Top 5 Guitarists

For all you music enthusiasts, tell me, who is your favourite guitarist? For me, I have been playing guitar for over 20 years and have drawn on inspiration from quite a few guitar players that have left quite an impression on me. Just like everyone else, I do go through certain phases where I'm totally obsessed with a certain band for a certain period, but it's usually one of my favourite bands anyways.

It is so hard for me to pick just one guitar player, but here are the top five guitar players in my books:

1) Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne): Total genious and amazing classical guitarist as well. Taken too soon from us.

2) David Gilmour (Pink Floyd): The Wall, Comfortably Numb, nuff said?

3) Matthias Jabs (Scorpions): Totally under-rated and often forgotten.

4) Kurt Cobain (Nirvana): While he wasn't the most talented player, he did come up with a ton of amazing riffs and rythyms.

5) Don Felder (Eagles): Two words...Hotel California

1. Slash

2. Tony Iommi

3. Eric Clapton

4. Eddie Van Halen

5. Jimmy Page

That's my list, it could go on but there can only be 5.

Okay, here's my list

1) Pat Martino - he is a jazz player, check him out

2) Lenny Breau - he is a jazz player and died too soon in August 1984

3) Stevie Ray Vaughan - he is a blues player now dead

4) Frank Zappa - not only a great guitarist but also a musical innovator, now dead

5) Carlos Santana - everybody should have some of him in their music collection.

Here it goes.

1) Slash from Guns and Roses and Velvet Revolver.

Favorite song he plays.

Do Bass guitar plays count?

2) Duff McKagan (bass gutar) From Guns and Roses and Velvet Revolver.

Favorite song he plays

3) Keith Nelson from Buckcherry.

Favorite song he plays

4) Jeff Martin from Tea Party. (guitar player and singer)

Favorite song he plays

5) Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin.

Favorite song he plays Stairway to heaven. (of course)

A picture from back in the day.

BB King

Eric Clapton

No particular order it is very tough to call

Page

Clapton

Walsh

Young

Gilmour

Felder

Townshend

A solid mention to Mr.Peter Frampton!!! Loved HIS album too :)

I am surprised nobody has mentioned Mark Knofler yet. Or to go out of present memory, someone like Django Rheinhardt or Les Paul.

I am surprised nobody has mentioned Mark Knofler yet. Or to go out of present memory, someone like Django Rheinhardt or Les Paul.

I never get surprised at any "best of" list, it's really just an opinion in most cases.

1. Jimi Hendrix

2. Jimmy Page

3. Eric Clapton

4. Chuck Berry

5. Pete Townshend

Honorable Mentions: Keith Richards, Robert Cray, Robbie Robertson

I'm going to add Prince to the list.

And Brian May

Many of mine are already above.

Will add one more;

Jesse Cook

..and pretty good song to be playing around with an exotic beauty.

Cub

No Particular Order But Considered Top Influential And Best Blues Guitarists:

1) Stevie Ray Vaughn

2) Mississippi John Hurt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thp0hhHinZs

3) Muddy Waters

4) John Lee Hooker

5) Buddy Guy

Additional Comments:

Lets Not forget

Jeff Healey - While My Guitar Gently Weeps

No particular order it is very tough to call

 

Page

Clapton

Walsh

Young

Gilmour

Felder

Townshend

 

How dare I forget Walsh. He's in his own category. The faces he makes while playing can just about get anyone to laugh.

I would offer a second vote for Mark Knopfler as a fave, and a nod to many of the others mentioned, but my all time favourite would be Pat Metheny.

He can be seen here showing off a bit playing his 42 string Pikasso guitar, but a better taste for the music, if you haven't yet had the pleasure, comes at the 4:45 mark when the Group kicks in to the piece "Have You Heard", appropriately enough, if this is an introduction for anyone here:

great for guitar "faces" too.

cheers all..

And of course I forgot one that I actually got to see live, Buckethead. Look that one up in your Funk and Wagnall's. ;)

I personally think John Mayer is a fantastic guitarist. Slash, obviously. Clapton, Santana.

One of my favorite Santana collaborations (with Citizen Cope): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZEkfNv_6IA The lyrics are gorgeous as well...

In no particular order:

Ritchie Blackmore (Original member of Deep Purple and hero of Yngwie Malmsteen)

Hendrix

Duane Allman

SRV

Clapton

Hows about Angus ? ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSEY4vIaIp4

Yup Mr. Young was 3rd on my list. ;)

Hows about Angus ? ;)

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSEY4vIaIp4

B.B. King

Eric Clapton

Carlos Santana

Synyster Gates

Kirk Hammett

A little off-topic, but worth watching: The history of the guitar solo

I am surprised nobody has mentioned Mark Knofler yet. Or to go out of present memory, someone like Django Rheinhardt or Les Paul.

Django is top five but very very few people have heard him. My dad had a pile of old albums with Django, I bet it would be hard to buy one now.

Fact is there are tons of outstanding talents that just don't get much exposure.

No love for Jeff Beck? He was never as famous as his Yardbirds' fellow guitarists Clapton or Page, but he got to do his own thing and could afford to be more experimental.