Thread: Greatest Guitarists

It's Jimi Hendrix, not Jimmy... And yes that is a nickname, but not of Jimmy. James is the name...James Marshall Hendrix...

Greatest guitarists:

Zakk Wylde - BLS (don't know what BLS is, then you fail)
Jerry Cantrell - Alice in Chains
Buckethead - too many bands to list, but mostly solo

Other than that is Akira Yamaoka, who did the music for Silent Hill, but he's more over a good composer than an amazing guitarist. He still kicks ass though.

Well my all time favourite has to be Gary Moore.. he's the guy that inspired me to learn guitar. He's the man.

Im not really a fan of people like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai etc.. not sure why though.

I think John Mayers guitar playing is incredible, especially his rhythms. u can learn a lot from learning his songs for sure.. so i'd say he's also another favourite.

Not sure who else.

ive noticed that a many of u put down people who are great at soloing..

Soloing is great but what really gets me going is great sounding chords and progressions and rhythms.
8)


Oh oh oh, how could i forget my favourite band?! Incubus's Mike Einziger.. he's awesome for unusual rythms, chords and crazy effects.

Only 5??? Gak..

OK, well here goes.

1) Buckethead. Purely & Simply genius. More prolific even than Frank Zappa.
2) Frank Zappa. THE MAN.
3) Steve Vai. Stunt guitarist extrordinaire.
4) Joe Satriani. Simply amazing.
5) Paul Gilbert. Technically astonishing.

My list of honorable metions is HUGE, I'll edit with it later, I'm outta time right now.

Oh yeah... as for female guitar gods? Jennifer Batten (sp?) was pretty good back in the day.

Brian May
Slash
Jimmy Page
Buckethead (\m/)
David Gilmore (I know he isn't astonishing but his guitar is epic)
Eddie Van Halen
Yngwie Malmsteen

That's all I can think of right now.

Edit
Oh, top 5?

Uh, I don't know, I really don't. Bueckethead/Malmsteen share the #1, that's for sure, I don't know about the rest though.

Mike Oldfield will always be my favorite guitarist.

John Petrucci (Dream Theater): Dream Theater is my desert island fave band, and John is just somthing else, definatly one of the greatest with the instrument.[/b]

Yeah, Dream Theater just rocks. They were from the town I live in, I know someone who used to know a couple of the members.

Originally Posted by spoon

Chuck Schuldiner - Lead guitarist from Death. You know death metal? Its named after that band.[/b]

I don't think anybody really knows for sure where the term originated, but both Onslaught and Possessed had songs entitled "Death Metal". I'm not sure when Death Metal became known as Death Metal, but i don't think it can be said that Death were responsible for it with any certainty. And i don't mean any disrespect to Death or their legacy.

Originally Posted by spoon

Frank Zappa wasn't the good guitarist, it was Steve Vai who played for him, and I agree, Steve Vai is my favorite guitarist. John Petrucci is also up there too.[/b]

Frank Zappa has been releasing albums since the 60s. Vai played with him during a period in the 80s. Zappa IS a good guitarist. He may not have the technically wizardry of Vai, but when it comes to laying down a gutiar track or especially a solo, there are few who can do it better than Zappa.
And it's cool to see some love for the man here

As for my list....

Bill Frisell - So versatile. He plays Jazz, Blues, Country, Rock, and does it all with style and uniquity (is that a word?). Just listen to Naked City's self-titled debut to hear him cycle through all of those styles and more, sometimes in a single song, and sound like a master at each.

Frank Zappa - The man was a genius, both with and without his guitar. I can't say i care too much for his straight-forward rock output, but the real stuff, the juicy musical stuff is out of this world. And his intuitive guitaring is so fun and direct. The man had music flowing through his veins.

Allan Holdsworth - This guy is literally not of this planet. Technically, you'd be hard pressed to find somebody with his prowess, but musically (which is what really matters), his lines flow like water, his voicings are his own, and his phrasing is enthralling. His tone is unique as well. Imagine if John Coltrane took a guitar to his hands and played with a Jazz-Rock Fusion band.

Derek Bailey - Not everybody's cup of tea by any means. One of the leading innovators at the forefront of Free Improvisation from the 60s until his death in 2005 (and in fact his material is still being released). He redefined the guitar, exploring its values until he created a sound that was completely irrelevant to how the guitar was meant to sound. This is the kind of stuff that most people consider to be noise, non-music even. But to me it's fantastic, and Bailey was a master.

Steve Vai - As has already been established, he is a disciple of Frank Zappa, and that certainly shows in his music. The combination of his musical charisma and his technical abilities means that he has a lot of sounds at his disposal. He regards music as a very spiritual creature, and his dsicipline for details really gives his music a personal character. Passion And Warfare has got to be one of the top 10 guitar albums ever forged.

Here's a treat for alla you electric geetar freaks... I just found this on youtube by accident and it maybe one of the coolest videos I've ever seen. Paul Gilbert Vs. Marty Friedman. Absolutely unbelievable. Enjoy!

Also, here's that Jennifer Batten I was talking aboot.

Stochelo Rosenberg beats pretty much everyone listed.

Nah I'm just joking some nice names on this list.

and Hendrix is overrated IMO.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Kp4K-DLv4oQ

Taro Bando
Shuku Wakai
Naoto Ishida
Yumiko Kametani

1. Jimi Hendrix: Possibly the most talented person at anything at all... EVER. I know I have been alternating between Hendrix and Page every other week, but that was before I watched actual footage of Hendrix playing the "Woodstock Improvisation". I am going to post that further down. It will do my explaining for me. What is so great about it almost transcends words. It has something to do with the aesthetics of beautifully immense complexity.

2. Jimmy Page: The best there is at smoothness and making every single note sound flawless, high quality, and beautiful.

3. Robert Johnson: King of the (Mississippi) Delta Blues. He could create spiritual worlds with his blues guitar.

4. Eric Clapton: So incredible at transcending the mere assembly of basic notes. Incredible style.

5. Carlos Santana: So much creativity and smoothness. Like the other four I listed, you can hear one second of his guitar playing when you have never heard the song before and know right away who it is. That is because he created his own language with the guitar, and a very beautiful one.

Originally Posted by ffx

Notice Hendrix isn't on the list...I refuse to put him on a list, I just can't stand how he ranks #1 on every list, I mean..he was great, but, he wasn't up to par with eddie, or the others, maybe kobain or angus, but hell ,I'm too lazy to change it so..there's my list, comment and compile your own, well..if ya want to.
btw, the rolling stones top 100 guitarists list seriously pisses me off, I mean.. EVH at #70 and Slash wasn't even mentioned.I mean WTF.[/b]

I will respect your opinion, but that's really funny. That is because it hits so close to home. Just a few days ago, I was thinking about that specific comparison. When I was a teenager, I bragged on "Eruption" all the time. I thought it was the greatest guitar solo ever. I have a very different opinion now, obviously. I still love Van Halen and think Eddie is great, and "Eruption" is an awesome guitar solo, but I am going to post it and Hendrix's "Woodstock Improvisation" so you can compare them.

This is Eddie Van Halen playing a live, somewhat altered version of "Eruption":

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HDUYIkq975Y

Now, this might be the most impressive thing I have ever seen a person do. It is Hendrix at Woodstock:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3nbhZEi2uNg

Hmm. My top 5, in no particular order:

1) David Gilmour
2) Pete Townshend
3) Eric Clapton
4) Jimi Hendrix
5) Brian May

David Gilmour isn't the greatest guitarist in history, if you go on skill alone. However, there's something about his playing that goes beyond just playing fast. Can't really put my finger on it, but... Him playing his best solos is truly a sight to see.
Pete Townshend is easily the best rythym guitarist ever. He played some awesome solos, too. His energy onstage is one of the main reasons why The Who are such an awesome live act.
The others have been gone over already, so I won't bother.

Originally Posted by Universal

This is Eddie Van Halen playing a live, somewhat altered version of "Eruption":

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HDUYIkq975Y

Now, this might be the most impressive thing I have ever seen a person do. It is Hendrix at Woodstock:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3nbhZEi2uNg[/b]

See, i find both of those boring, frankly. I respect the impact Hendrix in particular has had on music, but i find his soloing to be... just boring. Eddie can be more entertaining, but he can also be pretty boring.

Check out this guy.

The late and very great Shawn lane.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGP_-5pgVs0

Once ranked by Guitar magazine as the fastest in the world apparently.
And you can see why in the last 2 minutes of that clip.

Simply Incredible.

best of all time

David Gimour - Pink Floyd

John Frusiante - Red Hot Chili Peppers

John Petrucci - Dream Theater

Jimmi Page - Led Zeppelin

Tony Iommi - Black Sabbath

ME: http://youtube.com/watch?v=8TO79CnxgAE

Originally Posted by ranma187

ME: http://youtube.com/watch?v=8TO79CnxgAE[/b]

You're Kirk Hammet?

Originally Posted by Ardent

I don't think anybody really knows for sure where the term originated, but both Onslaught and Possessed had songs entitled "Death Metal". I'm not sure when Death Metal became known as Death Metal, but i don't think it can be said that Death were responsible for it with any certainty. And i don't mean any disrespect to Death or their legacy.[/b]

Well, they were definitley the original death metal band. Or the first to really have the aspects of death metal.
Kinda like Ozzy. Ozzy wasn't metal, but he paved the way for metal. Without Death, death metal wouldn't exactly have come out the way it did.

My list:

1) Jimi Hendrix (for his influence and brilliance, far ahead of his time) or Jimmy Page
2) John Petrucci
3) Steve Vai
4) Chuck Shuldinger
5) John Schaffer
A lot of people don't know about him, but John Schaffer has insane triplets. He does rhythm guitars. I don't think any of the above guys could play like him... I might be wrong, though.

Originally Posted by Sagea

Well, they were definitley the original death metal band. Or the first to really have the aspects of death metal.
Kinda like Ozzy. Ozzy wasn't metal, but he paved the way for metal. Without Death, death metal wouldn't exactly have come out the way it did.[/b]

Yeah, they certainly had an impact on death metal, and metal in general, but don't underestimate the importance of bands like Morbid Angel and Possessed (particularly MA), who both formed in 83, same time as Death, and they all began releasing what could be considered early DM albums around the same time. I don't think you could lift any of of those bands above the others in terms of importance. But yeah, for sure, without Death, death metal wouldn't be quite the same as it is now. And they are a great band, and Chuck was a great guitarist.

I'd also have to disagree that Ozzy wasn't metal. I'd say Led Zeppelin were more the pavers, and Ozzy was the first group to take that step. But, maybe that's just me

Has anyone seen this kid?

He may not be the greatest, but damn, that's impressive!

JIMMI HENDRIX plays with his teeth: http://youtube.com/watch?v=UsgHyauIUZY

yeah, he's the best...

sorry to revive this, but i had to add my 2c.

anyone who's said hendrix is not worthy, or over-rated or anything negative has probably forgotten the most fundamental aspect of playing the guitar. Its a musical instruments. music is art. and art is expression.

Jimi Hendrix's playing, may not have been the most technically brilliant (although it WAS innovative), it may have been sloppy at times but you cannot say you can't feel every note he plays. The solo in the song
'May This Be Love' is played one handed. slow legato slides and hammers but is in my opinion infinetly expressionate and such increadibly hard to play because of this. The song Voodoo Chile, not Voodoo Child (the one everyone knows) is an incredibly expressionate blues jam. He is a true musician and thats why i believe he is not overated

In order, id say

1. Jimi Hendrix
2. John Petrucci (technical and expressionate..very technical..fantastic composer)
3. Steve Vai and Joe Satriani...i cannot pick but both are technically excelling and expressionate but IMO lack the composition finesse of Petrucci

anyway thats my opinion...and id thought id ad a least favourite list

-1. Kurt Cobain ( someone made the point of his excessive use of powerchords. you cannot be creative with powerchords..unless you are playing in 5/4 or 7/8 or 6/8 or something. And if i hear another band cover "smells like teen spirit"...shudder

-2. John Frusciante - i mean...he works in RHCP but wouldnt work anywhere else...
i didn't really have anything against him UNTIL i heard the guitar solo "Dani California" which has 'suspicious' similarities with Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" although thats a tone higher.

anyway im out, hope no one is offended!

Vai! Steve Vai is hands down the greatest guitarist of all time! He combines blinding virtuosity with a deep knowledge of music theory to play the most beautiful, expressive music that has ever been created.

If you have never listened to Steve Vai please, PLEASE, check out 'For the Love of God', 'The Audience is Listening', 'Bad Horsie' (seriously the heaviest song ever), or anything else from this amazing, mindblowing artist.

yeh 27, Vai is really awesome...however i wouldn't say Bad Horsie is the heaviest song ever lol

i would say my fav. Vai's are
For The Love Of God
Tender Surrender
Blue Powder