The Greatest Guitarist of All Time.

[Ralf11]

if we are down to Jimi v. Frank, then I will defer my vote until we get a century or two more data

[JustinUthadude]

been playing guitar since 1977. only 4 of you mentioned Carlos Santana. He is easily in the top 5. Maybe guitarists are ranked differently if you don't play. Don't want to sound rude, but ........

[Gonzbull]

been playing guitar since 1977. only 4 of you mentioned Carlos Santana. He is easily in the top 5. Maybe guitarists are ranked differently if you don't play. Don't want to sound rude, but ........

 

Well I've been playing a long time and work in the industry. The reason Santana isn't mentioned more often is because he doesn't compare to the greats.

He ranks top in my Worst Intonation category.

He plays some nice songs but his style is pretty flat. No offence.

[AnotherSpin]

if we are down to Jimi v. Frank (...)

 

Watershed between hormonal and cerebral approach to playing guitar.

[YashN]

Al Di Meola for me.

 

Woah, just got a notification from bandsintown that Al Di Meola will be here for a show in February 2017.

 

Wow.

 

Can't help think of my late Uncle Ben. He'd have loved this.

[witchdoctor]

Watershed between hormonal and cerebral approach to playing guitar.

 

Perfect analogy

[Jud]

Watershed between hormonal and cerebral approach to playing guitar.

I just wonder if this gives too little credit both to Jimi's mind and Frank's hormones.

[Jud]

I am talking in terms of composing and influence, not just guitar virtuosity. If you were to point in music spinoffs from the Hendrix style I would point to metal rather than hard rock. I see a LOT more bands trying to emulate the hard rock sound of Led Zeppelin rather than Hendrix.

Speaking of Led Zeppelin, a quote from Jimmy Page in Rolling Stone:

 

Do you have any favorite American guitarists?

PAGE: Well, let’s see, we’ve lost the best guitarist any of us ever had and that was Hendrix. The other guitarist I started to get into died also, Clarence White. He was absolutely brilliant. Gosh. On a totally different style – the control, the guy who played on the Maria Muldaur single, “Midnight at the Oasis.” Amos Garrett. He’s Les Paul oriented and Les Paul is the one, really. We wouldn’t be anywhere if he hadn’t invented the electric guitar. Another one is Elliot Randall, the guy who guested on the first Steely Dan album. He’s great. Band-wise, Little Feat is my favorite American group.

 

Lowell George of Little Feat was a great, great slide guitar player. He was kicked out of Zappa's band for doing drugs.

[wwaldmanfan]

Lowell George of Little Feat was a great, great slide guitar player.

 

Lowell George and Bonnie Raitt were very close friends. She is a tremendous slide guitar player, and you can distinctly hear his influence in her style.

[duxservit]

if we are down to Jimi v. Frank, then I will defer my vote until we get a century or two more data

 

Not sure how accurate, but the author of one of the Zeppelin books compares Page to Miles Davis for his talent in arranging. Technical skills Page was probably behind Beck.

[AudioJunkBox]

in no good order my favorite guitarists are.

 

Jerry Garcia

Joe Satriani

Keith Richards

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Eric Clapton

Kirk Hammit

Derek Trucks

Jimi Hendrix

David Gilmour

Duane Allman

[Gary.D.Olson]

I'm surprised there's no love here for Yngwie Malmsteen. Yes. He shreds a lot (and I don't mean that in a good way). As a song writer, he's hopelessly unoriginal. It seems he's quite the self indulgent jerk too. But... occasionally the knucklehead gets out of his own way and true greatness - perhaps worthy of this list - is revealed; at least as a soloist.

 

[sphinxsix]

He shreds a lot (and I don't mean that in a good way). As a song writer, he's hopelessly unoriginal. It seems he's quite the self indulgent jerk too.

I agree with everything you've written. Including the last sentence. Oh, he's fast. And good technically. He's got his fans. Just not here. He's also got followers among guitar players. But somehow personally I didn't miss his name in the posts.

[Gary.D.Olson]

I agree with everything you've written. Including the last sentence.

 

This I understand. Respectfully curious. To which "last sentence" do you refer: the one in my full post or the one quoted from my post?

[sphinxsix]

This I understand. Respectfully curious. To which "last sentence" do you refer: the one in my full post or the one quoted from my post?

I meant this one : 'It seems he's quite the self indulgent jerk too.'

[Gary.D.Olson]

This I understand.

 

...and by "this" I'm mostly referring to how wonderfully sophisticated and discerning this forum is. Now, if CA had a Heavy Metal forum, Malmsteen would surely belong on their list, but I don't see that happening until Ozzy Osbourne's music is heard in the grocery stores.

[sphinxsix]

Now, if CA had a Heavy Metal forum, Malmsteen would surely belong on their list

I'm pretty sure he would. I don't mind heavy metal not being played in the grocery stores (I probably wouldn't mind it being played). I listen to it - for example to Metallica, Pantera, Rammstein.. I don't listen that much to some bands I used to listen to when I was 16-18 though - like Black Sabbath or Judas Priest. I also listen to some hard core bands. But also - jazz, blues, classical, ethno..

 

Malmsteen's 1st album appeared just when I was moving away from the oldschool metal bands. Starting my jazz education etc. He has great technique without a doubt. And he's really fast. But that is not enough for me to include him him in my (!) top 10 guitarists. Talking about taking inspiration from Paganini doesn't impress me. Nor his 'I am the best, the fastest and forget about the other two guitar players on this stage' attitude during G3 gigs. As for hard rock (/metal.?) guitarists I incuded Jimmy Page in my top 5. For me he is a much more important figure than Malmsteen.

[Gary.D.Olson]

Talking about taking inspiration from Paganini doesn't impress me. Nor his 'I am the best, the fastest and forget about the other two guitar players on this stage' attitude during G3 gigs.

 

That's Malmsteen. Mr. Center of the Universe.

 

 

As for hard rock (/metal.?) guitarists I incuded Jimmy Page in my top 5. For me he is a much more important figure than Malmsteen.

Well that's putting it mildly.

 

Btw, if you haven't already, have a look at this video of the Wilson sisters (& Bonham Jr) playing Stairway to Heaven while Plant, Page, & Jones watch:

 

[witchdoctor]

Speaking of Led Zeppelin, a quote from Jimmy Page in Rolling Stone:

 

 

 

Lowell George of Little Feat was a great, great slide guitar player. He was kicked out of Zappa's band for doing drugs.

 

Interesting that both Hendrix and Led Zeppelin were heavily influenced by Chicago blues, sort of like apples from the same tree. It is really hard to compare because Hendrix was gone too soon. I would still say the Zeppelin influenced more of the stadium rock bands that followed them in the seventies and beyond. When you look at Hendrix he started playing behind amazing R&B bands like the Isley Brothers and Little Richard and was self taught. Page was a studio musician playing whatever work was available whether it was elevator music or a Bond theme like Diamonds Are Forever before joining forces with Robert Plant. Yet they both took inspiration from those great blues guitarists.

[witchdoctor]

Not sure how accurate, but the author of one of the Zeppelin books compares Page to Miles Davis for his talent in arranging. Technical skills Page was probably behind Beck.

Listen to them play together on this Yardbirds track:

 

[Jim Sylva]

Does anyone remember Mike Bloomfield?

[cmarin]

Does anyone remember Mike Bloomfield?

 

Great blues guitarist.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

[sphinxsix]

That's Malmsteen. Mr. Center of the Universe.

 

 

 

Well that's putting it mildly.

 

Btw, if you haven't already, have a look at this video of the Wilson sisters (& Bonham Jr) playing Stairway to Heaven while Plant, Page, & Jones watch:

 

What a performance! Thanks for posting this! Reminds me of U2 performing 'I Still Haven't Found..' with a gospel choir.

 

But we are derailinig the thread..

 

5, maximum 10 most historically important guitarists, in order of importance, ladies and gentlemen..

[mordante]

Warning some generalization in this post

 

I see a lot of solo guitar players in this thread. While soloists might be great instrumentalists I personally consider most bad musicians. While solo's are a great way to show of technical skills by far the most are utterly boring. Instrumental solo's are like Xmas presents. Most look (sound) great but there is very little content and are quickly forgotten.

 

That is why I have no great love for people like Malmsteen, Buckethead, Schencker, even Zappa (depending on the album) etc.

 

Regardless of instrument I think the best music is without or very few solo's. Some of the bands I've been listing to lately hardly do any solo's.

 

Anathema, Neurosis, My Dying Bride, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Paradise Lost, Godspeed you Black Emperor, Isis, Heather Nova, Talk Talk, Leonard Cohen, Fields of the Nehalem etcetera.

[CatManDo]

Pat Metheny is my favourite guitarist.

 

But I admit that this is not only because of his guitar playing (which is among the top) but his musical creation as a whole, his compositions, his use of innovative instruments like the Synclavier guitar synthesizer, the 42-string Pikasso guitar or the Orchestrion.