Hendrix Named Best Guitarist Ever

Legendary musician Jimi Hendrix was named the greatest guitar player in history Wednesday by Rolling Stone magazine in a list compiled by a panel of music experts and top guitar players.

"Jimi Hendrix exploded our idea of what rock music could be: He manipulated the guitar, the whammy bar, the studio and the stage", said Grammy-winning guitarist Tom Morello in the magazine, citing Hendrix’s "Purple Haze" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" as key tracks.

Hendrix is joined by the likes of Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Pete Townshend among the top 10, in a list laden with rock 'n' roll icons spanning decades.

The panel of experts recruited to vote for their favorite guitar players included musicians such as Lenny Kravitz, Eddie Van Halen (who was voted No. 8), Brian May and Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys, along with a selection of Rolling Stone’s senior writers and editors.

The experts also weighed in on their favorites, with Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready calling Eddie Van Halen "a master of riffs" and Joe Perry praising Jimmy Page’s "vision of how to transcend the stereotypes of what the guitar can do".

The full list will be featured in a special issue with four special covers of Van Halen, Clapton, Hendrix and Page, and will be on newsstands and online at www.rollingstone.com on Friday. Rolling Stone’s top 10 greatest guitarists follow:

01. Jimi Hendrix
02. Eric Clapton
03. Jimmy Page
04. Keith Richards
05. Jeff Beck
06. B.B. King
07. Chuck Berry
08. Eddie Van Halen
09. Duane Allman
10. Pete Townshend

Thanks for the report to Jam.Canoe.ca.

Comments

[Krieger91]

Oh my God!

Since when?!

[Metalbassist316]

Yes, my username is metalbassist. Yes, I listen to metal.
I also listen to blues, rock etc
But Hendrix is far from the greatest guitarist ever. That top ten List was just the legends of rock and blues guitar.
If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills. And Hendrix is far from the greatest.

[WhoAMEye]

Metalbassist316 wrote:

Yes, my username is metalbassist. Yes, I listen to metal.
I also listen to blues, rock etc
But Hendrix is far from the greatest guitarist ever. That top ten List was just the legends of rock and blues guitar.
If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills. And Hendrix is far from the greatest.

If you wanna find the greatest guitarist look at soul. One note in the right place can speak louder than the most technical riff.

NO arguments with this list

[Mr Winters]

Breaking News.

[WholeLottaIzzy]

Hendrix, Page, Richards, B.B King and possibly Berry, yes. The rest I'm mixed about but that's an alright list I guess.

[MonsterOfRock]

05. Jeff Beck

Thank you.

List looks legit. But I couldn't imagine a Top10 guitarist list without David Gilmour and Joe Satriani.

If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills.

Stick to bass.

[Mr Winters]

MonsterOfRock wrote:

05. Jeff Beck
Thank you.

List looks legit. But I couldn't imagine a Top10 guitarist list without David Gilmour and Joe Satriani.

And Rory Gallagher. And maybe even Frank Zappa.

[nailsarecruel]

This list is SO much bullshit. Where's the lead guitarist from that obscure Czechoslovakian technical speed power metal band only I know of?

[lmo2th]

And just where the **** is Rory Gallagher?

[loveaddict205]

Really I think this list has less to do with speed and/or technicality, but more to with popularity, being influential, and being a vanguard for the new sounds of the guitar and stunning the music world by revolutionizing how we see the instrument today. Sure, Karl Sanders of Nile, or Chris Broderick of Megadeth, or a lot of other people could probably play anything that these guys could or can, and faster, but the point is that they were the first. They came up with new styles, techniques, and tones that changed music forever. That's what I think this list is more focused on.

[BigSpence]

This is a pretty good list. I would've put Satch somewhere on it, but who's gonna LISTen to me?

[metalmania46]

Have I heard this somewhere before?

[)v(egaFan90]

I don't even know why these "Best of" lists are being created. Every person has their own preferences for what they feel is great, so putting together a list that speaks for a fraction of the public seems rather pointless.

[NHECOS]

Jimmy Page should be no1

[kerrang]

As has been said; Rory Gallagher. I'll accept though that sometimes these are a bit of a popularity contest, which is probably why he never features into these lists.

[KerNeL_KLuTcH]

chuck berry invented lead guitar in rock so he should be higher.

[KerNeL_KLuTcH]

Tony Iommi?

[Paddy McK]

Unusual to see Chuck Berry on there. I wonder how high he'd be on the list if it weren't for Johnny B Goode...
Not a bad list, just cliched beyond belief. It'd be nice if they'd shake it up every now and then, bit of Rory Gallagher, Brian May, Gary Moore etc. All legendary and just as influential as the guys on the list

[Pagan_Poetry]

WELL THIS LIST IS INCOMPLETE WITHOUT MATTHEW BELLAMY GUYS

Nah, **** that. It's a good list. It looks like every other qualified Best Guitarist list, though, but I guess that means their positions are pretty set in stone, right?

[Blimpy19]

Good list .. Michael Hedges would make it better x

[SumFX]

There is no 'Best Guitarist Ever', Hendrix was good at what he did, just like Johnny Ramone was good at what he did and also how Tom Morello is good at what he does, i can go on giving examples but you get the point.

And whats with Rolling Stone magazine making stupid 'Top 10' list every 2 weeks.

[cory_i]

This seems more like a "Most influential" rather than a "Best ever" list to me.

[kLeft]

Can Rolling Stone even make a list that doesn't comprise of rock stars that AREN'T dead or zombie-lookalikes?
I don't think so.

[Zeletros]

WhoAMEye wrote:

Metalbassist316 wrote:

Yes, my username is metalbassist. Yes, I listen to metal.
I also listen to blues, rock etc
But Hendrix is far from the greatest guitarist ever. That top ten List was just the legends of rock and blues guitar.
If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills. And Hendrix is far from the greatest.

If you wanna find the greatest guitarist look at soul. One note in the right place can speak louder than the most technical riff.

NO arguments with this list

I am extremely sorry, I seem to have misplaced my "soul- evaluation device", could I borrow yours?

Or perhaps you're just agreeing with this list because you like him?

You can either follow your very much biased view on this matter, or you can accept that the whole idea of having the "best" of anything in such a subjective thing as music where everything is taste- and opinion-based is quite an irrelevant topic for a discussion.

[ali.guitarkid7]

Way to make sure this article isn't based on personal taste, Rolling Stone.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Hendrix; but to name him the best out of EVERYONE? First of all, no such thing. Second of all, how is it that one journalist seems to have figured out who the God of guitar is? Piss off Rolling Stone.

[maleathe]

Let's see, Chuck Berry makes the list, but no Ritchie Blackmore? Very odd list

[MariXStone]

those guys were good...but for the new guitarists like Andy Timmons, Greg Howe, Marca Sfogli, John Petrucci, Jeff Loomis, Tosin Abasi, Marty Friedman, Kiko Loureiro, and many more, they are nothing. My Opinion!

[chris_rod1406]

tough decision...(Thomas Erak)

[Mr Winters]

MariXStone wrote:

those guys were good...but for the new guitarists like Andy Timmons, Greg Howe, Marca Sfogli, John Petrucci, Jeff Loomis, Tosin Abasi, Marty Friedman, Kiko Loureiro, and many more, they are nothing. My Opinion!

the guys in the list, at least some of them, are probably the biggest influences of those you mentioned.

[*Stranger*]

and were the f*ck are rory gallagher, mark knopfler and brian may
keef-legend, but any of those above is just greater aas a guitar player, even though he is great
EVH-dont get me wrong, but those that i wrote up are far more deserving to be on the list
sam for the PT

and hendrix deserves to be the greatest, definitley

[bassmike200]

Jimi who?

[MikeBTE]

for a shitty mainstream list, where the hell is David Gilmour?

[emeryd1]

Good list it just would have been nice to see some fresh faces in the top ten. I hope Petrucci and Mustaine is somewhere in the list as well.

[sroze478]

I would say this list is more of a "Most Influential" guitar players, not necessarily the most technical or fastest or highest-selling. I mean, almost every person on that list caused a change in the way people play guitar...that's a big deal. Except Eric Clapton, I am usually of the opinion that he gets way more credit than he's earned (You know that catchy riff in "Layla"? That's Duane Allman. Several other examples that I can't remember right now but would also prove my point.) Anyway, I personally like this list, but I also like Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones and The Who and B.B. King and The Allman Brothers, so I wouldn't be complaining, would I?
I would agree with the others who've said that any "Top 10 Best" list is pretty much bull, how can you measure skills like guitar playing? And also, I can think of plenty of influential guitarists who I'd put on a list (Matt Bellamy, for sure, and Tom Morello), but that would be a "Favorite Guitarists" list, which seems like what Rolling Stone does every month or so...
So what we can really learn from this is...Long Live Classic Rock!

[MetalNova]

Wow what an upset this is to the guitarist community XD

[bassmike200]

...seriously, no Noel Gallagher... then I was actually right all along, take that 90's britpop scene kids!

[KyleLee]

Kay, Townshend said many, many times that he is just a glorified rhythm player.

[bassmike200]

...or something decrying the absence of Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Alex Lifeson, all my other favourite guitarists that aren't anywhere near as well known!

[Joost1795]

This list is true, Hendrix:
1. Had as much soul in his playing as possible.
2. Influenced more guitarists than every other player whatsoever.
3. Style, he made amazing albums playing the styles of (Hard)Rock, Blues(rock) ànd even a fusion album in the making, he has more style than most guitar players.
4. Speed, this man'd play Satch away, fast fingers is one thing, style is another, tapping and shredding is for 12yr-old metalheads who think they are good. Try and compose something so beautiful your album sells over millions.

IMO, enough arguments to name him the best ever. Style, speed, influence and soul. Jimi Hendrix isn't my favorite artist, but I respect him and I admit he is the best.

[Municipal Waste]

Yngwie Malmsteen

that is all.

[andreschr]

SURPRISE!!!!!

[Joel2313]

I don't think Clapton is better than Jimmi Page but other than that pretty much agree with the list.

[wayofthefist18]

I'm sick of Hendrix being put at the top of every goddamn list. Yes, he was good. Yes, he redefined rock. (And you can't judge someone based on the soul of the music because everyone's is different). But to say he is the best guitarist EVER!? *Note that... E-V-E-R* is bullshit. We don't even know where he could've gone musically since he's dead.
Where's Petrucci, Satriani, Rhoads (since we're talking dead people as well), Stevie Ray, etc.

*And don't just limit yourself to rock, Rolling Stone, there ARE other styles out there...

[Sladey]

The list is such a subjective matter, that it doesn't really matter who you put on it. Some people will agree, some people won't.

Would have liked to have seen SRV on there though.

[Dragon Fly]

Hendrix is good, but you can't say he's the best player ever. There are so many players of so many different styles. From classical to rock, from country to jazz, you can't just name one guitarist and say he's the best.

Unless you say YNGWIE MALMSTEEN OFCOURSE!!!! YEAH!

[Sleez Boy]

P.O.W.- the Escape
troops stop shooting at what they believe is the enemy although it is a group of POWs.
Soldier 1: ask him a question
Soldier 2: uh, okay. Um, what's the capital of Deleware?
Soldier 1: what kind of question is that? Here, who's the greatest guitarist ever?
P.O.W. 1: Jimi Hendrix!

[kinslayerSOA]

Personally I'm not a fan of his music.

But I can appreciate that he completely redefined the use of the guitar, and a worthy man to top a guitarist list.

[Lord_Doku]

Nice list.

Why is Jimi on top AGAIN ?

Stop consulting hipsters dammit. I agree, Hendrix was a great guitarist. But so was Jason Becker when he could still play.

[Duke_Lukem]

Eric bloody Clapton?! Are you kidding me?!

[ShaniZini]

Where the HELL is David Gilmour i the list ?!

[Dragon Fly]

Ritchie Blackmore

[metalhead1054]

Is it just me, or have they posted this before?

[Dragon Fly]

ShaniZini wrote:

Where the HELL is David Gilmour i the list ?!

he's not there because he ain't any good

[NHECOS]

What's Keith Richards doing up there???
It should be Stevie Ray Vaughan.

[highandmighty93]

WTF WHY U NO PUT (insert guitar idol here)?!?!?!* Like what some other people said there is no greatest guitar player ever its just not something that can be measured. Everyone has their favorite player, why can't that be good enough?

*impression of some people here

[pearl182]

Interviewer to Hendrix: How does it feel to be the best guitarist in the world?

Hendrix: Ah, ask Rory Gallagher.

There's no proof of this being said but I like to think it was said. I think he deserves to make this list.

[Dragon Fly]

And Eric Johnson? He should be on this list.

[gordy420]

Joe.

[Dragon Fly]

gordy420 wrote:

Joe.

Lynn Turner

[Baroque_and_Rol]

According to this list, no one before B.B. King or since Van Halen has mattered. It's so limited.

[Krieger91]

SumFX wrote:

There is no 'Best Guitarist Ever', Hendrix was good at what he did, just like Johnny Ramone was good at what he did and also how Tom Morello is good at what he does, i can go on giving examples but you get the point.

And whats with Rolling Stone magazine making stupid 'Top 10' list every 2 weeks.

I agree with everything you said.

There can't be a best guitarist simply 'cause of the wide differences and the huge world which is guitar player.

But Hendrix definitely made a huge change to guitar playing, possibly one of the biggest differences to the instrument of any. And especially for his time.
That's why it's quite safe to say he is the top..

[cptcomet]

Ah the bi-annular Hendrix is the greatest guitarist list. Wouldn't be UG without you.

[Evan42881]

All I would do is swap out Pete Townshend with Tony Iommi and I'd be good. I love Pete, but I don't think he's AMAZING, you know?

[BassFishin]

Great list!

I hope we can keep the flaming down to a minimum, guys. It's been a 2 years or so since these lists have started becoming a frequent UG headline.

Show Ultimate-Guitar how you've grown! Whiny 16 year- olds are now 18 year old adults.

18 year old adults are now 20 year old college students.

20 year old college students are now 22 year old bar-hopping guys.

So so and so forth. We've grown as a community. Let's keep the list-bashing down to a minimum, okay?

Let's be proud.

[OMcE96]

its a classic rock list for people stuck in the 60s , not sayin its wrong its just for people who arent willing to admit that any modern guitarist is good

[Blargaha]

They should really have called it "Most influential guitarists". There is no such thing as "best", and if you are dumb enough to name a list like that, you have the crapfest that is the comments below. I think however that most could agree that these guys are probably the most influential players.

[on3andth3sam3]

the list is fine, but if they had a top 15 and included (in no particular order) iommi, gilmour, SRV, robert johnson, and dick dale.

hopefully no one disputes any of those players.

if you do you should be dragged into the street and beaten with reeds.

[Grimriffer]

that list is totally like your opinion

[Family Reunion]

AMAGAD REALLY?@@?!?!

haha, wasn't this list already made though? :P

[Campion95]

I think Les Paul and Chet Atkins should be up there, even now they still sound great. Hendrix sounded good for his time but now he doesn't sound half as good(it's still pretty damn good). Also why doesn't Rolling Stone acknowledged anyone from the 80s, 90s or 00s some great guitarists have come out since the 70s. Personally I think Shawn Lane is the best.

[xTony111]

i completely agree with this list. it would be nice if Satriani was on there, but this list is 100% accurate.

as for the people who are complaining about modern day guitarists being good, i am a guitarist myself, i listen to mostly modern day rock/90s and most guitarists now, whether they are technically decent or not, are absolutely nothing special, they all sound the same.
(except JB Brubacher of ABR, i like him =P )
regardless, this list is approproate, so please shut up haters.

[Ranman524]

Buckethead should be in the top ten, i saw him live last month and he blew everyones minds. Hes got skills and soul.

[Eifler121]

Is there a more standard list you could have picked? I hate Van Halen though. I really don't like anything by that band. I don't really care that he was innovative; none of the guitarists I enjoy have taken an ounce from him. Tapping is stupid.

[xTony111]

Campion95 wrote:

I think Les Paul and Chet Atkins should be up there, even now they still sound great. Hendrix sounded good for his time but now he doesn't sound half as good(it's still pretty damn good). Also why doesn't Rolling Stone acknowledged anyone from the 80s, 90s or 00s some great guitarists have come out since the 70s. Personally I think Shawn Lane is the best.

i agree les paul was great, but he's probably like #18. as for 80s,90s, or 00s, none of them are good enough to make it past #30, except Tom Morello and maybe a few others.

[Airline-Olie]

Robert Fripp's not on the list, the list is wrong.

[Reisgar42]

In other news, today is Wednesday.

[RHCPFAN96]

John Frusciante!

[wayofthefist18]

i completely agree with this list. it would be nice if Satriani was on there, but this list is 100% accurate.

as for the people who are complaining about modern day guitarists being good, i am a guitarist myself, i listen to mostly modern day rock/90s and most guitarists now, whether they are technically decent or not, are absolutely nothing special, they all sound the same.
(except JB Brubacher of ABR, i like him =P )
regardless, this list is approproate, so please shut up haters.

Then you're ignorant

[FN77]

John Frusciante at #72, Jack White at #70 are too low, Tom Morello at #40 is ok, but he should not be ahead of either. And while they shouldn't be extremely high on the list, how is Vai, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Mayer, Malmasteen,Coragan, Bonamassa, Sach, wylde, Auerbach, Navarro and a host of others not even on the list? Why too many random names without giving credit to the ones who actually made a big mark in the guitar world.

And how is SRV not in the top 5, let alone the top 10?

[darkwolf291]

They forgot Randy Rhoads in the top 10.

[Mouloudo]

Brian May and David Gilmour not in the top 10= useless list...of course half of them are american, when we know that aside Hendrix, the top 10 should be filled with Brits

[drew61195]

I think everyone is forgetting about Steve Vai. His music may not fit your taste but he owns the guitar.

[frehley freak]

Any "Best Guitarist List" that doesnt include Chet Atkins in the top 3 instantly loses all credibility.

[mpk3432]

u cant have a best guitarist list based on style and popularity, because everyone has a different opinion, for that reason alone, hendrix will never be the 'Greatest' guitarist ever, he can be many peoples favourite, but guitarists such as herman li or ben tovey are probably the best at playing the guitar, despite them not being able to touch someones soul with the music, personally im a slash man, or gary moore, but i still wouldnt say they were the 'Best Guitarist Ever'

also, u can never have a popularity contest these days, i mean justin beiber is in the 'popular' charts

[Campion95]

xTony111 wrote:

Campion95 wrote:

I think Les Paul and Chet Atkins should be up there, even now they still sound great. Hendrix sounded good for his time but now he doesn't sound half as good(it's still pretty damn good). Also why doesn't Rolling Stone acknowledged anyone from the 80s, 90s or 00s some great guitarists have come out since the 70s. Personally I think Shawn Lane is the best.

i agree les paul was great, but he's probably like #18. as for 80s,90s, or 00s, none of them are good enough to make it past #30, except Tom Morello and maybe a few others.

Come on man, Satriani, Petrucci, Vai , Guthrie Govan & Shawn Lane are defiantly past #30. And please don't say they don't have emotion because if you say that you obliviously don't listen to enough of their music . Plus their music is much more interesting, you can only hear a pentatonic blues solo some many times before getting bored of it, alot of the guys on this list only use pentatonics, and i know guitar playing isn't all about scales but it would nice to have a bit of variety.(this is directed at Rolling Stone)This list is missing variety, you can be a good guitarist and not play Blues you know.

[Zeppelin Addict]

frehley freak wrote:

Any "Best Guitarist List" that doesnt include Chet Atkins in the top 3 instantly loses all credibility.

Any "Best Guitarist List" loses all credibility.

Fixed... No Wait.

Any "Best List" has NO credibility.

There we go..

[Cheesepuff]

hate these lists )

what makes a guitarist the 'best' is very subjective

perhaps like fastest or most technically gifted would be alright, but with something as emotional as music, i don't think comparisons can be made

[Mobby32]

I like berry and richards but rhoads are iommi are much better

[karl_hungus]

Don't they know Johnny Ramone???

[crushth]

Should be called Top 10 most influencial guitar players

[cypherfx20]

Keith Richards..Really!?! Ummm, the guy has been half dead since 1968...And they have him above Jeff Beck, Chuck Berry, and Duane Allman..All credability is now out the window.

From an objective point of view...not a horrible list, just mis-labled. There are some very popular guitarists missing as well as the guys who influenced many on this list. Before EVH and Malsteen: there was Hackett from Genesis who was the pioneer of tapping and sweep picking in Rock Music. John McLaughlin was a big miss on this list IMHO. And yes some newer guys belong on here. Jerry Cantrell, Dave Mustaine, Tom Morello, Keller Williams come to mind as possibles.

And before I get murdered on here keep in mind I tried to stay objective and Keep my true favorite out of this...Satriani, Gilmour, Blackmoore, Hedges, Malmsteen. Truth of the matter is, this list doesn't mean shit anyway...it is just another way for Rolling Stone to sell more ground up trees with some pretty pictures painted on them.

[carsnguitars92]

Well, at least they changed it from the way it was a few years ago. for a second, i thought UG was SERIOUSLY recycling news. Anyway, still think Hendrix is a bit overrated.

[ffaf12]

bb king should be #1 just for being the cool-ist guy whos ever lived!

[da.benson8r]

cory_i wrote:

This seems more like a "Most influential" rather than a "Best ever" list to me.

crushth wrote:

Should be called Top 10 most influencial guitar players

Exactly. I agree with many here in that you can't really make a "best" list, since everyone has their opinion, and they won't always agree. You could make separate lists - most emotional, most technically gifted, most innovative, most influential - but even on those, people would disagree. It's probably best to leave people's subjective opinions as theirs. (Makes it easier on the posting and keeps trolls at bay.)

[EpsilonJSTC]

Agree with Hendrix being number one, but Rolling Stone is still irrelevant.

[EpsilonJSTC]

Airline-Olie wrote:

Robert Fripp's not on the list, the list is wrong.

He is on the list, somewhere around #70, I think.

[EpsilonJSTC]

Hey UG, don't you think you should at least provide a link to the full list? If you didn't know there was one, here it is: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitari sts-20111123/lindsey-buckingham-19691231

[Maxico]

How does it feel to be the greatest guitarist in the world?

"I don't know, go ask Rory Gallagher." —Jimi Hendrix quote from Rolling Stone magazine interview.

[The Haze]

This list is true, Hendrix:
1. Had as much soul in his playing as possible.
2. Influenced more guitarists than every other player whatsoever.
3. Style, he made amazing albums playing the styles of (Hard)Rock, Blues(rock) ànd even a fusion album in the making, he has more style than most guitar players.
4. Speed, this man'd play Satch away, fast fingers is one thing, style is another, tapping and shredding is for 12yr-old metalheads who think they are good. Try and compose something so beautiful your album sells over millions.

IMO, enough arguments to name him the best ever. Style, speed, influence and soul. Jimi Hendrix isn't my favorite artist, but I respect him and I admit he is the best.

Couldn't agree with this more and seeing as 70% of this community are metal heads, theres no wonder there all moaning

[OtherGuy]

I think its clear how hard it is to assemble a list of the best in order, but i have to say that Pat Metheny is of equal brilliance to the entire top ten!

[muse_M1D1]

not a mention on paul gilbert

[RocknRory]

WHERE DA !@*& is RORY GALLAGHER? Sorry, just had to say that as my name is Rory too.

Seriously though, he's an amazing guitarist. I don't really disagree with this that much though.

[anwclark]

This is news?

I hope this list is better than the last one Rolling Stone did. They had Kurt Cobain at number 12 on that list and slash wasn't even on it.

[tarun8396]

SLASHHHH!!!!

[i_am_metalhead]

Another crock list from Rolling Stone Mag. How about making a list based on real talent and not on popularity or mainstream appeal?

Wanna stick to classic stuff? Guys like Alex Lifeson, David Gilmour, Randy Rhoads, etc. trump anyone on this list. Modern guys like Guthrie Govan, Derek Trucks, Chris Broderick, etc. all trump these guys. And you can't forget about guys like Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, etc.

It really sickens me to see Hendrix top every list. He was a sloppy blues rock player who tripped acid and tried to play with his teeth. Big deal.

[Most_Triumphant]

Switch Richards with Gilmour and I would be very happy
Yes, Hendrix is #1 deal with it.
I am also surprised that Pete Townshend is on the list, he doesn't usually get a lot of credit. He has got to be my favorite, so I am happy he is on the list and getting the recognition he deserves.

[strat0blaster]

Unless this is unanimous amongst Hendrix's peers, and the modern day greats, it's all speculatory BS.

[Dookie_1988]

Mark Knopfler?

[Campion95]

i_am_metalhead wrote:

Another crock list from Rolling Stone Mag. How about making a list based on real talent and not on popularity or mainstream appeal?

Wanna stick to classic stuff? Guys like Alex Lifeson, David Gilmour, Randy Rhoads, etc. trump anyone on this list. Modern guys like Guthrie Govan, Derek Trucks, Chris Broderick, etc. all trump these guys. And you can't forget about guys like Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, etc.

It really sickens me to see Hendrix top every list. He was a sloppy blues rock player who tripped acid and tried to play with his teeth. Big deal.

I agree but get ready to get shouted at by blues guys because of your user name

[Ipullstrings]

Lists about who's better are subjective, retarded and childish.

[SirWurscht]

i read McCready and was so amazed just to find out he isn't on the list. Would've been cool.

But I'm glad there's no metal guitarist up there, because it would've been a shitty one like Hammet.

[Most_Triumphant]

Sorry for the double post but, Hendrix beat almost all of the guitarists of his time and our time and was only 27. He started at 15, that is only 12 years of playing. Imagine what he would be like now.

[Joe-Floyd-lover]

I'm okay with this list... and even with Hendrix being #1... BUT No DAVID GILMOUR!?!?? >:|

[danny_unleashed]

I saw Clapton as #2 so i'm intent with that ^^

[iljh]

I think the list is pretty fair, but it's missing David Gilmour, and we'll leave it at that.

[neandramathal]

This is like the same list that RS has had up for years except Eddie Van Halen instead of SRV, isn't it?

They're always the same, top10 are all old blues players, half of whom are dead. For soulful/emotional playing/Songwriting? Yes they are good... for actual ability... no. I love clapton but ever seen videos of him trying to play at speed to keep up with some others he goes on stage with... he can't do it. Bet half the players on that list couldn't keep up with the average metal guitar player... they've just been around a lot longer is all. Hendrix had a lot of emotion/energy to his playing and could play on the fly no questions.. but technical ability? Is a different question.

Yngwie Malmsteen is one I think gets a hell of a lot of flakk because all he does is play fast, who knows he may be able to play slow and soulful but chooses not to? I don't know. The accuracy he has while going at speed is not something I expect many could match though.

The other point is.. song writing. There's hundreds of guitarists who could play that soulful.. but they don't play the songs that nessecitate it. Slash is good (overrated im many aspects) and I daresay could play with the emotion that some of those do... if he was playing the same songs.

Everyones always going to have a difference of opinion, depends entirely on what you rate it on really. Usually its a case of how famous their band is. (Jimmy Page? All I ever hear him rated for is Stairway and using a Bow... wow...)

[y1p33y0]

MAB isnt first, nor is he even on the list. FAIL

[AngelEyesRipper]

joe satriani

[RUSTDOGG666]

We already knew that Jimi Hendrix is the greatest guitar player ever, we don't really need a reminder. But I guess better than another news article on Lulu. We don't need anymore of those.

[Unourrit01]

shocker. no jazz guitarists

[the_white_bunny]

alvin lee
peter frampton
al di meola

[bazo666]

Rory Gallagher, Steve Vai, Frank Zappa... List of popularity much? XD

[Killzark]

Keith Richards are you kidding me? Should be replaced with David Gilmour.

[Mainer]

Roy Buchanan? Stevie Ray Vaughan?

[codyjt5150]

where the ****s randy rhoads?

[zeppelin1234]

Zeletros wrote:

WhoAMEye wrote:

Metalbassist316 wrote:

Yes, my username is metalbassist. Yes, I listen to metal.
I also listen to blues, rock etc
But Hendrix is far from the greatest guitarist ever. That top ten List was just the legends of rock and blues guitar.
If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills. And Hendrix is far from the greatest.

If you wanna find the greatest guitarist look at soul. One note in the right place can speak louder than the most technical riff.

NO arguments with this list

I am extremely sorry, I seem to have misplaced my "soul- evaluation device", could I borrow yours?

Or perhaps you're just agreeing with this list because you like him?

You can either follow your very much biased view on this matter, or you can accept that the whole idea of having the "best" of anything in such a subjective thing as music where everything is taste- and opinion-based is quite an irrelevant topic for a discussion.

Well, gotta remember music is an art, not a sport. Soul is the core of the instrument.

[MidniteHaze]

Glad papa Het got some recognition (although hes 86th..) But, I still think Hendrix gets all the credit cause he played high.. I just dont like his music..

[Dragon Fly]

neandramathal wrote:

Yngwie Malmsteen is one I think gets a hell of a lot of flakk because all he does is play fast, who knows he may be able to play slow and soulful but chooses not to? I don't know. The accuracy he has while going at speed is not something I expect many could match though.

You clearly don't know anything al lot about Yngwie. Yes, he plays fast, but he doesn't only play fast. For example, listen to the solo of the song 'Cross the Line', and you'll here a very soulful solo, with fast and slow passages.
And secondly, Yngwie is a great songwriter. And I am not talking about his instrumental songs, but about his songs with vocals. For example, listen to songs like 'Leonardo', 'Playing with Fire', 'Rise Up', 'Devil In Disguise'. There are a lot more, but just some examples for the people who say Yngwie is not a good composer. He has written songs in the (neoclassical) metal style, but also blues rock and classic rock songs. Most albums have only 2 or 3 instrumental songs, the rest is with vocals. Great vocalists like Mark Boals, Jeff Soto, Joe Lynn Turner, Doogie White, and more.

Seriously, I really hate it that Yngwie always get underrated. Not as a guitarplayer, but as a musician.

[Dragon Fly]

* the word 'anything' should be out of the sentence on my last post.

[Kill A Kitten]

Ranman524 wrote:

Buckethead should be in the top ten, i saw him live last month and he blew everyone's mind. Hes got skills and soul.

He seems to only get mainstream recognition with his shredding and super fast songs when he has some of the most emotional, soulful songs I've ever heard. Albums like Electric Tears, Colma, and Shadows Between the Sky make me weep. Also to have the ability to release, like, 7 albums a year, each being incredible, is a feat that only a select few could do.

[xplosive59]

Good list but in my oppinion I would take out Keith Richards and Pete Townsend (nothing against them though) and replace them with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Johnson (also Rory Gallagher should be on there somewhere) but still a good list.

[nirvana9494]

WhoAMEye wrote:

Metalbassist316 wrote:

Yes, my username is metalbassist. Yes, I listen to metal.
I also listen to blues, rock etc
But Hendrix is far from the greatest guitarist ever. That top ten List was just the legends of rock and blues guitar.
If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills. And Hendrix is far from the greatest.

If you wanna find the greatest guitarist look at soul. One note in the right place can speak louder than the most technical riff.

NO arguments with this list

*FACEPALM*

[camjf]

JOHN FRUSCIANTE. nuff said really

[Tokai09]

This list = face palm.

[AmirT]

Where is Django Reinhardt?

[AcdcTXfan]

Steve Vai kicks all their a$$es. I don't care what anyone else says. That's the truth.

[AcdcTXfan]

This list needs to be renamed to "10 most popular guitarists minus slash"

[darkdevout]

No denying Hendrix, but my persona; favorite is Page, I

[darkdevout]

*personal, haha I need to read my comments before I read them.

[raoooos]

Once again, the UG Community forgets what SUBJECTIVITY means.

[Mikey-Division]

No George Harrison or Slash?

[jordo246]

Pete Townshend? What?

[dankhus]

Good list. I'm surprised how some people here speak of Townshend without sufficient consideration regarding his contribution to music. I guess not many people heard (of) The Lifehouse Chronicles, that's a shame.

[Root Beer]

Wow, not only is this list utteerly predictable, it's also extremely old... I saw this list YEARS ago on Rolling Stone.

[Spartan101400]

Meanwhile at the Legion of Doom...

[rhino1957]

MonsterOfRock wrote:
List looks legit. But I couldn't imagine a Top10 guitarist list without David Gilmour and Joe Satriani.

If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills.

Stick to bass.

this sooooo much

[Kronos Agony]

If I worked at Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone magazine team:
- let´s do a best guitar player list?
-yehei!
- but we have done this a thousand of times
- ...
- you´re fired!

[Jkazz]

Are people gonna hurt me if I say that I reckon Justin Hawkins should be on there somewhere?

[Cannibal Koala]

No Allan Holdsworth?
No Shawn Lane?

And in my opinion, Django Reinhardt needs to be somewhere in there. Shredding with two fingers and being the Granddaddy of modern metal? Awww yeahhh.

[Dynamight]

Ugh, not another popularity list. If actual guitar skills were measured, the only person who'd keep a spot there is EVH.

The funny thing about Hendrix is, he was moderately popular while he lived, and now that he's dead people revere him as some kind of guitar god—including people who've never really listened to his music or know anything about guitar.

And why is this list limited to bluesy rock guitarists? Where are the pioneers of the much more technical neoclassical movement? Malmsteen? Uli Jon Roth, anyone? Or how about Jazz virtuosos like Frank Zappa, who came up with some of the craziest stuff ever seen on guitar? Where is Paco de Lucía, who was playing leads at speeds that rival today's shredders, much ahead of his time?

I guess they're not mainstream enough.

[DonJulio]

i miss me some SRV on that list... :/

[Cannibal Koala]

Cannibal Koala wrote:

No Allan Holdsworth?
No Shawn Lane?

And in my opinion, Django Reinhardt needs to be somewhere in there. Shredding with two fingers and being the Granddaddy of modern metal? Awww yeahhh.

Also, Guthrie Govan!?

[Saint78]

Best of lists are stupid, but this one is alright.

[RichieJovie]

Isn't that 1978's list?

[tanooj2]

this is news to me

[disembodied]

WHERES STEVE MORSE OR STEVE VAI!!?

[Guitarbaddie]

List's like these are subjective. I mean, it's Rolling Stone ffs.

This list lacks Jason Becker. The fastest, cleanest guitarist with the most soul IMO

It all boils down to opinion by the way.

[GeekInThePink]

I've never seen a greatest guitarists list like this one before! What obscure choices. These guitarists are underrated and don't often see praise for their abilities.

[Brandeis]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
another rolling stone magazine list

[MonsterMetalMus]

They didn't rate Hendrix No. 1 because of his skill, they rated him No. 1 because of his creativity and all the doors he opened for guitarists. He was revolutionary.

[metallicaguy13]

ok first i dont think guitarists can be compared. yes jimi hendrix was very influencal to alot of musicans. but he isnt the best. if your looking at soul in my opinion there are alot better guitarists. such as john petrucci, buckethead, carlos santana, steve vai, joe satriani, stevie ray vaughan, and tosin abasi. this is only opinion though

[2tsuch]

Sorry, but there's a lot of people who could pass up Keith Richards

[guthrieguitar]

I think if we're gonna call it a 'most influential list' then Robert Johnson would have to get a mentioned, i mean come on. Its really just a 'list of guitar players that most people would call the greatest guitar players of all time coz these people know jack all about music outside of these genre's'. Jimi's an phenomenal player no question but (to echo the statements of my many brothers above) music is such a varied and personal thing that to label any one guitarist as the greatest is just well.....stupid, and i think any other self respecting musician would agree. Also i get sick of this '..its all about souul man', its really just an excuse for cracked out hippies to justify their crap playing. No, speed and technicality are far from everything but its and area of the guitar that just cant be ignored if your gonna be any kind of decent musician (gets ready for an onslaught of cracked out hippies). I mean Jimi was actually a pretty damn technical player, particularly for his day, and i reckon if he was alive to today and saw people like Hermam Li, John Petrucci or Guthrie Govan he'd be like 'dayum..bro got skills'.

To summarize, if you label any guitar player as the greatest of all time, your a cracked out moron. Now come and get me :-D

[RycheRulz]

What about Slash? Hello?

Keith Richards? Are you serious?

Pete Townsend? No way.

[OMGitsBRIEN]

Alright now can we get a list from someone who listens to music made after the 70s?

[Chance888]

This article may be about Hendrix, but seriously people, HOW IN THE FUCK can ANYONE even put Pete Townshend in the Top 50 of all-time?!? I love The Who but they basically used the same 5 or 6 chords for 80% of their songs. Having him at number 10 makes this list a joke in my opinion...

[JB95]

Rhoads, Satriani, Petrucci, Vai and Gilbert? =/
Still, it's impossible to make a top 10 list that everyone agrees with, since each guitarist is skilled on each of their areas, and it's also about preference.

[Lefty7Stringer]

I would not argue with most influential guitarist, but best? Ever? Horse shit. Keep in mind this is the same magazine that placed Cobain at no. 12 adn Randy Rhoads at around 70...Just saying.

[seshoem1]

dude, anybody else disturbed that STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN isnt in this list ?!?!?!?!?!!!??

[K Reyn]

No SRV, Roy Buchanan, or Rory Gallagher? This list is BS.

[iPotatoes]

wtf What about Rory Gallagher and SRV? At least Rory.

[Noob_Brood]

Nothing against Jimmi, but his catalog of material is so small that I can't imagine naming him number one, even though his music is something special. I like Eric Clapton being up there though...I respect his work the most.

[m4ss3 m/]

I'm not even gonna participate in this debate. Just give a shit load of thumbs down to this comment too!

[JD Close]

Joost1795 wrote:

This list is true, Hendrix:
1. Had as much soul in his playing as possible.
2. Influenced more guitarists than every other player whatsoever.
3. Style, he made amazing albums playing the styles of (Hard)Rock, Blues(rock) ànd even a fusion album in the making, he has more style than most guitar players.
4. Speed, this man'd play Satch away, fast fingers is one thing, style is another, tapping and shredding is for 12yr-old metalheads who think they are good. Try and compose something so beautiful your album sells over millions.

IMO, enough arguments to name him the best ever. Style, speed, influence and soul. Jimi Hendrix isn't my favorite artist, but I respect him and I admit he is the best.

haha, check out the pop charts. that music sells millions and its not beautiful at all.

[trivium_4_eva]

At least Muse didn't get fanboyed onto THIS list...

[Oblivion_Rps]

I would've swapped Keith Richards for Zappa.
Apart from that, it's a good list.

[Lh0o]

I don't know why Petrucci isn't on the list at all. It may seem fanboy-ish but honnestly, I find him to be extremely creative. We all know it isn't about how fast you can play but well he's a beast of a shredder. I wonder if he's done a single mistake live in his career, he cay adapt to a lot of different styles and can be emotional in his solos at times, he has huge musical knowledge. I'm not saying he's the best but not even top 100? ... what ?

[Lh0o]

Also, NO SATCH ? WUT ?

[NickGiovanni]

This list is almost acceptable.
We're missing Zappa, Vai, and Satch.

Could really do without Keith Richards, He's no bueno.
And everyone complaining about the lack of SRV?

...{Spoiler Alert}
All he did was copy Hendrix and sprinkle Rockabilly on it.

[triviumfan2080]

How many of those guys can sweep?

[Draconis93]

Metalbassist316 wrote:
If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills.

Skills aren't everything, man. It's a combination of several aspects of the guitarists career. What they've accomplished, their skill level, how well known they are, etc. For Hendrix to have died so many years ago, and still be an influence on current guitar players, I think that speaks for itself.

[andras67]

if Guthrie Govan is not on this list.... this list is bullshit

[TheWho2]

im a huge clapton fan but, jeff beck should be first. and hendrix close to last imo

[Chance888]

Where's the guy from Nickelback? Rock music was on the verge of crumbling until "Rock Star" and "If Everyone Cared" came along... GOD BLESS CANADA

[Metalbassist316]

WhoAMEye wrote:

Metalbassist316 wrote:

Yes, my username is metalbassist. Yes, I listen to metal.
I also listen to blues, rock etc
But Hendrix is far from the greatest guitarist ever. That top ten List was just the legends of rock and blues guitar.
If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills. And Hendrix is far from the greatest.

If you wanna find the greatest guitarist look at soul. One note in the right place can speak louder than the most technical riff.

NO arguments with this list

How do you define who has the most soul?! The only way you can fairly and correctly choose ' the greatest' is by using a set list of skills.
Knob

[dgargett95]

This is ridiculous! That was a biased voting panel of rock musicians voting for other rock musicians. It has no basis on the truth.

Sure Hendrix was a pretty creative guitarist, but definitely not the best by far. I can play better than hendrix

[RocketSauceSam]

Personally, I think it's a pretty good list. The one person I would put on though (and I know people will disagree) is Saul Hudson (slash). I just really like the way he plays.

[ShredBear]

pffft duane allman more like dickie betts

[dgargett95]

Hundreds of jazz guitarists can run circles around Hendrix.

Pat martino
John scofield
John McLaughlin
Al di meola
John Abercrombie
Joe pass
Wes Montgomery

The list goes on and they are all waaaaay better guitarists than on that list.

Anyway what about Jeff beck and rory Gallagher!

*rant finished*

[dgargett95]

Jeff beck should be on top of list!!!!!

[Lugas]

I´d like to see Tom Morello on that list instead of Van Halen, but except from that I am quite satisfied.

[kinslayerSOA]

Jkazz wrote:

Are people gonna hurt me if I say that I reckon Justin Hawkins should be on there somewhere?

I'm not gonna hurt you, I love Hawkins. Maybe not one of the best ever yet, but one of the best currently in my eyes.

[blazing riff]

Joe Bonamassa someone ?

[$hithappen$16]

These "best of" lists work my f**king nerves. I'm not mad because my faves aren't on the list (because they are for the most part on the list)i just get annoyed because its always a popularity contest. there's no such thing as the "Greatest Guitarist of All Time" every guitarist has a guitarist that plays better than them. I'm sure somewhere in the world there is someone "better" than hendrix, he or she just hasn't been lucky enough to make it big yet...

[mjosephw52]

Metalbassist316 wrote:
Yes, I listen to metal.
I also listen to blues, rock etc

Unique...

[hiwaychild1]

I think my face would've blown up if I saw George Harrison on this list O.o

[Skullivan]

Rolling Stone usually is loaded with blues guitarists. But heyyyyy Who's life is it anywayyyyy?
Sorry, I've never been able to do that since Th1rt3en came out.

[hEadShoVeL]

Steve vai anyone?

[hiwaychild1]

what about Mr. Johnson? Does the birthman of blues mean nothng to you?

[ErnestoFidel]

Jimmy Page is the most overrated person that ever touched the strings of a guitar. sonwriting - ok. but listen to his lead guitar, seriously. its 3rd class

[cxrlxscr]

I'm glad to see Dan Auerbach in there. At least they're now starting to look into modern guitarists, I suppose. Although I wish they'd start looking beyond blues-rock guitarists.

I wouldn't be surprised if this list looked the same in 50 years. The same shit every year.

[Xp3ns1v3]

How wonderfully generic and unoriginal this list is.

[thesephers]

can slash be coolest guitarist ever?

[sparkeyjames]

This is list is sucks without Stevie Ray Vaughn and David Gilmour. Then again most lists like this suck.

[kai-sam]

wow i didnt expected this!!! (sarcasm)
hendrix its amazing but its overrated

[guitarlad89]

pete townshend????? mmmmm not so much. I always saw the who more for entwistle, moon and daltrey. Pete just doens't do anything for me. Shame he doesn't really play solos anymore

[sickassfoo]

people stop sucking his dead dick already, he was good at making noise for his time but no way he is still the best after so many great guitarists have come out like chris broderick, he is probably the best guitarist of the year, if i must say

[solo_freak]

The only objective way of even trying to judge a guitarist is technical skill, as it's the only parameter which is even close to quantifiable, and even then it's flawed. Best guitarist lists are useless.

[MilDosmil]

At least it wasn't George Harrison.

[Metal_9]

What about Marty Friedman? He's not that overrated and he's truly inspirational. His style is really unique. But this list is not that good if you ask me.

[Dynamight]

dgargett95 wrote:

Sure Hendrix was a pretty creative guitarist, but definitely not the best by far. I can play better than hendrix

Creative? How does having a music catalog consisting mostly of covers, and a style that involves wanking the blues/pentatonic scale to no end qualify as creative? So Hendrix released a couple of songs with a riff or chorus the mainstream audience thought was catchy. So did Nickleback, but very few of us here would call them creative.

[gitbad]

Hendrix was the best! Where's Randy Rhoads?

[art671]

Wow...let's just ignore all the jazz, Latin, flamenco etc guitarists.
Just because you don't see their name on the front cover of every guitar magazine, doesn't mean they shouldn't be on this list.

Al Di Meola? Paco De Lucia? Etc etc

[Spaztikko]

EVH number one. imo best guitarist ever, changed the way we rock far more than hendrix did.

IMHO, hendrix was nothing to stevie ray vaughan. why he isnt on the list, i do not know. SRV played Hendrix's songs far cleaner, and overall created a far better sound.

And Clapton, dont get me started. more boring than the aforementioned eastern european band that only that guy knows about.

[metallinescence]

Where is David Gilmour?????

[Camron62\m/]

this list sucks. no dave mustaine. dimebag is too low. and joe satriani isn't even present. WAAAAY too many guitarists that are considered "great" but sound like the other.

[SlashinSmashin]

Django Rhineheart, Marty Friedman & Tosin Abasi should be here.

[Jimmy-G]

Every week there is a top 10 list for something and it results in the same shit fight. There is so much ignorance on this site. Does everyone feel the need to justify why they think the list is wrong/right and who is missing? This just leads into flaming other users for what they personally think? This happens for almost every article posted on this site. We are supposed to be a community of open-minded musicians!

[GeekInThePink]

As long as most commenters are on the subject of good guitarists who didn't make the list: Cody Bonnette.

[happyjack9]

Baroque_and_Rol wrote:

According to this list, no one before B.B. King or since Van Halen has mattered. It's so limited.

According to your post, you have to have a top 10 guitarist for your band to matter...

[dth2allbutmetal]

For the exception of Eddie sounds like a best of Blues list to me! But i fully agree Jimi should be number 1!!! there are just too may GREAT guitarist to put in numerical order! Just wanna thank all those GREATS!!!!! for putting out wanderful music for us to ENJOY!!!!!

[bustapr]

IMO hendrix is way overrated. His music always sounded so out of tune and all that feedback sounded so terrible.

Well just to throw in my fav, MARTY FRIEDMAN \m/

[Dynamight]

Jimmy-G wrote:

Every week there is a top 10 list for something and it results in the same shit fight. There is so much ignorance on this site. Does everyone feel the need to justify why they think the list is wrong/right and who is missing? This just leads into flaming other users for what they personally think? This happens for almost every article posted on this site. We are supposed to be a community of open-minded musicians!

I don't see what open mindedness has to do with anything. And frankly, there would be much less trolling and zealotry in the comments if the articles here weren't asking for it. It's like the people running the site are thinking "hey, here's a highly controversial topic for an article—let's post it and be entertained by the ensuing shitstorm!"

[happyjack9]

happyjack9 wrote:

Baroque_and_Rol wrote:

According to this list, no one before B.B. King or since Van Halen has mattered. It's so limited.

According to your post, you have to have a top 10 guitarist for your band to matter...

RycheRulz wrote:

What about Slash? Hello?

Keith Richards? Are you serious?

Pete Townsend? No way.

IMO there's not a lot separating those 3, but none would make my top 10.

[Wolfscar]

The top 10 list is predictable because Rolling Stone magazine is one responsible for the list. What do you exactly expect from Rolling Stone anyway? I find it funny that such illegitimate and outdated list upsets so many people.

[happyjack9]

dgargett95 wrote:

This is ridiculous! That was a biased voting panel of rock musicians voting for other rock musicians. It has no basis on the truth.

Sure Hendrix was a pretty creative guitarist, but definitely not the best by far. I can play better than hendrix

lolz. Epic post for such a short length.

[happyjack9]

Wolfscar wrote:

The top 10 list is predictable because Rolling Stone magazine is one responsible for the list. What do you exactly expect from Rolling Stone anyway? I find it funny that such illegitimate and outdated list upsets so many people.

Everyones top 10 lists would offend people, but i agree its taken way to seriously. Some people act like if their favorite guitarist isn't there, its the end of the world. Others say its an opinion so they don't bother to look. I enjoy looking at these lists and seeing what another person (or group of people in this case) think. Yeah I disagree with a few, but its all opinions.

[0zzmosis]

This is an outrage. Don't get me wrong, Jimi was/is awesome, but you can't just say "Oh, this is the greatest guitarist who has ever lived." That's just stupid. Every guitarist is different and special in their own way. This is a big slap in the face to every guitarist in the world.

[bahast]

how can you say who is the greatest, we all like diffrent style of music, some like blues and some like metal. i just dont get it how people can rank musicians.

[ThtGuyOvrThere]

"Hendrix Named Best Guitarist Ever" ya what else is new

Hendrix's guitar playing simply had more widespread and more dramatic influence on guitarists EVERYWHERE than ANY OTHER GUITAR PLAYER WHO EVER LIVED. not the reason RS give, but it is the actual reason he should be considered the greatest.

[happyjack9]

$hithappen$16 wrote:

These "best of" lists work my f**king nerves. I'm not mad because my faves aren't on the list (because they are for the most part on the list)i just get annoyed because its always a popularity contest. there's no such thing as the "Greatest Guitarist of All Time" every guitarist has a guitarist that plays better than them. I'm sure somewhere in the world there is someone "better" than hendrix, he or she just hasn't been lucky enough to make it big yet...

You've misread the article. The list is the best guitarists according to rolling stone. Its an opinion just like everyone elses. No one is trying to pass it off as fact nor does the list matter in any way.

[happyjack9]

ali.guitarkid7 wrote:

Way to make sure this article isn't based on personal taste, Rolling Stone.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Hendrix; but to name him the best out of EVERYONE? First of all, no such thing. Second of all, how is it that one journalist seems to have figured out who the God of guitar is? Piss off Rolling Stone.

So your first complaint is that there is opinion in the list, then say there is no factual way to put together a list...

If you go in with this mindset I don't know why you would bother lookin at the list.

[LazyLatinoRocke]

I consider Francisco Tarrega the greatest guitarist ever.

[SoA_Joseph]

DAVID GILMOUR

[supersac]

list of pretty influencial artists there
i would have liked to see rory gallager,joe satriani,or SRV on there

[thebigredjj10]

I absolutely hate this lists. As if there is a rating system to judge.
Besides they always choose the same few who were around the so called golden age of 60s to late 70s.
Please stop posting anything by Rolling Stone. The drivel that comes from them is insufferable.

[NeutralLuke]

I'm sorry but this list looks stupid without Joe Satriani...

[GuitarSymphony]

Uh, rock music isn't the only form of music. Sure he changed the way we view performances, but most of his showmanship was an exclusive skill to actual guitar playing. He made a ton of changes, and he's a pivotal musician for his time, but so was Kurt Cobain, and so is Tom Morello, and so is Paco de Lucia. I also don't understand why greatest guitarist has to translate to the largest amount of influence. He was an incredible artist using a guitar, that I can give him credit for.

[sgwizard92]

I'm really sick people ejaculating over "Purple Haze" and "Star-Spangled Banner." There are MUCH better tracks and much better examples of his technical and emotional brilliance.

[Chronologo]

The day when no more guitar players would exist in this world only THEN you can make a list of the best EVER.

These lists are made just for arguing

[Chronologo]

sgwizard92 wrote:

I'm really sick people ejaculating over "Purple Haze" and "Star-Spangled Banner." There are MUCH better tracks and much better examples of his technical and emotional brilliance.

Yeah, I personally love Red House

[jkubed]

I love muse, but I'm glad Matt Bellamy wasn't on this list.

[jrcsgtpeppers]

it looks like such a generic classic rock list. giving zero credit to any guitar player that lived past the 70s. Yes those ten musicians were amazing and made amazing music and inspired many many people, but there are more guitar players in the world, so many that making a list is pointless. everyone has their own ten favourite guitarplayers but thats all this is, we dont need rolling stone's opinion.
but my top ten for the fun of it would be, in no particular order:
buckethead, jimmy page, jimi hendrix, paul waggoner, tosin abasi, john frusciante, paul gilbert, paul masvidal (i just saw cynic and he basically knew how to work my shaft) david gilmoure and.... drum roll.....flamflamflam.....dun dun dun
devin townsend
muahahahahahahah

[neandramathal]

Dragon Fly wrote:
You clearly don't know anything al lot about Yngwie. Yes, he plays fast, but he doesn't only play fast. For example, listen to the solo of the song 'Cross the Line', and you'll here a very soulful solo, with fast and slow passages.
And secondly, Yngwie is a great songwriter. And I am not talking about his instrumental songs, but about his songs with vocals. For example, listen to songs like 'Leonardo', 'Playing with Fire', 'Rise Up', 'Devil In Disguise'. There are a lot more, but just some examples for the people who say Yngwie is not a good composer. He has written songs in the (neoclassical) metal style, but also blues rock and classic rock songs. Most albums have only 2 or 3 instrumental songs, the rest is with vocals. Great vocalists like Mark Boals, Jeff Soto, Joe Lynn Turner, Doogie White, and more.

Seriously, I really hate it that Yngwie always get underrated. Not as a guitarplayer, but as a musician.

Sorry, it didn't quite come across as intended (not written as intended either tbh >.

[jrcsgtpeppers]

and for the game winning double post of the year, what is with guitar players and soul? i find it just ridiculous, you guys act like soul is some secret nuclear weapon. arguing over who contains more soul or who has the most soul in their output. just as ridiculous as arguing over anything else. you guys always come down to so and so has this much technical ability but he has no soul but this guy has so much soul he beats so and sos technical ability.

[shanethestoner]

this list is alright for mainstream guitarists. bb king? keith richards? dont get me wrong, theyre great guitarists, but b.b. king, you heard one of his songs, youve heard em all. and keith richards was definitely not one of the greatest guitarists, ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE. bryan may and gary moore deserve to be on that list. and best guitarist ever overall? man they would have to put marty friedman, paul gilbert, satch, yngwie, pat metheny, wes montgomery, django, etc. these lists are always too biased in containing mainstream rock guitarists

[gunsnroses#1]

how many times has he been named greatest ever?

[gunsnroses#1]

also, marty friedman

[Platt3]

Derek Trucks?

[neandramathal]

Bleh, doesn't strip unintended html tags...

Sorry, it didn't quite come across as intended (not written as intended either tbh) - I actually think Malmsteen is a damned good player, I've not listened to the everything so I don't know where he has soulful playing etc... but for the most part if you mention his name people laugh as they just go "lol? he plays fast thats it" ... which I think is extremely unfair. Even if speed was all he had, he's damned accurate while at that speed.

To quote Spinal Tap @ Hear N Aid "Have you seen that Yngwie Malmsteen? I saw him play and thought I may aswell throw my guitar out, use it as a coffee table!"

Prefer Uli Roth myself but each has their own and I certainly don't agree with the hate he seems to get.

[Reighnart]

Inflammatory Andy McKee Post.

[majesty]

Who the hell is Bonnie Raitt, and why is she ranked higher than Alex Lifeson? :/

[SG-Burchett]

much as like eric clapton, 2 on the list is a bit high..... jimi does deserve that top spot though-he might not be the most technically best guitarist (in reference to all the insane speed metal players there are now) or song writers but in terms innovation/inspiration he was strangely a catalyst for most modern rock really.....who hasn't heard the intro to voodoo child?

[Blume]

You guys need to chill. This is a list by Rolling Stone who have no metrics other than the opinions of their crappy hipster writers.

[VinnyChinny]

This will be the same list in 2100 lol...

[Creep_C-1]

What is highly entertaining and a huge insult is the fact that they have Kurt Cobain ahead of Dimebag. Thats extremely false.

[ermonski]

Nigel Tufnel on number 11

[Grudgeshredder]

Did anyone else see that Lou Reed beats out James Hetfield on this list?

[Shun1010]

Paul gilbert

[Zelos45]

MariXStone wrote:

those guys were good...but for the new guitarists like Andy Timmons, Greg Howe, Marca Sfogli, John Petrucci, Jeff Loomis, Tosin Abasi, Marty Friedman, Kiko Loureiro, and many more, they are nothing. My Opinion!

Agreed.

[burningskyline]

Steve via?? Joe Satriani? they should have at least made the list.

[Bananafish003]

To say what everyone else is saying...News? Really? I agree with the list, though, however it seems to be missing Thurston Moore/Lee Ronaldo...

[Skadsson]

putting dimebag at #92 is just plain sick. **** this list. i just lost every kind of respect.

[beckyjc]

If I had to pick one especially outstanding guitarist overall out of all the genres i listen to, itd have to be hendrix really...

I have favourite metal guitarists, acoustic guitarists, shred guitarist, but the number one has to be hendrix! Nobody has ever played the guitar like that...

[Beakwithteeth]

How many times do people have to say that Jimi Hendrix is the best guitarist? Honestly, we're beating a dead horse here...

[Ibeanez]

I have nothing against Hendrix, but I do wonder how anyone can really evaluate his playing through the horrible recording quality of his day.

[FenderMaster]

sgwizard92 wrote:

I'm really sick people ejaculating over "Purple Haze" and "Star-Spangled Banner." There are MUCH better tracks and much better examples of his technical and emotional brilliance.

Little Wing!

All lists are subjective, even with a panel, so theres no point in arguing about this.

Personally I think John Frusciante should be at the top, but hey, what do I know? Matt Skiba and his simple power chord hooks is another favourite of mine!

[VoodooWeegee87]

Always considered the best because he was the first to play loud, sound original, explore scales and techniques that average guitarists at the time wouldn't even think of on acid, and pushed the limits of the instrument- both physically(inventing divebombing, rubbing strings making new sounds) and musically(Little Wing, first ballad ever; Stone Free live at Band Of Gypsys was 20 minutes long and I swear I hear every riff of every song of the 60's in there)

[Kapalen]

Lists are dumb.

[MiserySignals11]

This made me smile. May Hendrix never be forgotten.

[LPClassicCustom]

I always liked Mick Taylor more than Keith but that's just me.

[hereticfive]

hendrix=over-rated garbage

[Kurt1964]

Pete Townsend??? What the hell did he ever do? Strum chords better than everyone else? Give me a break....

[jomoacdc95]

Man, the yardbirds really had some good guitarists. for those of you who dont know what im talkin about, its Jimmy page, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck

[dgunblatt]

Where the **** is SLASH!? lol

[Vabolo]

IN OTHER NEWS:

THE SUN IS FOUND TO BE YELLOW-ORANGE, NOT ORANGE-YELLOW.

[Spoonerismz]

In other news, Obama is President.

Srsly, I think Hendrix was a good guitarist for his time but by today's standards? No. I'd place someone like Pete Townsend over him or Jimmy Page. Actually I'd put a lot of other musicians over him but that's just me.

Personally, I'd say Devin Townsend. Just goes to show you don't have to "wank" to be a great guitarist. But I guess you could say he's more of a composer, but whatevs... I think he's the best.

[Sho_Me]

I disagree, it should be
1. Jimmy Page
2. Jimmy Hendrix
3. Jeff Beck
4. Eric Clapton

And how is this news?

[andreww1996]

OMcE96 wrote:

its a classic rock list for people stuck in the 60s , not sayin its wrong its just for people who arent willing to admit that any modern guitarist is good

+ 1

[Emberwolf06]

Clapton is miles ahead of Hendrix, this list is just a bunch of 40-year-old junkies who missed seeing Hendrix and look for the "greater meaning man" in his music.

[megadethfan 666]

dont get me wrong for his time hendrix was amazing but currently there are hundreds of people who are better than him, again i love hendrix but saying he is the best of all time no but for his time hell yea

[mastergon]

This list does not make sense, it is like comparing a swimmer with a boxer(both are athlete). The List should be categorise. Guthrie Govan covers the best guitarists on their respective style (vibrato, alt-picking, legato, etc..) on a single video. Find it on youtube folks!

[Octavarium86]

Where the f*ck is Jason Becker? And what about Allan Holdsworth? Horrible list. F*ck u rolling stone

[sewoo55]

MonsterOfRock wrote:

05. Jeff Beck

Thank you.

List looks legit. But I couldn't imagine a Top10 guitarist list without David Gilmour and Joe Satriani.

If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills.

Stick to bass.

Looks like you don't know anything about playing bass.

[Slash181]

lmo2th wrote:

And just where the **** is Rory Gallagher?

Fuck off, this whole 'news' bollocks has pissed me off. People like Steve moors, Satch, Gilbert are guitarists.... you wouldn't say an old car was the best car in the world in 2011, you'd probably say well built but not the best. And Rory Gallagher.... ****ing hell, we're here to discuss GUITARISTS not mindless ****s that strum guitars like they're on the top of a meth addiction.

[ciano16]

should be greatest rock guitarist... before there was jimi, there was jazz.

[CodyT07]

Please define "Best." What are we talking about in terms of "best guitarist?"

[eetfuk58]

There is absolutely no point to have such subjective lists. There is no point. It just makes dumbass people argue with one another.

[Maiden95]

I cannot take these sad, worthless excuses for toilet paper lists that Rolling Stone comes up with. Yes I love Jimi Hendrix and yes I do believe he is the overall best and most important guitarist ever, but the rest of the last list of guitarists RS came up with was absolute garbage...and by the looks of it (with Richards being higher on this one than last time) it may be even worse. I wish RS would leave the subjective lists up to actually music magazines with actual musicians.

[juggernaut88]

after going through the top 100 list...i actually find the top 10 list pretty sane..."bruce springsteen better than alex lifeson" *facepalm*

[arnolddrummer]

MonsterOfRock wrote:

05. Jeff Beck

Thank you.

List looks legit. But I couldn't imagine a Top10 guitarist list without David Gilmour and Joe Satriani.

If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills.

Stick to bass.

Hey, f*ck you buddy, I don't agree with that guy's statement, but you have a lot of nerve slamming bassists like that! For every amazing guitarist, there's an amazing bassist. Guitarists and bassists are both musicians, only difference is, bassists have better rythm sense and guitarists are more full of themselves.

[guitarmaniac88]

arnolddrummer wrote:

MonsterOfRock wrote:

05. Jeff Beck

Thank you.

List looks legit. But I couldn't imagine a Top10 guitarist list without David Gilmour and Joe Satriani.

If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills.

Stick to bass.

Hey, f*ck you buddy, I don't agree with that guy's statement, but you have a lot of nerve slamming bassists like that! For every amazing guitarist, there's an amazing bassist. Guitarists and bassists are both musicians, only difference is, bassists have better rythm sense and guitarists are more full of themselves.

And for every amazing bassists, there's thousands of guitarists who can outplay them.

Now, I particularly like bass, especially more technical bass, such as from John Myung, Les Claypool, John Alderete and all that, but your statement was just as pretentious as his.

[arnolddrummer]

guitarmaniac88 wrote:

arnolddrummer wrote:

MonsterOfRock wrote:

05. Jeff Beck

Thank you.

List looks legit. But I couldn't imagine a Top10 guitarist list without David Gilmour and Joe Satriani.

If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills.

Stick to bass.

Hey, f*ck you buddy, I don't agree with that guy's statement, but you have a lot of nerve slamming bassists like that! For every amazing guitarist, there's an amazing bassist. Guitarists and bassists are both musicians, only difference is, bassists have better rythm sense and guitarists are more full of themselves.


And for every amazing bassists, there's thousands of guitarists who can outplay them.

Now, I particularly like bass, especially more technical bass, such as from John Myung, Les Claypool, John Alderete and all that, but your statement was just as pretentious as his.

And saying that for every amazing bassist there are 1000 guitarists who can outplay them isn't pretentious? I was just being reasonable. Guitarists seem to think that bass guitarists are talentless idiots, but they are just as capable musically than guitarists.

[Quaned]

Guthrie Govan

[KerNeL_KLuTcH]

cory_i wrote:

This seems more like a "Most influential" rather than a "Best ever" list to me.

if it was most influential tony iommi would be on it.

[DrainYou1967]

Metalbassist316 wrote:

Yes, my username is metalbassist. Yes, I listen to metal.
I also listen to blues, rock etc
But Hendrix is far from the greatest guitarist ever. That top ten List was just the legends of rock and blues guitar.
If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills. And Hendrix is far from the greatest.

You are ****ing retarded. Metal guitarist have skill but they have no soul in what they are playing and that is what makes Jimi Hendrix the best guitar player ever. He had more soul than anyone and you could see it and hear it in every note he played.

[stndrdprcdre]

I know it's a long shot but I'd love to see Robben Ford on a "greatest" list.

[Strat69]

Hendrix not only played with such soul and skill but he sang at the same time as well. He is forsure number 1.

[Meta1H3ad]

top 10 list is too small, we need like a list of 20 or 30 to get to all the guitarists I want to be on that list!

[coop1ss]

How can you name a "best guitarist ever" without Stevie Ray Vaughn, John McGlaughlin, etc, and it's really hard to name an end-all 'best' guitarist. It'd be like naming the best candy without considering all the different 'genres' of candy.

[juggernaut88]

stevie ray vaughn is on the Top 20 as is John Mc Laughlin.....and yeha rolling stones thank u for adding james hetfield to the 100...and removing kirk

[juggernaut88]

arnolddrummer wrote:

guitarmaniac88 wrote:

arnolddrummer wrote:

MonsterOfRock wrote:

05. Jeff Beck

Thank you.

List looks legit. But I couldn't imagine a Top10 guitarist list without David Gilmour and Joe Satriani.

If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills.

Stick to bass.

Hey, f*ck you buddy, I don't agree with that guy's statement, but you have a lot of nerve slamming bassists like that! For every amazing guitarist, there's an amazing bassist. Guitarists and bassists are both musicians, only difference is, bassists have better rythm sense and guitarists are more full of themselves.


And for every amazing bassists, there's thousands of guitarists who can outplay them.

Now, I particularly like bass, especially more technical bass, such as from John Myung, Les Claypool, John Alderete and all that, but your statement was just as pretentious as his.

And saying that for every amazing bassist there are 1000 guitarists who can outplay them isn't pretentious? I was just being reasonable. Guitarists seem to think that bass guitarists are talentless idiots, but they are just as capable musically than guitarists.

umm...for those saying bassists suck...you may not realize this but bassists are responsible for like half the classic rock/metal music catalogue. some are even better than their counterparts on the six strings....and for the record..i play lead guitars and am fortunate enough to play with bassists who made me respect the instrument

[RNFR95]

Eddie Van Halen should be up a little higher. And where the f*ck is Steve Vai?!

[imbaguitar]

I have nothing really against this list, of course Rolling Stone never looks outside rock/blues, but w/e I've seen their lists before, this is nothing new. However, AL DI MEOLA is amazing, and also incredibly influential. He was shredding in 1975, while keeping great melodies, and playing a plethora of styles. Just throwing that out there. I know rolling stone doesn't like metal, and al di meola is not metal.

[DoteStudios]

Frank Zappa?

[udlevi]

stevie ray where you at ?

[Artemis Entreri]

stndrdprcdre wrote:

I know it's a long shot but I'd love to see Robben Ford on a "greatest" list.

Not a long shot at all. He and Carlton definitely deserve it. That's why these lists are stupid. Gotta consider guys like Segovia and Bream, Carlton, Metheny, etc.

[childofbodom665]

Hendrix ****ing sucks.

[Sarafan]

personally im not a fan of hendrix. not my thing. also, calling him the best? i would disagree. there are too many styles out there that are different. not one guitarist is the best.
having said that, he is and always will be one of the most influential guitarists of all time and for that he gets mad respect.

to all the people that say he sucks, youre ****ing idiots. to all the people who wonder why (insert guitarist here) is not on the list, well no list will be perfect for everyone. as far as im concerned any player can learn something from all 10 and they have all unquestionably influenced the music world.

[danclark]

theres nothing he did that no one did before....and he wasnt even that skilled...he couldnt hold a candle even to Brian May!
theyre going on fame rather than talent...tut tut

[MetalMullet]

nailsarecruel wrote:

This list is SO much bullshit. Where's the lead guitarist from that obscure Czechoslovakian technical speed power metal band only I know of?

You are American right?

[tomlikesmusic]

No Joe Bonamassa? No Stevie Ray Vaughan? No Eric Johnson? WTF.

[iwannabesedated]

I think this is a rather good list. Obviously it's not perfect, and obviously we're not gonna all agree on it.

So, you know, it's not bad. And it's job is to incite controversy, that's how they create interest.

[Clarkinator]

"It really sickens me to see Hendrix top every list. He was a sloppy blues rock player who tripped acid and tried to play with his teeth. Big deal."

Most ignorant statement in history

[Lunasco_23]

You can't really compareone guitarist to another. That's true. But there is no way in hell that anyone can denie that Hendrix pops out as something real special, extraordinary and revolutionary for his day. And he changed it man...For ever

[Dynamight]

Clarkinator wrote:

"It really sickens me to see Hendrix top every list. He was a sloppy blues rock player who tripped acid and tried to play with his teeth. Big deal."

Most ignorant statement in history

Actually, it's pretty close to truth.

[gljbass]

I'm sick of these stupid lists with the titles, "Best ____ Ever." There's too many factors that could go into the mix. Therefore, any list with these titles should be ignored by anyone and everyone. I'm not saying these guitarists aren't amazing, but whoever made this list obviously doesn't believe in music that has come out in the last 30 years.

[Teh Skisgaars]

hendrix was influential, and changed the rock guitar, no doubt about that. but he was quite a sloppy guitarist, so many players since then have much much much more technical prowess than hendrix. so if this was the most influential guitarist ever, hendrix definitely, but best, not even close.

[Krayzie-Bone]

Teh Skisgaars wrote:

hendrix was influential, and changed the rock guitar, no doubt about that. but he was quite a sloppy guitarist, so many players since then have much much much more technical prowess than hendrix. so if this was the most influential guitarist ever, hendrix definitely, but best, not even close.

This guy plays while hes on LSD Acid Tabs of course he be sloppy

[Veritas69]

And Rolling Stone Magazine let out another stupid fanboy statement yet again. Yes Hendrix is bloody amazing AT HIS STYLE! Every guitarist has his own style that cannot be matched so stop this best guitarist ever bullshit you silly twats

[MXFNCK]

kLeft wrote:

Can Rolling Stone even make a list that doesn't comprise of rock stars that AREN'T dead or zombie-lookalikes?
I don't think so.

What has being a zombie lookalike to do with guitar skills?

[m4rko]

I do not acknowledge any top 10 guitarists list with Clapton ranking so high and Pete on it. I mean, let's be realistic here, I could play better than Pete after two years of playing. And where is Rory?

[watsee]

Where is Angus Young?

[crzycrz]

Once again there's no Rory Gallagher.

[WhoAMEye]

Zeletros wrote:

WhoAMEye wrote:

Metalbassist316 wrote:

Yes, my username is metalbassist. Yes, I listen to metal.
I also listen to blues, rock etc
But Hendrix is far from the greatest guitarist ever. That top ten List was just the legends of rock and blues guitar.
If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills. And Hendrix is far from the greatest.

If you wanna find the greatest guitarist look at soul. One note in the right place can speak louder than the most technical riff.

NO arguments with this list

I am extremely sorry, I seem to have misplaced my "soul- evaluation device", could I borrow yours?

Or perhaps you're just agreeing with this list because you like him?

You can either follow your very much biased view on this matter, or you can accept that the whole idea of having the "best" of anything in such a subjective thing as music where everything is taste- and opinion-based is quite an irrelevant topic for a discussion.

Dude you cant "Evaluate" Soul You Feel Soul.

If you cant feel soul you are truly dead inside.

Hendrix played with a passion that so many "technical" Guitarists lack. Technically proficient doesn't mean that you are playing well.

If you read Hamlet cover to cover word for word perfectly in a dull monotone voice nobody will give a damn.

Point made

[m4rko]

I just went through the whole list and I don't get the point of it. They're not ranked by who's best(at least not in my opinion) but also they're not ranked by who is most infulential or popular.

[PEKKAYLAVAA]

Guthrie Govan and John Petrucci are better. Haters gonna hate.

[WhoAMEye]

Metalbassist316 wrote:

WhoAMEye wrote:

Metalbassist316 wrote:

Yes, my username is metalbassist. Yes, I listen to metal.
I also listen to blues, rock etc
But Hendrix is far from the greatest guitarist ever. That top ten List was just the legends of rock and blues guitar.
If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills. And Hendrix is far from the greatest.

If you wanna find the greatest guitarist look at soul. One note in the right place can speak louder than the most technical riff.

NO arguments with this list

How do you define who has the most soul?! The only way you can fairly and correctly choose ' the greatest' is by using a set list of skills.
Knob

Who are you calling a Knob Mr "I'm a this but im also a that"

Twat face monkey ****er

[Musoholic]

haha seems like UG hit a touchy subject....

[Skwisgaar S]

Van Halen is the only one on the list who is even good at guitar. List should have John Petrucci, Guthrie Govan, Rustey Cooley, Tiago Della Vega, Michael Angelo Batio, etc.

[JohnnyV]

"greatest guitar player in history" might be a bit of a stretch, but as far as one of the most influential players I would agree.

[MoonWise]

maleathe wrote:

Let's see, Chuck Berry makes the list, but no Ritchie Blackmore? Very odd list

Absolutely agreed. Blackmore is the only number 1 in my list, outmatching even Hendrix in variety of styles.
Also, where's Iommi? Josh Homme?

[MonsterOfRock]

arnolddrummer wrote:

MonsterOfRock wrote:

05. Jeff Beck

Thank you.

List looks legit. But I couldn't imagine a Top10 guitarist list without David Gilmour and Joe Satriani.

If you wanna find the greatest guitarist ever, look at skills.

Stick to bass.

Hey, f*ck you buddy, I don't agree with that guy's statement, but you have a lot of nerve slamming bassists like that! For every amazing guitarist, there's an amazing bassist. Guitarists and bassists are both musicians, only difference is, bassists have better rythm sense and guitarists are more full of themselves.

"Stick to Bass" doesn't mean that bass is an easy instrument or anything. I play it. I said it because he obviously didn't have a clue about what makes a great guitarist. I love the bass and wasn't slamming bassists. Sounds to me like you need to take a chill pill and not be so full of yourself. You're acting like a guitarist!

[controlledchaos]

Good list. Glad Richards got on it, he's a great guitarist. Not technically, but he's passionate. I'd maybe change the top three so it goes

1. Page
2. Hendrix
3. Clapton

But, that's just me! No complaints here

[controlledchaos]

I'd also maybe replace Pete Townshend with Tony Iommi

[naw2]

As has been pointed out many times the problem with lists such as are at mercy of preferences of the people who make them. So if it was made by someone who is a fan or player of particular styles then said list will reflect that.

In this instance its Rolling Stone and they will go for those guitarists who are lucky enough to be revered in both an influential and commercial setting and such the list is the way it is.

No-one will ever agree fully with any list for that reason.

[anecsey]

Why is Clapton on the list at that high point?? Man, since Cream he hadnt any good ****ing song. Hes way overcollapsed by Stevie Ray, Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy and so many other bluesman.
Missed ones from the list:
*Robert Johnson (who invented rock guitar himself)
*Robert Fripp (father of prog and innovator)
*Frank Zappa (revolutionary)
*Tony Ionmmi (if u invented heavy metal you deserve some space in any chart of music)
*David Gilmour (he was is pink floyd,right?)
* And yes, Jimi Hendrix is by far the best nº one of all time. Dont forget that rock and roll was invented by african americans. Clapton should be in position 20 or something.

[Taraalcar]

Well this is no where near my top 10, it doesn't even have Satch or SRV, but what the hell, this is the music magazine that had Snooki on the cover so their opinions on the best guitarists aren't exactly relevant.

[vlad3579]

where is lady gaga ?

[Taraalcar]

JohnnyV wrote:

"greatest guitar player in history" might be a bit of a stretch, but as far as one of the most influential players I would agree.

Absolutely. He was a revolutionary and highly influential but the students have outdone the master as far as acutally playing the thing goes.

[evilotto77]

I'd like to see a few more rhythm guitarists on the list - personally, so of course this is just my opinion, I think James Hetfield should be right up there.

He's spent 20 years writing solid riffs that get stuck in your head, he plays very well in different styles (eg. Nothing Else Matters), he's certainly had a gigantic influence to the way guitarists view rhythm playing, his records sell very well too, and he has the ability to put on a good show whilst he's playing (very important quality in a guitarist, I feel)

Just because he's a 'metal' guitarist I don't think that makes him any less of a musician than someone who plays one of the more high-brow genres. There often seems to be an assumption with lists like this that someone who plays classic rock or blues is immediately better or more musical that a metal player, which is crap.

Just another reason why Rolling Stone needs to **** off and stop writing these goddamn lists

[ColdHeartedHero]

Fuck Rolling Stones and their opinions of whos the best.
Who are they? hm?

[MatasTeen]

Tosin Abasi is hands down the best guitarist. The only people that disagree are the ones that get scared shitless by the low string chugging, electronic music influence in the songs or the extremely well played shredding that beat Malmsteen in precision AND speed. Hendrix was just high on acid the whole time so no wonder it sounded "soulful" or whatever. Everyone who knows the blues scale can play like Hendrix on acid, with the facial expressions and all. But then again, no one here would agree, this site focusses on music that existed like... 40 years ago.

[MatasTeen]

And if mentioning modern musicians like Tosin Abasi makes everyone here shit himself, Wes Montgomery has more talent and musicianship than all of those guitarists on that list combined.

Seriously.. Keith Richards nr. 4? Go F*ck yourself, Rolling Stone.

[David Dark]

Keith Richards? wtf...

[Tarsplitter]

Firstly, the list is actually a top 100 list. Many guitarists mentioned here actually made the list.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest- guitarists-20111123

Secondly, the list is called '100 Greatest Guitarists'. Maybe it's just me but I think 'greatest' is fairly different to 'best'.

[Davaro]

MatasTeen wrote:

Hendrix was just high on acid the whole time so no wonder it sounded "soulful" or whatever. Everyone who knows the blues scale can play like Hendrix on acid, with the facial expressions and all. But then again, no one here would agree, this site focusses on music that existed like... 40 years ago.

dude, you should really listen to hendrix for a while, because apparently you never really listened to him. and practicly everything is based on it's history, so is music and it would be ignorant to deny such a talent in those days.

Tosin Abasi is currently the greatest technical player no doubt about that but i bet if you ask him what he thinks about hendrix you are gonna get earf*cked.

further more i find this list annoying because alot of far more greater guitarists aren't even in the top 20

take for example jack white, why the **** is he the 70th best guitarist? while he could beat the crap out of clapton (yes it's true, i'm definatly not a clapton fan)
and then robert johnson (who influenced clapton far more than any other guitarist) is on 71? he used to be the 3rd best guitarist.

i am just confused about this list

[iscreamicecream]

If Jimi Hendrix were alive...he would beg to differ and tell us Stevie Ray or Eddie Van Halen is the best guitarist ever. SRV took hendrix playing to another level. And to see Dimebag Darrell way below at #94 will show how amateurish this list is. Rolling Stone don't know $#!T

[evilotto77]

Davaro wrote:

MatasTeen wrote:

Hendrix was just high on acid the whole time so no wonder it sounded "soulful" or whatever. Everyone who knows the blues scale can play like Hendrix on acid, with the facial expressions and all. But then again, no one here would agree, this site focusses on music that existed like... 40 years ago.

dude, you should really listen to hendrix for a while, because apparently you never really listened to him. and practicly everything is based on it's history, so is music and it would be ignorant to deny such a talent in those days.

Tosin Abasi is currently the greatest technical player no doubt about that but i bet if you ask him what he thinks about hendrix you are gonna get earf*cked.

further more i find this list annoying because alot of far more greater guitarists aren't even in the top 20

take for example jack white, why the **** is he the 70th best guitarist? while he could beat the crap out of clapton (yes it's true, i'm definatly not a clapton fan)
and then robert johnson (who influenced clapton far more than any other guitarist) is on 71? he used to be the 3rd best guitarist.

i am just confused about this list

You're confused about a lot of things if you think Jack White is better than Clapton

[Minivirus2]

I wholeheartedly agree!!!

One thing I have to say though, I looked back at that list thinking "Ya know, he's right. I should look into the list with greater detail."

The ONE thing I noticed... There's NO Dave Mustaine!!! Love 'em or hate 'em, you CANNOT have James Hetfield on that list without Mustaine. He, more or less, created thrash metal and rapid down picking!

[birds the word]

Can Rolling Stone even make a list that doesn't comprise of rock stars that AREN'T dead or zombie-lookalikes?
I don't think so.

well jimmy page doesnt. he just looks like a chinese washer woman nowadays.

[Parkl]

I'm kinda mad about people naming a crap load a of modern day shreaders because they aren't anywhere as influential as these people.

You can't compromise a list of greatest guitarists on skill because that's always changing. Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhodes were considered the fastest back in the 80's, but now you can see that there are a crap load of shreaders that can play faster.

[Helloween_rox]

Where the **** is David Gilmour on here?

[xmdsx2]

Sorry, not even close to being the "greatest", if there's such thing. Anyway, Vai >> Hendrix.