Best Guitar Players ...

[f.sciarrillo]

As title says - Who do think is the best guitar player ...

1) David Gilmour, this guy is just awesome. I think he is one of the most under rated guitar players ever.

2) Stevey Ray Vaughn. He was a god, many people can play him. But no one can play like him ...

3) Jason Becker - You should listen to his song Air, It is awesome. Of course Raspberry Jam and ect are really good also .. His stuff with marty friedman in cacophony is pretty impressive as well, he was 17 when he made his first of three albums with them.

It's a shame he has ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - Lou Gehrig’s disease) now and is confined to a wheelchair. He still writes though. He uses a computer to translate what is in his head. I don't know how it works in the way it does, but it works. I read that it took two years to build this computer. He has a new cd out now with Eddie Van Halen playing a song on it.

4) Eric Johnson - I have never seen anyone take classical music, transcribe it to guitar and be able to play it like he does. He is great to say the least.

[ERiC_AiXeLsyD]

I like Slash... not technically the best player out there, but personally... I can feel every note.

[MOONDOGGY]

Petrucci- Most technical, most accurate, most talented.

[aMindBesideItself]

The best guitarist in my opinion is someone you can listen to over and over again without getting sick. I am one of the biggest Vai/Satch fans, but after a CD or two, it is unbearable. The same goes for Malmsteen. So we all know that the best guitarist out there is not necessarily the fastest. That being said, here are the guitarists that I never tire of listening to:

1. David Gilmore - He knows exactly what notes to hit, at exactly the right time. He is stuck in Pentatonic, and is not very fast, but he has absolute perfect pitch, and will never bend a note too far.

2. Eddie Van Halen - The perfect combination of speed and taste. A little out of control sometimes, but this is made up for in his chord arrangements. His choice of chord progressions are retarded, but somehow they magically fit together. He's the only one that can play an E major chord and follow it up with an E minor chord. That just doesn't work. But with Eddie, all things are possible.

3. John Petrucci - There would be no Petrucci without Gilmore. But Petrucci goes way beyond Gilmore. One of the greatest studio guitarists of all time. However, if you listen hard enough, he is kind of a sloppy live player. Think of Gilmore's bends and emotion only with speed to connect the phrases.

4. John Hiatt's guitarist - John Hiatt CDs are incredible, and you owe it to yourself to get his greatest hits CD. I never tire of his stuff, and he always has excellent taste in guitarists.

5. Chet Atkins - Go ahead, i dare you to play his stuff. I DARE you!! He is the godfather of fingerstyle. Or should i say the "hendrix" of fingerstyle. Unbelievable.


Honorable mention for speed:
Uli Roth, Michaelangelo, Michael Romeo, Paul Gilbert, Blues Saraceno!!!, Steve Morse, Buckethead

Honorable mention for feeling:
Eric Johnson, SRV, Johnny Lang, Neal Schon, Felix

[Punkinhead]

In my mind the best guitarist is the one who communicates best with his audience, while remaining technically proficient and not sounding dull/old over time...Music is communication, so here goes:

1. Jimi Hendrix - He remade Vietnam on his guitar, 'nuff said

2. Joe Satriani - Not the most technical, not even really a shredder by shredder's definitions. But the man can write instrumentals that just amaze me as songs. The first time I heard Always With Me, Always With You I had to learn it, I was struck by it so much.

3. (tie) John Petrucci/Steve Morse - Amazingly technical yet still able to play a melody and write good songs.

5. Yngwie Malmsteen - Although the constant sweeping gets old after time, I love classical music beyond even metal. Hence I had to include him because Bach at warp speed just kills me.

6. Steve Vai - A true virtuoso, nothing is beyond him.

[bassist_25]

As always, in no particular order....

10. Allan Holdsworth
9. Randy Rhodes
8. Stevie Ray Vaughn
7. Andres Segovia
6. Pat Metheny
5. John Petrucci
4. Mark Knopfler
3. Chet Atkins
2. George Benson
1. Jimi Hendrix

Honourable mention: Brain Setzer, Ritchie Blackmore, Django Reinhardt, Junior Brown, Paul Gilbert, John McLaughlin, Wes Montgomery, Jose Feliciano, and Nuno Bittencourt (quit being a bitch Nuno, and get Extreme back together!).

[f.sciarrillo]

Knopfler is awesome as well .. I like how he uses the hybrid style of picking.

Anothers to mention are Doyle Bramhall II (he plays with the whole guitar upside down, strings and all), Lanny Cordola (you have to check out his song "The Marriage Of Figaro"), Darren Householder, George Lynch, Richie Sambora, Karl Logan, BB King, Buddy Guy, John T. Booker, ect, ect, ect.

Country Wise - Vince Gill, Keith Urban, Jeff Cook, and Chet Atkins are/were very good musicians as well.

Anymore come to mind I will say them.

[aMindBesideItself]

In my mind the best guitarist is the one who communicates best with his audience, while remaining technically proficient and not sounding dull/old over time...Music is communication, so here goes:

1. Jimi Hendrix - He remade Vietnam on his guitar, 'nuff said

Punkinhead...i have to say this is a bad choice based on 'technical proficiency'. Hendrix was probably the slopiest live player in the history of lead guitar. He DID communicate, and his blues jams were VERY good. But he was sloppy as all getup. I guess you had to live back in the 60s to appreciate it, but why is Hendrix sooooo celebrated?? I always wanted to know that. I want to hear an answer from someone on this board who lived through the Hendrix era. What made Hendrix a god other than the fact that noone was doing anything similar at the time.

And Punkinhead...Satriani is considered so technical becuase he completely took legado playing to another level. And, he is a workhorse playing live. He always manages to feel every note that he plays, and so does the audience.

None of this is a dis, Punkinhead....

b_25 and f.sci....good call on Knopfler!!!! I forgot all about him!!!

If you're going to talk country you are missing the greatest country player of our time!! Brad Paisley!!! He has chunks of Kieth Urban in his stool. His riffs are not even earthly.

Has anybody heard the new John 5 album yet???

And does anybody other than me think that this spiderman comic is funny?? I let out a little pee when i read this.

[aMindBesideItself]

O yeah...best local musician:

Randy Rutherford

[lonewolf]

I guess you had to live back in the 60s to appreciate it, but why is Hendrix sooooo celebrated?? I always wanted to know that. I want to hear an answer from someone on this board who lived through the Hendrix era. What made Hendrix a god other than the fact that noone was doing anything similar at the time.

Ok, here goes. 1st, Hendrix is a legend, but not a god. You have to consider that all his recorded work spanned about 3 years and that alone is an incredible feat. He pioneered the use of effects and whammy bar and defined a style of music that many of the guitarists listed above still use today. The more popular live clips show a sloppy and out of tune Hendrix, but if you want to hear good live Hendrix, listen to Band Of Gypsies or a host of albums that came out after his death, like Midnight Lightning? It wasn't all about lead guitar either. He had several songs with walking jazzy/bluesy rhythms, a la Wind Cries Mary. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that he was technically proficient or the greatest of all time (although he could have been, had he lived into the 70s), BUT...

You need to listen to much more than "Smash Hits" and Woodstock to get a better appreciation for just how good Jimi really was.

BTW, ditto to most of the aforementioned guitarists and I'd like to add Steve Howe, Jan Akkerman and Michael Schenker.

Akkerman is probably the least known great guitarist ever. You all probably know his work on Hocus Pocus by Focus, but many never heard anything else. In the early 70s, he was playing solos that rival today's virtuoso's.

Of course, if you want to know how...ask Howe.

[ZappasXWife]

Kudos on everything you just said about JH lonewolf...especially the fact that, yea thats what he did in 3 years. If he could have stayed away from his demons who knows what could have been, he was very young. And I also agree with previous post that what shows in the most popular live performances of his was sloppy as hell, not a technically proficient player but def technically groundbreaking.
My favorite guitarist was NOT MENTIONED!

1. Carlos Santana !!!!!!!!!
2. Malsteen - the showboat factor aside, see him live & he'll blow your mind. As Joe Satriani said at G3 last year, 'the guy's a freak of nature'
3. Lindsay Buckingham - highly under-rated
4. Jimi Hendrix
5. Duane Allman - groundbreaking in that he introduced slide guitar into rock music. And played it with a Coricidin bottle.

...sorry Eric Clapton, you're not God


Honorable mention for local: Felix Kos

[songsmith]

I think a lot of what some people describe as "sloppy" is actually playing around the beat. To the uninitiated, it sounds loose, but it's pretty hard to do, and requires immaculate timing. I've seen jazz cats who played fills that, at the beginning of the tune, sounded like they didn't have their monitors turned on, but as the song progressed you could tell they knew exactly what they were doing.
Another factor is Hendrix's drug of choice, "Whaddayagot?" known by it's medical name: Iduemol. Many, if not most, of music's top guitarists and musicians in general, have suffered addictions, or at least used regularly. It's one of the most argued points in the history of music: Do mind-altering substances help creativity or hinder it?----->JMS

[aMindBesideItself]

The sloppiest thing i've ever heard in my life....bash me all you want...

Jimmy Page....Heartbreaker solo

That is just a steaming, worthless pile of cow dung (figuratively speaking)
blaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh

When you try to play fast and there's no fluidity...that's sloppy. That's what i mean when i say hendrix was sloppy.

[esa]

And does anybody other than me think that this spiderman comic is funny?? I let out a little pee when i read this.

... ...

[esa]

And I'm glad you said it ZappasWife! Carlos Santana...you know that man "plays" women like he plays that fiddle. I'm getting all hot and bothered just thinking about him...

I second Felix... And add Jimmi Houser and any of the Myers boys. They really astound me.

[songsmith]

Yeah, okay agreed... I think that was sloppy. I wouldn't bash you though... we've met, and I think you have a pretty good head on your shoulders, and you DO have to deal with Rob The Drummer, that's heroic in and of itself! I realized you're a prog fan,too, and there's a real emphasis on fluidity and scalar prowess, as opposed to the old way of Marshalls running full-out and nut-rattling power chords. Neither way is wrong, to me. I like it stank and sweaty, or sweet and tight. Same as poontang.-->JMS

[f.sciarrillo]

If you're going to talk country you are missing the greatest country player of our time!! Brad Paisley!!! He has chunks of Kieth Urban in his stool. His riffs are not even earthly.

Paisley totally slipped my mind .. He is an incredible guitar player.

[Punkinhead]

In my mind the best guitarist is the one who communicates best with his audience, while remaining technically proficient and not sounding dull/old over time...Music is communication, so here goes:

1. Jimi Hendrix - He remade Vietnam on his guitar, 'nuff said

Punkinhead...i have to say this is a bad choice based on 'technical proficiency'. Hendrix was probably the slopiest live player in the history of lead guitar. He DID communicate, and his blues jams were VERY good. But he was sloppy as all getup. I guess you had to live back in the 60s to appreciate it, but why is Hendrix sooooo celebrated?? I always wanted to know that. I want to hear an answer from someone on this board who lived through the Hendrix era. What made Hendrix a god other than the fact that noone was doing anything similar at the time.

And Punkinhead...Satriani is considered so technical becuase he completely took legado playing to another level. And, he is a workhorse playing live. He always manages to feel every note that he plays, and so does the audience.

None of this is a dis, Punkinhead....

b_25 and f.sci....good call on Knopfler!!!! I forgot all about him!!!

If you're going to talk country you are missing the greatest country player of our time!! Brad Paisley!!! He has chunks of Kieth Urban in his stool. His riffs are not even earthly.

Has anybody heard the new John 5 album yet???

And does anybody other than me think that this spiderman comic is funny?? I let out a little pee when i read this.

Satriani is not a shredder, that was my point...not that he isn't technical. I know how technical he is cause I've learned some of his work...you misread my friend...Technical proficiency isn't key, communication is...by technical proficiency all I meant was that you don't get musically retarded while listening to it. I am using it in an extremely broad way...Communication is the key for me, and always has been, no matter how many 32nd note runs I play/hear. And if you want to talk sloppy, go watch Led Zeppelin live...lol...I have live DVDs, it's sloppy...

I've heard the new John 5 album and I'm still waiting for him to play something without effects on it...It's good but, to me and only to me, it needs more pure guitar in spots than effects laden stuff on the rock/metal type songs...the country playing on is phenomenal though

[wiskerbisket]

Cant believe he wasnt even mentioned :(
Dimebag Darryl
Oh I remember the daze when i so wanted to be in a Pantera tribute band.i remember opening for Dragonfire w/ a 45 minute set of nuttin but Pantera metallica nad Slayer...oh the days have passed me by...

[Ron]

EVH
Satch
Vai
Petrucci
Beck
Slash
Lifeson
Page

also in no particular order.

[DennySD]

Personally I don't like shredders... I feel like if I've heard 10 seconds of an Yngvie solo, I've heard every one.

This is Rockpage so I guess I'll stick to the rock guys... Besides a bunch already mentioned...

Son Seals
Jerry Garcia
Trey Anastasio
Steve Kimock
Warren Haynes
Duane Allman
Billy Gibbons
Sterling Morrison
John McLaughlan
Leo Kottke
Terry Kath

this is too hard... there's so many great guitarists...

and some guilty pleasures (may not be the greatest ever but I love em):
J. Mascis from Dinosaur Jr. and The Fog
Thurstin Moore from Sonic Youth
Johnny Greenwood from Radiohead

All right I gotta stop now.

[Mackovyak]

Personally, looking at it subjectively, I'd have to combine technique, proficiency, creativeness, and emotion, not just speed and cleanliness of notes. Also, I think they need to be considered within their own Genre, it's hard to compare a metal guitarist to an acoustic player. In no particular order....

Hendrix - I agree with the above post, there's more to him than just Smash Hits or Woodstock. The unfinished demos of Send My Love to Linda and Angel are insane, and the solos to Axis: Bold as Love or Night Bird Flying speak for themselves.

SRV
Chet Atkins
B.B. King
John Lee Hooker
Malsteen
Satch
Vai
Buckethead
Travis Meeks
Tim Reynolds
Kirk Hammett
The Guy from the Outlaws???? Can't remember his name.

Honorable Mentions: Dave Mustaine, Ted Nugent, Dick Dale, Dimebag

Local Heros: Watching the Kos brothers feed off each other!

[BDR]

The national argument is no fun.

Local guys —
• "old sKool" Kenny Murdick -- Bad Daze
• Jeremiah Shafer -- Running With Scissors
• Eric Smith -- most recently w/Blackout
• Richie Johnson -- most recently w/Wake Up Screaming
• Matt Day -- In

r:>)

[ZappasXWife]

Just a few I forgot as Denny SD reminded me...Terry Kath!! Another What Could Have Been. I think if he wouldn't have died, Chicago would have been a psychedelic jam band instead of a pop machine.
My son's going through the obligatory Phish phase and even though I used to be a phish-head I am now so sick of phish because they are in my dreams (coming out of his room) making me dizzy from the pointless noodling. BUT, Trey is talented; I wish he wouldn't sing though. Runaway Jim should just run away. From my home forever.
Another one overlooked that I have mentioned on RP before..never thought I would appreciate Prince's talent, but one performance I saw really impressed me.
Best local acoustic talent: Dwane Edmiston! Catch Acid Reflux and hybrid WoodnStrings in a town near you!

[f.sciarrillo]

The national argument is no fun.

Local guys —
• "old sKool" Kenny Murdick -- Bad Daze
• Jeremiah Shafer -- Running With Scissors
• Eric Smith -- most recently w/Blackout
• Richie Johnson -- most recently w/Wake Up Screaming
• Matt Day -- In

r:>)

I would say the local guitars players I like the best but I am bias ..

Kenny from Bad Daze is a very good guitar player. As well as Tony from never enough and Jay from Hair Force One. Old skool Others like Tim Hermerski, Mike Gata (sp?), Bob Helbig(sp?), and Pat Mcgraw are pretty good also .. (I can never remember how to spell their names)

Nationally, I could never really stand Malmsteen. He was more a show off than anything. He is good yes, but to much of a ego maniac. Dave Mustain is very good also.

And Ron I totally didn't think of Lifeson, He is great as well. The lead guitar player from Primus was pretty good also ...