Jimi Hendrix voted the greatest Guitar Player EVER!!! (1 Viewer)

[Dennis Nicholls]

No jazz or blues guitarists

Also no classical guitarists. Andres Segovia, Carlos Montoya, Julian Bream, John Williams, Christopher Parkening, the Romeros, Narciso Yepes....
Why didn't they just call this a poll for best ROCK guitarists?

 

[Jack Briggs]

Agreed, Dennis. No Segovia? Or how about traditonal country? Chet Atkins was one helluva talent when it came to that git-fiddle.

But no one really touched Jimi Hendrix. No one. I saw him four times. Awesome, simply awesome. Brilliant guitarist.

 

[DonRoeber]

I wonder where Joe Walsh placed? He's always been my favorite guitarist. Also, I noticed that Joe Perry (Aerosmith) didn't make the top 20. I really enjoyed his jam with Jimmy Page at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction a few years ago.

 

[TheoGB]

Or how about traditonal country? Chet Atkins

This is a British magazine I thought. You obviously have no idea how little this country tolerates...er...Country!!

 

[Paul Jenkins]

Andres Segovia was hands down the best guitar player ever to have lived, IMO. His abilities and technical accumen were beyond compare.

Definitely should have called this list the "best rock and roll guitar players list" or something else...

 

[Carl Miller]

Wow, thanks for posting the top 20! It's interesting to see where everybody ranked but I'm still in disbelief over SRV at 19. The only explanation I can see for this is to suggest he never got the broad exposure many of the other guitarists on the list got.

Maybe someone can tell me who Zack Wylde is? I'm embarassed to say I've never heard of him.

 

[MickeS]

Zakk Wylde is Ozzy's guitarist nowadays (for the past 10 years or so I think actually) and he also has his own band called Black Label Society. I don't think he's that great a guitarist, but he's got a rather distinctive sound.

/Mike

 

[Henry Gale]

This is a British magazine I thought. You obviously have no idea how little this country tolerates...er...Country!!

Theo,
How can I put this, you're bloody wrong mate.
England, and the Continent, for half a century now, have been among the strongest supporters of hard country, honky tonk and rockabilly...i.e. all the really good stuff that comes under the umbrella of "country."
I know you live there, but I live and breath this shit so, please just trust me on this one.

 

[David Oliver]

Actually Django Reinhardt is on the list, so there is one jazz guitarist. I thik most of the names on the list are ridiculous...Sum 41????

 

[Craig]

So Kurt Cobain & Angus Young are better on guitar than Duane Allman & Mick Taylor? I learn something new every day.

 

[Kevin Potts]

That reads more like a Rolling Stone reader's poll than anything else. I always get a kick out of these "lists". I think they should do a best of list, using renowned guitar players as the voters, instead of a bunch of yahoos.

 

[Josh Lowe]

14. Kurt Cobain

Oh gag me, whatever. Kurt Cobain wasn't even the best guitar player in Nirvana.
I always thought Santana was overrated until I saw him live a couple of years ago. He absolutely drips soul and feeling when he plays. The concert I went to was held outdoors in an ampitheater with a hill in front of it that the audience sat on. During this one very long, drawn out, dark and moody solo.. right as he played a cool riff.. this bolt of lightning came down way off on the horizon behind the theater.. You could -feel- the entire crowd exhale at that moment.

 

[Reginald Trent]

I wonder where Buddy Guy and Allan Holdsworth placed on the list?

 

[TheoGB]

How can I put this, you're bloody wrong mate.

There are certainly some fanatics out there but I'm drawing a parallel between the U.S. and Britain here and by that line, country is nowhere. Go around the live clubs and you'll find next to zero bands in a country mould (for which I am personally grateful).

The only thing that gets more derided over here would be Morris dancing...and if you tell me that's popular then I know you're really insane.

Europe doesn't count: have you heard the sort of stuff we get in the charts from over there???

 

[Bruce Chang]

1. Jimi Hendrix (good but not number 1)
2. Jimmy Page (Good in his era)
3. Eric Clapton (Good song writer, but ok)
4. Slash (No way!)
5. Brian May (eh)
6. Joe Satriani (I hate this guy even though I own his albums)
7. Eddie Van Halen (Good in his era 80s)
8. Dave Gilmour (Good in effects and his own technique)
9. Kirk Hammett (1 step below eddie van halen)
10. Steve Vai (Better then satriani)
11. Carlos Santana (Good for an old guy)
12. James Hetfield (hahahahahaahah)
13. Tom Morello (from rage right? He's has the most talent out of everyone on this list. Creted his distict sound, Awesome.
14. Kurt Cobain (good songs, beginner guitar)
15. Mark Knopfler Who?
16. Zakk Wylde (from Ozzy? one step above angus)
17. Gary Moore (who?)
18. Jeff Beck (Good)
19. Stevie Ray Vaughan (Good)
20. Angus Young (bahahahahahahahah)

What about Wayne Krantz, John Petrucci dream theater, Joe Pass, John McLaughlin from Mahavishnu, Nino Bettencourt, Al DiMeola, etc. I can't think right now, the list is pissing me off.

 

[Jeremiah]

I am sorry Bruce but you are way off.

The word you have used to describe Jimi Hendrix is "good"? The man almost defies discription.

Eric Clapton is "ok"? I would suggest you listen to more than his recent stuff because when he was with Cream is was awesome. He was outstanding as a solo artist and with DATD too.

Than you say the guitarist from Rage is the most talented? That guy could never compete with the songs Jimi, and Clapton have created.

Nobody could puncuate a song like David Gilmour.

 

[MickeS]

Tom Morello is at least the most unique-sounding guitarist on that list. He's my favorite guitarist from recent years, a great mix of style, technique, skill and sense of exploration.
Gary Moore, for those who ask who he is, played briefly with Thin Lizzy in the 70's but mostly has had his own band. He played hard rock/metal throughout most of the 70's/80's/early 90's but then for some reason decided he didn't really want to do that anymore and started playing some form of British 60's style sort-of-blues. I prefer his hard rock material (especially the excellent albums "Wild frontier" and "Victims of the future") but his other stuff is good too.
If you want to listen to some of his songs, try to find "Over the hills and far away", "Empty rooms", "Parisienne walkways", "Victims of the future", "Military man", "Out in the fields", "Still got the blues", "Wishing well"... actually I could count 20 more favorite songs but I'll stop there .
/Mike

 

[Seth Paxton]

1. Jimi Hendrix (sure)
2. Jimmy Page (incredible blues-rock mood)
3. Eric Clapton (Some excellent riffs in his career, I don't complain but I wouldn't put him quite this high)
4. Slash (Maybe I'm one of the few, but I think perhaps the most distinctive greatness from GnR was Slash's guitar. He made that band to me, though it was a solid band all around. This is the first time I haven't seen him UNDERrated. A lot of emotion in his riffs/solos, and a solid, unique sound. To me Slash is a modern day Brian May to be honest. Similar approach to his sound I think.)
5. Brian May (awesome, some of the finest solos ever, I'd probably bump him to 3)
6. Joe Satriani (Sometimes feels more showy than soulful, but I understand the recognition)
7. Eddie Van Halen (Just listening to Dance the Night Away yesterday thinking how incredible he was back in those more inspired days. Much, much more than Eruption, classic VH was full of classic thick and rich guitar rips by him. I'd bump him to 4.)
8. Dave Gilmour (Beautiful guitarist, good to see in the top 10)
9. Kirk Hammett (yes, he's shown excellent versitility. You get some classical style playing out of him, in fact until Metallica shifted to rock/blues based I found their style to be heavily classical based, despite appearences. I always think of each member representing a different part of the orchestra.)
10. Steve Vai (I think I could agree that he surpassed Satriani)
11. Carlos Santana (he MAKES his albums what they are, the guy is awesome though I don't feel too bad about this placement considering the company he's keeping)
12. James Hetfield (excuse me, what? well then, where's Billy Idol )
13. Tom Morello (probably the best "current" guitarist, he seems to be the most inventive, pleasantly distinctive sounding guitarist out with less than 10 years of fame behind him)
14. Kurt Cobain (no way he goes this high, but I will say this, the first time I heard them I couldn't imagine only 3 guys making that much sound. He did write some good guitar parts, though nothing much as a solo part.)
15. Mark Knopfler (I might even put him above Carlos. VERY soulful style that is also an instantly recognizable sound when you hear it.)
16. Zakk Wylde (OFF THE LIST! Hello, shouldn't Rhodes be here instead? I mean who thinks Wylde is better than Rhodes was. Of course we could go back to that Hetfield pick...)
17. Gary Moore (don't listen to him enough to defend or complain, but I have never had a complaint about his sound and I know many others love him.)
18. Jeff Beck (classic and makes sense in the top 20)
19. Stevie Ray Vaughan (I like SRV, but I can also see him only making the top 20. Some genres lend themselves to showing the guitar work off, most notably blues. He was great, but I don't think playing heavier should be an automatic demerit, just look at Page and May for example.)
20. Angus Young (People often lament Angus popularity for some reason, but if there is one thing AC/DC is famous for, its that every song starts off with yet another killer riff. And they are firmly based in blues as the foundation of their music, despite it being louder. Just go listen to the solo on "Ride On" and then think of the opening riff to "Back in Black". The guy writes great pop hard rock riffs, time and again.)
So I would only take 3 guys off the list and only do some minor shuffling to be satisfied. And I would at least move Keith Richards onto the list...and Chuck Berry missed the top 20 along with Buddy Guy.
Oh and I agree about considering Duane Allman (and Dickie Betts) & Mick Taylor.

 

[Carlo_M]

My personal top 10 list would probably be:

1. Jimi Hendrix
1b. Jimmy Page (yes I think technically Jimi was better and more cutting edge, but I just LOVE Page's style of play so I'm putting him as 1b rather than 2)
3. Eric Clapton
4. Stevie Ray Vaughan
5. Carlos Santana
6. Brian May - best solos IMO, not necessarily long and drawn out, just perfect for the songs.
7. Eddie Van Halen
8. Mark Knopfler, loved him in Dire Straits, and now as a solo artist
9. Dave Gilmour - nothing super flashy, but boy he could move me with just a few notes
10. Angus Young - not an AC/DC fan, but why is it I seem to recall almost every popular riff from his guitar?

 

[Derek S]

WOW, SRV at 19? I guess they never saw the man play. He could play anything jimi could play, only twice as clean. and page was sloppy also....listen to those guys live, it is not a pretty sound....Vaughn is very accurate. I would put him at #1. his voodoo chile is way better then hendrix's version. i will give jimi his due for being a pioneer, but that doesn't make him the best player.