Best Guitarist: The Criteria

This article was inspired by seeing so many best guitarist polls which never come to an agreement. I'm not saying this article is the be all and end all, everyone has different opinions and will disagree, yet some lists can be considered void because they do not consider all the criteria. Here's what they should consider.

NB. The suggestions of the best in each category are my opinion so it's there. Don't give me stick for it please. Most of the names are relatively famous, on the asumption that you can't quite the best if you havn't made it big. (And because of my lack of depth in rock music knowledge)

Technical Ability

The most obvious aspect of judging a guitarist, yet mistaken by many to be everything. Technical ability can be classed straight forwardly as how good a guitarist can play things, but not how good he/she is overall.

Steve Vai - Practiced 10 hours a day, enough said.

Yngwie Malmsteem - In Zakk Wyldes words: "Everyone wanted to be like this guy."

Jimi Hendrix - Comes first on every poll, and since tech ability is many people main consideratio, he must be good.

Less Is More

It's great if you can play 16ths at 200bpm, better if you know where to leave your notes out. Having the control not to show off all the time is a difficult trick to master.

Dave Gilmour - Probably the master of this.

Paul Kossoff - Listen to the All Right Now solo.

Kurt Cobain - Comes under this because he probably couldn't do more, but if he could, he wouldn't anyway.

Influence

You gotta be good if you have everyone else trying to be like you surely. Being remembered after your hayday is the hallmark of a good musician, that's why we call Bach, Mozart etc great. 300 years and people still listen to them.

Eric Clapton - Cream pioneered the 3 piece, wah-wah, 70's blues rock, etc.

Tony Iommi - Invented heavy metal.

Kurt Cobain - Made Generation X slam out teen spirit on crappy acoustics.

Pete Townsend - Invented punk and along with bassist Entwhistle, pioneered the stacks whilst having competitions to see who could be the loudest.

Sales

Formula is simple: you sell = people like you = your good.

PS. theoretically Michael Jackson's guitarist (whoever he is) should be second here for Thriller, (and Billie Joels should be fifth) but it ain't quite rock and roll is it?

Joe Walsh, Glenn Frey - The Eagles Greatest Hits is the best selling album ever.

Dave Gilmour - Pink Floyd's The Wall sold 23 million.

Jimmy Page - Led Zep 4 sold 22 million, the best rock album ever in my opinion.

Angus Young, Malcolm Young - Back In Black sold 19 million.

Originality

If you come up with something new all by yourself, your clever. Two many guitarists fall in to the trap of copying each other, but it's the original guitarists that stand out and deserve credit.

Tom Morello - How does he make all those wierd sounds?

Eric Clapton - Before The Bluesbreakers album it was near sacrilage to use so much distortion. Studio engineers loathed him!

EVH - The tapping, the shredding. Van Halen's first album really is the defining moment where the 70's became the 80's.

Speed

Speed impresses on the first listen, and it takes hard work, strength and patience. If you can be very quick you must have been working hard, and thus deserve credit.

Steve Vai - Statistically, the fastest ever. 28 notes per second I think.

Kirk Hammet - Constantly fast, even if not statiscally.

EVH - Invented shred.

Best Of Both Worlds

Finding the correct balance between speed and melody is even trickier than doing just one. A great guitarist can impress but also move someone.

Jimmy Page - In my opinion, the best at this skill and thus the best ever.

Eric Clapton - A little more melodical than Page, and a Page album released tomorrow would be better than a Clapton one.

Slash - Underated or overated, but rarely put in context. Sweet Child O Mine shows perfection of this technique.

Jimi Hendrix - Genius.

Discipline

A disciplined guitarist is one who doesn't try and drown out the best of the band, all those mentioned below have let fellow band members take center stage instead of themselves, and that takes skill. Of course none of these mentioned below could be considered the best guitarist, but certainly good ones.

Scott Gorham, Brian Robertson - Worked together in perfect tandem, never missing a note. Also, often stood back to let Phil Lynott take centre stage.

Malcolm Young - Big brother to Angus but let him have the lead spot because it interfered with his drinking. Listen to AC/DC's live album and you can hear how much louder Angus is. Malcolm could have so easily cranked up the volume, but didn't.

Song Writing Ability

The most debatable area, but for arguements sake my suggestions have all written songs which will probably still be listened to in 50 years time. I have included this because you may be quiker than Steve Vai and more controlled than Dave Gilmour, yet you will get nowhere, or deserve to get nowhere, if you can't write a great tune. The best in this category are those which could write a great song without knowing the A-Z of music theory and without sticking minoraddsus7 chords in their songs.

John Lennon - Along with McCartney is considered as the best. Macartney was reall a bassist in the Beatles day so he doesn't count in the guitarist list.

Kurt Cobain - Just battered the hell out of whatever guitar he had and it worked, brilliant.

Pete Townsend - Taking bout my generation...

I don't know what the tenth area could be, amke suggestions yourself and debate on each of the 9/10 areas. Thanks for reading...

Comments

[Slashfan#1]

Best guitar player.... hmmm..... you will never know it is all opinion there is no playoffs and superbowl there is no champ only an opinion. But just for the record I thought tone should have been the 10th catagory and speed is something that is looked at far to hard I know guys on the streets that play wicked fast but they have none of there own licks and if they do it sucks.

[Goddamnit]

I didnt agree with it, and you'll probably get a lot of stick for this, but hey, you seemed to have put a lot of thought and effort into this

[Goddamnit]

IMO the only category here that matters is the Song Writing Ability one. but thats just my opinion

[Sanitarium24]

Goddamnit:
IMO the only category here that matters is the Song Writing Ability one. but thats just my opinion

i agree. no one cares how fast you can play if you can't play anything original.

[the_concierge]

Good article man. You put good points forward for each 'nominee', and good range of areas aswell. 5/5 especially considering some of the rubbish that gets put up here

[Freepower]

awful article. But good idea.

[SilentDeftone]

No Satriani? No Petrucci? No McLaughlin?

Hammett's not particularly fast in comparison to a lot of other guys.

I don't think Hendrix had that much technical ability, certainly not enough to put him in the top 3. I find that I like his songwriting better, i.e. Little Wing. And speaking of songwriting, Cobain? He wrote terrible songs and played them even worse!

2 stars. Might have considered putting this through the UG Contribution forum first.

[Slashfan#1]

4 stars

[Spicer_UK]

Good article, however i reckon theirs a few key names that were left out, e.g. Zakk Wylde, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads

[The_Marshall_Gu]

hendrix really shouldn't be in the technical ability top 3.

[atc228]

this wasnt that bad, 3 or 4 stars-im not sure which i will vote-but i think this article could go well with another one that was excellent a few months (6?) back:

What Makes a Guitar Player Great?

that was truly a good article, but u covered some of the stuff that dude didnt. good going i guess but still not as good

[stubsywubsy]

i liked it. good article dude

[jmag]

well, he had a good point.

Goddamnit:
IMO the only category here that matters is the Song Writing Ability one. but thats just my opinion

not quite. it weights ALOT as far as judging a musician/guitarist goes, but technique is also an important factor.

[gpderek09]

i think Rhandy Rhoads could've been fit into one of the examples...

[Guitarist132]

i liked it gj

[imagonaeatu]

i liked it and i agree it jmag
4/5

[SethMegadefan]

Well, I know you left out some people, but you included enough where it doesn't really matter. Good article, great effort, 4 stars.

[yelhsashley2004]

steve vai faster player? not too sure about that, i think Micheal Angelo would kick his ass. Also, for technical ability, i don't think Hendrix really quallifies, he's got more feel than amazing skill.

[[NIN]_ROCK!]

Some great guitarists missing(Jerry Cantrell,Mike Einziger,Mark Tremonti,Mike McCready),but an interesting article.5 stars

[Thedarkwolf]

3 for the effort,but u cant realy judge by yourself

[Super_Sexy_Owen]

that was a good article, we need more of these

[Villain_S_Deeds]

EVH did not invent shred. Ritchie Blackmore was doing it in the late 60's

[Unourrit01]

i think thier is better people for examples of the catagories.

[Unourrit01]

o yea and in songwriting i think jimmy page should be in thier. Look at all the amazing songs he has writen

[s_fall20]

cool that you anaylized so many. but kirk in speed??? jimi hendrix in thechnical ability? replace those names with John Petrucci.

[aznkid001]

wheres stevie ray vaughn??

[lacey_the_crazy]

I hope you all realize that he did mention that all of his examples were his opinion? You can't really attack the article because of his opinion.
I think it was alright; it'd be good for some of the people constantly arguing over the "best" guitarist to take a look at this. Your article points out that there's a lot to take into account when it comes to a guitarist's skill. 4 stars.

[kmc123]

That was a more opinionated article than factual. Try to find more sources that can be factual. For example you wrote, Pete Townsend - Invented punk and along with bassist Entwhistle. The Who didn't invent punk. But it was a good idea anyways even though any of those categories are debatable.

[Pyro128]

I don't consider Cobain the best guitarist ever, but I do think he definitely was original.

[DaveGilmour1189]

I think Eddie Van halen did some (not all) of the guitar work in Thriller. I do know for a fact that he did the solo on Beat It. This is all from the april issue of guitar world. And no SRV, he could get in there somewhere in almost any category

[HamBoy10]

s_fall20 is right. I like Hammett and Hendrix, but I think Petrucci is better. Just my opinion.

[UNIe]

Not bad article really, but I'm very dissapointed that Satriani was not mentioned there

[forevergonzo]

i think its a stretch to say that townsend invented punk, and i think that ron asheton of the stooges and johnny ramone were very influential

[dre-0]

lots of opinions but i like it.

I did learn from your article though. I feel like I am a deciplined guitarist. Becuase I am the older one and I played lead before my brother came in. But he is always playing louder (and i have the better amp and I am better at lead).

I give it a 8

[tigerwithfire]

MICHEAL JACKSON'S GUITARIST...NONE OTHER THAN EDDIE VAN HALEN

[Rodders]

Fastest guitarist isn't Steve Vai...its Marcas Paus....46 NPS....although desptite speed, he has nothing to offer.....

Good article, missed out some names, but that was going to happen whatever. 4 stars.

[psychodelia]

EVH did Beat It but I'm not sure he did any other songs for MJ.

Joe Walsh has gotten a lot of sales through Eagles, but I actually like his solo stuff and James Gang stuff better.

Now I know that lots of people are mad that theyre favorite guitarists weren't picked but big deal, it's his examples. You're supposed to concentrate on the categories.

4 stars, decent but not a ton of new ideas to offer.

[pinheadslts75]

hey, jimi was a great songwriter and very original.
why wasn't he on those two?

[GuitarJunkie]

is it me...or did you not even mention jeff beck??!!

[The_Trooper14]

evh played for micheal jackson on thriller

[david payseno]

I think Dave Davies should be in the originality section. Listen to the solo on You Really Got Me, and find another that is remotely similar. You can't. And also on the subject of originality, how about Franny Beecher of the Comets? Not only did he help pioneer rock guitar, but nobody before or since has sounded like him

[ATHForce]

Why does everyone always forget Adam Jones from Tool? He's another that could go under every category. Also, I'm not sure but you might've left out Zakk Wylde. He's probably the most badass guitar player today.

[ATHForce]

Oh yeah, and Adam Dutkiewicz from Killswitch Engage. Almost forgot about him...

[gilmour-page]

i think eric johnson deserves to be in there somewhere too, maybe in a seperate area, like tone, which slashfan#1 suggested

[Drazil]

You cited sales as something that should be taken into consideration when rating a guitarist.

What the hell happened to George Harrison and John Lennon, the guitarists of the Best-Selling Band Ever?
Or how about Keith Richards, the main guitarist in the Highest-Grossing Band Ever?

[RedGibsonSG]

I was pretty sure that Michael Angelo was the fastest guitar player ever.
He is ridiculous

[AC/DC Dude8]

yea, john lennon should have been in the sales part. but hey, pretty good article. i personally think slash is the best, followed by hendrix, followed by vai.

[AC/DC Dude8]

o yea, 4 stars.

[dietrying]

stevie ray vaughn is my favorite guitarist... i dont think jimi was even that good... just a whole buncha random guitar solos

[ibanez-gnr14]

Slash and Angus Rule Hard Rock!

[Mantiscabinet]

dude...good job for initiative...i was thinking of this...and like slashfan#1 suggested, tone should be the tenth...like, how the timbre (or sound of the guitar) but that is really out in opinioniated type of thing

[luv2jam]

Wow id have to say you missed a few guitarists Take for example Tony McCalpine, George Lynch, Paul Gilbert, Ty Tabor, John Petrucci, John Sykes. Just to name a few. It is always hard to say who is the greatest guitarist there are so many aspects of guitar to take into account, But in my opinion Steve Vai is the greatest guitarist to ever live. Hes untouchable not only is he the closest thing to technical perfection he cover a very broad array of genres.

[shimaroller3]

These are the best in my opinion:

1. Kirk Hammett - Combine technical skills, knowledge of music theory, and incredible creativity. Fade to Black.

2. Jimmy Page - Incredible skill, 'nuff said. How the West was Won is better than Hendrix IMO.

3. Eddie Hazel - Skill combined with emotion. He's not as well known, but listen to Maggot Brain by Funkadelic. You will be blown away.

Overall good article. 5 stars.

[clwy87]

it's an ok article....touches on a few points....misses out on many other great guitarists...3stars..

[GuitarN00b]

i actually didn't really like this article - i'll just touch upon the originality section -

jimi hendrix? didn't he invent something entirely new? why isn't he in there?
jimmy page pioneered the entire pentatonic blues thing didn't he? why isn't he in there?
olar or w/e that guy is in mars volta - i'd say he's pretty orginal too...

[HilikusJB14]

why does everyone get pissed about how their favorite guitarist was left out, these are just examples to help demonstrate the necessities of being a good guitar player.

[V12]

Look into the underground. Mainstream guitarists such as via and satriani are alright. But delve deep into the world of underground music. The talent is insane

[Punk Poser]

You should have said this article applies to ROCK guitarists, cause thats is all that is on there. There are sooo manyy blues\jazz\classicl\ect.could be put up, otherwise i would consider this alittle shallow.

[JustinYap]

wasn't michael jackson's guitarist slash??? or was that only for black or white?

[Mascot]

This is horrible.

[chris5150]

i know wacko jacko played with eddie van halen for beat it

[milk_it_good]

Who the *** said Jimi wasn't technical? Whoever it was, you're a gimp. Perhaps he isn't the most technical, but for his time he was the most famous trail-blazing and TECHNICAL electric guitarist. Plus, he had ultimate control, he knew where to put all of the correct notes without sounding like he was just wanking and STILL keep the melody consistant. I know you all like to suck vai and satriani's penis, but there popularity is essentially based on there technicality and speed and not much else. I mean, the average guiatr-ignorant person doesn't regularly slap on a Vai CD at a party does he? Think about it.

[J3ZZA]

For "Dirty Diana" wasn't it an english woman he saw playing and really liked so he kinda asked her to tour with him??

[kingthomas]

and where the heck is eric johnson on the list??? lol. but still very informational.

[jamstation]

was just wondering about marcus paus.. isnt he a pianist?

[jamstation]

sorry my mistake.. he plays for mr cucumber... anyway,

yeah i agree mostly with the criteria if not the nominees, but personally my favourite guitarist is nuno bettencourt..
could have included mike einziger..

[AlekOne]

28 notes per second? I don't believe that

[WilliamVN'R]

slash practiced 12 hours a day when he was growin up! I think that kurt cobain isn't worthy of a place on the list but hey thats my opinion. Good article, but maybe you should do another one that focuses on different styles of guitaring, not just rock.

[michaelsko]

How about Petrucci???
He may not be the best but not to put him in the technical ability?

It's an insult my man !

[TheBridgekeeper]

AlekOne:
28 notes per second? I don't believe that

It is possible

good article. 4 stars

[kirkhammett150]

kurt?!!? ***! he was so bad! a friend of mine IS way better,means more creative, not technically (grunge band)
and the rest is....bad....sorry! 1 STar

[cocox2]

OKAY, I THINK EVERYONE WILL AGREE WITH ME...
IN Originality, YOU DIDNT MENTION MIKE KNOPFLER (DIRE STRAITS)
HE IS AWESOME, HE PLAYS WITHOUT A PICK (just like me) AND HIS SOUNDS ITS SOOO.. ORIGINAL!!!
LISTEN TO SULTANS OF SWINGS
ANY COMMENT, MY E-MAIL IS: [e-mail]

[caucasian_ninja]

Yeah, Van Halen did Thriller. Anyways, I think originality and songwriting are the most important aspects. Also DIVERSITY. Do you want to listen to someone who plays the same type of song every time? I think Dave Navarro could've fit into one of those categories. A lot of you don't like him, but listen to his work with Jane's Addiction. None of the songs sound the same. Just a thought....

[Captain Colon]

A good "best guitarist" article...but it's still a "best guitarist" article, sorry.

[Mr_Die_Easy]

Kurt Cobain.... Sorry to say but isn't great and he couldn't pull off a decent solo if his life depened on it. Hey he forget about Randy Rhoads.....

[Jim #4]

where is John Petrucci?? and why is Kirk Hammet fast??

[ac/guns n zep]

Fastest guitarist isn't Steve Vai...its Marcas Paus....46 NPS....although desptite speed, he has nothing to offer.....

It wasnt really 46 notes per second. He just slid his finger really fast up the fretboard and alternate picked 2 strings. He could never reach anywhere close to that speed just regularly playing.

Also a good guitarist is not something you can judge on paper. Thats why everyone disagrees. Its just about sounding good. Music isnt something you can judge like stats in sports.

[Graves]

kerry king was tone deaf in the early 90's man.. he needed guitar lessons.. he isn't all that great.. Fast isn't everything... and to GAC1989 man, what the hell are you talking about? Why would you even bother to make an article about best guitarists if you only include a select few.. that no one can agree upon except the fans... I think the real good guitarists are the ones we all agree are good, even if we don't like them. And Why mention Dicipline if it doesn't help come to a conclusion as to who the best guitarist is? If you can't hear them it don't help at all.

[Mad Marius]

While I appreciate the effort, it is obvious to me that the author doesn't have a very extensive musical culture, and is in no way knowledgeable enough to write an article titled "Best Guitarist".

You left out names like Paul Gilbert, Jason Becker and John Petrucci, yet you mention Kurt Cobain 3 (three) times.

I'm sorry, but I disagree with many of your choices. And the fact of the matter is, yes, they're your oppinion, but this oppinion is based on insufficient knowledge of music.

Try to document yourself more next time, and never ever include Kurt Cobain in a "best guitarist" clasification.

[areguzanda]

nice try man

[goku77]

ummmm,Jimmy Page isnt the best ever but still a 5 star.

[WaRl0cK101]

i wish i was in that list...

[rockinlewis]

You left out names like Paul Gilbert, Jason Becker and John Petrucci, yet you mention Kurt Cobain 3 (three) times.

That is because his songs sold like Shit off a shovel, he inspired a generation of new guitarists and he knew how to write songs. None of your shredders will do as well as he did.

and before someone says it, i dont care if his face WAS blown off, it makes no difference to the music he produced.

[phoenix_88]

cocox... turn off the caps.
and lots of people don't use picks.
Mike Knopfler yes but also Jeff Beck, and I'm pretty sure Derek Trucks doesn't either. Of course there are others.

[Ledzep2301]

I'm sorry but you really missed on this one. Missed alotta guitarists, and off on a good number of your points. This is just your opinion and I respect that. But I highly disagree. Jimmy Page not in the influence category is a sin and no Petrucci anywhere is terrible.

[lmthedarkman]

isn't it MARK knopfler of dire straits?

[Rankles]

Drazil:
You cited sales as something that should be taken into consideration when rating a guitarist.

What the hell happened to George Harrison and John Lennon, the guitarists of the Best-Selling Band Ever?
[POSTED: 27 June 2005 - 17:45]|

They died, idiot.

[Anty 7]

dietrying:
stevie ray vaughn is my favorite guitarist... i dont think jimi was even that good... just a whole buncha random guitar solos

They may be a litlle bit "random" but they're beutiful and revolutionary
You forgot an "overall coolness" section (Angus Young)
As well as a "theory knowledge and using it in songs" because as much as I love Metallica the rythms are just powerchords

It wasnt great but you tried and you have bad examples
3/5

[frieze06]

people always like to put down kurt. u dont need to play 28 npm to be a good guitarist. and yeah he wasn't a guitar god or whoever u worship here. but he was oriat matters. notes per minute isn't gonna start a new revolutginal and thats all thion but originality and good song writing skills do. like when u hear a song and it gives u goose bumbs and the hair stands up on your skin. thats what music about. not how technical it is. the easiest songs in the world can be the best. bands like the beatles and nirvana. dont deny it. thats why we dont have very many good bands these days. they try to hard to be technical and they lose originality. we need something new that doesn't sound like nothing u have heard before and it really draws u in. hell the song could be 3 notes throughout the whole song. kinda like how the ramones done (lol) but it still sounded good.

[karateguy29]

i liked the article, there were so many gramatical and spelling errors though, Jesus Christ would it hurt to check his work after he was done writing?

[ac/guns n zep]

people always like to put down kurt. u dont need to play 28 npm to be a good guitarist. and yeah he wasn't a guitar god or whoever u worship here. but he was oriat matters. notes per minute isn't gonna start a new revolutginal and thats all thion but originality and good song writing skills do. like when u hear a song and it gives u goose bumbs and the hair stands up on your skin. thats what music about. not how technical it is. the easiest songs in the world can be the best. bands like the beatles and nirvana. dont deny it. thats why we dont have very many good bands these days. they try to hard to be technical and they lose originality. we need something new that doesn't sound like nothing u have heard before and it really draws u in. hell the song could be 3 notes throughout the whole song. kinda like how the ramones done (lol) but it still sounded good.

First off Kurt Cobain was nothing more then an average guitarist and his solos suck

Second people today arent being technical thats part of the problem. they just play power chords and never play lead

Lastly i dont think anyone measures notes per minute. they measure notes per second. If they measured notes per minute it would be like 1900 npm for the fastest.

[SuperEgo35]

just one thing...EVH brought shredding/tapping to the mainstream, but it was being done long before...he actually ripped tapping off someone else, can't remember the name...otherwise, good article

[Last To Fall]

people always like to put down kurt. u dont need to play 28 npm to be a good guitarist. and yeah he wasn't a guitar god or whoever u worship here. but he was oriat matters. notes per minute isn't gonna start a new revolutginal and thats all thion but originality and good song writing skills do. like when u hear a song and it gives u goose bumbs and the hair stands up on your skin. thats what music about. not how technical it is. the easiest songs in the world can be the best. bands like the beatles and nirvana. dont deny it. thats why we dont have very many good bands these days. they try to hard to be technical and they lose originality. we need something new that doesn't sound like nothing u have heard before and it really draws u in. hell the song could be 3 notes throughout the whole song. kinda like how the ramones done (lol) but it still sounded good.

Listen to Steve Vai, does he sound like anything you've ever heard before. No. Just because someone plays fast doesn't mean it can't give you goosebumps. I am definitely more moved listening to John Petruci play a beautiful guitar solo than I am hearing Kurt play feedback.

[flamencogod]

OH yeah, there is no such thing as a best guitarist

steve vai doesn't play 28nps, more like 21

[LordoftheDorks]

oh and the RAMONES guitarist SUCKED ASS... the only reason that band was good (and it was great) is cuz the singer was damned awesome

[metalhead296]

ok i read no posts befor ethis so...someone else probly said this but neways. were is roads, were is paul gilbert, were is john petrucci, were is satriani,were is stevie ray vaughn, were is dwayne almond, whoever wrote this should go drown in a bucket of rat feces while getting castrated by diseased hemaphrodites.

[frying nemo08]

i think that omar rodriguez lopez should have been included under the origonality part, the dude has around 200 effect petals

[IgnoreThis]

Jimi=God

He has nearly all of those qualities

[LordoftheDorks]

"Tony Iommi - invented heavy metal" hehehe enough said there hehehe

btw jimi hendrix wrote almost nothing and in my opinion if you got angus young or jimmy page high as hell and gave them a half million dollars worth of effects they would sound just as good

[luv2jam]

Milk_it_good How can you say Vai's popularity is soley based upon his technicality and speed I began listening to Vai because he sounded great and has a very unique style another thing you cant compare a guitar ignorat listener to those of us who are musically inclined Jimi Hendrix is good but "the Guitar-Ignorant" enjoy his music because he was trendy. Anyways Vai was slapped on at parties When he was in Whitesnake. Which proves he can cross over into mainstream. The guy is able to do whatever he damn well pleases on a guitar, and in any genre of music he wants.

[razorkiss]

also consider players that play to make a song great without shreading or overshadowing the vocals like the Edge(U2)and Stephen carpenter (deftones)

[SickMetal]

Despite some poor examples and other minor errors, I agree with you're message. I hate seeing people argue about who's better and such, it's pointless.

[1983 Merman]

What about guitarists that aren't in rock music. Such as Blues. BB King? Stevie Ray Vaughn?

I don't know of many Blues guitarists, but they definately need to be considered before writing this article.
There are also classical guitarists too.
What about those crazy acoustic people like Kaki King?

1 star

[luv2jam]

Randy Rhoads.. Why wasnt he mentioned he was great and he doesnt even get a little credit he has without a doubt one of the most influential guitarist ever you can go into guitar stores everywhere and hear people trying to emulate his style..

[powerhead]

yah, it was van halen. Good 'ole eddie.

[moonraker]

emotion and feeling
thats the only category your missing

[the_white_bunny]

eddies the man!

[UtBDan]

didn't seem like you put effort into it, or did much other than state what everyone knew already. 1.

[Gunstar Hero]

good article, though i dont agree that hendrix was known for his technical ability. it was about his feel

[indierock-kid]

And where may i rudley ask is none other than, """EDDIE VAN HALEN"""

[andr3s]

Nice article. You didn't include some important guitarists, but I do think you did right when including Kurt Cobain. He wasn't anywhere near a guitar god, but he sure did some original and inspiring stuff to many guitarists. For those that judge him just by his technical skills should really think twice. If you ask me, I would rather play like Kurt than Yngwie. In my opinion, speed doesn't matter that much. Point said.

[Jpinales2004]

Cobain was a crappy guitar player. glad to see Slash,Clapton and EVH there as they truly have skills. What about Kim Thayil?

[ibanez-gnr14]

where's Joe Perry? Slash Rules!

[fwibble]

steve vai 28 notes a second wtf?!?!?!?! that guy's insane!!!!

sorry i'm gonna go off and get rid of my giddyness

[CvPrEpKiLLaH]

lol, back in black sold 20 million, not 19

[Encore_God]

Pretty good, still, you've missed out ACRES of excellent guitar players. Some nice inclusions, but there is a lot missing. Nifty article, well broken down into separate criteria.

[Graves]

No Satriani? No Petrucci? No McLaughlin? No Malmsteen? No Vaughan? No Dimebag? Paco De Lucia? Zakk Wylde? Prince? (yes, prince is a kick ass guitarist...) Paul Gilbert? Common man, these guys kick more ass than most of the guys you mentioned.. (except Vai, he's mental)

IMO. Jimmy Page is horrible live. brilliant only in the studio.

And no, just because someone sells records doesn't mean it's all because of the Guitars.. I'm sure most people don't listen to Michael Jackson to hear the guitars...

by the way some good guitarists to check out are: Jeff Waters of Annihilator
Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains
Marty Friedman & Jason Becker of Cacophony (wrote the Speedmetal Symphony.. check it out!)
Muhammed Suicmez of Necrophagist (Fermented Offal Discharge has a BEAUTIFUL metal solo)
Yngwie Malmsteen of Yngwie Malmsteen/Alcatrazz

[slashmiester]

Jimi Hendrix - Genius.

At least you got one thing right, but how can you say kurt cobain had a good song writing ability.
I agree with about half of this.

[Slashfan#1]

Fu*k you GRAVES you ever seen the new DVD not the old one man he kicked ass on that some of you guys need to get off your speed kick as well I mean I like it but you cant just play fast all the time, it then becomes as shitty as hearing the same chords over and over speed is not the only thing that matters.

[JorisBlack]

How about Petrucci???
He may not be the best but not to put him in the technical ability?

It's an insult my man !

Hell yeah, where's John Petrucci?
Why wouldn't he be the best? IMO he is...
Seriously, listen to Dream Theater, and agree with me
I personally like Carpe Diem a lot...
The artical handles about the right things...but misplaces and misses the right names...

[Slashfan#1]

I was talking about Jimmy Page by the way.

[Graves]

obviously... did I say speed is all that matters? Mclaughling, Vaughan, Paco De Lucia. and um.. you can go Fu*k yourself, because i'm sure out of all the performances he's done, they won't put the bad ones in... I'm just saying that from what I've heard of him live... I don't like it at all.. only good live stuff I've heard from Page was The Ocean. I said it was my opinion and i'm entitled to it.. so screw off.

[Graves]

oh yeah.. forgot to say that those guitarists don't need their speed to be great.. SRV is my favortite guitarist.

oh yeah.. I spelled McLaughin wrong too

[sadistic_monkey]

I would say just inspiring a kid to pick up a guitar in the first place would make someone "good". Just making good music, nothing fancy.

[JHguitarman22]

who cares bout the example parts he was giving criteria for being a great guitarist. true he liked to use Kurt Cobain but for an example and Cobain and great guitar should never be in the same sentence but other then that it was a good article. kudos my friend.

[slashs_#1_fan]

another critera would be how cool you look doing it. Sure thing that kirk hammet can shred amazingly but he looks like a c*ck doing it, being cool and rock n roll is a skill in itself. Slash oozes coolness, as does jimmy page and joe perry has a cool vibe to him, they are entertaining to watch. music should be entertaining in every way so we shouldnt have to watch guitarists just stood there. i saw "and they will know us by the trail of the dead" or something like that ( a support band, i didnt pay to see them) and the guitarist stood there in his glasses n looked like a right geek and wasnt rock n roll, if they entertained the crowd it would have been good. they couldnt play their instruments so they may aswell look good trying

[Alucard II]

vai? the fastest? eh...no

[bad beaver]

no too bad... Don't flame me, but I have always thought Jimmy Page was better than Hendrix. Stevie Ray Vaughan should have been somewhere up there too, but a good article. 4 stars.

[Slashfan#1]

Page was better than hendrix but you can always say that hendrix died at 27 and never reached his full potential, but one more thing I never heard hendrix do anything acoustic.

[JHguitarman22]

Listen to Steve Vai, does he sound like anything you've ever heard before. No. Just because someone plays fast doesn't mean it can't give you goosebumps. I am definitely more moved listening to John Petruci play a beautiful guitar solo than I am hearing Kurt play feedback

hahahah thats the best ever i love it kurt play feed back that is great. sad but true my friends sad but true

[Mosher]

I would say just inspiring a kid to pick up a guitar in the first place would make someone "good". Just making good music, nothing fancy.

I agree, Kurt Cobain's first song he learned was Back in Black. That's why I play guitar, because Angus Young is inspiring.

5 star article btw

[JorgeGM007]

Where is Carlos Santana????

[himurakenshin]

kurt cobain should not be in any greatest guitarist poll and neither should John Lennon, - Paul McCartney was a better guitarist technically (perhaps the best in the band) though he was the official bassist, and with his songwriting skill (Yesterday, Hey Jude - some of the Beatles most successful songs) he should be there rather than John lennon (in the songwriting section)

Kurt Cobain - you put him under the "having the ability not to show off" well thats probably because he couldn't. A better choice in my opinion would be John Mayer - he rarely puts a long solo in his songs but he can rip up a blues track anytime just checkout his live albums.

And according to this Clapton and Cobain tie at #1 (they are in 3 categories) while Hendrix is #2 - it should rather be Clapton and Hendrix than Cobain.

[The_Marshall_Gu]

yes, evh did the solo on beat it, but the rhythm on that track and all the guitars on the other tracks were done by steve lukather if i remember right.

[SMoD]

kurt could have been amazing...he shouldn't have killed himself/been murdered

[Jimi444]

Kurt actually could play pretty fast and sweet article 5 stars.

[daverallman]

I found the comments on this very funny. "Yeah good article.....but you missed out x, y and z". It's only his opinion and tbh its pretty damn hard to list every good guitarist cos there are ***off loads, the article is supposed to be about the criteria, and i like it. And yeah, tone for #10.
(personal favorite: hammett for overall coolness)

[luv2jam]

jhguitarman22, Petrucci is amazing dont get me wrong but listen to Steve Vai's Tender Surrender and see if that dont give you goosebumps. that shows how to mesh fantastic speed with tremendous emotion.

[GAC1989]

Kurt wasnt a crap guiatrist!!! reasons:
1)he has influenced thousands of killer guitarists
2)He played suffering from severe stomach cramps (constantly) and usually dosed up on heroin O_o
3)He could write "Make a kid want to play" guitar riffs not the meaningless shit that you usually ( not always!) get when people decide speed is everything.

and

Listen to the solo on You Really Got Me, and find another that is remotely similar. You can't.

erm the solo to "all of the day" also by the kinks lol not really an argument but FFS he used it twice!! non-beleovers chek both songs at about 1.17

[Lord_Xian]

hmm yeh but not all of those people can sing at the same time its hard to play a solo and sing at the same time that takes proper skill and concentration, if you play 10 hours a day of course you will play fast but you probably cant do anything else.

[GAC1989]

and why the hell are idiots allowed to post such moronic comments???!!! whether or not im one of them is beside the point but ive seen people here count up the amount of times guitarists were mentioned- It doesnt work like that! some people have mentioned great guiatrists that should be there but arent. Of course they wont be there you moron If i were to name every great guitarist that features on a CD in HMV someone would still come up and say "you missed him" and theyd be right. The author of the article has focused on a small group of popular, familiar guitarists so readers can easily associate with each players abilities! Rant Over just some of you need to grow up and you're all welcome to your opinions, BUT you CANT criticise someones ability when they have achieved much more than you ever could using this ability. ie. Kurt! FFs Slash played negative creep as a B side to slither that shows tht he has respect for him and unless any of you are better than Slash you should. awww *** it Rant now over . Just like to ay sum of u ppl think u can shred with teh big boys and get by on that alone- QUIT NOW you are a waster probably ahve no sense of melody learn your scales off by heart and play them through as fast as possible and smile. Write something we'll remember Tht will spawn a generation of guitarists wanting to play tht song maybe make a kid pick up an old acoustic and strum till hes nailed tht riff. yes i know im a jack-ass. rant over . Good-day.

[Epiphany]

Nice job man, I agree with you in most parts but on the first category when you said steve vai practiced 10 hours a day enough said, well on slash's fansites it has him quoted to say that he practiced 12 hours a day so thats gotta be up there somewhere. Dedication breeds success and if 12 hours a day isnt dedication then im hanging it up.

[Helical]

Why is it that whenever a greatest guitarist ever is considered, only rock guitarusts are put up for the part?


BTW, this aricle was awful.

[EatsP1es]

4/5 good article

like how it wasnt over opinionated and got the point across, even though there wasnt a lot of point to it it wasnt bad reading.

[jimmcs2000]

Pete Townsend - Invented punk - Are you on crack? This is where you lost all credibility! No Randy Rhodes? Crap article-good is purely subjective. Well written though.(Pete child molesting townsend?) How about the RAMONES

[nato138]

There should be no argument. Page is the best ever.

[SR20DETT]

A lot of grammatical errors lol And Page isn't the BEST ever

[ken_chosen1]

Kerry King shoudl definately be in the top for speed. hes unreal

[wanna_lick_me?]

I never heard hendrix do anything acoustic.

he did ocasionally. i have a DVD called "hendrix" (i think) and it has an incredible video of Jimi Playing 'hear my train a-coming' on a beautiful 12 string acoustic. absolute genious

[matattack05]

We all know what the majority of the people are going to say so im just gonnna throw it out there you can take it or leave it, im just gonna throw it out

You have to be a dead guy & the name Jimi Hendrix

[jeeba jaba]

Tonwsend didn't invent punk.

[theonlybman]

Good article.

[Gumbi89]

the article was pretty good, i didn't really agree on some of the guitarists mentioned, but that's not what it's aboot, good joob

[priest.fan.]

huh, its wierd, Ive always considered jimi hendrix one of the LEAST technical guitarists out there... not saying he was bad, just that he wasnt very precise.

[thrashing moles]

all of u idiots saying jimi hendrix not having a lot of technical ability, LISTEN TO HIS MUSIC!!!..

[frigginjerk]

just as important as any of your criteria is CONTEXT. The times they played in, the message they tried to send with their music, and for that matter, how they stacked up with other musicians of their time. i mean nobody gives a crap these days if you can shred and tap and everything, but in 1978, Van Halen was the best guitarist in the world. see what i'm getting at?

[Stula1031]

jimmcs2000:
Pete Townsend - Invented punk - Are you on crack? This is where you lost all credibility! No Randy Rhodes? Crap article-good is purely subjective. Well written though.(Pete child molesting townsend?) How about the RAMONES

^I agree on everything said although im not too sure ive heard about pete molesting any kids....

RAMONES= PUNK

[ak Gitaroo Man]

what about randy rhoads people?

[Sithslayer]

fun to read but doesnt look like you chose from a very big pool of people theres certainly better than what was listed but are probably in genres you dont listen too

[E.Nygma]

Nobody's mentioned John Frusciante of RHCP, Vito Bratta of White Lion, Bradley Nowell of Sublime, Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, Frank Hannon and Tommy Skeoch of Tesla, Alex Lifeson of Rush, Dean DeLeo of STP, Dave Mathews, Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes, and I could go on and on.

[3l3phant]

Pete Townshend was playing punk when Johnny and Joey were in diapers. Where do you think they got their influence from, you clown

[pozzobon13]

I liked it.. but for the picture, does anyone else think it looks like Tommy Chong?

[zakk_wylde_fan]

you forgot Randy.

[himurakenshin]

moonraker:
emotion and feeling
thats the only category your missing

That should be the only category with overall sound (melody) - a machine can (or oneday will be able) to play a mindlessly fast solo, but it will probably never be able to express feelings and emotions through a guitar solo.

BUT you CANT criticise someones ability when they have achieved much more than you ever could using this ability. ie. Kurt! FFs Slash played negative creep as a B side to slither that shows tht he has respect for him and unless any of you are better than Slash you should.

What the hell are you talking about - Kurt Cobain became famous for his songs, not for his crappy guitar skills, in that case, Elvis should be one of the greatest guitarists of all time. How naive. And Slash is paying respect to his songwriting (though I think it is nothing great at all, never the less), not his guitar skills.

[petetheelite]

i thought the article was great,but I reckon Brian May (guitarist of Queen) deserves a mention.

[sral76]

The hell is wrong with you people? He juist listed some of the more poular guitarsist not every ***ing one. Anyways dec atricle, 4 stars and I think tone should be tenth. You can be very original and be able to play the shit outta your guitar, but if you have a bad tone no one will want to hear you.

[VelvetÆnema33]

I think Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon sold more albums than anyother album -ever- But when you have some information missing on it you can't prove it in a legal sense. But everyone knows that sold the most ever.

[petetheelite]

jeez calm the *** down

[Punk as atticus]

you forgot rhoads, wylde, satch, and just cause he's new doesn't mean he's legendary and virtuostic (if thts a word, sry if it isn't) Alexi Laiho.

[Punk as atticus]

also you forgot to mention, most importantly, great players of blues, jazz, and classical. you didn't say it was the best "rock" guitarists. sry for criticism, just trying to give fair opinion.

[Stratwizard]

This is not much more than your biased opinions written as a rant. Seemingly you don't know much about guitarists or guitarplaying whatsoever. You left many greats out, but your biggest screw up was that you included Kurt Cobain here. I don't even bother to slag you more... Just don't write anything anymore... 1 Star. You suck ass !

[Stratwizard]

Oh shit... You're so ***ing stupid... I have to quote some of the things you said.

Jimi Hendrix - Comes first on every poll, and since tech ability is many people main consideratio, he must be good.

That is a stupid assumption. When talking about technique, you shouldn't even include Hendrix in same sentence with Vai and Malmsteen. Okay, he wanked some minor scales and abused the whammy bar. He might've been technical at the time, but he's nothing compared to Vai and Malmsteen.

Steve Vai - Statistically, the fastest ever. 28 notes per second I think.

21.8 notes per second in a song called The Riddle. Get your facts right. He's not the fastest ever. Marcus Paus has hit 44.6 notes per second.

EVH - Invented shred.

Did you know Django Reinhardt sweeped arpeggios in 1920-1930? Or that such guys as Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth and Frank Gambale played a lot faster licks than EVH in the 70's? Yeah, that's what I thought too...

You've got even more false statements here, but I don't bother to correct you more. Get your facts right. Here is an incredible amount of bullshit, and the worst thing is that some people actually believe this crap.

[TheUltimateSin]

And of course, your missing the single best guitarist who ever lived, Randy Rhoads. I personally really don't care what the rest of you think and i know one or a few of you are going to make sad attempts to flame me, but f*ck you straight to hell. I was convinced after the Mr. Crowley solo's. Long Live The Legend, Randy Rhoads

[munky_901]

Great article, loved every word of it. 10th category - CHARISMA. If you can play guitar fast, write songs like the best, thats great. But the only thing that keeps me playing guitar everyday is the knowledge that one day, I'll be up on stage, playing for the fans. And the more intense, more crazy, more inspirational you make you performance, the better.

[Supernats]

I'm sorry, but best rock guitarist does not equal best guitarist. If you want to talk about best guitarist, guys like Chet Atkins need to be included. The jazz guitarists are musicians that have perfected their craft just as much as their rock counterparts. The fact that they can be more subdued and pay more attention to melody than some of the aforementioned shouldn't be used against them. For instance, Jim Hall doesn't play that fast, but he gives each note a soul and lets his melodies come through.

[Resiliance]

Pretty stupid article...

[Spydr]

Jimi should be under influence, everyone was influenced by Hendrix, either directly influenced by him or influenced by someone influenced by him. Even Clapton was influenced by him. He should have been in originality and song writing ability. And disciplin sounds a lot like fear to me, not good enough to take center stage. SRV could have been mentioned in there too.
But apart from that it was your opinion and I know that but I just wanted to express mine, good article.

[boospookys30]

Don't know what to say except that this was a terrible article

[milk_it_good]

Hahahaha... the irony. I would have thought that a guitar site would be the LAST stinking place to condemn hendrix. I guess I was wrong, a crowd of morons can be incredibly powerful. Least technical? Alot of people forget that being able to play all of Satriani's etc songs doesn't necessarily make you an awesome player or even technical. Being able to produce your own songs of a technical consistency and skill is. So many people boast, "I can play better than Cobain!!!" Now we even have people thinking that their crap is so fragrant that they canh imply they are more technical than hendrix. WOW!!! You played a Vai solo? Here have a medal, "World's gimpiest ***wit". I'd like to hear you produce a song of that calibre with your own walnut-sized muscle you call a brain, then I will finally accept you wanking your penis all over this website. Learn some respect, twats.

[HammerForce]

himurakenshin:
a machine can (or oneday will be able) to play a mindlessly fast solo, but it will probably never be able to express feelings and emotions through a guitar solo.

They already can....Listen to Michael Angelo Batio lol.
I though the article was quite good to be honest, even if people who I think should be on it aren't, the guy did say in the second (i think) paragraph that it was his own opinion.
Oh, and for all you people who want to argue about speed, go to the shred forum and read Freepowers stickied thread on the fastest guitarist ever.There is evidence for all of them there...So you can't really argue wih that...

[morello_man]

to all the people who complained about their favourite guiarists not being mentioned - he obviously can't list everyone. a good article, to go along with a good argument, if a little biased at times.

[JohnFrusciante8]

where's john frusciante?!!

[firdaus125]

John frusciante? i like him but please, he didn't start anything new in guitar playing. many people think EVH(americans) invented shredding, please, european guitarists like Uli Jon Roth have been doing so way before EVH did.

[NMGuitarist]

What about Petrucci???

[Lacquer_Head]

and another of those opinionated things..

[hippie_punk]

bb king should be there in technical ability instead of jimi hendrix.

[nisterror]

michael angelo batio should be included in the technical ability, he can play teo guitars at the same time, and he can paly either left or right handed guitars at the same super speed.....

[nisterror]

You need to include michael angelo batio in the technical ability section. That dude can play two guitars at the same time, plus he can either play a right or left handed guitar at the same incredible speed, check him out at angelo.com, youll be impressed

[Sqeeezie]

BB KING BB KING BB KING BB KING BB KING

[kerrang]

ill not piss and moan about how crap it was, good read, not much sense but wheather i agree with it or not dosnt relly matter. well constructed didnt agree with some of it probs because im listening to little wing and expected hendrix to come top of enerything

[TomD03]

ALEX LIFESON ALEX LIFESON ALEX LIFESON ALEX LIFESON


and

BB KING BB KING BB KING BB KING

[Graves]

i'm sorry, but have you listened to Michael Angelo Batio? watching him is one thing.. it's impressive... but his music sucks.. in Speed lives / kills I find theres only one good riff, check it out at about the 35 mark.. it's beautiful... but I find the rest is shiiit

[MetalheadBuddha]

Where was Josh Homme on this list? Or Alex Lifeson? I hear ya TomD03. Alex Lifeson kicks ass!

[rockbassguitar]

That was good 5 out of 5. He can't include every guitarist known to man, thats why its HIS list of the best. Any list of the best will be opinionated and some that others might include will be left out. He considered many factors though.

[nirvana327]

what about michael angelo Batio for speed..just a thought...peace

[oldschoolrock23]

ok the most talented guitarist of all time is Hendrix. No one can play his stuff the way he did. He has the most unique sound of all time, and it was all original.... except for maybe all along the watchover which is really bob dylans song.

[TheUltimateSin]

oldschoolrock23:
ok the most talented guitarist of all time is Hendrix. No one can play his stuff the way he did. He has the most unique sound of all time, and it was all original.... except for maybe all along the watchover which is really bob dylans song.

"Most Talented" and "Most Original"? I think not. Especially not Most Talented. You people think that just because Rhoads died after 2 albums he can just be left out. Well I got news for you, what about the impact that he left? Are you just going to let masterpieces like Dee and Crazy Train go forgotten? You should be ashamed to call yourselves metal fans. I'm appalled and quite frankly disgusted with you people. Give credit were credit is earned. Randy work his ass off to become as great as he was and jsut because his life was cut short does not mean you get to ignore his skills.

[ultradogfromhel]

i agree, hendrix can not be match by anybody. he was a god of the guitar.

[Design4Life]

For the discipline bit, about not taking over the stage etc, surely Brian May comes in somewhere there?

good article though.

[karateguy29]

stratwizard...how bout u calm the hell down and stop gettting your panties in a bunch...its just an article. and the reason why he didn't put any of the guitarists you mentioned, who im sure are talented, in is because no one has heard of them. if your so pissed off about the subject why dont you write an article yourself. this is just one guys opinion, sure i disagree and agree with a lot of it, but thats my opinion, no reason to come into blows with each other. peace.

[elie13]

metallica fan
**hey how about petrucci? i,ve seen a live performance of him.Hell he is fast.
and of coure the mighty Slash.He's my favourite!!
and when it comes to james hetfield riffing no one on earth could matching.

[lost_it_again]

there should really be more than three people per catagory, other than that the criteria is good. But because of the lack of diversity this isn't the be all and end all as you said, people are still going to debate this for a long time, this needs alot of expanding before it will realy bring the debate to any sort of a conclusion

[element94]

id just like to give a suggestion.. if you want to listen to a guitarist that fits pretty much all these categories, listen to Jeff Beck. it's great stuff. especially his albums "Who Else" and "You Had It Coming."

[TheUltimateSin]

exactly what was said above. If you only have YOUR BIASED opinion, you get people like me who come in a bitch about how selfcentered you are and how you leave out the actual guitar masters. I'll be fair and honest, hendrix was good, but by NO means the best in MY opinion. that's what YOU must learn. topics like these will never get the real answers out because of the diveresity among other people and thier judgement

[TheUltimateSin]

sry for the dbl post, i meant what was saii by lose_it_again

[Mr.Brightside]

Nice work man. I agree with your categories of great guitarists. Id say my top 3 guitarists are Page, Clapton and Gilmour, all incredible in their own style/way.

[Mr.Brightside]

*** I also think Pertucci should be under the speed category.***

[JHguitarman22]

kurt cobain and great guitarist should never be mention in the same sentenced.

[costa94]

props to the man who tried wirting something like this hes got balls...he knew he was gonna get shit and leave it to u pricks to give him it.....in my onw category i would micheal angelo batio for speed ebcuz he actually IS the fastest....we def need alex lifeson, and john petrucci in there...if u lsiten to thier music nothing is more technically beutiful than dream theater or rush...and hendrix is ok...i personally think he sucks more dick than jenna jameson but thats my own opinion jsut becuz he busts out rnadom solos in the middle of the song....also randy rhoads deserves a ton of credit because on just two albums he left the world in awe at sheer techinicality and songwriting ability (crazy train, for best overall skill at the instrument i definitly think rusty cooley,yngwie malmsteen,steve vai,joe satch and paul gilbert are the greatest jsut listen to thier shit its nuts, but my overall favortie guitarist is eric johnson because tone jsut dosent get much sweeter than his and his songwriting abiilit is phenomanal.....but these are my opinions but i think they are somwhat good....so yeh thas wassup

[costa94]

Second people today arent being technical thats part of the problem. they just play power chords and never play lead

wow i love u

[himurakenshin]

Spydr:
Jimi should be under influence, everyone was influenced by Hendrix, either directly influenced by him or influenced by someone influenced by him. Even Clapton was influenced by him.

Clapton influenced Hendrix as well.

[himurakenshin]

Last To Fall:
people always like to put down kurt. u dont need to play 28 npm to be a good guitarist. and yeah he wasn't a guitar god or whoever u worship here. but he was oriat matters. notes per minute isn't gonna start a new revolutginal and thats all thion but originality and good song writing skills do. like when u hear a song and it gives u goose bumbs and the hair stands up on your skin. thats what music about. not how technical it is. the easiest songs in the world can be the best. bands like the beatles and nirvana.

Don't ever put nirvana next to the Beatles. Nirvana is awful, and kurt cobain wouldn't understand any part of a beatles song, he wouldn't know a diminished seventh if it him him in the head. All nirvana is is stupid powerchords with some of the worst lyrics and a crossdresser for a guitarist. And you are trying to put that nonsense next to the beatles?

[andr3s]

"All nirvana is is stupid powerchords with some of the worst lyrics and a crossdresser for a guitarist."

Wow, I consider you an idiot right now.

[coffeeguy9]

Most of you missed the point of the article. It just suggestions you should think about when naming a Greatest guitarists. The nominees were HIS opinion, not neccesarily true. Every disagrees with opinion. I thought the article was great though.

[fenderplaya015]

anyone who doesn't think Jimi Hendrix is the greatest guitarist of all time needs to reconsider. He pioneered so many effects that I can't even count. His solos were insane and the rythems were unbelievable. Think, we like him today 35 years after his death. He died at 27 so when somebodies legacy lasts longer than thier life, i think they must be pretty good. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) Shows every quality,except songwriting that a great guitarist needs. Think about it.

[SabBloodySab1]

Stanley Jordan is easily the most underrated guitarists, and he is a genius on the guitar..

[JOphish]

personally i think its impossible to judge the "best" guitarist because there's so many different forms of music. All the ones mentioned before are awesome...and it really comes down to your personal preference. Myself...i prefer Page, Clapton, and Hendrix.

Also, nobody's mentioned Trey Anastasio...he's not that well known but he definitely does have a lot of skill.

[goku77]

All in all I think SRV had everything and is my #1 pick.

He had Style,tricks,everything and was hella fast and smooth at the same time.

[Pumpkins4Life]

how about innovation and multitasking, billy corgan should be #1 for songwriting, and he's the guy that layers 40 different guitar parts into one song, i can't think of another person to do such thing

[monkeysims]

my top 5:

1.Jimmy Page
2.Slash
3.Eric Clapton
4.Jimi Hendrix
5.SRV

[sloehand]

Hendrix was over rated. Clapton is the most versatile , but lets not forget about Brian May. He if anyone helped invent punk

[will102387]

No Petrucci? Isn't Batio the fastest guitar player ever? Where is Satch? This is a completely biased article. You had some good things but not enough to give real credit for the article.

[AloneInMyPlace]

Hendrix is overrated and Cobain = CRAP

[Emenius Sleepus]

Why does everyone always forget Adam Jones from Tool? He's another that could go under every category. Also, I'm not sure but you might've left out Zakk Wylde. He's probably the most badass guitar player today.

That's true, Jones is definitely something that's called ORIGINAL. not only that, he plays with a feel and dedication that a lot of people lack.

[milk_it_good]

Everybody, QUIT BITCHING!!! Unless you wanted a 20-page article, he can not give credit to all your little heroes. Face it, this sort of article can never do everyone justice, I thought atleast some of the monkeys would have figured that out by now!!! Oh, and well done sloehand, you've won the 'I'm the most moronic retard on ultimate-guitar.com' award. Jimi, overrated? I can't ***in believe you even hold May in the same breadth as him, Jimi had also ALL of the qualities above bar speed (which I'm sure he could have easily pulled off but he was playiong in an era where musicians weren't trying to squeeze whatever they possibly could out of the guitar, it was simply for the joy of music). Shredding is just a euphemism for 'extreme masturbation of the axe', they don't play with half the emotion and discipline than hendrix. And don't bother disputing, cos your wrong. Should I be wrong, refer to the previous sentence.

[Emenius Sleepus]

a lot of people blamed this guy for missing other people, but that was just examples,.. if he was to list every person for each category this would be plain shit.. so give the guy a break

[coffeeguy9]

If were talking Rock guitarists;
Jimi Hendrix owns the rhythm and style, it's what made him great. (see Little Wing)
Jimmy Page wins the most versatile. He has some of the best rock riffs and solos (See heartbreaker). He mastered not only just rock but folk and acoustics (Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Bron-Yr-Aur, Babe I'm gonna leave you, etc)
Michael Angelo (sp?) wins speed, no question. I'm surprized nobody has mentioned him yet. (See No Boundaries, f*ckin insane)

This list can go on forever, but it's just MY OPINION, and not complete and certainly is arguable.

If were not talking about rock, Andres Segovia is the most influential, the way we play today was based on his ideas.

I'm ready to be flamed.

[JOphish]

trey is the man

[TheUltimateSin]

milk_it_good:
Everybody, QUIT BITCHING!!!

And then you go right ahead and start it yourself? And for your complaining, you should consider yourself lucky that I can't punch you right in the mouth for being so idiotic or I would. And if you read this and decide "Hey, i wanna start some shit with this guy." then I say bring it the f*ck on. Otherwise, I am hoping you will grow up and leave this be right here right now.

[ANTIHIPPY102]

that was a reaaaallly shitty article

hendrix should be on the "less is more" list

you forgot a lot of people...and calling page the best ever is stupid...there are people who have the best of both worlds that are better than him..(micheal romeo)

point is...do some research before making this stuff....you are the reason that polls like this fail

[LittleRockBrock]

Why did nobody mention Scott Sellers for anything. Check out abunch of Rufio's songs and you'll find out he can write some great songs and can play pretty well. Not near the best or most of the ones you've mentioned but an honorable mention would be nice for him.

[goku77]

Hendrix could play anything anyone could play.I meen,he could take some acid and send people into completly difrent worlds without even opening his eyes.

I dont think he can be overrated.Plus you gotta take into count that if Vai is more talented then Hendrix it realy dosent matter when you get as good as those two,you have to take everything with a grain of rice. And plus nobody gives Hendrix respect for being a black man in Rock and Roll to play guitar like that. It musta been hard because HE COULDNT FAND A white teacher to teach him so he learnd by books and ear.

[ac/guns n zep]

Hendrix could play anything anyone could play.I meen,he could take some acid and send people into completly difrent worlds without even opening his eyes.

I dont think he can be overrated.Plus you gotta take into count that if Vai is more talented then Hendrix it realy dosent matter when you get as good as those two,you have to take everything with a grain of rice. And plus nobody gives Hendrix respect for being a black man in Rock and Roll to play guitar like that. It musta been hard because HE COULDNT FAND A white teacher to teach him so he learnd by books and ear.

Race had nothing to do with him being self taught. And as we can see there have been many great black guitar players before him like B.B. King and Muddy Waters etc.

[Spydr]

himurakenshin:
Clapton influenced Hendrix as well.

That is true, it went both ways, they took from each other but still both should be on the list.

[ac/guns n zep]

Lord_Xian:
hmm yeh but not all of those people can sing at the same time its hard to play a solo and sing at the same time that takes proper skill and concentration, if you play 10 hours a day of course you will play fast but you probably cant do anything else.

first of all no one ever played a solo and sang at the same time. Its impossible. He could play a riff or just some lead notes or chords but not solos

And also isnt being good at guitar all about practice. Thats to the way you get good at something. You practice, so if you say you could do something just because you practice hard at it, then you have just ruled out every single talent that there is. Think before you post.

[kylehnat]

I put creativity at the top of the list as to what makes a good guitar player. People who come up with riffs where you're like "I never would have thought of that". Anyone can pentatonic for five minutes. Who cares? Come up with something new. Daron Malakian and Adam Jones are two people who come to my mind (there are obviously others) SOAD and TOOL songs are generally pretty easy to play, but the way those songs are constructed is what makes these types of guitarists stand out.

[ac/guns n zep]

milk_it_good:
Everybody, QUIT BITCHING!!! Unless you wanted a 20-page article, he can not give credit to all your little heroes. Face it, this sort of article can never do everyone justice, I thought atleast some of the monkeys would have figured that out by now!!! Oh, and well done sloehand, you've won the 'I'm the most moronic retard on ultimate-guitar.com' award. Jimi, overrated? I can't ***in believe you even hold May in the same breadth as him, Jimi had also ALL of the qualities above bar speed (which I'm sure he could have easily pulled off but he was playiong in an era where musicians weren't trying to squeeze whatever they possibly could out of the guitar, it was simply for the joy of music). Shredding is just a euphemism for 'extreme masturbation of the axe', they don't play with half the emotion and discipline than hendrix. And don't bother disputing, cos your wrong. Should I be wrong, refer to the previous sentence.

You say shred has no discipline?! to be able to shred well requires more discipline than anything else on guitar. Im tired of people who no nothing about shred and dont really listen to it put shred down. These shredders are extremely talented individuals. And as far as emotion, go listen to some joe satriani (anything)or steve vai(for the love of god etc.) and tell me who has no emotion. So not only are you not right, but you are 100% wrong. Just because you cannot shred doesnt make it bad. Dont speak about what you dont know.
Im not even a big shred fan, i listen to mostly classic rock, but as a guitarist you have to be able to appreciate the talent of people like Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai etc.

[goku77]

Everyone should shred,YES EVERYONE.Shreding isnt just For Rock and its sub Genres.SRV could shred,BB King can shred,and so can Was Matgomery and Dimebag.

To the guy who said shreding is masturbation,dude your just wrong.

[black_sabbath85]

This wasnt a very easy topic to write on, i think you did a good job with this article. 4 stars.
Composing your own music plays a big role on how good you are. We are lacking good composers now days.

[JOphish]

yes we are...for the most part its all power chords...bleh...its not even satisfying playing it cuz its so easy...for the most part

[galahad]

What about Zakk?

[jamis8891]

santana??? oh yeah steve vai played guitar for halo 2s background music

[AnnaPlaysGuitar]

Some of these guys were famous not for their musical or instrumental ability, but because they ODed or blew their brains out.

I think Stevie Ray Vaughn should have been considered.

And, not studying music theory doesn't make you "more of a natural" or "less creative" (which it seemed you applied) , it simply means you could have been better but didn't take the chance to learn more about music.

Those that don't learn theory, but are still great, simply teach themselves and give their own names to particular chords and notes, and realize the emotion that coordinates with certain chords on their own.

Done ranting.

[AnnaPlaysGuitar]

*implied, not applied

[straits232]

wheres mark knopfler

[Wolfhound]

Has anyone seen the movie Crossroads, about an old Blues guitar player who sold his soul to the devil.

The only way to win his soul back was to beat the Devil's best guitar player (played by Steve Vai) in a playoff.

The blues guy was too old now, so he found a kid who could play a bit and taught him some more. The kid wins the playoff and the Devil gives the soul back.

The kid was Ralph Macchio, better known as "The Karate Kid" from those 80's movies. So I guess he must be the best guitar player in this world and the next.

[Cobain-iac_90]

Hey, what about Petrucci of Dream Theater? Pretty damn good guitar player, if ya ask me. And where's Randy Rhoads? Whatever, good article though.

[mr.lame]

i thought yngwie was d fastest guitar player?

[ktkline7]

good article. it sounds like you put a lot of time and thought into it even though i don't agree with most of it.

[TheLizardKing36]

VelvetÆnema33:
I think Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon sold more albums than anyother album -ever- But when you have some information missing on it you can't prove it in a legal sense. But everyone knows that sold the most ever.
[POSTED: 29 June 2005 - 01:19]
yea i think it did...it was on the billboard chart thing fer like 13 years...wait..17...i dunno somethin around there...neways..it sold ALOT...yea....david gilmore rocks...yea...and robby krieger was good...i dunno if hed really fit into ne o those categories but..i jus liek him....jus wanted ta mention him somewhere here neways...david gilmore IMO is deff close to the best. listen to ne of his solos on dark sidfe or the wall..especially comfortably numb...

..im done now...u can yell at me now....

[TheLizardKing36]

o good article....i thought it was good...i also agree with like a bunch o the people above that tone should b 10...angus young andjimmy page had gr8 tones amonb lots of other people...umm...i dunno 3 or 4 outta 5....stars...

[lEcheloNl]

some serious gaps in this article no santana, satriani, petrucci, rhoads, and jimmy page has the #1 guitar solo ever on like 100 websites so he might be considerd to dont u think?

[will1990]

slash was the one to play for jacko

[[NIN]_ROCK!]

Great article,but there are some pieces missing in the puzzle:Mark Tremonti(Creed/Alter Bridge),Michael Angelo,Jerry Cantrell(Solo/Alice In Chains),John Frusciante(Solo/Red Hot Chili Peppers),Jason Truby(P.O.D.),Mike Inziger(Incubus),John 5(Marilyn Manson/Solo),Mike McCready(Pearl Jam/Mad Season),John Rzeznik(Goo Goo Dolls).

[The Oceanborn]

lots of crap, but an interesting way to look at it
3 stars

[will1990]

the only reason hendrix is up there is because he a household name unlike alot of the other guys im not saying he doesent deserve to be up there but there are a few that might deserve it better

[will1990]

for tech by they way

[will1990]

HAHA it may not be the best arcicle but WOW it sure got alot of coments HAHAHA

[alterbridgesanj]

once alter bridge get a bit more recognititon people will see who the next greatest guitarist is - mark tremonti. anyone who's a fan of alter bridge know what i mean. he is outstanding

[Duago]

I think mike einziger should be under originality but whatever 4/5

[vodevil]

good article but who cares about speed

[Rubin Remus]

I think I should be on the list.

[peteyjones]

if ur talking about great guitar players, paul gilbert gotta be on this list

[ac/guns n zep]

Steve Vai - Practiced 10 hours a day, enough said.

Zakk Wylde said he used to practice 18 hours a day. He said he would get home from school and play till school started the next morning and fall asleep during classes.

[excalibur672]

What is harder to determine, the greatest guitar player, or is schrodinger's cat alive or dead.

I'm leaning towards the greatest guitar player.

[Graves]

I think i'm gonna get flamed but anyway.. I think Kirk Hammett and James Hedfield should be up there for sure.. oh and Dave Mustaine.. I mean which rock guitarist have never attempted a Metallica song at least once? I myself have never attempted a Hendrix song... I've tried some Nirvana though.. oh and this is for those of you diss Power Chords.. Why bitch snd complain saying that music is all powerchords nowadays? WHO CARES HOW IT'S PLAYED... IT'S HOW IT SOUNDS.. oh.. and one thing that I'm sure everyone in here has overlooked.. if someone who isn't musically inclined enough to play guitar, or .. you know.. anyways.. if that person's listening to a song and you hear them say "man, i love this part", "i love this solo" or "this guy is a kick ass guitarist" that's the biggest difference in my opinion. Just because we're guitarists or bassists or drummers doesn't mean we have absolute control over who is the greatest... Let the masses chose the greatest, not the select few at UG who think their opinion is the right one.. kinda like I just did eh?

[homeslicka]

Everyone stop fighting

[Graves]

*gives homeslicka a hug*

[TheUltimateSin]

Good point above. It's time for everyone to just shut the f*ck up and grow up(I am including myself for several things i said earlier obviously).

[apocalypse13]

Zakk Wylde said he used to practice 18 hours a day. He said he would get home from school and play till school started the next morning and fall asleep during classes.

Thats crazy, but he is bad-ass. In my opinion the 4 best are Steve Vai, Jimmy Page, EVH, and Tony Iommi. Vai goes without saying on overall skill. He is one person you would not want to see at at a guitar contest (if you were in it.) Page influenced countless people and could write songs liek no one else. Eddie redefined what a guitar could do, and Iommi was the pioneer of modern metal, whether or not metalists nowadays know it. My faves are Friedman and Rhoads, though I don't think they are as good or influential as the others I said.

[WilBeDed]

Everyone has overlooked the great power of Yngwie, look up some of his stuff, i went to see him live and it was fu*king awesome. I am pretty sure he could beat Vai, but him and Micheal Angelo would be a toughie

[WilBeDed]

AND WHAT ABOUT JASON BECKER!??!

[s_fall20]

Zakk Wylde said he used to practice 18 hours a day. He said he would get home from school and play till school started the next morning and fall asleep during classes.

hes great but i doubt he put 18 hours in.

[mrbassman]

IMO Jimmy Page is the best ever he's a great player and writes amazing songs

[Drazil]

I see a lot of guitarists here always ranting about Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. Thing is, these guys aren't reaally household names. If you're in a conversation with the average person and you mention guitarists like Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Slash, etc, they will most likely know half if not all of them. Talk to the same person about Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani and see what happens...."Who?".....

[5:15_Whofan]

i heard that Slash (from GnR) played guitar on Jacko's thriller tour, i'm not sure he did the studio work though.

[Distorted]

Lets be honest here. There is no best guitar player. Every Guitar player does something different. Satch, Vai, Clapton, Page, Hendrix... All did something different. There really isn't a way to make a shredder go up against a bluesman and see who's better. I mean yes, a guy like Satriani would kick Kirk Cobain's ass in a guitar off, but that really isn't the point. Hendrix made riffs and experimented with guitar like no one before. But if he were to sit down in a room with Vai and Satch, he would probiblay be out done. But that doesn't make him less of a guitar player. Satriani's main influence is Hendrix, and Satraini tought Vai. So it's all relative. what makes someone better? Who really cares. Just because you are faster than someone doesn't mean you have the theory of someone like Muddy Waters. So I think it's time for these best guitar threads to stop, because in all honesty there isn't one.


(Satriani's the best)

[RouTe 27 BaSs]

how come petrucci isnt in here

[hatebreed219]

tom morello uses feedback and one pedal....his digitech whammy wh-1 i believe its called,along with some other just simple things,like an allen wrench for people of the sun,tom is good,but not best guitarist good,what about adam jones?how many people other then him use toys for sound effects?decent article,kinda biased,but not bad

[Hound_Of_Winter]

NO JONNY GREENWOOD, NO CARE

[ce12872001]

Hendrix is my favorite but I agree with distorted. No single best guitar player in the history of the universe can possibly be named because all of these guys are unique and everybody has their own taste.

[ce12872001]

Maybe its just me but I don't think kurt cobain, malcom young, or john lennon should be mentioned on that list at all. Nirvana, AC/DC, and the beatles are great but none of these guys were great guitarists. To say that someone is a great guitar player for laying down and giving up playing lead because they were a drunk is just stupid as hell.

[Butthead]

John frusciante should have been in the less is more area, but other than that good article.

[Superstrat]

I can't imagine anyone arguing that Jimi H is he not the all-time greatest guitarist, period ( & I'm a HUGE Page fan). Hendrix did shit none of us will ever duplicate, & not just in the studio (have another listen to Band of Gypsies). Flat ass Killer.

[icatchdinosaurs]

good article.i think george harrison should have been in the discipline section.but otherwise good article

[Superstrat]

....by the way, "Technical"? Ritchie Blackmore, hands down.

[mattlock]

I agree with you on a lot of things. This article is the awesome.

IMO, I think that Steve Vai isn't talented. Yeah, he can play 28 notes per second, but seriously, that's about 3 different notes. His stuff isn't creative at all, and he puts no passion into his playing. The complete opposite of Kurt Cobain, but Kurt is still a million times more talented for those reasons. He put all his passion, and he was ***ing creative.

[Cradl_of_filth]

good article , im not quite sure (and afraid) to say (you people will eat me alive if im wrong ) michael "angelo" batio can be added on speed category , that guy is nuts (but yngwie is better, in my opinion) i didnt read all the posts (for the sake of my eyes , they are already screwed i dont want to screw them more) so please dont argue with me here if you want to say something pm me

[simulatedworld]

Holy god...what is wrong with all of you?

YOU ALL COMPLETELY MISSED THE POINT OF THE ARTICLE.

Nobody ***ing cares who your favorite guitarists are and how it's completely ridiculous that they weren't included and blah blah ***ing blah...there are so many guitarists across so many different styles of music that there's no way in hell to say who's the best...the writer of this post was just trying to point out that you should take more than shredding ability into account when judging a guitarist, which a lot of you never really seem to do.

The point was not to bitch and moan about how whoever the hell you think is better wasn't included on his short list of examples...we'd honestly need a ***ing 500 page article to include EVERYONE that all of you think deserves all this recognition.

Just shut the hell up already.

[splice]

good article im not picking favorites(maybe i am)but randy rhoads shouldve been on there somewhere zakk wylde too

[rachellee]

^^i agree... I thought it was a really good article.. There really are a lot of different ways to judge what makes the best guitarist.. I hate it when people say, oH hes the best cause hes the fastest and stuff..
Im sure there are other good gitarists that he didnt mention, but it looked like he was jsut giving 3examples of each, so, yea.. 10/10

[TheUltimateSin]

simulatedworld, I'm going to tell you what I told someone else earlier. Be glad I can't punch you right in the mouth for being so f*cking stupid. I(and most likely several others here) am in no mood to listen(or "read" if your going to piss and moan about THAT too) to some nitwit try to tell them what to do. Maybe if you grew up and learned to read, you'd see that the situation has been handled and hardly anyone has been bitching for a while now. And for your safety, don't bother stating anything with me over this. It's not my fault your literary skills are feeble.

[DaddyTwoFoot]

No point to the article, and some downright wrong information.

[Graves]

hey mattlock, have you ever heard erotic nightmares? for the love of god? bad horsie? those songs are made with much more talent and emotion than I think you're giving Vai credit for... How can Steve Vai not be creative? I don't find that even two of his songs are alike and I have 3 albums "The Ultra Zone", "Alien Love Secrets" and his Anthology (practically a Best of). I'm not trying to put down Kurt Cobain or anything, but if you had sat Kurt Cobain and Steve Vai in a room together 15 years ago, Kurt would have probbaly commited suicide in 1990 and then people would defnitely be able to say "oh.. he didn't get to flourish"... Well, right now it seems to me like he is flourishing... by pushing up daisies and making some compost... MAN I'M AN ASSHOLE EH?

[Uncommonresults]

I think it was a good article, 28 notes per second? I never knew about that... Crazy stuff...
But mostly what you said, i'd agree with...

[Vinura]

hey mattlock, have you ever heard erotic nightmares? for the love of god? bad horsie? those songs are made with much more talent and emotion than I think you're giving Vai credit for... How can Steve Vai not be creative? I don't find that even two of his songs are alike and I have 3 albums "The Ultra Zone", "Alien Love Secrets" and his Anthology (practically a Best of). I'm not trying to put down Kurt Cobain or anything, but if you had sat Kurt Cobain and Steve Vai in a room together 15 years ago, Kurt would have probbaly commited suicide in 1990 and then people would defnitely be able to say "oh.. he didn't get to flourish"... Well, right now it seems to me like he is flourishing... by pushing up daisies and making some compost... MAN I'M AN ASSHOLE EH?

im pretty sure Kurt Cobain was cremated

other than that...great article man

[Nirvana101]

I thought it was an alright article, its interesting to see what other people think of different guitarist. Also makes you think why thtey chose them for each category. Kurt Cobain was a great song write, and I think Hammett deserves to be in technical more then speed but whatever. 4 stars

[Nirvana101]

^ also unless you have no life and download music all day, its hard to hear every guitarist. Thats why everyones going "where is friedman, tipton and downing? or mustaine"

[JorisBlack]

Graves:
hey mattlock, have you ever heard erotic nightmares? for the love of god? bad horsie? those songs are made with much more talent and emotion than I think you're giving Vai credit for...

I think Bad Horsie sucks bug time...ah whatever.
IMO it's impossible to chose a 'best guitarist'. Look how many different names have been mentioned in all these comments! And I bet there are some unknown guitarists who kick i.e. Hammet's @ss.
So actually this article is rather good, because it shows in how many ways you can chose a 'best guitarplayer'.

[Coolvortex]

In my opinion this article isn't bad but it misses a lot of great guitarists and should overall give more importance to the feeling the guitarist is able to transmit with his solos or riffs...

[WyldeCobain]

Wow, some of you are unbelievable/childish, sure the guy left out...well numberous guitarist would be an understatement; but, he still gave it a shot! But, listening to Cobain made me pick up a guitar...If i were to hear Malmsteen or Batio before Cobain it would have made my F**king head spin off...Cobain allowed kids to realize you dont have to be Gods gift to the guitar to be good. And what a lot of you knob jobs forget is that Cobain even admitted that he blew goats when it came to the guitar, he never said he was good, he just wrote what the song needed and in my opinion thats a talent in itself now ignorant people...could you HONESTLY imagine a Malmsteen/Batio/Petrucci/Vai approach to songs like Teen Spirit, About a girl, Heart Shaped Box, the song would be garbage.

sorry for the rant..but its just seems all you people are saying the exact same thing. And when it comes for speed like OZZY said (although talking about Randy Rhoads so it is biased) "guys like Malmsteen/Vai ect is like watching a mechanic strip down an engine in 3 seconds and rebuild it" and as much as Ozzys thought process is as bout' as clear molasses...he has a very good point.

let the b**ching insue..

[WyldeCobain]

crap... have to finish Ozzy's quote "guys like malmsteen/vai is like watching a good mechanic strip down an engine in three seconds and rebuild it. They make things run perfectly, but theres no nice little errors that make things sound human"

(if this whole bitching doenst make sense...cut me some slack ..its late haha)

[JEW-Rock]

This is a good article but I think it overates technical ability and is definately not the "be all and end all". To me a guitarist can be defined as good based on song writing ability, not ability to show off/noodle about. Don't get me wrong EVH jimi hendrix and the like wrote some great songs, but also spoiled alot of songs (especially in the case of EVH) with needless and incessant soloing, as my friend described it "OTT soling!! It's w**king with three hands!!!!"
My personal preference are guitarists such as Tom Linton and Jim Adkins (Jimmy Eat World) who can solo for what its worth but make brilliant songs and the solos only add to this, not make the song itself.

[Telefan]

A lot of "stunt" guitarists mentioned in this debate. What about James Burton? You don't end up as Elvis' lead guitarist without reason.

Check out Burton's playing on Roy Orbison "Black and White Night". He puts most rock players in the shade.

[Gilmour_Rocks]

I don't think EVH invented shred... He also did not invet finger tapping, he brought it into the mainstream and made it noticed. He was also an awesome rythym guitarist, Songs include Panama, Unchained, You really got me.

Honestly, want my opinion on Hendrix? Man, its all because he burnt some frigging guitar at a music festival, he was good for his time, but seriously nothing special, he was an innovator but jebus, I owulnd't quote him as inspiration.

Aslo the Formula: you sell = people like you = your good. Is in my opinion, not that right consider this, the music market is dominated by the teenage girls, mainly early teens (their money source: parents) and you really think teenage girls have a sense of what music Is really good? So with that being said, I dunno how many albums Stevie Ray Vaughan has sold, I doubt it would be the same amount as The eagles and AC/DC, but can you really say he is not as talent as angus young or Joe walsh? Honestly that formula totally irrelevant

[Gilmour_Rocks]

Jennifer Batten Played Wacko Jacko for "Diry Dianna"

[Gilmour_Rocks]

have any of you heard the song "Yankee Doodle Dixie"? which is actually two songs and chet atkins play them, simultaneously.

[Robert_Terry]

i dunno, i really do hate kurt cobain, and i know i wil take shit for saying this, but the man didnt invent grunge, his songs are so of their genre it hurts, he wasnt a great guitaist. peple like jimi (very good player, better song writter) and page (again fantastic) are brilliant, but i think the best players are those who dont stick to one genre, who expand into all aspects of guitar music, and i real shame is the people who i find best at this, ar those playing stadiums, but are our guitar teachers

www.deanosheagroup.com (thats not me btw)

[ac/guns n zep]

mattlock:
I agree with you on a lot of things. This article is the awesome.

IMO, I think that Steve Vai isn't talented. Yeah, he can play 28 notes per second, but seriously, that's about 3 different notes. His stuff isn't creative at all, and he puts no passion into his playing. The complete opposite of Kurt Cobain, but Kurt is still a million times more talented for those reasons. He put all his passion, and he was ***ing creative.

Are you ***in crazy?! or just deaf.

First off Steve Vai is amazing and does play extremely fast with going up the whole fretboard. not just the same three notes that you claim he does.
And no passion?! His songs probably have the most passion ever(ex:for the love of god). Just because its instrumental doesnt mean theres no passion. And youre right Kurt Cobain is the exact opposite of Steve Vai. Because Kurt Cobain sucks and Steve Vai is awesome. I mean his songs are ok, but as far as Kurt being a guitarist, I dont know if i can even call him that. His songs are much like the crap of today, like Green Day and Simple Plan etc. Their songs are catchy, but require no talent whatsoever. You probably never listened to anything by Steve Vai and you cant play fast so you say anyone who plays fast sucks.
Dont talk and act like you know everything about something you know nothing about.

[arachnodactyl]

I feel sick, No has yet mentioned Joe Satriani. If you wanna talk about influence he defintley played a part. Hetfield (hepfeild? sory metallica fans) studied under hims, as did the amazing vai. And then theres the man himself. I wouldnt say he has quite the dynamic range as vai (badhorsie too firegarden sweet, friggen amazing) but everyone of his songs is orginal and a plesure to listen too. I dont know about sales. As for actual not arangment, satriani's cool #9 has a one note chorus thats pure genious for the song. Lastley, I have to say the guy from the mars volta is one of my favorites in light of how he manages to bring it down and up for every song, not to mention he comes up with something to go with the vocalists crazy pitch. Ins closing, vais the man and so is satch.
P.S. I take that back, in light of rob's post above this, which is absolutley ture, my guitar teacher Daves the man.

[arachnodactyl]

ok, sry, ac/guns and zep posted his bit while i was typing mine, and if were ripping apart somebody who says Kobaine is better than vai, I want in. My god, listen to yourself man, Kobaine. Apart from smoke on the water you know the first song i learned, come as you are. It was in an article explaing how to read tabs. Thats how easy it was. As for you stating he has no pasion, if i were you would go and smack my parents a couple times for drinking so much when you were little fetus. Im sory if you find terrible vocals more pasionate than music coming from sombody who's guitar has become their voice. Man, Im afraid to find out how you feel about Jason Becker, who is also defendiable on the "he went before his time" bit. While he's not dead, being paralyzed, and painstakingly finishing his last album, is good enough for me.
PS. dont mention anythign about my typos, I dont care, dont waste your breath

[himurakenshin]

I agree with ac/guns n zep

[Hosscat]

This article is titled "CRITERIA". He did a great job establishing criteria and gave his own choices. I think his choices are good examples, and that is all you can want. No one is going to completely agree on which guitarist is "best", and there will always be some obvious choices left out.

Good Job.

[Graves]

yeah, but bro, give us some good examples.. not ones that we already know, I think most people came here looking for some CLOSURE. And I don't really think "Less is More" is exactly good criteria, it even contradicts itself.

[apocalypse13]

Gilmour_Rocks:
I don't think EVH invented shred... He also did not invet finger tapping, he brought it into the mainstream and made it noticed. He was also an awesome rythym guitarist, Songs include Panama, Unchained, You really got me.

Even if he didn't invent tapping, nobody taught it to him, so he might as well have invented it, in his own private world.

[cantshreddave]

NB. The suggestions of the best in each category are my opinion so it's there. Don't give me stick for it please. Most of the names are relatively famous, on the asumption that you can't quite the best if you havn't made it big. (And because of my lack of depth in rock music knowledge)

read tht

once again please dnt give me stick for the nominee things, is just my opinion, criticise the criteria and standard of english (of which the latter was quite frankly awful)

i culd cum up with so many people to put in the nominee type things, but i dnt have the time

[cantshreddave]

i left out chuck berry and scotty moore in the influence bit i just realised, both pioneered rock and roll really didnt they

[whitebluesboy]

joe satriani because he can play any style, play fast vai, or as melodic as harrison, influenced countless guitar heros, and get for all you who say he can't play rock, the Hendrix family personally invites him every year to the annual Jimi Hendrix festival

[whitebluesboy]

technically, Jason Becker is way more melodic than some of the people who were listed, also he has influence from world music, not just classical

[strigoi_vii]

Meh article. Shit Information.

Steve Vai > All(yes kids, jimi hendrix too)

Kurt Cobain shouldnt even be on there, he is a shit guitarist and songwriter as well. EVH too, the only reason hes so popular is because of his gay eruption solo. And where are Petrucci, Satriani, SRV, De Lucia, McLaughlin, and Jason Becker? And no Steve Vai isnt the fastest guitarist, Marcus Paus is with a world record of 44.6 notes per second.(before calling me a liar, do your homework first)

[Abyssal]

yngwie malmsteen
He is the fastest, with 80 notes per second. Im not real sure about this, i found it somewhere, cant remember. So dont ***ing flame me.

[metallica_1981]

IMO Kirk Hammett is the best guitaristin theworld, listen to solos on master f puppets, ride the lightning, the black album, and kill em all, theyre extremely fast and have a greatmelody to them he knows whento hold off in a solo too.master of puppets, a personal favorite, is a great example of his talent.

[smilifile]

Herman Li - Dragonforce, i don't care if he is the best or not, be he sure god dam rocks

[ChickenBone]

What!? Hendrix!? Technical ability!?! no!

[RedlightningYes]

EVH played on thriller, so don't call him the Michael Jackson guitarist and he is on there u mention him

[burn avril burn]

IMO Kirk Hammett is the best guitaristin theworld, listen to solos on master f puppets, ride the lightning, the black album, and kill em all, theyre extremely fast and have a greatmelody to them he knows whento hold off in a solo too.master of puppets, a personal favorite, is a great example of his talent.

you have obviously never heard any shred.

hammet is not fast. end of story. Satch vai and petrucci own him in speed and melody.

this article lost half a star for every guitarist you missed, and for everytime you mentioned kurt cobain.

but since that would leave you with no stars, i gave you 4/5 for an excellent idea on the topic.

[RedlightningYes]

o yea and in songwriting i think jimmy page should be in thier. Look at all the amazing songs he has writen

Lemme juss say Jimmy Page did write quite a few songs but, it was mostly with Robert Plant, besides Plant wrote most of the songs Not Page unless u mean Post Zep

[Overrated]

Good Article. It Sucked less than most.

[tomobrien]

man you people are so full of shit everyone knows that the best musician ever is Kurt Cobain or Billie Joe from green day man you people dont no shit !!

[eastern_riffs]

EVH played for Michael Jackson.

Hear the 'Beat it' solo.EVH style?LoL.

[TheUltimateSin]

My god, will you f*ck-sh*ts grow the hell up already? It has already been stated that this topic will be debated forever because everyone has different opinions. Now unless you're sh*tbrained, shut the hell up and quit whining before you embarrass music by staining the good names of it with your bullsh*t. F*cking 8 year olds i swear...No wait, that's giving too much credit..

[AzAlanisfan]

This is almost like arguing religion or politics. Everyone is talking, but no one is listening. Playing fast is cool, but it's not everything. I'll listen the raw power of Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top over an Eddie Van Halen any day. For me, all of that high speed tapping gets old fast. It's like arguing Mozart vs Beethoven. Do you want light and airy, or heavy-duty?
The list of guitarists missing from this thread is extensive.
How about Stevie Ray Vaughn, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Jonny Lang, J. Vaughn, Robert Cray, Mark Knopfler, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Albert Collins, Lindsay Buckingham, Esteban, Billy Gibbons, Joe Perry, Peter Green, or The Edge?
Should I keep going?

[TheUltimateSin]

AzAlanisfan:
This is almost like arguing religion or politics. Everyone is talking, but no one is listening. Playing fast is cool, but it's not everything. I'll listen the raw power of Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top over an Eddie Van Halen any day. For me, all of that high speed tapping gets old fast. It's like arguing Mozart vs Beethoven. Do you want light and airy, or heavy-duty?
The list of guitarists missing from this thread is extensive.
How about Stevie Ray Vaughn, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Jonny Lang, J. Vaughn, Robert Cray, Mark Knopfler, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Albert Collins, Lindsay Buckingham, Esteban, Billy Gibbons, Joe Perry, Peter Green, or The Edge?
Should I keep going?

No, now shut the f*ck up.

[WyldeCobain]

children....

[TheUltimateSin]

WyldeCobain:
children....

You, shut that hole in your face before I wind up tearing into you as well. I am in no mood to listen to some sh*t-for-brains start preaching crap like that, especially when you haven't been paying attention. Learn to read and come back and try again.

[DisplacedLogic]

One person everyone seems to overlook is Mark Tremonti. Over 30 million records sold with Creed, Human Clay at 11 times Platnium, and now, another half million with Alter Bridge. Not to mention he wrote/co-wrote Creed's AND Alter Bridges albums, EVERY SONG. And he can shred and finger-pick some cool ass riffs.

[jumpmanhat]

EVH freakin sucks

[gijoe]

Good assessment but absolutley overlooked Satriani. Vai and Hammet are Satriani disciples. They would have both paid homage to their teacher and mentor. I like the Gilmour and Page mentions but I think Page should have been in for song writing (Stairway, Kashmir, endless others). And as others did, I totally disagree with Hendrix as a technical player. He is about as anti-technical as you can get.

[Graves]

i can't agree with TheUltimateSin and Gijoe any more, well said guys.

[AC/DC freak]

Dude, Michael Angelo Batio is statistically the fastest ever, and factually, one of the best. am i the onlt one reading about him in Guitar World magazines? and i agree with gijoe , Hendrix wasnt at all technical. just insane. and jumpmanhat, EVH is incredibe. but i think randy rhodes was one of the greater writers of rock, he should be on that list there. and i dont agree that the who started punk, not at all. i give credit for that to the new york dolls, the clash, and the ramones.

[basket_baller00]

"Formula is simple: you sell = people like you = your good."

So many crappy bands today, that have crappy guitarists, rank in a catagory for best guitarist?

[RedlightningYes]

tomobrien:
man you people are so full of shit everyone knows that the best musician ever is Kurt Cobain or Billie Joe from green day man you people dont no shit !!

First off best musician ever is going way over the top secondly best guitarist for either of these two is going way over the top, Billie Joe juss grinds his guitar with chops, there's no point in him even having a Marshall stack, when he doesn't even try to froce the marshall stack to the limit marshall's are good for great sounding guitar players Billie isn't one of them and for a 32 year old He should stop acting like a Teenager

[luv2jam]

Michael Angelo is good but he is another mindless shredder but he is good i'll give him that i even bought one of his instructional DVDs But u have to look at the bigger picture of guitar criteria in all actuality I think Steve Stevens is a better gutarist than MAB I've heard alot of MAB and read all of the articles and at first I was pretty impressed but all good guitarist can shred But if the feel is absent and there is no emotion behind the notes u r playing then ur notes r meaningless when you incoperate melodie and feel into shred you are impressive.

[luv2jam]

Man I hear some on Page but really he is not that good on put him on the side of OK he is not a great guitarist cuz he played for one of the biggest bands ever anyone and i mean anyone can play sloppy out of tune leads. And none of u Page fans can argue with that.

[Abyssal]

God, some people dont even bother to read some posts. Sum1 earlier said that kurt cobain, or that guy from green day was the best musicians ever. Heh, what a ***ing idiot.

[basket_baller00]

I don't see Darrel Albott, WHERE'S DIMEBAG...

When he's not shredding, his solo's seem to be good theoretically (SP?)
Example.
Floods
Hollow

[Graves]

man, seriously... don't look at MAB when he plays, listen to him, i find he's horrible sounding... And no, he isn't the fastest... Any of you guys ever heard Caspersen's Secret Fetish by Mr. Cucumber???? Marcus Paus clearly kicks MAB's ass and i like the song much better than anything i've heard from MAB!

[Gr1m R34p3r]

Dude. You ***ing suck. You have no idea what you're talking about...

[Jamesinho]

heres news!!!.. van halen NEVER invented shred!!!
i heard ariel bender with ian hunter (mott the hoople)on a cd from the mid 70's, and it sounded like eruption. i know, i know, hard to believe, but its true, its on "the mott live"

[ibanezGAX75]

good article. it covered a wide range of categories. i think somthing like live performance or how they put on a show for the crowd should be in there too.

[Graves]

oh and for those of you who think Yngwie Malmsteen has no soul in his music, listen to Black Star.. it's dripping with soul man..

[r_lightning]

Steve Vai - Statistically, the fastest ever. 28 notes per second I think.

uhm.. statistically is Michael Angelo the worlds fastest guitarist

[r_lightning]

sorry for my double post but,
its clearly that you dont have enough knowledge to write an article like this.. you mention all those examples of the guitarist over and over again. Kurt Cobain here, Kurt Cobain there..

what Im gonna say is already said:
"-not that good-Article, but a good idea"
3stars from me

[gmsje]

SilentDeftone - Thank you for mentioning John Mclaughlin. Psycodelia - Totally correct about Joe Walsh and his James Gang stuff being the best (it's also the best part of Eagles' reunion concerts, esp. Funk #49). Cocox2 - It's Mark Knopler; good inclusion here. Everyone who mention Jeff Beck - Thanks; Blow by Blow ushered in sonic rock/jazz fusion, plus Beck can be the fastest but picks only a few spots to do so. Wanna_lick_me - Thanks for remembering Hendrix' acoustic Hear My Train A Comin'; couldn't remember which album. Graves - Totally right about Page live. Milk_it_good - Best explanation of how Hendrix used the instrument and why he is the best. Hippie_punk - BB King for technical ability? He hasn't played a full chord in decades. He's lazy 99% of the time. Cantshredave - Thought provoking article. Good job! My picks: Tech ability - David Hidalgo of Los Lobos and Robert Cray; Less is More - Robby Krieger of the Doors; Influence - Robert Johnson, Chuck Berry and Jimi H.; Sales - Who gives a shit? David Hasselhoff is giant in Germany. "Nuff said. Worst category. Originality - Neil Young (who else gets the tone and intonation of his electric stuff?); Speed - Who gives a shit? Speed is no substitute for phrasing. Second worst category; Best of both Worlds - Jeff Beck; Discipline - Jerry Garcia; Songwriting - Hendrix. Cry of Love is an underrated gem. Red House is the best blues/rock song of all time. For another category - How about chord driven guitarist who add dimension to sound like Keith Richards, George Harrison, Bob Weir to name a few. Unmentioned great guitarists - Michael Bloomfield (great blues/rock lead, could carry on an endless conversation with with deft tone, style and grace); Martin Barre of Jethro Tull - technique, speed and originality; John Mayer - Yes! John Mayer! Does complex chord and melodies as well as killer blues lead. Can cover Hendrix and SRV. Can't wait to hear a totally electric blues album from him. Ok, tear me up y'all!

[gsparrow]

someone up there mentioned De Lucia, he's right, there's a bunch of classical/flamenco guitarrists that no one ever writes/reads about and they can do some pretty crazy stuff. look for Malagueña de Leucona, that's a good one by Paco De Lucía.

[Graves]

I must say I agree totally with Gmsje, IMO he shoulda written the damn article~!

[gmsje]

Forgot some mentionables. In my chord driven category - The Edge (don't know how I forgot him, he is that category); Jorma Kaukenon of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna for originality; George Thoroughgood (misspelled I know) for blues based originality and songwriting. Blues and Rock are congruent, so I make little or no distinction there. Thanks for the compliment Graves. Keep on Truckin'.

[Clarkinator]

Geez someone above said Malmsteem can hit 80 notes a second...is that correct? Cuz thats INSANE

[Graves]

um.. Yngwie can't do 80 man.. plus, 80 notes per second is just fecal mush, anyone who picks that fast in a song should just be boycotted/shot

[80's guitar]

Steve Morse? Maybe I miss his name. Vinnie Moore? Dicky Betts?
Good article, but too many guitarists to remember, and some people take things a bit personal.
I have high respect for all mentioned??.and they all make more money than I do! Lol.
Thanks for your ideas,
Dave

[tainted tears]

i think we have fogotten Alexi Laiho from C.O.B here. probably one of the most technical and best metal guitar players today.

[tylersugarcarlo]

you sound just like everyone else, you should be a radio DJ

[ac/guns n zep]

Abyssa

l:
yngwie malmsteen
He is the fastest, with 80 notes per second. Im not real sure about this, i found it somewhere, cant remember. So dont ***ing flame me.

Im not flaming up, but i just want to clarify for anyone who thinks this that anything close to 80nps isnt physically possbile by the human hand and even if it was the human ear would be able to hear each note, it would just sound like one note. But Yngwie is still great

[ac/guns n zep]

couple of corrections to the post above
you instead of up in the beggining
possbile= possible

[pistols]

one thing no-one will agree on or prove on this website-who invented punk. And personally i beleive johnny rotten (the sex pistols) did.

[gmsje]

Lou Reed a precursor to punk?

[Graves]

of course Lou Reed did... cause he sells life insurance.... OH YEAH

[Steph Bets]

awesome articel, of course there were missing bit sbut its was justa guide sorta thing

[munky_901]

I know that this will raise some murmurs, but I beleive that you have to consider Munky and Head from Korn in this arguement. They aren't the best, you cant decide who is the best, but they're diversity and willingness to create things people have never heard before cannot be overlooked. Munky and Head, and for that matter, every member of Korn, must have burnt the book of "The Rules of Music."

[cantshreddave]

once again dont flame me for my opinion, i just chose some of the best known guitarists because everyone can relate to them, if you cant, you really need to look up your books, im sure there are better guitarists than the ones above, but thts not my problem

[cantshreddave]

Drazil:
You cited sales as something that should be taken into consideration when rating a guitarist.

What the hell happened to George Harrison and John Lennon, the guitarists of the Best-Selling Band Ever?
Or how about Keith Richards, the main guitarist in the Highest-Grossing Band Ever?

the sales figures are taken from the list of the best selling single albums ever,

so we have the eagles great hits, michael jacksons thriller, pf's the wall, led zep 4, billy joel great hits, ac/dc back in black


the beatles are the best in singles sales i believe, well second to cliff richard in the uk, but we can all leave him out

[TheUltimateSin]

Graves:
i can't agree with TheUltimateSin and Gijoe any more, well said guys.

Finally, recognition by someone who isn't a complete moron. Thank you for being someone who can read. Appearently a bunch of you can't though, since you are STILL bitching and whining and moaning about all kinds of rediculous bullsh*t. And too the few people who paid credit to Randy Rhoads's songwriting skills, thank you as well. At least you took the time to give credit where it was earned. The rest of you, grow the hell up and let this article go already. "The Best Guitarist" will never be detemined. NEVER. Not now, not 10 years from now, not EVER. So let it go now.

[Graves]

don't make me blush.. i can die!

[Graves]

yeah, but let's face it guys... if The Beatles hadn't screwed themselves by saying they were bigger than Jesus (which they were) and (i'm not sure how big of an impact this made to their sales) if one Charles Manson hadn't been a complete dumbass, I'm 100% sure that The Beatles would have been on top, or in the top 5 of the best selling albums/artists ever.

[TheUltimateSin]

All I'm saying is that ther is and never will be such thing as the "best" guitarist. There can only be "favorite" guitarist. Everyone will never agree on one single person which is why I dread articles like this. All it does is create chaos where people like me fly off the handle and people like most here who argue and fight and whine.

[GuitarAj]

You forgot some people who are also great guitarists, Like Les Paul and Chet Adkins. Chet Adkins is the greatest in my opionin because he practiced 12 hours a day and could play 2 songs at the same time. Les Paul is a good guitarist also.

[dan_the_pie]

you missed some good ones, but id take days to list all the good ones. pretty good article

[The_New_Slash]

dude one thing here first....Yngwie Malmsteen...ends with a N, not a M.

but yeah your article was great. i enjoyed reading it.
maybe you could have put in a "greatest stage show" thingie....5/5

[Abyssal]

I know 80 notes per sec, isnt possible. But 46? Sum1 said earlier.

[gmsje]

Cantshredave - Good point about Beatles single sales. Up until Sgt. Peppers, the real focus of the music industry was singles, not albums. The Beatles Decca contract required four singles a year. When Rubber Soul and Revolver were perceived as thematic the industry started to change, culminating in Sgt. Peppers, Satanic Majesties and Tommy. (Brian Wilson headcased himself trying to find a theme when he already had one, surfing/girls.) From then on albums became the focus instead of singles. Regarding notes per second, how many notes per second are there in the opening riff to Honky Tonk Women, arguably the most recognizable riff of all time (another article?)? Notes per second is a specious barometer.

[KENZI]

balls to what everyone else has put, i can't be bothered reading all those comments. good article made for interesting reading

[Slash6969]

ya i agree with with kenzi less time reading more time with my guitar ... i dont agree with all of it but some of it is very very true and some of it is just well ya but great work

[tomobrien]

thats bullshit there is'nt a best guitarist people play guitar for their own enjoyment and for the love of music, not to become the best or to look cool now go get a blow job!!

[ZoSo_guy]

This was a good article. But this dude failed to mention Michael Angelo Batio.... He blows Steve Vai out of the water. Steve Vai should be in second place behind Michael Angelo. But it was a good article. 4 stars.

[TheUltimateSin]

tomobrien:
thats bullshit there is'nt a best guitarist people play guitar for their own enjoyment and for the love of music, not to become the best or to look cool now go get a blow job!!

*sigh* And once again im not suprised to see someone who can not read. And don't give me that shit that you can because if you could read, you would have seen that this has been said many times already, including by me. Now either go back to school or wait until what you ahve to say hasn't already been said a million times already you moron.

[TheUltimateSin]

have* sorry for the dbl post

[daniellenser]

Hosscat:
This article is titled "CRITERIA". He did a great job establishing criteria and gave his own choices. I think his choices are good examples, and that is all you can want. No one is going to completely agree on which guitarist is "best", and there will always be some obvious choices left out.

gotta agree with that. i think this article could have used a few more categories. maybe use of effects (tom morello?) or tone (srv?). its amusing to read people aruguing about kurt cobain and vai being better than eachother. but i do think we can all agree that vai is a more talented guitarist.

ps who ever mentioned guitarist for dragonforce. yeah he is rediculous. makes me want to cry.

[Canadiens1160]

You list Kurt in the "Less is more" category but leave out geinus minimalist The Edge?

[Ixthyx]

Don Felder was the Eagles' lead player, before and after Joe Walsh. On Hotel California, all Frey does is the acoustic intro.

Cobain is one of the least talented guitarists ever recorded. He's just this side of Billy Joe Armstrong.

It's been said, but Satriani taught Vai. Nuff said.

[tomobrien]

fender is so gay

[peppermintNFG]

I actually don't think Kurt Cobain can even be named on this, hes a great songwriter but guitarist no. It wasn't minilism at all, it was the fact he sucked and he knew it. Don't get me wrong I am a fan of Nirvana but Kurt sucked. I think Jack White should be mentioned instead of Kurt, hes a better guitarist me thinks. Okay so hes not brilliant, but hes better than Cobain. For sure.

[peppermintNFG]

Oh and you didnt mention Brian May? wtf?

[armadillo]

this is just another conventional ideas of "best guitarist" and is definitely a disease of the age. Nothing will ever be achieve if the new generation imply to these kinds of ideas.I dont believe in guitar heroes or best guitarist.It is in the eyes.

[arachnodactyl]

so, what it comes down too, is this generation blows, sudenley its sweet to play guitar, so every all these rich little suburbinite kids ask their mommy and daddy to buy them a gibson so they can play smells like teen spirit. I bring this up because this is the reason for all these comments. All these people who think they have a clue what there talking about, I know i dont have a clue, but ill admit it (and i do know enough to know curt cobaine blows). GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD. Nirvana = good, kobaine= not guitar genius. Any way, the point is there are simply too many ameature guitarists in the world (and if anyone from ug reads this and wants to post some membership quotas for the past few years, that would be cool), this may lead to some intresting sounds in the future, but for now I am sick of people acting like their awsome and know everything about any six stringed instrimint becuse they can play "TNT". And. besides this all these comments are wrong. My teacher, dave is the best, he has 12 fingers on each hand and has a motorized picking hand. He is the faststest. Some times when hes playing the guitar starts on fire. Once, during vietnom, angus young asked for him to have his guitar, but he wouldnt take it, becuse he needed a special one for his super fast arm. Take that. Bitches. :-p

[himurakenshin]

dave sucks because he can't finger pick, and twelve fingers would crowd up the fretboard, he probably can't even plat a chord. The guitar probably caught fire because it wanted to commit suicide from all the awful music that was being played.

[andrewbiles]

Well I thought it was a good article. Hopefully it'll make some people think that speed isn't everything when playing guitar. I hate going over the the Riffs & Recording section and just hearing everyone trying to blurt out as many notes as possible, it's the most boring music imaginable.

[TheUltimateSin]

So what, every single one of you is illiterate? I, among others, already said most of this many times already. Now will you people shut the hell up and get a freakin' life already? I mean my god, are you really that pathetic that you still have to come here, repeat what others have already said, make a complete ass of yourselves, and pretend it's normal? Grow up already. I swear, none of you can be any older that 12 considering the crap you're pulling.(I'm obviously leaving out you few who actually know what you're talking about so don't get all jumpy over this)

[jeevan]

nice article dued

[MorbidAngel333]

This article is SHIT.
Whoever wrote this has no idea how to judge guitar skills and your criteria's are so WRONG.
What happened to Yngwie in the speed section???KIRK HAMMETT???..WTF?TOM MORRELLO IN ORIGINALITY!!???!
AND WHO THE HELL CARES ABOUT SALES!!!..

[Deftone]

Tom Morello is sweet.

[Deftone]

seriously

[Slash6969]

fender is so gay

its people like this who just make you want to take all the dumbasses in the world and just shove em off a cliff
and really sales dont matter but its more of a way of showing peoples choice type thing

[wookieonfire]

not bad, at least the dude tried

[Tim_5150]

i think it's spelled "Pete Townshend"

[Tim_5150]

i'm very sorry for the double-post. even though my favorite guitarist of all-time is Edward Van Halen, i don't think he "created" "shred", he made it big but didn't invent it.

[zondo317]

anything but cobain...

[KickOutTheJamsX]

this wont end it.. every1 has their own opinion.. however, this shooouuuuld make people think more about who they consider the best and if people are open minded ebough could change a few opinions

[Dowza]

Jimi Hendrix is up there because of his amazing ability to not miss a note, playing with his teeth, fretting with his arm, fretting with his ASS, fretting with his teeth and so on.
As they say, Jimi is a household name because he was extremely popular.

People like Yngwie, Satriani and that are EXTREMELY talented guitarists, but bands like Led Zeppelin are alot more popular and thus Jimmy Page (who frequently experimented playing guitars with the violin stick thing, forgive me idk its name).

Angus Young, while not a great guitarist, had the raw emotion on stage. He was a great showman, the crowds love him.

Tom Morello. He experiments with different sounds... (listen to Voice of the Voiceless... yes that is a guitar)

oh and JIMI HENDRIX DID PLAY ACOUSTIC GUITAR. I also have a DVD of him recording with a 12 string and a 6 string.
His acoustic skills were about the same as Page.

[Slashfan#1]

TheUltimateSin:
Graves:
i can't agree with TheUltimateSin and Gijoe any more, well said guys.
Finally, recognition by someone who isn't a complete moron. Thank you for being someone who can read. Appearently a bunch of you can't though, since you are STILL bitching and whining and moaning about all kinds of rediculous bullsh*t. And too the few people who paid credit to Randy Rhoads's songwriting skills, thank you as well. At least you took the time to give credit where it was earned. The rest of you, grow the hell up and let this article go already. "The Best Guitarist" will never be detemined. NEVER. Not now, not 10 years from now, not EVER. So let it go now.

^^^..First you 2 need go find a nice quite place to lay down and blow each other. And no I am not 12 I turned 24 today and one more thing, thus this, thus that Page is god and Hendrix is great make no mistake but his acoustic skill is not close to Page's.

[TheUltimateSin]

First off little man inever said Page sucked. Learn to read before you lash out. Second, again if you could read, you would have seen that there is nothing but pointless arguing going on. Thirdly, based on what I've seen, you can't be 24 or anywhere close because of the immaturity that is reeking from your posts. And before you act up again, I'm not saying i was any better based on my own actions. It just tears me up when morons like yourself say the stupidest things like what you said, "First you 2 need go find a nice quite place to lay down and blow each other" via your exact words. Now, if you are as old as you claim to be, how about you show a little maturity and let it go? Or are you going to show your true colors as a 9-13 year old by making some sad and pathetic attempt to retaliate?

[mastrgndm]

The only criteria Cobain should be under is Influence. He brought grunge (or whatever you call it) to mainstream. Thats it, then he killed himself. Oh joy.

[TheUltimateSin]

Slashfan#1:
TheUltimateSin:
Graves:
i can't agree with TheUltimateSin and Gijoe any more, well said guys.
Finally, recognition by someone who isn't a complete moron. Thank you for being someone who can read. Appearently a bunch of you can't though, since you are STILL bitching and whining and moaning about all kinds of rediculous bullsh*t. And too the few people who paid credit to Randy Rhoads's songwriting skills, thank you as well. At least you took the time to give credit where it was earned. The rest of you, grow the hell up and let this article go already. "The Best Guitarist" will never be detemined. NEVER. Not now, not 10 years from now, not EVER. So let it go now.

^^^..First you 2 need go find a nice quite place to lay down and blow each other. And no I am not 12 I turned 24 today and one more thing, thus this, thus that Page is god and Hendrix is great make no mistake but his acoustic skill is not close to Page's.

'Scuse me? Listen up you piece of hippie white trash. I'm not in any kind of mood to take this crap especially not from you you got that? It's people like you that are embarrassing the good names in music with all of your bullsh*t. And as far as I'm concerned, you can go suck your mothers cock in hell. Further more, for the recored, Hendrix sucks balls while I have nothing against Jimmy Page. Now, unless you have anything intelligent to say about the subject that hasn't already been said, either stay the hell off of the page or shut the hell up before myself or others tear you another new asshole.

[TheUltimateSin]

record*

[Slashfan#1]

Scuse me, Listen up who the fu*k are you and I am so scared of your comments over a computer please dont beat my ass. And up the thread you said Page sucked live and another thing you and what others? You building some kinda goddamn cult?

[TheUltimateSin]

If you had more than a few brain cells, you might have seen that it was Graves that said Page was "horrible live"

[Metallica420]

Great article man i read it all gave it 5 stars man.But in the matter of the best guitarist there isn't one it's it is and always will be a matter of opinion and stile.Whether you like Eric Clapton,Kirk Hammet or Jimmy Page it will never ever be agrred that any of them is the best.I say they're all amazing and any of us would be blessed to be even close to as good as any of them.So don't rip on people simply because they say Jimi Hendrix is the best and you think Dave Gimour is better.
Peace

[daniellenser]

Metallica420

word.

[Lysol]

Where was Dimebag,one of the greatest guitarist of all time, on the list he was the main reason I ever picked up a guitar. I'm kinda upset he was not Listed in your article but other than that great job dude

[Gothic_ed]

The start of the article pissed me off, 'you can't quite (be) the best if you havn't made it big'. Since when. 'Making it big' is a matter of luck and playing the popular thing more often than being good. Theres loads of brilliant guitarists who aren't famous and many famous guitarists, such as Cobain, who dont really deserve to be famous for guitar-playing at all.

[AzAlanisfan]

TheUltimateSin:
If you had more than a few brain cells, you might have seen that it was Graves that said Page was "horrible live"
[POSTED: 05 July 2005 - 126]|

Anyone that stays this upset over a few posts needs to be on medication. There are real issues going on in the world that you should be upset about. This topic shouldn't be one of them. Take a pill, sit down, shutup, and let other people say what they please. They don't want or need your direction or acceptance. You're ruining the thread with your juvenile tirades.
This is my last post regarding your sorry ass. Grow up, loser!

[monkeyspks]

ahh. some people are truly the biggest whiners i've ever seen. great article.

[TheUltimateSin]

AzAlanisfan, you're one of these idiots who need to shut the hell up. That post had nothing to do with you so stay the f*ck out my business. I was correcting a mistake because i was being held responsable for something I didn't say. There are few people left on this thread who have the intelligence to not repeat the same sh*t over and over again. For example the whole "there is no 'best guitarist'" thing has already been said numerous times by myself and a few others. Now, if anyone's sorry ass is ruining this thread its true losers like yourself. And if you want a piece of me, come and get it. Otherwise, sit the f*ck down and shut the f*ck up with your ignorant statements. The person that post was meant for has obviously matured, so why don't you try growing some ballhair and zipping your lip?

[Demagogue01]

Nice article, good analyzing, but i just have one complaint. As much as i hate him, MJ's Thriller is the all time best selling album(47 million), according to the Guiness Book sitting over there on my shelf

[suicideangel_2]

that is a very good article, i like who you put it all up in different areas, i would also like to say that it doesnt matter what your opinion is because cantshreddave was putting it up as statisticly it doesnt matter if you think kurt cobain is better than steve vai, because it is all put statisticly

[jimmypageteleLP]

I like the fact you have tried to set some criteria for judging guitarists but as you and many posts have already mentioned it all various by opinion and tastes. In fact, I think some should be considered equally great. You mentioned players who liked to steal shows and get fancy and what not. Ray Vaughn, Page, Hendrix just a few of the greats who knew what putting of shows were about did just this and almost always went an extra step that what many critics would say were necessary. There is alot to say about this article and rebutles could be endless but I'll stop before this turns into an article.

[dooda]

angus young by a mile

[lp_guitar_girl]

ac/guns n zep: First off Kurt Cobain was nothing more then an average guitarist and his solos suck/

did you not look at what category he was in?? he was in 'less is more' and his solo were simple i agree, but they were effective - and Cobain was one of the most influential guitarist (if not the most) of the 90's

[cantshreddave]

Nice article, good analyzing, but i just have one complaint. As much as i hate him, MJ's Thriller is the all time best selling album(47 million), according to the Guiness Book sitting over there on my shelf

i wuld give u my source if i culd, but ive forgotton it

maybe mine is only based on uk sales, i dont know

[TheUltimateSin]

you must have, cause Demagogue01 is right. as sad as it is to admit it, Thriller is the worldwide best selling album of all time. It doesn't deserve to be, but it unfortunatly is

[snake_eyes31]

everyone knows that it is simply impossible to say who the best guitar players are, everyone has their own opinions and everyone likes different styles of music. I think i noticed that no one has even put a country guitar player in here, some of them are pretty damn good, not that i'm a fan or anything. If you're in a band that has put out an album, chances are they're pretty good on guitar, probably better then most of you. i like alot of these guitar players listed here also, along with Kurt Cobain; who i do think is an amazing guitar player with his own style, that most of these 'speed' guitar players could never do. To create a catchy riff is just as important as playing a fast solo, probably more important, because those riffs are what people remember, and Kurt did that better then anyone, no matter what people think. I think it's time to go back and practice on all your guitar's and quit criticising people that are all better then you, and don't care what you think anyway.

[TheUltimateSin]

^^^^ Gee, as if i haven't already said that enough already. Thank you Captain Obvious

[snake_eyes31]

hey buddy, isn't it obvious that no one cares what you think, you probably can't even play a guitar, so go back to annoying people on chat lines and quit boring everyone with your lack of knowledge, you little no it all punk.

[snake_eyes31]

hey buddy, isn't it obvious that no one cares what you think, you probably can't even play a guitar, so go back to annoying people on chat lines and quit boring everyone with your lack of knowledge, you little know it all punk.

[TheUltimateSin]

^^^ Wow. If I've ever seen a more vibrant expression of someones stupidity, that was it. You need to grow up little man. And for the record, I can play circles around you and you know it. Maybe if you realized it's actually people like you no one cares about, you'd slink back to whatever rock you crawled from. Furthermore, I could give 2 sh*ts less what other people think of me. So if anyone is lacking knowledge, it's ignorant kid AOLers like you. Ready to grow up and lose the diapers? Or are you going to further this into a pointless argument with another post reeking of immaturity?

[snake_eyes31]

keep talking little kid. and for the record, i can almost guarantee it that you aren't as good as you think you are on guitar, and YOU know it. If you didn't care what people thought about what you said, then you wouldn't comment back to them and make an ass of yourself, but i guess you're used to that, after all, i'm sure you're just some punk little teenager who doesn't know any better, give it a rest already, no one cares how tough you are and how much you think you know, which as i see now is not that much. now let's see what kind of smartass comment you can come up with...

[TheGuitarWizard]

a guitarist needs balance. too much speed= crap. too much tapping=crap. EVH focused too much on tapping, so did satriani. Steve Vai focused on speed and some of his stuff sucks. you need balance.

[TheGuitarWizard]

to whoever said jimmy page was horrible live, i amgoing to hunt you down fool.

[metallica_1981]

alright i ogtta revoke what i said b4 bout kirk hammett, hes not the best guitarist IMO Nick Foreman is the greatest guitarist The kids been playin for 3 years and hes ***ing god with the guitar yeah ive heard thesse superstar guitarist shedlike hell but this kid can do it better and i know prolly nunna you have everheard of him cuz he just graduated from my highschool but idont care what you guys say thisw kid can play a guitar better than ne one else outthere

[metallica_1981]

great article tho

[TheUltimateSin]

And as i expected, you again make an ass of yourself by continuing this. Im sick of arguing with 12 year olds, so im going to make this clear: Any further input on this subject by you will be condoning a retarded arugment with yourself, and only yourself. I've wasted enough time trying to explain something hat appearently can't get through your thick childish skull. Im tired of this, and im not going to continue a pointless debate with a kid. So my final words to you are: Grow Up, Or Go To Hell

[TheUltimateSin]

^^that**

[snake_eyes31]

you know it's funny, you keep saying to me almost the exact same things that i'm saying to you, you unoriginal bastard. Keep replying buddy...it's no fun to grow up, so welcome to hell!

[TheUltimateSin]

metallica_1981:
alright i ogtta revoke what i said b4 bout kirk hammett, hes not the best guitarist IMO Nick Foreman is the greatest guitarist The kids been playin for 3 years and hes ***ing god with the guitar yeah ive heard thesse superstar guitarist shedlike hell but this kid can do it better and i know prolly nunna you have everheard of him cuz he just graduated from my highschool but idont care what you guys say thisw kid can play a guitar better than ne one else outthere

I know what you mean. I know a few friends from my old highschool that an still tear it up on a guitar too that sound almost better than some pro's.

[sHrEdDiNgMDnEsS]

...

[Kopperhead91]

in my opinion it was a great article with alot of thought in it, but i think the 2 best ever are Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix

[liam177lewis]

yeah, same here... although for me page's stuff just sounds better... sinner that i am, a lot of hendrix's stuff bores me.... he is good though, i aint disputing that.

[Metallica420]

Lysol:
Where was Dimebag
Yeeh man what the hell how could they forget the dearly depparted Derral Abbot man what's wrong with this guy jeaz!
Peace

[2ndslash]

where is john frusciante? where is bruce springsteen? i know you cant fit all of them on there but i mean come on

[2ndslash]

and where the f**k is mick thompson??!!

[2ndslash]

AND kurt cobain was a better guitar player than all who say he sucked. he must be better than you because are you famous for your guitar playing and singing?

[GuitarDudeWill]

Diversity should have been the 10th catagory

frusciante,walsh,clapton,ect...

[Whisker Biscuit]

hey it was good to see Tom Morello finally get amention amongst the guitar greats, I totally agree with your less is more category- Hendrixs, Van Halen, Slash - who gives a damn how fast you play, anyone can sit down and work out a super fast solo, it took people like cobain, morello, and frusciante to play two notes and it just works better. Johnny Greenwood should be in the originaltiy category though.

[metallica_1981]

hey where was john lennon?!?!?! the beatles pretty much invented rock!!! they started everything and he wasnt mentioned by anyone i dont think i mean i know that you couldnt fit everybody in but theyt created it at least give them some recognition

[metallica_1981]

sorry i just saw the bottom of the article
my mistake

[hak_hap]

I think that Slash, Joe Striani, Jimi Hendrix and Kirk Hammet are better.

[elroy629]

All these guitarist are great at their style of play. If you criticize their songs or abilitys you probably arent even a serious guitarist. If you ask me, a great guitarist should be able to add the right amount of speed but also be able to flow with the song.

[IndieSucks]

good job but were is petrucci?

[acdc101]

Apparently, 90% of the people who commented on this artice, skipped over this little tid-bit:

NB. The suggestions of the best in each category are my opinion so it's there. Don't give me stick for it please. Most of the names are relatively famous, on the asumption that you can't quite the best if you havn't made it big. (And because of my lack of depth in rock music knowledge)

WyldeCobain:
children....
[POSTED: 02 July 2005 - 049]

^Born 1986.....

[powerage225]

Kurt Cobain - Comes under this because he probably couldn't do more, but if he could, he wouldn't anyway.

haha
a retarted monkey couldve written this article

[Gothic_ed]

TheUltimateSin:
tomobrien:
thats bullshit there is'nt a best guitarist people play guitar for their own enjoyment and for the love of music, not to become the best or to look cool now go get a blow job!!
*sigh* And once again im not suprised to see someone who can not read. And don't give me that shit that you can because if you could read, you would have seen that this has been said many times already, including by me. Now either go back to school or wait until what you ahve to say hasn't already been said a million times already you moron.

[Gothic_ed]

TheUltimateSin:
AzAlanisfan, you're one of these idiots who need to shut the hell up. That post had nothing to do with you so stay the f*ck out my business. I was correcting a mistake because i was being held responsable for something I didn't say. There are few people left on this thread who have the intelligence to not repeat the same sh*t over and over again. For example the whole "there is no 'best guitarist'" thing has already been said numerous times by myself and a few others. Now, if anyone's sorry ass is ruining this thread its true losers like yourself. And if you want a piece of me, come and get it. Otherwise, sit the f*ck down and shut the f*ck up with your ignorant statements. The person that post was meant for has obviously matured, so why don't you try growing some ballhair and zipping your lip?

[Gothic_ed]

TheUltimateSin:
Slashfan#1:
TheUltimateSin:
Gra
ves:
i can't agree with TheUltimateSin and Gijoe any more, well said guys.
Finally, recognition by someone who isn't a complete moron. Thank you for being someone who can read. Appearently a bunch of you can't though, since you are STILL bitching and whining and moaning about all kinds of rediculous bullsh*t. And too the few people who paid credit to Randy Rhoads's songwriting skills, thank you as well. At least you took the time to give credit where it was earned. The rest of you, grow the hell up and let this article go already. "The Best Guitarist" will never be detemined. NEVER. Not now, not 10 years from now, not EVER. So let it go now.

^^^..First you 2 need go find a nice quite place to lay down and blow each other. And no I am not 12 I turned 24 today and one more thing, thus this, thus that Page is god and Hendrix is great make no mistake but his acoustic skill is not close to Page's.

'Scuse me? Listen up you piece of hippie white trash. I'm not in any kind of mood to take this crap especially not from you you got that? It's people like you that are embarrassing the good names in music with all of your bullsh*t. And as far as I'm concerned, you can go suck your mothers cock in hell. Further more, for the recored, Hendrix sucks balls while I have nothing against Jimmy Page. Now, unless you have anything intelligent to say about the subject that hasn't already been said, either stay the hell off of the page or shut the hell up before myself or others tear you another new asshole.

UltimateSin stop insulting people and get over yourself. You don't seem to be making many friends on this lol

[Gothic_ed]

TheUltimateSin:
milk_it_good:
Everybody, QUIT BITCHING!!!
And then you go right ahead and start it yourself? And for your complaining, you should consider yourself lucky that I can't punch you right in the mouth for being so idiotic or I would. And if you read this and decide "Hey, i wanna start some shit with this guy." then I say bring it the f*ck on. Otherwise, I am hoping you will grow up and leave this be right here right now

TheUltimateSin:
My god, will you f*ck-sh*ts grow the hell up already? It has already been stated that this topic will be debated forever because everyone has different opinions. Now unless you're sh*tbrained, shut the hell up and quit whining before you embarrass music by staining the good names of it with your bullsh*t. F*cking 8 year olds i swear...No wait, that's giving too much credit..

[Gothic_ed]

TheUltimateSin:
simulatedworld, I'm going to tell you what I told someone else earlier. Be glad I can't punch you right in the mouth for being so f*cking stupid. I(and most likely several others here) am in no mood to listen(or "read" if your going to piss and moan about THAT too) to some nitwit try to tell them what to do. Maybe if you grew up and learned to read, you'd see that the situation has been handled and hardly anyone has been bitching for a while now. And for your safety, don't bother stating anything with me over this. It's not my fault your literary skills are feeble.

lol it goes on and on

[elroy629]

TheUltimateSin:
Thats all fine and dandy that you took all the time to read what every single person commented on. But it seems to me that YOU are the eight year old. You seem so adolescent... and engaged in this article. It appears you have way to much time on your hands. Maybe you should spend your time looking up porn or something. If you want to hit someone in the mouth for being stupid, then do it, get yourself locked up, I sure will miss you. But I dont want to waste all of my time on this, because i have better things to do.

[TheUltimateSin]

Gothic_ed, elroy629, Stay the f*ck out of my business. For your information, i'm 19, and i could care less what you have to say about it. And if you had better thigs to do, why "waste your time" by even bothering to comment on what i said? So, just what were those better things you have to do?

[TheUltimateSin]

^^^ and by the way Gothic_ed, i really dont give a sh*t whether or not i "make friends" over this. unlike you, my life doesn't depend on internet friends

[BillyNelhams]

28 notes a second!!!..

steve vai - ***ing mental

[TheUltimateSin]

^^^ Vai didn't do 28 per sec. He topped out at 21.6 in a song called "The Riddle". There is a statistics thread on this site with 100% accurate stats.

[George898]

I agree ^^^.. he didnt but he defnitly did 21

[George898]

But i think that Jimi page and EVH are the best! ROCK ON

[uLtim8]

WOW, Steve Vai is awesome. 21.6 or 28 w/e...its still f***ing fast. He looks addicted to that guitar...

[Plim]

I'm a real big fan of Page myself, but the whole band really helps to make the Might Zep my favorite band. I love the blues + folk thing they had going on. I've heard that Page is not so great live, but the How The West Was Won DVDs are sooo.. good. Obviously hes not going to put in footage of him sucking, but you can't deny that he really rocked out in some concerts at least. Plus they all have the ability to get up there any be spontaneous, which really makes the music great. Also, Gilmour is probably my 2nd fav, definitely the best at evoking emotion from his songs, in my opinion. Also a huge fan of SRV, love his tone.

I think something that might actually be kinda cool would be to create like a poll to see which artists people like. It would be nice to let people comment on why they like a particular artist, but obviously some people are incapable of civilized social interaction. Its kindof a pain to see all that crap cluttering up the usefull comments. Oh well, keep up the good work.

[oldschoolrock23]

Everybody, QUIT BITCHING!!! Unless you wanted a 20-page article, he can not give credit to all your little heroes. Face it, this sort of article can never do everyone justice, I thought atleast some of the monkeys would have figured that out by now!!! Oh, and well done sloehand, you've won the 'I'm the most moronic retard on ultimate-guitar.com' award. Jimi, overrated? I can't ***in believe you even hold May in the same breadth as him, Jimi had also ALL of the qualities above bar speed (which I'm sure he could have easily pulled off but he was playiong in an era where musicians weren't trying to squeeze whatever they possibly could out of the guitar, it was simply for the joy of music). Shredding is just a euphemism for 'extreme masturbation of the axe', they don't play with half the emotion and discipline than hendrix. And don't bother disputing, cos your wrong. Should I be wrong, refer to the previous sentence.


Thank you ^^ Very True

[TheUltimateSin]

^^^No, that was just a pointless "I like Jimi Hendrix" opinion. For example, I think Jimi Hendtix sucks ass. What is anyone going to do about it? Nothing, because it's my opinion to make and no one can tell me otherwise. Another example: I think Randy Rhoads was the greatest person to ever pick up a guitar. But,it doesn't matter if I say that because other people will disagree with me and then claim someone else was the greatest. That's all these kind of topics are good for; starting arguments. It took me a while to realize it. And it seems everyone else, save a few, is oblivious to this fact.

[TheUltimateSin]

Hendrix^

[darkseraph57]

tapping is a flamenco technique.

[darkseraph57]

come to think of it "the greatest guitarist ever" is probably some classical guitarist - didn't they kind of invent guitar?

[warlockmaster21]

"where is this, where is that, where is who, where is when, where is where," would you guys shut the f**k up?! please, he said the article was based on his own opinions and sh!t

This article was inspired by seeing so many best guitarist polls which never come to an agreement. I'm not saying this article is the be all and end all, everyone has different opinions and will disagree, yet some lists can be considered void because they do not consider all the criteria. Here's what they should consider.

NB. The suggestions of the best in each category are my opinion so it's there. Don't give me stick for it please. Most of the names are relatively famous, on the asumption that you can't quite the best if you havn't made it big. (And because of my lack of depth in rock music knowledge)

READ!!! AND SHUT UP! YOUR FAVORITE ARTIST/BEST GUITARIST "IN YOUR OPINION" WASNT POSTED. HE WONT EITHER, SO get a life.

[TheUltimateSin]

^^^Thank you captain obvious. Let's try some new news now.

[bradbradbrad]

lol

[DiNk]

Ritchie Blackmore? > Jimmy Page
Deep Purple sold how much?
Rainbow? ;D

[Gothic_ed]

actually ultimatesin i dont actually have any internet friends it was a figure of speech, and maybe i dont have anything better to do but you dont seem to have much to do except correct people you've poste at least a quarter of the most recent posts and they've all been to increase your own sense of self importance

[TheUltimateSin]

^^No, I have no interest in self importance. It just annoys the hell out of me when ignorant people group together and spew out the same repeatative b.s. over and over again. Now, I'm willing to let this end here and drop it if you are, alright? I would prefer that this not get any more childish than it already has.

[Dogwillhunt]

AAA..RRR..GGG..HHH..!!!! Speed does not equal good guitar playing! John Frusciante, Larry LaLonde, Eric Clapton, John Petrucci, Kim Thayil, Randy Rhoads, Zakk Wilde (Even though he's not Randy), and there isn't even any mention of Wes Borland... if you want to talk originality, listen to Limp Bizkit (Not for the crappy vocalist). And why is it that just because everyone remembers Dave Grohl as the "drummer" from Nirvana that he's not a good guitarist as well? Who cares about these commercially friendly solo artists like Vai, Satriani and Eric Johnson... and one line artists like Yngwie. And quit considering Kirk Hammett one of the best guitarists ever. I'm guessing since nobody likes "grunge" that's why Stone Gossard and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam aren't mentioned... right? Kids... listen to some guitar playing that has feeling and if you can't feel the guitar or feel the guitarist's emotion pouring through that instrument... it's time you pawned your guitar off and used the money to get an education because the last thing this columnist needs is another automatonic clone that plays really good technical guitar but shows no feeling so he can cheer you on as the new god of the axe.

[Gothic_ed]

done

[prettyduck]

Slashfan#1:
Best guitar player.... hmmm..... you will never know it is all opinion there is no playoffs and superbowl there is no champ only an opinion. But just for the record I thought tone should have been the 10th catagory and speed is something that is looked at far to hard I know guys on the streets that play wicked fast but they have none of there own licks and if they do it sucks.
[POSTED: 27 June 2005 - 10:30]|


i agree with everything...

[dcmacoy]

ya what prettyduck said

[tidus730]

whos that one guitarist that shreds on a 4 neck guitar?

[TheUltimateSin]

^^Never heard of that before. I know JPJ of Led Zeppelin played this combination mandolin/6-string/12-string combined-in-one monster of a guitar. Never heard of a 4-neck guitar though.

[*'-'*]

Who sez Green Day isn't rock

They're a right sight better than half the ones you put in

[NikkiSix]

Wow, almost all I've seen come out of this is a bunch of kids whining and ranting about this and that and whom appearently completely missed the 2 opening paragraphs. Funny stuff that made my night.


Anyway, those suggestions, although I may disagree on a few, fit the catagories fairly well. 4 stars for a good job

[reaction2369]

Where is Michael Angelo Batio??? He's a much faster guitarist than Vai, Hammett, and Van Halen combined... He's one of the few shred demons that actually have feeling amidst their music.

[NilsNiiils]

SilentDeftones: I don't think Hendrix had that much technical ability, certainly not enough to put him in the top 3. I find that I like his songwriting better, i.e. Little Wing. And speaking of songwriting, Cobain? He wrote terrible songs and played them even worse!

You're just one big ass, you know that? Jimi Hendrix' technical ability is far beyond what the common public thinks.. Just listen to his live tapes.. It's freakin awesome guitar playing in there! And when it comes to Cobain, let me quote Mick Thompson: "I don't think Kurt Cobain could play sweep-picked arpeggios at a million miles per hour but, then again, he wrote Smells Like Teen Spirit and I didn't". Cobain is underrated both as a guitar player and even though you don't like it, a good songwriter.. Not as good as Steve Harris or Jimi Hendrix, but good.. But those two are gods

[dude12]

yah i agree hendrix is 1000.. times better than you'll be SilentDeftones!
but the best guitarist is definetly (drum roll)
50 CENT! j/k

[Dogwillhunt]

HA! 50 Cent can't even rap! Not kidding.

[dude12]

fender is so gay

WOW you really are stupid. Ok, if fender is "so gay"(like you, why are strats the #1 most popular guitar, and the guitar wanted by more people than any other? Not so smart are we now? Seriously i've talked to people who don't even play adn they no what a fender is.

[pbnjammer]

props on having page/lennon on your lists (they get left out somehow somtimes)...paul was a real guitarist--listen to the dirty guitar fills on taxman and the fills on back in the ussr...he plays guitar on alot of the records...on that note i think lennon/mccartney should be on the influences list and george harrison on the less is more

[pbnjammer]

in case someone missed it someone knocked eric clapton in favor of limp bizkit LOL

[pbnjammer]

ultimatesin, that triple neck with the mandolin, 6 str, 12 str you mentioned wasn't page's it was jpj's

[Dogwillhunt]

Who knocked Clapton in favor of Limp Bizkit? I think Limp Bizkit sucks, but Wes Borland's a unique guitarist. Limp Bizkit's a horrible band, but it's mainly because of Fred Durst. Clapton is an excellent guitarist who always gets underrated in my opinion.

[chrisf0584]

kurt cobain should not be in any greatest guitarist poll and neither should John Lennon, - Paul McCartney was a better guitarist technically (perhaps the best in the band) though he was the official bassist, and with his songwriting skill (Yesterday, Hey Jude - some of the Beatles most successful songs) he should be there rather than John lennon (in the songwriting section)

First off, there was no "official" bassist in the Beatles. Paul only took over primarily once Stu left the band. And John Lennon was an excellent rhythm guitarist. As well, they BOTH should be in the songwriting sections of this article, and in more, in my opinion.

[pbnjammer]

First off, there was no "official" bassist in the Beatles. Paul only took over primarily once Stu left the band. And John Lennon was an excellent rhythm guitarist. As well, they BOTH should be in the songwriting sections of this article, and in more, in my opinion.

exactly lennon's definitely underrated and if you think playing rythm is easy listen to john on all my loving! insane!

[Brendan DEwald]

i dont know because yea john lennon and kurt cobain could write music but both where really shit at playing guitar yea they can ply guitar chords but are def not top in gmy guitar books. But i guess it was a good article because you took the time writing it.

[TheUltimateSin]

pbnjammer:
ultima
tesin, that triple neck with the mandolin, 6 str, 12 str you mentioned wasn't page's it was jpj's

That made no sense at all. I never said it was Page's. I specifically stated JPJ aka John Paul Johnes. Please read more closely next time

[cilcannonvryce]

ghjfghj

[cilcannonvryce]

well if steve vai can play 28 notes per second - than that is the most retarted thing i have ever heard - do the math guys, that is 1680 bpm. NO ONE CAN PLAY THAT FAST. At least not a guitar player. I have heard some drummers at competitions lay down 600 or 700 beats in thirty second period on a double bass. i have been teaching guitar for about eight years and playing for about twenty and I am a music major with jazz emphasis on guitar and i have studied every guitarist from Michael Angelo Batio to Jimi Hendrix to Pat Martino. In all my lessons and sessions and clinics with John Petrucci and Micheal Angelo Batio, I have never seen anyone play more than sixteenth note triplets at more than 220 and do it cleanly or for any more than a few seconds. it is impossible. if steve vai did it, tell me where, when, what song. I want to hear it. I have seen him in concert, he is fast as f'in hell but not that fast - that is machine fast. it is not possible for humans to duplicate at the stage of our evolution. check this guy out, he is probably the fastest guitarist around the world in line with John Petrucci and Rusty Cooley - his name is Francesco Ferari.
www.francesoferari.com - check out the video for "Suspension."

[TheUltimateSin]

cilcannonvryce, if you are a guitar teacher as you claim, then you are a poor one if you think it is impossible to play that fast. Marcus Paus played at 44.6 in "Caspersens Secret Fetish"(only briefly, and I think it sounds like sh*t), Allan Holdsworth 37 in "Fred", Steve Vai has not played any faster than 21.6, and it was in "The Riddle", not at the inflated 28 nps as people believe. Michael Angelo Batio played at 23.3 on the song "No Boundries", Rusty Cooley 24.7 "Under The Influence". Most impressivly, Al DiMeola hit 25.2 nps on an acoustic guitar in "Mediterranean Sundance"
You can view more on the following page:
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=226296

[cilcannonvryce]

You defined my point very well - no one cqn play more than about twenty notes per second and the notes discernable to the human ear. take a physics class on the study of sound. and no i am not a poor teacher. making a personal cut is very low of you to do, i thought you would have more integrity. I have taught seven year olds how to play beethoven and paganini - this is no way a poor quality teacher - check with your local cellege. again, 1680 bpm, for one minute - or really any discernable length of time is relatively a constant sound to the human ear. NO ONE CAN PLAY THAT FAST for any length of time. and even if they could, it would just be a blurb of sound. turn a software metronome up to around a thousand and see what a mean. i have played with the fastest guitarist in the world, none of them, ever, that fast. i think you need to be more logical about what is mechanically possible for the human hand vs. what the guitar requires to fret a note. i will check into marcus puas, i heard a kid at school say something about him once i think. but hey, when you play, it has to be intentional, and clean - not just a jumble of crap. so if it sounds like crap he loses automatically. give this some thought - sit down with your guitar, map out some arpeggios that take up 20 - 25 notes. play them as fast as you can and then ask someone to watch their digital watch as you rip through them. you can't defy time. i just recently spoke with mr. francesco ferari and he also strongly agrees with me. after all this is a guy who can play 16th notes at 240-250bpm - and do it for a discernable length of time - i mean a few minutes. think about this also, 240bpm: this is 4 beats per second correct? 16 notes at the bpm would be what nps or bps - whatever you need to call it. that is all the speed anyone would ever need. And steve vai said this guy is the fastest guy on the planet. so i won't take any cheap shots at you. i appreciate your criticism. hopefully logic can settle this for you.

[TheUltimateSin]

^My apologies. I misread your post entirely. I missed what you said about not being able to play for more than a few seconds. This is true, as the examples I mentioned were notes held for only a few seconds. And the Paus thing is indeed true, but as I said, I personally think it sounds horrid, like throwing a piece of glass into a meat grinder. I personally don't think someone needs to play at insane speeds to be good. I myself can not play faster than maybe 8-10 notes per second, and I will admit to it. I may not play fast, but at least what I play does not make ones ears bleed from the sound(again, glass in a meat grinder).

-Peace Out

[Brendan DEwald]

I have something to say about that, a music teacher that i have alot of respect for, that has been playing for 30 - 40 years i played him a yngwie malmsteen song evil eye to be exact told me what bull shit it does not mean a thing if you can play a hundred notes a second and i agree because it takes more skill to play a note a second an play it with feeling like you mean it if i watch yngwie play he plays with no feeling all he does id play notes that all it means nothing just a heap of shit in scales put together put but watch David gilmore from pink floyd and he plays slow but with feeling it give you a good feeling making you want to pick up a guitar and play it also slash.An ybody can play fast but not all can play with feeling. so i rest my case no matter how fast you play slow down it will sound better . ROCK ON and practice.

[Brendan DEwald]

in the end every guitarist has his own opinion on who is the best and in have respect for all of you for telling your opinions like theUltimateSin randy roads was a awsom guitarist but the problem is he died befor he could really het out i was listening to my crowley and it has an awsom guitar solo. But what pisses me off is the guitarists trying to press ther issuse n other telling them that there guitarist are shit if you think your guitarist is so that you have to moc others then whay arent you listening or playing on guitar of you favourite guiartrist so sut the f*ck up and get a life.Thank you

[wmax351]

Pretty good, but you missed a few things. Technically, Jimi Hendrix is not that good. He never learned how to read music. The truely amazing thing about Jimi is what he could do with the guitar. Since he taught himself, he knew how to make any sound the guitar could create. Just listen to The Star Spangled Banner and you will know what I mean.

[Dogwillhunt]

What do you mean Hendrix isn't that good? He put all kinds of feeling into his guitar playing. Or what about Frusciante?

[TheUltimateSin]

^That's his opinion to make. I personally don't like Hendrix either. But I still respect him and recognize that he had talent.

[Jaypeddie]

should have had a category for soul (or just flat out feel/emotion) so you could kick in a few blues guitarists

and jesus/moses/muhammed/buddha/jerry fallwell/god = clapton. dont even start.

[Danne55]

Not too bad article
Of course you missed out some guitarists like Ritchie Blackmore, but I now: it's all opinoins

A 10th area could be "Riffmaking/playing"..

[byker]

dude you are missing randy rhoads short lived but if you listen to him on the tribute album he tears it up. he doesn't even have a backup guitarist. he is my fav guitarist and one of the best

[ace-riffer]

true... where is rhoads, zak wylde, dimebag? good article though

[Ramones Nutter]

cocox2:
OKAY, I THINK EVERYONE WILL AGREE WITH ME...
IN Originality, YOU DIDNT MENTION MIKE KNOPFLER (DIRE STRAITS)
HE IS AWESOME, HE PLAYS WITHOUT A PICK (just like me) AND HIS SOUNDS ITS SOOO.. ORIGINAL!!!
LISTEN TO SULTANS OF SWINGS

Do you mean Mark Knopfler? But of course that must be a deliberate mistake, you being the ultimate Dire Straits fan since you wrote in capitals.

Good article, its food for thought at least - this is, as you said one of the most subjective things to argue about. 5*

Go Ramones

[St-Anger]

Great article, but your leaving out many guitarists who arent given enough credit, and a skill you left out, definately was chord formations and how theyre used, many guitarists i know, find hendrix chords, very difficult to switch between, and play in general, but even if you dont consider that much, you have to admit, hendrix was incredible, sure, of course he was, but jimmi page was also incredible, but these guitarists werent the best, they were given their infamous titles and respect because they had feeling when they played, which truly makes a guitarist, thats why i was kind of shocked when you mentioned nothing about, in my opinion the most amazing guitarist of modern time, i definatley know that he doesnt have the ultimate skill in the matter, but he has the most feeling ive seen a guitarist play with, John Frusciante, anyone whos seen him live get the feeling of the message or feeling hes conveying when he plays. now please dont make comments about what i said, everyone has a different opinion, i respect that, so just leave my thoughts be, just a little food for thought.

[dimebag7]

page album would be better than claption

[Mr. Grunge]

I agree with you on most parts, good article. 8/10

[guitarsolo_17]

k up there someone said hendrix was a good songwriter he couldnt truly read or write music he just memorized it all

[rattlehead999]

good article, but would have been better if you actually knew more or what your talking about

[TheUltimateSin]

^Then how about you write a better one? Otherwise, stfu and quite whining about his.

[Catling121]

Sorry to disappoint all you EVH fans, but Van Halen only played on 'Beat It' and he only played the solo. He made no further contribution to that or any other Michael Jackson album. He got the job because his friend, Steve Lukather, was doing the session as was a guy called Peter Jackson. So to be honest the award could go to anyone lol

Chris

[jimjr1979]

Good Article. I agree with most parts. One minor mistake though, EVH did NOT invented the tapping method, Steve Hackett did but was popularized by EVH. (Where is Steve on the list..?)

[Vogel]

I would propose Herman Li and John Petrucci for the fastest guitarists too ...

[Bobber]

Speed? Check out The Rosenberg Trio(Gypsy)with 'Ol Man River' at Youtube or Googlevideo, Stochelo Rosenberg on acoustic guitar is amazing! Unique in the world...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSNPMM5sxHg

[Lucha93]

I liked the article. But Jimi isn't exactly a "technical" player, he played with his soul. (that sounds kinda fruity but whatever)

[PlayMeSomeG3]

I personally like Steve Vai, and understand why he's in some categories and not in others. However, the idea that there's one supreme guitarist is just foolish. Names that should be considered - Beck, Petrucci, Satriani, BB King, Eric Johnson, SRV. Definately take Hammet off the speed section, I couldn't take anything seriously after reading that. Also I'll repeat what everyone else is saying, EVH didnt invent shred.

[alexsmith]

great article- one point however and i can't believe no-one has picked you up on it yet,or if they have u have like a million comments n e way.
george harrison was the bassist in the beatles not mcCartny,
great article tho- keep it up lad

[Shailesh54]

Alexsmith, check your facts. George Harrison was the guitar player for The Beatles. And if you want to know how good he could be, listen to The Beatles' "Something". Possibly the greatest love song written.