Best Guitarist of All Time

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oh my God Lynskey I think you have just solved one of the great mysteries of the universe

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 17 November 2003 02:30 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.megomuseum.com/tv/hapboys.jpeg

― weatheringdaleson (weatheringdaleson), Monday, 17 November 2003 02:40 (twenty-two years ago)

But seriously... it's this guy:

http://www.vegas.eclipse.co.uk/images/aussie%20dave%20-%20guitarist%20vocalist.jpg

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Monday, 17 November 2003 02:47 (twenty-two years ago)

oh my God Lynskey I think you have just solved one of the great mysteries of the universe

Dammit, time to rewrite the novel.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 17 November 2003 02:48 (twenty-two years ago)

http://nf.wh3rd.net/files/zappa.jpg

and anyone who says otherwise can get fucked.

― Andrew (enneff), Monday, 17 November 2003 03:06 (twenty-two years ago)

even frank himself said he wasnt the best guitar player. he sure had his own style though.

― Pablo Cruise (chaki), Monday, 17 November 2003 03:14 (twenty-two years ago)

He was just modest.

― Andrew (enneff), Monday, 17 November 2003 03:23 (twenty-two years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00000I9K6.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Maybe. Maybe not.

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 17 November 2003 04:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Are Snakefinger's albums still in print? I've always been curious but never actually bought one.

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 17 November 2003 04:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I dont know to be honest. I've not heard much of his stuff, but always found it compellingly bizarre in the same way Zappa and the Residents were (to me anyway).

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 17 November 2003 04:41 (twenty-two years ago)

What about:
http://www.redhotjazz.com/django.gif
or
http://home.bluemarble.net/~deno/spence/Spence.jpg

― Ryan McKay (Ryan McKay), Monday, 17 November 2003 06:14 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.gnofn.org/~1nation/images/eddiehazel.jpg

― nate detritus (natedetritus), Monday, 17 November 2003 06:36 (twenty-two years ago)

if not guitarist, EASILY best belt buckle

― nate detritus (natedetritus), Monday, 17 November 2003 06:36 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.funbelts.com/images/RRGlitter.jpg

― Dave M. (rotten03), Monday, 17 November 2003 08:41 (twenty-two years ago)

When Steve Vai played for Frank Zappa Frank referred to him as his "stunt guitarist", he would jump in and do the thinks Frank couldn't/wouldn't do.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 17 November 2003 13:31 (twenty-two years ago)

"Frank Zappa is the single most untalented man in the world" - Lou Reed.

One of my first ever posts to ILM, before coming here, was to cite Elmore Leonard as my favourite guitarist. My old pal Andrew L responded to say that he was very fond of Elmore James's crime novels. I was very embarrassed, and still don't understand how I wrote such a thing.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 17 November 2003 13:35 (twenty-two years ago)

http://itsa.ucsf.edu/~mllim/music/kevinbilinda.jpg

― Citizen Kate (kate), Monday, 17 November 2003 13:38 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.guitarscanada.com/legends/tom.gif

― Chris B. Sure (Chris V), Monday, 17 November 2003 13:38 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGPORTRAITS/music/portrait200/drp000/p085/p08531iqp4j.jpg

― Chris B. Sure (Chris V), Monday, 17 November 2003 13:41 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.aceofdiscs.com/images/sundial_01.jpg

http://www.struna.ru/pix/sh00.jpg
http://www.nomansland.demon.co.uk/gfx/SWgtrneck.jpg

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 17 November 2003 13:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I hope those are not all three the same person!

― Citizen Kate (kate), Monday, 17 November 2003 13:50 (twenty-two years ago)

ha, top down = gary ramon from sundial, steve howe from yes, and steven wilson from no-man/procupine tree/i.e.m.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 17 November 2003 13:54 (twenty-two years ago)

If you put the third one first, it would look like some kind of bizarre aging process!

(Where do boys with hair like that exist IRL?)

― Citizen Kate (kate), Monday, 17 November 2003 13:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Even the title of this thread makes me cringe.

― Markelby (Mark C), Monday, 17 November 2003 14:08 (twenty-two years ago)

that's because your tone sucks, and you can't "shred", mark.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 17 November 2003 14:10 (twenty-two years ago)

But the best at WHAT, tho?

― Jay Dee Sah Mon (Kingfish), Monday, 17 November 2003 14:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Hi, I'm the best guitarist of all time.

― NA (Nick A.), Monday, 17 November 2003 14:23 (twenty-two years ago)

and im the amazing B sure.

― Chris B. Sure (Chris V), Monday, 17 November 2003 14:28 (twenty-two years ago)

We should use our developing skills in genetics to create a master race of super-guitarists! We can cross Manute Bol's gigantic-hands gene with the genes of a spider thus giving him/her/it eight hands! It would be like Vishnu Van Halen!!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 17 November 2003 14:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Whatever dudes, I don't need you. I'm already better than all of you put together.

― NA (Nick A.), Monday, 17 November 2003 14:33 (twenty-two years ago)

But you only have two hands!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 17 November 2003 14:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Is NA about to unleash the fookeen fyoory?

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 17 November 2003 14:34 (twenty-two years ago)

http://people.wm.edu/~rrbarr/id02.JPG
Look at me rockin out.

― NA (Nick A.), Monday, 17 November 2003 14:35 (twenty-two years ago)

You can't touch this.

― NA (Nick A.), Monday, 17 November 2003 14:35 (twenty-two years ago)

there is no rock in B Sure's repetoire.

― Chris B. Sure (Chris V), Monday, 17 November 2003 14:36 (twenty-two years ago)

he is my friend the onion man and he plays two gutars atonce.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/493172/guitarist.jpg

― the evil docter claw, Monday, 17 November 2003 14:38 (twenty-two years ago)

That guy doesn't rock, he's playing sitting down like an old grandma.

― NA (Nick A.), Monday, 17 November 2003 14:39 (twenty-two years ago)

that is becasue he is control airoplanes with his eyes and he is 107 years old his guiar is very lous thou and he breaks rocks!

― the evil docter claw, Monday, 17 November 2003 14:43 (twenty-two years ago)

please delete ilx.

― Chris B. Sure (Chris V), Monday, 17 November 2003 14:44 (twenty-two years ago)

no chris b shure! i was only kidding!

― the evil docter claw, Monday, 17 November 2003 15:01 (twenty-two years ago)

six years pass...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8611997.stm

Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante has been voted the best guitarist of the past 30 years.
Frusciante, who left the group in 2008, beat Guns n' Roses star Slash, Muse's Matt Bellamy and Johnny Marr of The Smiths to the top spot.
Prince, Jack White, Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood and REM's Peter Buck were also in the top 10. But Noel Gallagher, The Edge and Kurt Cobain missed out.
Some 30,000 people took part in BBC 6 Music's Axe Factor online poll.
...

1. John Frusciante - Red Hot Chili Peppers
2. Slash - Guns n' Roses
3. Matt Bellamy - Muse
4. Johnny Marr - The Smiths
5. Tom Morello - Rage Against The Machine
6. Kirk Hammett - Metallica
7. Jonny Greenwood - Radiohead
8. Prince
9. Jack White - White Stripes
10. Peter Buck - REM

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Friday, 9 April 2010 18:09 (sixteen years ago)

5. Tom Morello - Rage Against The Machine

poll invalidated

― forgive me fada (acoleuthic), Friday, 9 April 2010 18:10 (sixteen years ago)

weird, this isn't on ILM

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Friday, 9 April 2010 18:10 (sixteen years ago)

lj is that because you hate ratm or you dont think morello is any good? cuz i would bet he's a better guitar player than matt bellamy.

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Friday, 9 April 2010 18:12 (sixteen years ago)

lol Peter Buck is a terrible guitarist

― Shamandy Warhol (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 9 April 2010 18:13 (sixteen years ago)

matt bellamy has pretty good chops - or had, at least

ratm is just too awful to contemplate in any regard, plus dude's guitar-style was so cruddy

the only one who deserves to be in this list is prince and that is truth

― forgive me fada (acoleuthic), Friday, 9 April 2010 18:13 (sixteen years ago)

I mean he's a decent enough songwriter and everything, but Peter Buck has like zero chops and nothing close to a signature sound wtf

Jack White is a pretty inventive guitar player, he definitely belongs in any list of this kind

― Shamandy Warhol (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 9 April 2010 18:14 (sixteen years ago)

really most of this list is okay/understandable but the exceptions are pretty glaring imho

― Shamandy Warhol (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 9 April 2010 18:14 (sixteen years ago)

remember its bbc 6 music listeners

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Friday, 9 April 2010 18:17 (sixteen years ago)

Shakey do you agree with lj that tom morello is a crap guitarist with a cruddy style? (and that matt bellamy is better than he is)
No point in arguing that none of them deserve to be in the top 10 guitarists list as that goes without saying.

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Friday, 9 April 2010 18:31 (sixteen years ago)

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Har, Har. Ulrich Jon Roth - that better? The link between Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen.

― EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 13 April 2010 17:27 (sixteen years ago)

and in the Britpop category, rampaging at the fore are Martin Carr and Graham Coxon

― pretty girl, filking a clown (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 13 April 2010 17:38 (sixteen years ago)

The whole thread premise is kind of dumb. It was a C-Man thread, that should have tipped everyone. Best in a certain style? Proficient in the most styles? It's too broad; confuses "favorite" with "best," which is a crock no matter what xhuxk says.

That said, Whiney's post did prompt me to go listen to "Holiday in Berlin (Full Blown)" this morning. Fantastic solo.

― millions now zinging will never lol (WmC), Tuesday, 13 April 2010 17:50 (sixteen years ago)

http://www.lastingtribute.co.uk/image/George_Formby_2781317.jpg

― Dr X O'Skeleton, Wednesday, 14 April 2010 18:37 (sixteen years ago)

Got a soft spot for Manuel Gottsching and Gabor Szabo.

― Moka, Friday, 16 April 2010 04:50 (sixteen years ago)

Whom, by the way, haven't been mentioned at all on this thread. Shame on you ilx.

― Moka, Friday, 16 April 2010 05:05 (sixteen years ago)

I would have mentioned both had I ever heard of either.

― Bill Magill, Friday, 16 April 2010 20:39 (sixteen years ago)

Gabor Szabo's pretty amazing, sorta Django Rinehart v 2.0

― I won't vote for you unless you acknowledge my magic pony (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 16 April 2010 20:42 (sixteen years ago)

Thanks for saving ILX from eternal shame, SMC.

― Bill Magill, Friday, 16 April 2010 20:43 (sixteen years ago)

love this album cover
http://www.shugarecords.com/images/records/69ed8649-e5ae-4ba5-acdd-4fcc04a97c7e-0.JPG

― I won't vote for you unless you acknowledge my magic pony (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 16 April 2010 20:43 (sixteen years ago)

the answer to this is is, btw, Jonny Greenwood, and idgaf

― Turangalila, Friday, 16 April 2010 20:44 (sixteen years ago)

-is

― Turangalila, Friday, 16 April 2010 20:44 (sixteen years ago)

will anyone high-five me for randy holden?

― government meme (samosa gibreel), Friday, 16 April 2010 20:53 (sixteen years ago)

I like that one Blue Cheer record he's on

― I won't vote for you unless you acknowledge my magic pony (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 16 April 2010 20:54 (sixteen years ago)

i used to be all "i like song structures, nuffa that guitar wank" and then i heard population ii.

― government meme (samosa gibreel), Friday, 16 April 2010 20:56 (sixteen years ago)

Anyone with a bit of oversight care to tell me if Rory Gallagher is ranked up there at all? We make a big fuss of him over here, but then it's really him, The Edge or Tim Wheeler so there's not much option.

― just darraghmac tbh (darraghmac), Saturday, 17 April 2010 02:09 (sixteen years ago)

I think he used to be

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Saturday, 17 April 2010 02:10 (sixteen years ago)

The Edge?

― iago g., Saturday, 17 April 2010 02:23 (sixteen years ago)

that welsh guy in U2

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Saturday, 17 April 2010 02:25 (sixteen years ago)

Johnny Marr

Carlos Alomar
Andy Gill
Jimi Hendrix
Tom Verlaine
Lonnie Johnson

― Now, Saturday, 17 April 2010 04:11 (sixteen years ago)

Dave Gregory from XTC is the secret agent man

― solid yet bouncy (herb albert), Saturday, 17 April 2010 04:35 (sixteen years ago)

Charo otm

Randy Rhoads
Robert Fripp
Robert Johnson

though it's really

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBi6hBrpgqQ

― solid yet bouncy (herb albert), Saturday, 17 April 2010 04:53 (sixteen years ago)

Hendrix is the best sloppiest guitar player, beats any other classic rock guitarist for style alone. He played with such soul and feeling that every wrong note he played sounded right. Kinda wish more black people cared enough to get involved in rock music, seems that right after laying the roots of rock they just lost interest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCQBbgb_Lvo

― Moka, Saturday, 17 April 2010 06:23 (sixteen years ago)

Also:

Bill Frisell
Daniel Lanois
Ry Cooder

― Moka, Saturday, 17 April 2010 06:47 (sixteen years ago)

Davie Allan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgXHchnQtt8

― solid yet bouncy (herb albert), Sunday, 18 April 2010 02:16 (sixteen years ago)

Hendrix had a direct connection to the Muse

― solid yet bouncy (herb albert), Sunday, 18 April 2010 02:20 (sixteen years ago)

i don't think anyone's mentioned the amazing slate of early blues guitarists, e.g., blind willie johnson; blind blake; scrapper blackwell; miss. john hurt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxovd6tS8mk

― Daniel, Esq., Sunday, 18 April 2010 02:23 (sixteen years ago)

seven years pass...

Grant Green Classic Or Dud?

― reggie (qualmsley), Wednesday, 6 December 2017 15:43 (eight years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E1qCAPJJPE

my favorite noisy guitar album is "Axis: Bold as Love"

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 6 December 2017 17:16 (eight years ago)

electric guitar it's obviously Hendrix, no one comes close

acoustic guitar... I submit Elliott Smith:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBKAADRzqsc

― flappy bird, Wednesday, 6 December 2017 18:35 (eight years ago)

I don't know if I'd say Steve Vai in a walk, but I think you could at least say he's...VAI-ING FOR THE TOP SPOT!

― IF (Terrorist) Yes, Explain (man alive), Wednesday, 6 December 2017 18:39 (eight years ago)

lol psych I hate that guy

― IF (Terrorist) Yes, Explain (man alive), Wednesday, 6 December 2017 18:40 (eight years ago)

As far as guy who astonishes me most while still being enjoyable to listen to, it might be either Django Reinhardt or this guy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqdsiXSfEyQ

like I cannot fathom ever being able to play what he plays no matter how much I practiced

― IF (Terrorist) Yes, Explain (man alive), Wednesday, 6 December 2017 18:43 (eight years ago)

As far as pure musicality and touch, I'd say Jim Hall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZF74lQ0kMs

As far as people who expanded the sonic vocabulary of guitar while also just being awesome players, Hendrix is still it for me.

My favorite fingerpicker in terms of sound, style and technique is Rev Gary Davis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fpPgo4Deo4

― IF (Terrorist) Yes, Explain (man alive), Wednesday, 6 December 2017 18:47 (eight years ago)

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