Just curious what other people think, and I want to share my top 10 list. Respond with your own top 10 list and have fun!



Nr 10 - Kirk Hammet
In his early days he came up with some really cool riffs and solos, that you must admit. I know he isn't really appreciated by guitarists nowadays, but he used to be good. Student of the master Satriani.


Nr 9 - Andy Mckee
Defenetly another kind of style, but I've never heard someone playing with more sould than him. Besides he plays drums, bas and guitar on a single instrument.


Nr 8 - Joe Satriani
This dude knows how to play! Master of the student Kirk


Nr 7 - Tom Morello
Man, this guy has some cool solos and riffs! He may not be the most technical player, but imagination is important too.


Nr 6 - Eric Clapton
The blues god, not much to say, everybody knows why he deserves a spot in the top 10


Nr 5 - Mark Morton
This guy knows ho to combine speed, heavyness and power into one single riff that's magical. He makes perfect riffs for the kind of music he plays, and ofcourse he is really good!


Nr 4 - John Frusciante
Not as much of a "classic" but still indeed really good. He creates some really melodic and good riffs/solos.


Nr 3 - Jimmy Page
He has created one of the best songs ever, along with, in my opinion the best solo ever. The Stairway to Heaven solo ofcourse. This guy started a whole new type of playing, which many guitarists have used ever since.


Nr 2 - Dimebag Darrell
This crazy madman did not make the hardest riff's, but they sure as hell where really cool and original, even though he used alot of powerchords, he could make a really cool sound. And his solos really where something.


Nr 1 - Jimi Hendrix
No other guitarist has been such an influence to all the big guitarists today and the ones to come. This god could play the same song but never the same way, he always added a touch of improvise live, and his own style. And ofcourse he could play with his teeth, behind his back and with the guitar on fire!




That's all, discuss and share your list


~Andy

This post was edited by montaresss on Sep 18 2010 08:54am

These top 10 lists are always a bad idea, and Jimi Hendrix didn't play a flaming guitar.

I second this. He played it, then set it on fire

As for the list, i can 't post a list of 10, that shit is hard for a stoner! I could do a top 5 though

#1 Stevie Ray Vaughan

I love the man, his technique, his passion, his immense feeling in his playing just blows me away. It's only in the last year he's taken over my #2

#2 Jimi Hendrix

Duh, just duh. It's Hendrix! The sheer awesomeness of the sounds he created has never been topped. He revolutionised an awful lot of playing styles, and obviously has some seriously amazing anthems.

#3 Zakk Wylde

Yeah, he's a pinch whore, but I lurrrrve those pinches and the man is a riff monster! He stands for alotta things I believe in, and his acoustic work is my favourite acoustic work by anyone.

#4 BB King

He's one of the 3 kings of blues, and has a fantastic voice and I love how Lucille is practically a part of him when he's playing/singing. The Thrill Is Gone is one of my favourite blues tracks by a mile.

#5 Eric Clapton

Even before Cream he was an astoundingly gifted guitarist. He's written some of my favourite songs/riffs/licks and you only need to listen to Bad Love or Same Old Blues and you'll love him too.



I like your list, but I don't care for 4,7 or 10.

GG for Mark Morton. I see your points, and agree. Lamb Of God ftw

Oh I don't know...

In no particular order: Angus Young, Kirk Hammet, BB King, Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Steve Vai. Little mainstream perhaps, but damn I love those guys

I don't know too many guitarists, but I'd have to say (in no particular order);

Stevie-Ray Vaughn
Needs no explanation.

Jimi Hendrix
Needs to explanation.

Kirk Hammet
Whether you like the music or not, you have to admit that he wrote and pulled off some very incredible stuff.

Tom Morello
Rage guitarist, very talented.

Eric Clapton
He didn't achieve legendary music status for nothing.

John Mayer
Like it or not, the guy is an incredibly talented guitarist (though it doesn't really show in his crappy music)

Brian Haner (Synyster Gates)
Avenged Sevenfold's guitarist; very talented.

Honorable Mentions

Nick Valensi/Albert Hammond Jr.
Strokes guitarists. Helped bring back a less-than-popular style

Jack White
Wrote and performs some very simplistic yet incredible-sounding riffs. Great style and a personal favorite.

I usually don't like to do this because ppl just rage because I didn't put in there faves or my picks are terribad but I guess I'll give it a shot =/
Btw I probably won't have many classics like jimi hendrix or stevie ray but it's not because I don't acknowledge and respect them (I do) it's just that I listen to and was inspired by more modern guitar players.

10. Paul Gilbert

Some people say his songwriting isn't very good and I understand but I've always admired his speed and accuracy

9. Yngwie Malmsteen

Kind of the same as Paul as far as just plain technical ability. His songs tend to sound the same but I respect him for his understanding of theory and the guitar

8. Buckethead

The "hardest song on gh2 guy". It seems like people just know him for this one song or just assume all he does is shreds and decide that he's not good but if you look through his 30 some albums (I really don't know how many) he covers multiple genres from death metal to acoustic and just plain experimental guitar stuff. His simpler more melodic music is really quite good.

7. Marty Friedman

Excellent guitar player and musician alike. His use of more eastern sounding scales and style overall make his music sound strange but compelling at the same time

6. Joe Satriani

At first I didn't like him because I though every song just sounded like a jam over a backing track but I've realized that he really is a great player. His hooks and choruses get stuck in my head all the time and they always just rock.

5. Paul Waggoner

Guitarist of Between the Buried and Me. He applies his jazz background to his progressive metal style band and the result is some really unique riffs and solos. Also he is an extremely clean and consistent player live

4. Andy Mckee

I can't even begin to attempt to play his style. Just a fantastic guitarist that hopefully one day is noticed for his greatness

3. Steve Vai

Totally revolutionized the way I think of the guitar and playing. His mix of different scales like lydian and mixolydian coupled with his use of the whammy bar and eccentric phrasing makes his style completely his own.

2. Eric Johnson

I just love this Eric Johnson. He probably knows his way around the guitar better than anyone. His chord vocabulary is immense and his technique is simply flawless

1. John Petrucci

From Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment of course. I love every aspect of Petrucci's style and playing. For me he is the perfect mix of jazz, metal, and progressive rock. It shows for me more in his solo work and the liquid tension albums. He's my main inspiration as a guitar player and a musician and just makes me want to get better.


So there you go...Let the flaming commense

There are too many talented guitarists..
To compare them we'd have to sort them all per music genre imo

Here's mine fuckers:

10:) Mark Knopfler - Original and one of very few (I think 4) awarded CGA by Chet Atkins himself
9:) Jimi Hendrix - Excellent Improvisational skills. Threw away riff after riff which others would use and reuse until stale.
8:) Charlie Christen - The father of modern Jazz guitar.
7:) Andres Segovia - The classical Master
6:) Danny Gatton - This guy melded all styles and was truely styleless.
5:) Django Reinhardt - The first Guitar hero? A real natural.
4:) Ry Cooder* - No one can make a guitar sound like this guy. Might be the best slide player ever, (Maybe Johnny Winter) and has never conformed to anything but music
3:) Chet Atkins - It's Chet Atkins!
2:) Scotty Anderson - The most talented living guitar player. Smoking fast, clean, coordinated and never looses a sense of melody. I still haven't seen anyone better than this guy except...
1:) Lenny Breau - If you don't know him, you should. Saw the guitar from an angle no one else will ever see. His methods are sometimes practiced but his perception will never be seen by human eyes again.

* - Favorite Guitarist.

i'll just stick with a top 5

5) buckethead - i'm not a fan of a lot of his stuff, but a few songs (soothsayer, nottingham lace) i absolutely adore. and as ozzy said - "he plays like a motherfucker!"
4) Joe Satriani - managed to make guitar shred popular o_o he knows what he's doing with his instrument, that's for sure. an amazing guitarist and an amazing songwriter.
3) Arjen A. Lucassen. Sure, he's not up there with others in pure technical ability, but i rate him very highly for his amazing composing ability. He knows exactly what he ants in his head and can layer a dozen instruments together to get exactly what he wants. on the guitar playing front he's still pretty fast, has soul in heaps and can use the wammy bar like no-one else i've seen.
2) Paul Gilbert. I shouldn't really need to explain why he's so high on the list. his technical precision is just insane, and he seems a genuine good guy as well. his string skipping ability is unique and he know how to use his speed to make something sounding epic, instead of just a solid wall of notes.

1) John Petrucci. This guy is beyond belief. His work with dream theater displays unmatched technical ability along with superb songwriting. You name it he can play it - from shredding out a bajillion notes per second, to coming up with heavy, technical riffs, to writing guitar rhythms for softer rock songs... this guy can do it all. He couples technical insanity with soul and songwriting brilliance like no-one else i've heard yet.


I didn't believe it possible to make a top 10 list without petrucci o_O dunno how so many of you managed it

Thanks for the comments, keep em comming!