendrix song I would even buy. :P


Really??  Not even "All Along The Watchtower"? :o ;)  I'm just messing with ya, I respect your opinion.

Carlos Santana, of course.

Personally (ducking here), I think Hendrix is verrrrry overrated.



I don't necessarily agree that he's over-rated. He played a right-handed guitar upside down and took the instrument beyond where anyone had taken it before. He was a very lyrical player and an enormously influential one, and almost everyone who's excelled at the electric guitar since owes him a debt, but I simply refuse to believe that, in the 35 years since he died, no one else has come along who has exceeded his achievements. Robert Fripp, who popularised the use of harmonics (that almost every guitarist now incorporates into their style), Eddie Van Halen and Yngwie Malmsteen, who both revolutionised lead guitar playing by either popularising sweeping and finger-tapping techniques (Van Halen) or incorporating classical music elements (Malmsteen)... the list goes on. Sure, Hendrix did some amazing things for his time, but is he still the best ever 35 years later? It's debatable.

This was a metal forum, so obviously he's very low on the list.


Well, most of the people who voted are metal fans, yes, but most of them are also fans of guitar-players, whether they be metal guitarists or not. Clapton, May, Emmanuel, Knopfler and Gilmour aren't metal guitarists, and they all got voted in higher than Hendrix; Malmsteen is one of the most famous metal guitarists of all and he only ranked 35th. If I posted the same list of 300 names on this forum, most of the guys in the Top 50 here wouldn't even make the list because hardly anyone here would know who they are. I think the most telling aspect is that many of the guys on the poll I posted who ranked higher than Hendrix are people that most mainstream music fans have either never heard or are almost ignorant of their playing. Just about everyone has heard Hendrix, but how many people who post here, for example, have heard someone like John Petrucci or Al Pitrelli to any great extent? It's easy to compare Hendrix with Clapton or Page or someone you hear on the radio everyday. I was rather surprised Jimi ended up so far down the list, though.

I didn't vote because I couldn't pick just one.I think Steve Clark,Munky from Korn and Slash from GNR's are the guitarists.

27.  Tommy Emmanuel

82.  Kevin Borich



Glad to see these two up there ! :)

Glad to see these two up there ! :)


Me too! :)

Stevie Ray Vaughn from this list.  I saw him live at the Opera House (I know ;D) in the mid 80's, and he was just amazing ! :)

WTF! I wish the person that voted for Ritchie Blackmore would comment.....he was/is also great ;)
Ritchie Blackmore is AWESOME....period!

:-X Guess I'm the only GEORGE THOROGOOD fan here! Thorogood and his Destroyers absolutely KICK A**!! And how about Rudolph Schenker and Matthias Jabs from the Scorpions? Or Dave Murray and Adrian Smith from Iron Maiden? ???

By the way it's Yngwie Malmsteen.  ;)

By the way it's Yngwie Malmsteen.  ;)


;D  I thought maybe Ingve was his brother or something. :P

Another one of my picks would be Metallica's Kirk Hammett!

Ted Nugent!

Favorite guitarist.... besides myself?  ;D Just kidding...


This guy!  8)

David Gilmour has some of the coolest riffs and solos in rock history. I love the "Comfortably Numb" solo/outro and the "Wish You Were Here" riff. Gilmour's techniques are limitless.

But I would also like to recognize Joey Gaydos, who played Zack in School of Rock and is the lead guitarist for real-life rock band Badd Raquette. He rocked in that movie and really knows how to pound on them frets!  8) And I agree with Jack Black's character, Dewey Finn: "He is the next Hendrix."

How about guitar DUOS,such as KK Downing/Glenn Tipton(Judas Priest),Dave Murray/Adrian Smith(Iron Maiden),Steve Clark/Phil Collen(Def Leppard) Angus/Malcolm Young(AC/DC of course!)and Rudolf Schenker/Matthias Jabs(Scorpions)?

No Steve Vai on the list...wazzup with that? And I'd have to add Vernon Reid(Living Colour) to my faves list. BTW Dave the Edge Evans is damn good too!

All the guys you've mentioned were on the list I posted Tony20. :)

How about the late Mick Ronson :\'(....he was one hell of HOT when he played with Bowie's SPIDERS FROM MARS. And Zakk Wylde as well as Jake E. Lee,both worked with OZZY,are hellacool too!

Another one of my picks would be Metallica's Kirk Hammett!
Add to this list....Jerry Cantrell, ex-Alice In Chains lead guitarist!

Another one of my picks would be Metallica's Kirk Hammett!
screw lars and screw metallica... :P

screw lars and screw metallica... :P
Why? Did Metallica do something bad to YOU,personally? Kirk Hammett yes he's in Metallica,but please don't blame him for LOSER LARS....and my opinion of lars is there are better drummers than him...Lars IS full of himself.

All the guys you've mentioned were on the list I posted Tony20. :)
I don't see Steve Vai...or Vernon Reid there. Oh well,they are there now that I've posted them.

Just out of interest, late last year I ran a "best guitarist" poll on another website. I made a list of over 300 guitarists and took votes over the course of two months. Some of you might be interested in the results.
NOTE: The site was an Iron Maiden fan site, where most of the people who voted were Iron Maiden fans first, music fans second and general heavy metal fans third, so the results might be vastly different than if I did the same poll here. :) Note where Hendrix is on the list.  ;)

1.    Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden)
2.    Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne)
3.    Eddie Van Halen
4.    Dave Murray  (Iron Maiden)
5.    Dave Mustaine  (Megadeth)
6.    John Petrucci (Dream Theater)
7.    Marty Friedman (Megadeth)
8.    Steve Vai
9.    Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
10.  Glenn Tipton (Judas Priest)
11.  Angus Young (AC/DC)
12.  Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne/Black Label Society)
13.  Brian May
14.  Steve Morse
15.  Kirk Hammett (Metallica)
16.  James Hetfield (Metallica)
17.  Al Pitrelli (Megadeth/Savatage/Alice Cooper)
18.  Slash
19.  Joe Satriani
20.  Chuck Schuldiner (Death)
21.  Jimmy Page
22.  Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth)
23.  Janick Gers (Iron Maiden)
24.  Eric Clapton
25.  George Lynch (Dokken/Lynch Mob)
26.  Mark Knopfler
27.  Tommy Emmanuel
28.  Ritchie Blackmore
29.  Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray/Helloween)
30.  Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard/Dio)
31.  Jeff Loomis (Nevermore)
32.  KK Downing (Judas Priiest)
33.  David Gilmour
34.  Jason Becker
35.  Yngwie Malmsteen
36.  Carlos Santana
37.  Alexei Laiho (Children of Bodom)
38.  Bruce Kulick (Kiss)
39.  Michael Amott (Carcass/Arch Enemy)
40.  Ian Moss (Cold Chisel)
41.  Alex Skolnik (Testament)
42.  Phil Collen (Def Leppard)
43.  Malcolm Young (AC/DC)
44.  Chris DeGarmo (Queensryche)
45.  Steve Clark (Def Leppard)
46.  Chris Poland (Megadeth)
47.  Michael Wilton (Queensryche)
48.  Eric Peterson (Testament)
49.  Jimi Hendrix
50.  Vinnie Vincent (Kiss)
51.  Mick Mars (MOtley Crue)
52.  Kerry King (Slayer)
53.  Andy LaRocque (King Diamond)
54.  Stevie Ray Vaughan
55.  James Murphy (Death/Obituary)
56.  Trey Azagthoth (Morbid Angel)
57.  Jake E Lee (Ozzy Osbourne)
58.  Jeff Hanneman (Slayer)
59.  Steve Stevens
60.  Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi)
61.  Gary Moore
62.  Roland Grapow (Helloween)
63.  Anders Bjorler (At the Gates/The Haunted)
64.  Uli Jon Roth (Scorpions)
65.  Scott Ian (Anthrax)
66.  Michael Schenker (Scorpions/MSG/UFO)
67.  Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme)
68.  Alex Lifeson (Rush)
69.  Jeff Beck
70.  Ace Frehley (Kiss)
71.  Dimebag Darrell Abbott (Pantera)
72.  Keith Richards (Rolling Stones)
73.  Neal Schon (Journey)
74.  Chuck Berry
75.  Steve Howe (Yes)
76.  The Edge (U2)
77.  Dave Sabo (SKid Row)
78.  CC Deville (Poison)
79.  Craig Goldy (Dio)
80.  Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)
81.  Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper)
82.  Kevin Borich
83.  Jim Martin (Faith No More)
84.  Robert Fripp (King Crimson)
85.  Vernon Reid (Living COlour)
86.  George Harrison
87.  Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)
88.  Pete Townshend
89.  Ted Nugent
90.  Ross "The Boss" Funicello (Manowar)
91.  Tony Macalpine
92.  Buck Dharma (Blue Oyster Cult)
93.  Eddie Clark (Motorhead)
94.  Ry Cooder
95.  Ritchie Kotzen
96.  Silenoz (Dimmu Borgir)
97.  Chris Impelliteri
98.  Joe Perry (Aerosmith)
99.  Chris Caffery (Savatage)
100. Criss Oliva (Savatage)
Oh sorry,did not see the page!

Keeeeeefff!
http://www.kmud.org/images/pledge0503/georgia/keith.jpg

This is a hard question to answer.  Many of the guitarists (I will not name them) on your list are what I would call "masturbatory guitarists" who play only to show off their own stuff.  But is this, in fact, being the best guitarist?  This type of guitarist usually has a narrow (but intense) following and it is a "love it or leave it" proposition.


I am guilty of that.. however the term is 'Fret Wanking'  ;)

My top guitarists, well on the list i had to say the great satch and Malm.

However... my top guitarist is Kirk Hammett, i love his style and the fact that he is still learning. He is a great person IMO, he played with Metallica for about 5 years then said right, i want to get even better, he went and Satch taught him, he listened to hundreds of guitarists of all styles, he went to classes all sorts. IMO That is why he is the best, he is soooo versatile.

Powerslave, I'm not sure how James got on the list  ;D Much as i love and respect him, we all know he isn't in the top 50, nay top 100.

Another of my favourite Guitarists is Kerry King, now if you don't like fast then you won't like Kerry King.. IMO he is awesome, if i could play half as fast as he does i would be dreaming. He is just an all round awesome guitarist, although some of her personal opinions of Social-Political events don't quite follow me ideas.

Mustaine is awesome, and when i met him a few months ago was a top bloke, very courteous, he asked me more questions than i asked him, again, another awesome guitarist.

Steve Vai is another inspirational guitarist for me, his stuff sends shivers down your spine.

I am not as much a fan of Zakk Wylde's style, but damn he can make a guitar talk, when he plays, you are forced to listen.

Woooo Hanneman, not as good as King but again, totally love that playing.

We can use all the superlatives in the world and not get close to describing Dimebag, he made Pantera, he totally and utterly made Pantera. Talk about Pure Against The Grain that was him to a T.

There is a difference between who you like to listen to, and who created a different genre.  The people who you should ask would be the guitarists themselves, who they looked to for inspiration.  There was a poll taken and all of them mentioned Hendrix as a motivator. 

There is a difference between who you like to listen to, and who created a different genre.  The people who you should ask would be the guitarists themselves, who they looked to for inspiration.  There was a poll taken and all of them mentioned Hendrix as a motivator. 


Hendrix was indeed one of those who well.. let's face it.. he started something that is still growing today.

However, i don't personally like to listen to him all that much. That being said, i love his playing but his songs are just godawful, due to his singing on them.

Remeber that a lot of the guitarsits on the list of 100 Powerslave put up are in there 50's and are the mentors to the current generation of guitarists. Hell Kirk Hammett is 43 this year.

I forgot to mention Tom Morello(Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave).....the man is 1)absolutely off the wall and 2)brilliant...

I voted for Eric "Old Slow Hand" Clapton, but good lord, there are so many, and in so many genera.  Carlos Santana has got to be one of the tops in rock, like "Black Magic Woman".  For R&B, you got to list B.B.King.  For traditional folk, on the 12 string, you can't beat Leadbelly.  For classical, especially flamenco, Carlos Montoya is great.  But you did specify rock guitarist, so I would have to say its a toss-up between Eric and Carlos.  Point being, the guitar is a fantasicly versitile instrument, and there are sooooo many great guitarists in every genera.

You know Flamenco? Cool.  That's a style of music I'm still learning about.  A friend of mine plays Flamenco guitar.  He studied it in the south of Spain last year.

For "rock" guitarists, as opposed to any other genre, it's gotta be Hendrix.

Angus Young from AC/DC gets my vote.

http://www.thunderstruck.nl/angus.jpg

Lest we forget Phil Lynott, the maestro guitarist who was the mastermind of Irish Rock band Thin Lizzy.

http://www.hotshotdigital.com/WellAlwaysRemember/PhilLynott.Images/lynott.jpg

The Boys are Back in Town!   :) 8)

No Frank Zappa? no Robert Fripp? no Johnny Marr?
???

Lest we forget Phil Lynott, the maestro guitarist who was the mastermind of Irish Rock band Thin Lizzy.

http://www.hotshotdigital.com/WellAlwaysRemember/PhilLynott.Images/lynott.jpg

The Boys are Back in Town!  :) 8)
Phil Lynott actually played bass,not lead guitar with Thin Lizzy....just had to set the record straight.

Someone forgot to mention ex-Alice in Chains Jerry Cantrell....also where the h*ll are Stone Gossard and Mike McCready from Pearl Jam?!?!

Hendrix was a pioneer but wasn't around nearly long enough to garner best ever...IMHO ;) I REALLY wanted to make this so you could choose up to three but I have no idea how....so I went with Eddie from Van Halen/Hagar...with Clapton second...can't decide who's next though....not yet anyway ???


I had to say other because Brian May from Queen was a fantastic guitarist.

Phil Lynott actually played bass,not lead guitar with Thin Lizzy....just had to set the record straight.


All the more impressive for a bass guitarist to be the frontman.  ;)

Jimi Hendrix, simply b/c the guitarists you listed (and didn't list) were influenced by him. He made marks the others didn't dream of.

Tanya

Does ANYONE else on this thread know who Mick Ronson is besides me? Or have any opinion on him? Just wondering.

Does ANYONE else on this thread know who Mick Ronson is besides me? Or have any opinion on him? Just wondering.
I thought he was great! Here's a link for everyone ;)

http://www.hotshotdigital.com/WellAlwaysRemember/MickRonson.html

Jade Puget is the best, seriously AFI needs to have more guitar solos for this guy.  :)

Jade Puget is the best, seriously AFI needs to have more guitar solos for this guy.  :)
I'm not familiar with him but I'll check him out :)

I'm not familiar with him but I'll check him out :)
Listen to the song "Dancing Through Sunday" if you can. It's awesome.  :)

Listen to the song "Dancing Through Sunday" if you can. It's awesome.  :)
Thanks ;)

Thanks ;)


No problem.  :)

There is a reason that some of these guitarists were only around for a short while...but left the most impact.  They were like shooting stars across the sky.......
I vote Hendrix

His short lived career has done more for rock than most of the other guys on that list have in their entire career.  Clapton would be my back-up man.

There is a reason that some of these guitarists were only around for a short while...but left the most impact.  They were like shooting stars across the sky.......
I vote Hendrix

His short lived career has done more for rock than most of the other guys on that list have in their entire career.  Clapton would be my back-up man.


Hendrix was good, but nowhere near as good as the likes of Brian May (Queen), Lenny Kravitz and Slash (Guns 'N' Roses)

Hendrix was good, but nowhere near as good as the likes of Brian May (Queen), Lenny Kravitz and Slash (Guns 'N' Roses)
EDDIE!
http://www.stevendillon.com/images/TheMan.JPG

EDDIE!
http://www.stevendillon.com/images/TheMan.JPG


My memories going. Sorry. But which band was Eddie from?

Van Halen

Van Halen
AND Van Hagar ;)

AND Van Hagar ;)


A poor by product

Eric Clapton got my vote.  8)

A poor by product
Naw, I'd much rather party  with Sammy...Dave's ego wouldn't fit in the room!

I have come to like Staind...and their guitarist Mike Mushok.....although some people might find Staind's music,especially Aaron Lewis' lyrics a little too dark and depressing  :-[ for their tastes..in 2001 and 2002 I was going thru a rough time in my personal life due to health issues.....that music helped get me through it all.