Page is my favorite ( for last 25 years). Schenker, Iommi as well. But the best player I have seen live is Steve Morse. He can't be classified as a "rock" guitarist, though. He simply does it all. Russ Waters
Stevie Ray was THE Guitar man! Cant hardley believe Eddie Van Halen is way down at #70 on the list above.... The First VH Album still rocks....Eddies sound did seem to loose some of it's "crunch" after that. Some others greats...Jeff Beck, Johnny Winters, Slash, Angus Young, Billy Gibbons, Robin Trower, and Barry Bailey (ARS)
Ted Nugent He may not be the best but I like his outlook on life. His only addiction was women ! Ya gotta love that. I'd give Randy Rhoads a vote also. (Too bad he wasn't still with us)
Glen- Yeah, but it's a Rolling Stone list. Chuck Berry was great in many ways, but his gauitar playing was not standout, and his tone and control were nothing like Stevie Ray's, but he's above Vaughan on the list. I am a Robert Johnson fan as well, but he was a better guitar player than BOTH Page and Vaughan?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Robert Johnson's name got placed that highly just to drop a name. A pioneer of recorded blues? Yes. Influential in music for over 70 years? Yes. A guitar God? No. In his complete album of recorded music, not once does he amaze on guitar, even for 1930's contemporary guitar players. If Stevie Ray and Robert Johnson had a head-cutting contest, Johnson would throw down his guitar in disgust and become a preacher. He had to sell his soul to get his chops, Stevie just had 'em. Eric Clapton gave SRV maybe the biggest compliment ever: "He nevers seems to get lost" Stevie could take a song to anywhere he wanted to, just like his idol, Hendrix, and then BAM! land right back on his feet precisley were the song needed to be. Johnson couldn't do that. Heck, T-Bone Walker couldn't do that! And to put Kobain so high...it's criminal...so much higher than Zappa! Kobain once heaped scorn on Leo Fender in an interview, complaining that whoever designed his guitar didn't know anything about guitars because you couldn't adjust the saddles heights. The interviewer flipped the chrome cover up on the bridge, revealing the saddle adjusters! Kobain was a sham in my opinion. Dave Grohl is a better player than Kobain ever was. Whoever made up that list should re-name the list: "MY PERSONAL top 100 guitarists" I've seen Joan Jett with Evil Stig and she was pretty good. Not top 100 good. If Jett is top 100 good, so Jones from the Clash. That list is a travesty! Brian May should be in the top 20! This was probably a e-mail voting contest.
Blues: SRV Rock (the virtuosos): Steve Vai Joe Satriani Eric Johnson Yngwie Malmsteen Steve Morse (Dregs) Rik Emmit (Triumph) Guitar players (like myself) will tell the latter group are the best 'cuz they're impossible to copy - absolute shredders, at least the first four. Morse's tabs are at least playable.
Roy Buchanan should have been further up on the list than 57. He was amazing. I think it was Eric Clapton that was quoted as saying, "Roy was the only man alive that could make a guitar cry."
Does anyone else think the list is a little "unbalanced" okay. number 12. Kurt Cobain. not a good guitar player. I know quite a bit about Nirvana. and in an interview Kurt once said, he stopped practicing lead guitar, when he found punk rock. when you have the chord progressions who needs solos ? yeah:idea2: . and why is Randy Rhoads. number 85. He composed some of the greatest guitar solos, Crazy Train, and Mr. Crowley. He also was a MASTER Classical guitar player. he started playing on his grandfathers gibson when he was 5 or 6 (can quite remember) and was highly influenced by classical music. the song "Dee" a 45 second(i think) classical guitar part was written by him for his mother. sorry if some of my facts are wrong guys im going by memory.
Someone not on the list: Nuno Bettencourt. He's got an ego that'll fill two stadiums, but man can he play. Kirk Hammet Marty Friedman Satriani Zak Wylde but my all time favorite will always be SRV.
That 100 list is laughable. I just saw Nugent 2 weeks ago and the dude ROCKED the house. I saw him 20 years ago and he hasn't dropped a beat. My favs beside Ted: Peter Townshend John Entwhistle (yes I know he's a bassist, but he played it like it was a lead) Martin Barre George Harrison SRV (scary good) Zappa Knopfler and finally Vince Gill is no chopped liver either
I Would Say In This Order Stevie Ray Vaughn...saw Him 2 Times In Concert -amazing Just Like The Cd- Including The Accelerated Speed Of Alot Of His Solos.wow. Eddie Van Halen....crunching Riffs. Jimmy Hendrix- Created Sounds Like No Other. Metallica Guitarist(s) - Kirk Hammet,james Hedfield (sp) ? HONORABLE MENTION...PAT BENATARS HUSBAND NEIL GERALDO- SAW HIM LAST YEAR STILL AMAZING PLAYS AT LEAST 10 DIFFERENT GUITARS ON STAGE A NIGHT ,STEVE STEPHENS (BILLY IDOL), ANGUS YOUNG (AC DC).
Satriani, incredible. Alex Lifeson Whoever the dude is that played for The Freddy Jones band (anyone listen to them?) JP...Traveling Riverside Blues slide guitar:Brow: Brad Paisley (I know it's not rock, but dang good pickin') SRV. Cannot even put into words. SOOOOOOOOOOOO many others....
Has anyone noticed that while we may disagree on order, there is little disagreement as to how good the vast majority of these guitarists are?
There's some good answers here fellas. For mine, why choose one when you can have 2? Brian Robertson/Gary Moore & Scott Gorham signature soloing in Thin Lizzy (2 x Les Pauls... Drool drool), Dave Murray & Adrian Smith from Iron Maiden, now that's what you do with classical guitar training, and K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton from Judas Priest. I can't believe Cobain was mentioned, the grunge era completely forgot the guitar! BTW, my Blach Sabbath 2 tickets are here!!! August 10, Dio, Iommi, Butler and Appice. Cant Wait!!! \m/ :bglasses: \m/
