Best Guitarist?

[FUDU]

A big part of this debate is always personal musical preference in regards to each individual guitarist named.

Some people like Jimi Hendrix a lot more than Jimmy page b/c they like Hendrix songs more than they like Zeppelin songs. Doesn't make either guitarist truly better (with exception to some technical differences). To comment that SRV or Hendrix creating some moving and awe inspiring music as an argument to their greatness over a Page is being disingenuous and obtuse in not recognizing that Page too was a HUGE part of some incredible awe inspiring music. Page's versatility was sickening, if he went a different route where he was bigger than his band (obviously he wasn't in LZ) then he just might be considered the best without question compared to the others who WERE their bands.

If you took personal recognition and overall band success out of the equation a guy like Eddie Van Halen would probably be considered the best more often than he is or more often than most others. But saying EVH is the best some how implies Van Halen the group was the best, albeit while they were not it is not a fair assumption to make if EVH gets thrown into a debate like this.

[aoxo1]

A big part of this debate is always personal musical preference in regards to each individual guitarist named.

Some people like Jimi Hendrix a lot more than Jimmy page b/c they like Hendrix songs more than they like Zeppelin songs. Doesn't make either guitarist truly better (with exception to some technical differences). To comment that SRV or Hendrix creating some moving and awe inspiring music as an argument to their greatness over a Page is being disingenuous and obtuse in not recognizing that Page too was a HUGE part of some incredible awe inspiring music. Page's versatility was sickening, if he went a different route where he was bigger than his band (obviously he wasn't in LZ) then he just might be considered the best without question compared to the others who WERE their bands.

If you took personal recognition and overall band success out of the equation a guy like Eddie Van Halen would probably be considered the best more often than he is or more often than most others. But saying EVH is the best some how implies Van Halen the group was the best, albeit while they were not it is not a fair assumption to make if EVH gets thrown into a debate like this.

I've never heard SRV's music described as moving and awe inspiring. Phenomenal guitarist, up there with the best obviously, but his actual musical accomplishments aren't on the level of Hendrix or Page IMO. I'd rather listen to a Jerry Garcia, who was a great great guitarist even if not in the top echelon but made music that is more interesting (at least to me) than a guy like SRV or EVH.

[tecs]

Great selections all, but any list of the greatest guitarists that doesn't include Richard Thompson is incomplete.

[TIMMAH]

me

[Big Money Player]

One name that has not been mentioned ye is Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.
Hendrix named him as his favorite guitarist after Gibbon's first band opened for the JHE.

1. EVH
2. Alex Lifeson (yes, I'm a Rush honk)
3. John Petrucci
4. Eric Johnson
5. Buckethead
6. Randy Rhodes
7. Brad Gillis
8. Zakk Wylde
9. Slash
10. Jimmy Page
11. Yngwie Malmsteen
12. Dave Mustaine
13. Joe Satriani
14. Jeff Beck
15. SRV
16. Gary Moore
17. Billy Gibbons
18. Steve Vai
19. Rik Emmet
20. Neil Schon

Just saying...

[FUDU]

Sorry but to completely avoid Hendrix in your top 20 speaks of little credibility.

[Big Money Player]

I like his music, but for some reason his playing seems to be nothing special to me...

[Larvell Blanks]

One name that has not been mentioned ye is Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.
Hendrix named him as his favorite guitarist after Gibbon's first band opened for the JHE.

1. EVH
2. Alex Lifeson (yes, I'm a Rush honk)
3. John Petrucci
4. Eric Johnson
5. Buckethead
6. Randy Rhodes
7. Brad Gillis
8. Zakk Wylde
9. Slash
10. Jimmy Page
11. Yngwie Malmsteen
12. Dave Mustaine
13. Joe Satriani
14. Jeff Beck
15. SRV
16. Gary Moore
17. Billy Gibbons
18. Steve Vai
19. Rik Emmet
20. Neil Schon

Just saying...

sorryI didn't notice Gibbons in your post, I stopped reading after Gillis and Wylde.
That'll learn me

[aoxo1]

I like his music, but for some reason his playing seems to be nothing special to me...

Seriously. How can Hendrix compete with the genius who composed this


Poignant.

[rebelwithoutaclue]

I like his music, but for some reason his playing seems to be nothing special to me...

Seriously. How can Hendrix compete with the genius who composed this


Poignant.

At least EVH is also considered one of the best. He's got guys I've never even heard of on his list (not that I'm a music professor but I know pop culture pretty well). The guitarist for Dream Theatre is #3 and he's also got the guitarists of both Journey and Triumph as better than Hendrix (I had to look up all their names).

Hendrix did stuff that people still can't do today. Hell if it weren't for him half the people on all these lists probably never would have picked up a guitar.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

At least EVH is also considered one of the best. He's got guys I've never even heard of on his list (not that I'm a music professor but I know pop culture pretty well). The guitarist for Dream Theatre is #3 and he's also got the guitarists of both Journey and Triumph as better than Hendrix (I had to look up all their names).

Hendrix did stuff that people still can't do today. Hell if it weren't for him half the people on all these lists probably never would have picked up a guitar.

There are plenty of guitarists that have done things that others have not replicated. Quite a bit of Hendrix's stuff had to do with knowing how to properly milk an amp and other effects. Nothing wrong with that, but different equipment can change what you can do.

And most of what Hendrix did was successfully replicated and taken to another level by Stevie Ray Vaughn.



And we can claim that some would not have played if not for Hendrix. But Hendrix would not have played if not for guys like Chuck Berry, Les Paul, Bo Diddley, Chet Atkins, BB King, etc.

There's a long stream of people that have been inspired by others that came before stretching back millenia.

And I think some of the Hendrix mystique has to do with the drug induced hysteria that many people were in when they saw him live. Definitely talented, but the stuff I've seen and heard doesn't set him him and shoulders over every other guitarists. There've been so many great guitarists over the last hundred years with a variety of styles. Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Greg Allman, David Gilmour, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, and the list could go on.

And I always like to bring up another of my boys, The Edge, who isn't a monster on the fret board but has also done stuff that no one has been able to replicate because of how he works with delays, splitting his signal, and creating his own effects. Few have spent as much time as he has in changing how his instrument functions and he's embraced interesting inventions like the infinite guitar, etc.

Ultimately opinions on guitarists are as subjective as opinions on music. There are a lot of different bands, guitarists, drummers, bassists that you can love for different reasons. This is what makes music so great. It's so diverse, so vast and styles can vary so much. Even slight variations can produce decidely different results. That's one reason why I love playing, writing, and listening. It's amazing how much is available to you on a fret board, on a keyboard, in a set of drums, or even in the mouthpiece and valves of a trumpet or other horn. And it's even more amazing to consider how many millions of different melodies have been written over the years going back to ancient times.

[Big Money Player]

2 points, this thread is titled Best Guitarist, is it not? It's not titled best guitarist that plays in your favorite band or makes the best songs.

Also I stated that it was in no particular order.

As MacPhisto stated, this is the beuaty of music, what I think or like could be completely different from everybody on this board. Does that make me uninformed? I don't think so...

And this just in, John Petrucci is a witch and I don't even like Dream Theater...

[stonepm]

Dickey Bettes---If you've ever heard "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed", "Seven Turns" or "Jessica" you know what I'm talking about. Anyone that can make a song as cool as Jessica, 10 minutes long using only 2 chords has to be on the list.

Trey Anastasio--He takes shit that's not music and makes it sound good

Warren Haynes--He's Dickey Bettes, only younger.

And CDT is right, Buckethead is up high on the list.

start about 2 1/2 minutes in:

[jb]

CDT - Did you get wit Buckethead's tribute to Bron yet?

[Spin]

Nice DS video, but I think the ultimate Knopfler was Brothers in Arms