Top Guitarists according to Rolling Stone

[Kuoppis]

Left side of the list is kind of to my liking (even though style biased), the other side needs some adjustment.

And it is a typical old-fashioned and male-biased list: where are Joan Jett, Beth Hart, Orianthi etc.?

Slight US/UK focus maybe, Michael Schenker ringing a bell?

I also see the distortion department being underrepresented, missing Dimebag Darrell, Ace Frehley, Randy Rhoads, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai or basically any of the great rhythm guitarists.

Same for the Jazz department, no Joe Pass, Herb Ellis or Grant Green?

And of course Agnus Young, Billy Gibbons, Dave Murray, etc. missing must be some kind of joke .





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[Shadowfax]

Niel Young is no virtuoso, good performer with great songs but com on, there are so many like Jeff Kollman, Piotr Grudzinsky, and a whole rack of music I have here. Greg Howe, Al DiMiola, Michael Hedges

[Priaptor]

Niel Young is no virtuoso, good performer with great songs but com on, there are so many like Jeff Kollman, Piotr Grudzinsky, and a whole rack of music I have here. Greg Howe, Al DiMiola, Michael Hedges

Yeah RollingStone changes this nonsense all the time. I really like Neil Young, but a top 20 "guitarist"???? Gimme a break. I could say the same about a bunch of others, but hey, no one pays me to "rate" them. I also love your picks.

The only thing to me that matters is not their rating, but who I can continuously listen to. For me Mark Knopfler just gets everything right.

[XV-1]

Interesting that the best guitarist nominated by Eric Clapton is not even on the list. Prince.

[CPP]

Interesting that the best guitarist nominated by Eric Clapton is not even on the list. Prince.

Agree, Prince made position 33 ; https://www.rollingstone.com/music/l...field-20111122

[XV-1]

Agree, Prince made position 33 ; https://www.rollingstone.com/music/l...field-20111122

ha ha ha. @32 is Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top - gimme a break. just shows how much of a joke the list is.

[Priaptor]

Agree, Prince made position 33 ; https://www.rollingstone.com/music/l...field-20111122

I have to say, I was never a Prince fan, until after he died. I really like him. Too bad I waited so long. That video was fantastic by the way. When I first saw it after he died, I said, how could I have not listened to this guy.

[Kuoppis]

Interesting that the best guitarist nominated by Eric Clapton is not even on the list. Prince.

So true!


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[Kuoppis]

ha ha ha. @32 is Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top - gimme a break. just shows how much of a joke the list is.

That is indeed funny! Perhaps one of the world’s most shredded after guitarist.


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[brad225]

Alvin Lee, Ten Years After?

I was watching part of TMZ the other day (I just love to see the self important celebrities make fools of themselves). They somehow how got on to a music discussion and the vast majority agreed that Kenny G was the best Sax player the world has ever heard produced. To each their own.

[DogsPart2]

Sorry, not even close.

Danny Gatton
Richard Thompson
Mike Bloomfield.

Not to mention many jazz and classical guitarists.

The Rolling Stain article should have been titled "A few rock and blues guitarists we think are popular"

[Kuoppis]

The Rolling Stain article should have been titled "A few rock and blues guitarists we think are popular"

Superb comment, very witty .


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[bikeman71]

How many lists have been put together like this over the years? It's so subjective and dependent on life experiences. For me, the late Michael Houser from Widespread Panic is way up there. Every time I hear one of his solos I get goose bumps...and many times tears follow.

[UltraFast69]

Really it should living or those that took the stairway to heaven, then down to style and genre.

Hendrix to me is my all time favorite but he does not appeal to the mass despite being the highest paid musician during his high point.

Crazy enough I seen Willie Nelson plan an acoustic like it was his last time a few years back 3rd row from the stage in a outside venue and let me tell you it was amazing but he must have at least 60 years of experience.




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[Mikado463]

Niel Young is no virtuoso, good performer with great songs but com on, there are so many like Jeff Kollman, Piotr Grudzinsky, and a whole rack of music I have here. Greg Howe, Al DiMiola, Michael Hedges

agreed, totally ......

[Mikado463]

Sorry, not even close.

Danny Gatton
Richard Thompson
Mike Bloomfield.

Not to mention many jazz and classical guitarists.

The Rolling Stain article should have been titled "A few rock and blues guitarists we think are popular"

it's close, I know of no one that wouldn't put Hendrix and Clapton in the top ten.

[Al M.]

Agree on Prince. Where's Frank Zappa? Ridiculous that he's not in the Top 5. Oh forgot, he is not a blues guitarist. Disqualifies him. Nevermind.

[GSOphile]

Without Mark Knopfler this list sucks, IMHO of course.

[rbbert]

Without Mark Knopfler this list sucks, IMHO of course.

He's probably on it somewhere, maybe just not in the Top 20. IIRC, he's been in the top 20 in at least one of their previous lists.

[BlueFox]

No need to get upset over this, or any other, list. It’s just someone expressing their opinion. Make your own if you disagree. For whatever reason, I like this kind of thing. If it agrees with my opinion then I think the author is very astute. If I don’t agree then the author is an idiot. LOL. It’s all in fun.

Generally, it seems a best guitarists list reflects someone’s taste in music. If you like the song then the band/guitarist is awesome. If you don’t listen to some other genre/band then the guitarist is unknown.

[Kuoppis]

No need to get upset over this, or any other, list. It’s just someone expressing their opinion. Make your own if you disagree. For whatever reason, I like this kind of thing. If it agrees with my opinion then I think the author is very astute. If I don’t agree then the author is an idiot. LOL. It’s all in fun.

Generally, it seems a best guitarists list reflects someone’s taste in music. If you like the song then the band/guitarist is awesome. If you don’t listen to some other genre/band then the guitarist is unknown.

Very nicely put . The style factor definitely is true, plays a huge role.

When browsing through the full list some of the technically most adept ones were missing, like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai or Mike Stern. I guess their music is not everyone’s cup of tea. I’m a bit surprised though Eric Johnson was nowhere to be seen.

Anyway, if someone has given it some thought, why not. I liked the fact that they asked guitar players.

But I guess a bit more palatable list would require splitting the top 20 by genre e.g. in rock, pop, blues, heavy, prog and jazz.

Who would be your top 5 in each category?


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[CPP]

On the Rolling Stones list I posted of the top 100 its interesting that the panel and those voting are

"
We assembled a panel of top guitarists and other experts to rank their favorites and explain what separates the legends from everyone else. Featuring Keith Richards on Chuck Berry, Carlos Santana on Jerry Garcia, Tom Petty on George Harrison and more.
THE VOTERS: Trey Anastasio, Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), Brian Bell (Weezer), Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple), Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket), James Burton, Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains), Gary Clark Jr., Billy Corgan, Steve Cropper, Dave Davies (The Kinks), Anthony DeCurtis (Contributing editor, Rolling Stone), Tom DeLonge (Blink-182), Rick Derringer, Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), Elliot Easton (The Cars), Melissa Etheridge, Don Felder (The Eagles), David Fricke (Senior writer, Rolling Stone), Peter Guralnick (Author), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Albert Hammond Jr. (The Strokes), Warren Haynes (The Allman Brothers Band), Brian Hiatt (Senior writer, Rolling Stone), David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Lenny Kravitz, Robby Krieger (The Doors), Jon Landau (Manager), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Nils Lofgren (The E Street Band), Mick Mars (Mötley Crüe), Doug Martsch (Built to Spill), J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), Brian May, Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), Roger McGuinn (The Byrds), Scotty Moore, Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Tom Morello, Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Brendan O’Brien (Producer), Joe Perry, Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Robbie Robertson, Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes), Carlos Santana, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Marnie Stern, Stephen Stills, Andy Summers, Mick Taylor, Susan Tedeschi, Vieux Farka Touré, Derek Trucks, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Walsh, Nancy Wilson (Heart)
CONTRIBUTORS: David Browne, Patrick Doyle, David Fricke, Will Hermes, Brian Hiatt, Alan Light, Rob Tannenbaum, Douglas Wolk"

[Unworthy]

My wife is always asking me who the best 5 guitarists are. I always tell her that is impossible to answer unless you create several much narrower categories than just "best." She thinks that Neil Young and George Harrison should be in the top 5 and I tell her, well, that's your list but it certainly wouldn't be mine. I enjoy NY and GH, but...just no.

There are just soooo many great players in the stylistic margins that shouldn't be forgotten. I think Keith Urban is terrific even though I don't care for his stylistic category of music. Satriani has been at the top of his heap for a long time, but I can only take him in small doses. Eric Johnson is terrific and easy to listen to and Joe Bonamassa is absolutely at the top of the blues pyramid. YMMV, different horses for...

[Mordante]

ha ha ha. @32 is Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top - gimme a break. just shows how much of a joke the list is.

I think it was Hendrix was a huge fan of Billy Gibbons.

My personal favourites are:

James Hetfield (best rhythm guitar player)
David Gilmour
Danny Cavanagh

honourable mention
John Norum (best rock)

[chuckgt3]

John Mclaughlin
Pat Martino

[joeinid]

Welcome to the forum, thank you for joining.

[cmalak]

I would definitely add:

Mark Knopfler
Roy Buchanan
Alan Holdsworth
Ritchie Blackmore
Eric Johnson

But I have to say for my taste in music the top 20 on Rolling Stones list captures most of my favorites but I’m a Blues Rock guy.

I would add John Mayer too, especially his playing in the Blues Trio format he’s done.

Not a huge fan of the neoclassical shredders like Malmsteen and I guess you would put Steve Vai somewhat in that category.

One of my favorite guitarists nowadays just to watch as I try to teach myself is Guthrie Govan. He is technically one of the most amazing players I have seen. His stuff in the Aristocrats is pretty cool!

[bikeman71]

One up-and-comer to keep an eye on is Marcus King. He's been a protege type for qyuite a while and is starting to generate a lot of buzz. I saw him play with Chris Robinson on Saturday night - doing all of the old Black Crowes stuff (As the Crow Flies). A really great show and Marcus can shred!

[Jack]

+1 on Marcus King. Sort of a Warren Haynes protoge' who is getting a push from Derek Trucks and Chris Robinson now.

[Phishphan]

Trey Anastasio seems to get passed over on these lists. He’s a hell of a guitar player. Also what about Leo Kottke?


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