Welcome To The Top 100 Guitarists Of All Time!
Examples being; Eddie Van Halen was ranked #70. This is a man who defined the electric guitar. Many styles of electric guitar were created by him. He did things with a guitar that other people could only envy. How can he be a worse guitarist than Kurt Cobain (#12)?! Cobain probably wasn't even the best guitarist in Nirvana!
Slash (one of the most notable guitarists of all time for sure!) wasn't even on the list.
This is only my opinion but that's what these lists are. Opinions. A "panel of experts" may not always get it right. So now, you, the public, the people who create these superstars, the people who acknowledge the ability of these players, get the vote.
It took a while to think of 100 Guitarists I thought were worthy. My friend Ryan (a guitarist) and I (vocalist) sat for about 4 hours trying to come up with 100 names who we thought should make the list. We based it on influence, charisma, ability, style, definition and popularity. Now we know we're not the "panel of experts" that selected the top 100 for Rolling Stone Magazine but I think we did a good job... =]
BUT... That's up to you to decide. If you think a different guitarist should be added. Add them and vote for them!
Top 100... Contents?!
The Best Guitarists Of All Time
Get Voting!
This appears to have caused quite a stir on a specific forum so I should make this clear; this is a vote. Logged in Squidoo members can vote.
If you haven't got an account, I highly recommend you make one. Click *this link*, you can make pages (called lenses) about (almost) anything you want.
Happy Voting!
2
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix Experience32 points
3
Eddie Van Halen
Van Halen28 points
4
Eric Clapton
Yardbirds, Cream, Derek & The Dominos23 points
5
Carlos Santana
Santana23 points
6
Jimmy Page
Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin and The Firm22 points
7
Kirk Hammett
Metallica22 points
8
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble19 points
9
Joe Satriani
Soloist19 points
10
Steve Vai
Whitesnake18 points
11
Angus Young
ACDC16 points
12
Pete Townshend
The Who15 points
13
Tony Iommi
Black Sabbath12 points
14
B.B. King
Soloist12 points
15
Neal Schon
Journey12 points
16
Brian May
Queen11 points
17
George Harrison
The Beatles and Traveling Wilburys11 points
18
Randy Rhoads
Quiet Riot11 points
19
Yngwie Malmsteen
Rising Force10 points
20
Mark Knopfler
Dire Straits10 points
21
John Petrucci
Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment10 points
22
Dimebag Darrell
Pantera, Damageplan and Rebel Meets Rebel10 points
23
Synyster Gates
Avenged Sevenfold10 points
25
Buckethead
Guns N' Roses, Soloist and Collaborator9 points
26
Frank Zappa
Soloist9 points
27
David Gilmour
Pink Floyd8 points
28
Ritchie Blackmore
Deep Purple, Rainbow and Blackmores Night8 points
29
The Edge
U28 points
30
Keith Richards
The Rolling Stones8 points
31
Adrian Smith
Iron Maiden8 points
32
Jeff Beck
The Yardbirds and Soloist8 points
33
Zack Wylde
Black Label Society8 points
34
Eric Johnson
Soloist7 points
35
Dave Mustaine
Metallica and Megadeth7 points
36
Phil Keaggy
Soloist7 points
37
Matthew Bellamy
Muse7 points
38
Mick Mars
Motley Crue7 points
39
Alex Lifeson
Rush7 points
40
Joe Perry
Aerosmith6 points
41
Don Felder
The Eagles6 points
42
Chuck Berry
Soloist6 points
44
Marty Friedman
Megadeth6 points
45
Ace Frehley
Kiss5 points
46
John Frusciante
Red Hot Chilli Peppers5 points
47
Les Paul
Soloist and Inventor5 points
48
Herman Li
Demoniac and DragonForce5 points
49
Steve Morse
Deep Purple5 points
50
Paul Gilbert
Racer X and Mr. Big5 points
51
Jack White
The White Stripes and The Raconteurs5 points
52
Django Reinhardt
Soloist5 points
53
Chet Atkins
Soloist and Producer5 points
54
Steve Miller
Steve Miller Band and Soloist5 points
55
Lemmy
Hawkwind and Motorhead5 points
56
C.C.Deville
Poison5 points
57
Steve Clarke
Def Leppard5 points
58
Richie Sambora
Bon Jovi4 points
59
Duane Allman
Allman Brothers Band and Derek & The Dominos4 points
60
Robert Johnson
Soloist4 points
61
Johnny Ramone
The Ramones4 points
62
Dave Murray
Iron Maiden4 points
63
Ry Cooder
Captain Beefheart (Now Primarily Soloist)4 points
65
Jerry Garcia
Grateful Dead4 points
66
Rick Nielsen
Cheap Trick4 points
67
Nancy Wilson
Heart4 points
68
Uli Jon Roth
Scorpions3 points
69
Dave Davies
The Kinks3 points
70
Noel Gallagher
Oasis3 points
71
Jonny Greenwood
Radiohead3 points
72
Jose Feliciano
Soloist3 points
73
Michael Angelo Batio
Nitro3 points
74
Allan Holdsworth
Level 42 and Soloist3 points
75
Marc Bolan
T. Rex3 points
76
Mick Thomson
Bodypit and Slipknot3 points
77
Prince
Soloist3 points
78
Jan Ackerman
Focus3 points
79
Johnny Winter
Soloist3 points
80
Michael Schenker
Scorpions, UFO, MSG and Contraband2 points
81
Dan Donegan
Vandal and Disturbed2 points
82
Vivian Campbell
Dio, Whitesnake and Def Leppard2 points
83
Steve Cropper
The Mar-Keys and The Blues Brothers Band2 points
85
Mick Jones
The Clash2 points
86
Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews Band2 points
87
John McLaughlin
Mahavishnu Orchestra and Soloist2 points
88
Steve Lukather
Toto1 point
89
Jeff Hannemann
Slayer1 point
90
Paul Weller
The Jam and The Style Council1 point
91
Ed O'Brien
Radiohead1 point
92
Josh Homme
Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age1 point
93
Phil Collen
Def Leppard1 point
94
Hank Marvin
The Shadows1 point
95
Glen Tipton
The Flying Hat Band and Judas Priest1 point
96
Richard Thompson
Fairport Convention and Soloist1 point
97
Jeff Baxter
Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers1 point
98
Robert Cray
Robert Cray Band1 point
99
Leo Kottke
Soloist1 point
100
Bumblefoot
Guns N' Roses1 point
101
Andres Segovia
Soloist1 point
102
Bill Frisell
Soloist1 point
103
John Squire
The Stone Roses0 points
104
Ronnie Wood
Faces and The Rolling Stones0 points
105
Kelly Jones
Stereophonics0 points
106
Blues Saraceno
Poison and Transmission OK0 points
107
Brian Bell
Weezer, Space Twins and The Relationship0 points
108
Mike McCready
Pearl Jam0 points
109
James Burton
Soloist0 points
110
Merle Travis
Soloist0 points
111
Don Rich
Soloist0 points
112
Daniel Lanois
0 points
113
Oscar Castro-Neves
Soloist0 points
114
Billy McLaughlin
Soloist0 points
115
Adrian Legg
Soloist0 points
116
Daron Malakian
System Of A Down and Scars On Broadway0 points
117
Jason Becker
Soloist0 points
118
George Lynch
Dokken, Lynch Mob and Souls Of We0 points
119
Tony Palacious
Guardian0 points
120
Mark Tremonti
Creed, Alter Bridge0 points
121
Kaki King
Soloist0 points
The Greatest Guitar Solo?
As per request of the people. I bring you a Youtube Plexo. Here are some of the greatest guitar solos ever!
1
Eruption Guitar Solo--Eddie Van Halen 5 points
2
Cliffs of Dover 4 points
3
Led Zeppelin Stairway to Heaven - Live in O2 Arena 2007 3 points
4
Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower Live! Isle Of Wight 3 points
5
Carlos Santana- EUROPA 3 points
6
Comfortably Numb 2 points
7
John Petrucci - Glasgow Kiss - G3 2005 2 points
8
frank zappa goes insane on the 'montana' improv 2 points
9
Stevie Ray Vaughan- Little Wing Live 1 point
10
Queen - Brighton rock 0 points
Top 100 Guitarists Links
- 100 Top Rock Guitarists
- This list has been compiled using ratings of impact, influence, creativity, versatility, originality, technical skill and lasting
popularity. - Rolling Stone Magazine's 100 Top Guitarists
- The one that kicked off this lens!
The Jimi Hendrix Duel!
He ranked #1 in the Rolling Stone Magazine Top 100 but...
Is Jimi Hendrix Over-rated?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYes
EditionH says:
Yes,definitely. The new generation is much further in their music and in their ways to follow a career as musicians too.
My favorites from today are John Scofield,Pat Metheny,Bill Frisell,Wolfgang Muthspiel and Boris Stankewitz(check him out on Myspace).
Posted November 07, 2008
deedlebug says:
JIMI HENDRIX WAS GREAT IN HIS ERA BUT I'D HAVE TO SAY SLASH IS THE BEST GUITARIST I'VE EVER HEARD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.
Posted September 14, 2008
SimeyC says:
He was very revolutionary and unique, for that the answer has to be YEs.
Posted August 02, 2008
Roxy_Calamari says:
He had a wild new sound. For the times, he was an innovator with guitar effects. Technically, Vai, Satriani, and Petrucci are the current kings. (Check out Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt...an excellent guitarist.
Posted July 28, 2008
The_Homeopath says:
Jimi's great and all, but I think a lot of the mystique and praise comes from his death.
Posted June 29, 2008
LaraineRose says:
He may be a very good guitar player but just not my style. I like Stevie Ray Vaughn.
Posted May 08, 2008
theshinydude says:
It is hard to fit him in any sort of conventional rating system. I think that alone is reason enough not to be considered "over-rated".
Posted May 06, 2008
GeminiSky says:
I think he was a good guitarist but he was a more interesting and innovative as a performer than a totally amazing guitarist.
I just learned recently that he was Bi-polar. That explains the self-medicating with drugs.
Posted May 04, 2008
CrypticFragments says:
I'm not personally a Hendrix fan. Yes, he was innovative, but to me it's a lot of discordant and very unpleasant sounds...
to each their own!
Posted May 04, 2008
EelKat says:
I would say he must be simply cause I keep hearing everyone talk about him, but I have no idea who he is! He's before my time, I guess.
Posted April 25, 2008
No
PHIL832 says:
Definately not!.He was way ahead of time,even now,had he lived he would still be #1.Many other great musicians have been influenced by him and his music.He was the first real icon of the electric guitar.
Posted January 29, 2009
Pyronaut says:
I agree with the below that santana is over rated. He is good, but he is old good. Plenty of guitarists that i would put ahead of him.
Hendrix is in no way over rated. If you try and play his songs on guitar you know how good he is. its just notes all over the place that make up the song. And they are notes that if you miss them out the song sounds COMPLETELY wrong.
Posted December 29, 2008
metallica1 says:
Jimi Hendrix is not over-rated. In fact, I think Carlos Santana is over rated
Posted December 20, 2008
Marcarr says:
If he had lived longer, or if he would be alive, we probably would not ask this question. Time stopped for him. He was a guitarist of most unbelievable NATURAL DIVERSITY.
Posted September 24, 2008
dkdaniel says:
Andres Segovia should be number one, but perhaps Squidoo readers are too young to be familiar with his virtuosity?
Posted September 10, 2008
sirkeystone says:
Absolutely. He had the monster guitarists of his time, ducking for cover. He was a recording genius. Just sit down and think about all of the tunes that some people have thought other bands did first, that were Hendrix songs. That and the pioneering effects? Stuff that he did with reel to reel tapes and a few stomp boxes, that we have to have computer controlled processors to do now.
Posted August 08, 2008
lifelongfitness says:
John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert, Joe Satriani get my vote, and definately are top 10 material
Posted August 02, 2008
ieujon48 says:
A true innovator - fantastic! What about Larry Carlton and Lee Ritenour for your list? Larry Carlton's solo on 'Kid Charlemagne' is one of the best solos ever!
Posted July 15, 2008
SteevieJ says:
Jimi Hendrix was a Pioneer of his day. The World of Music would be a totally different place had he not emerged. He`s an Icon
Posted July 12, 2008
DJBiggDogg says:
No, and anyone that says he is has probably never heard him live. There were so many live and unrecorded events that he played that many of us may have missed due to age.
Posted June 04, 2008
Jerrod541 says:
Personally, no. But Hendrix has influenced lots of great guitarists to follow, so there must be something to it.
Posted May 26, 2008
RootOctavarium says:
Never was a big fan of Hendrix. That being said, almost every great guitar player has been influenced by him. So.. not over-rated.
Posted May 23, 2008
El_Comando says:
Of course not. He might not have been the cleanest but he was fantastic. Machine Gun, Stone Free, Hear My Train a Comin', Little Wing, please folks. You can say that he is not your favorite, but I'm sure that if you ask your favorite guitarist he'll be the first one to tell you that Hendrix is NOT over rated.
Posted May 12, 2008
swimswithfishes says:
In his day, Hendrix was king! Saw him 5 times and the first 3 times he was unreal! Last two times he was not so great as he had a bad drug problem then & was smacked out and kept forgetting the song etc. First time was in "The Music Hall" in Houston, Texas right after "Are You Experienced". The best show ever for Hendrix in my opinion! Cheers! Swims
Posted May 10, 2008
Gibson Flying V
As people were asking...
The Gibson Flying V is the guitar used in my introductory picture.The first prototypes of the guitar were manufactured in 1957. The were made of korina wood and were designed to take the company in a different direction and demonstrate a more futuristic approach.
This futuristic approach wasn't very well recieved by the public as it was deemed too radical and after the launch in 1958, production ceased in 1959.
Lonnie Mack and Albert King (both soloists) immediately embraced the Flying V and in the mid-60's their faith in the guitar was proven justified after both Dave Davies (The Kinks) and Jimi Hendrix (Jimi Hendrix Experience) adopted the guitar. This generated a lot of extra interest and Gibson re-issued the guitar in 1967.
Since then, the Gibson Flying V (a.k.a. V Factor) has become a cult icon. With the backing of the media, rock legends and the admiration of the public, this is the guitar to have.
If You Liked This...
Then don't forget to rate, comment and favourite it! You might also like...-
Top 50 Rock Vocalists Of All Time
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If you have seen my other lens (The Top 100 Guitarists Of All Time) then you will likely notice a hell of a lot of similarities between the two. The format of this lens is going to be the same as the previous lens due to the fact that the last lens w...
And Don't Forget To...
Top 100 Guitarists Feedback
Got something to say? Here's the place!
-
Reply
- Pyronaut Pyronaut Dec 29, 2008 @ 12:17 am
- I personally thing jack white is my favourite guitarist. I mean.... Slash said jack white was the best modern day guitarist. He just has that feel. Not over the top and not too little, finds the pockets to poke sounds in but doesnt absolutely shred everything. Another thing to remember is that he can play in pretty much ANY genre and sound good.
I added omar rodriguez lopez to the list. Because he is pure amazing. And if someone like John Frusciante gets him in to play guitar on his SOLO albums. Then he must be good ;)
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Reply
- lakeerieartists lakeerieartists Dec 11, 2008 @ 8:38 am
- This is a truly great lens and I need to devote some serious time to it. Great choices. Not sure who my favorite is. Have to think about that.
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- Seattletaxaccountant Seattletaxaccountant Oct 29, 2008 @ 1:14 pm
- Great lens. How do I vote Neal Schon lower?
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- Tiddledeewinks Tiddledeewinks Sep 27, 2008 @ 1:46 am
- Where's C.C. DeVille? I'm surprised Eelkat (my daughter), didn't ask, as he's HER favorite!
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Reply
- HPR HPR Sep 20, 2008 @ 11:38 pm
- Love the lens! Nice work
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- CleanerLife CleanerLife Aug 26, 2008 @ 5:21 pm
- Great Lens! There's certainly room for debate, I don't think I could keep a list of my favorites under 100, and I'm sure I couldn't rank them!
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Reply
- sirkeystone sirkeystone Aug 8, 2008 @ 11:13 pm
- Terrific idea! One of those one's that I wish I would have done! I might just have to try another version.... hmm drummer maybe?
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- SimeyC SimeyC Aug 2, 2008 @ 10:20 pm
- Glad to see Alex Lifeson on the list!
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- lifelongfitness lifelongfitness Aug 2, 2008 @ 8:16 pm
- Great lens. Go John Petrucci - make it to the top! 5*
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- eima eima Jul 27, 2008 @ 9:37 am
- http://www.squidoo.com/groups/the_music_group/lenses
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Reply
- EelKat EelKat Jul 26, 2008 @ 1:04 pm
- just stopping by again to let you know I'm adding this as a featured lens on my /RebelsGuideToLife lens.
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Reply
- goodguy2046 goodguy2046 Jul 22, 2008 @ 6:13 pm
- Wow, great information about Top 100 guitarists..It is still far far away if wana have the skills like them. Thanks for great sharing. From Learn to Guitar Guy!
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- beachbum_gabby beachbum_gabby Jul 20, 2008 @ 9:43 pm
- amazing lens, voted for my favorites. I would suggest for James 'Munky' Shaffer of Korn. :)
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- neodymium neodymium Jul 20, 2008 @ 7:13 am
- How about him: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-lv9ltZ2cw
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- SteevieJ SteevieJ Jul 12, 2008 @ 8:51 pm
- Another top quality lens.
Absolutely love David Gilmour`s solo in Comfortably Numb.... that`s one of the songs that is high in my "I wish I`d written that" list.
Another guitar solo which causes a stir within is Tom Morello`s definitive moment (IMHO) in LIKE A STONE.... absolutely awesome piece of guitar playing!!
Thanks for more quality info.
Steve @ Guitar Beginner Lesson
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