50 greatest guitar players evah: good stuff

[Cosmic Suncloud]

check out the Ritchie Blackmore video.....classic.

[MTT]

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-_8xivRTsY&feature=related"]YouTube- Lynyrd Skynyrd - FreeBird [Live][/nomedia]

[dookeyXXX]

The only one on the list that I don't get: Tom Morello. Dude knows how to use a whammy pedal, but otherwise, I don't really see him as a major talent or innovator. Maybe it's just me.

I kinda lump Morello in with the likes of The Edge. Both of them changed the way folks heard the guitar. Sure, neither may be on the level of a Hendrix or even Prince in terms of shredding technique, but both The Edge and Morello knew a lot about texture and nuance.

With The Edge it was all about harmonics during a period when excessive shredding was the norm. The Edge's chiming, ringing notes were a breath of fresh air in the early-to-mid-'80s.

As for Morello, when he emerged with RATM it was at the tail-end of the shredding movement and the beginning of the whole drop-D tuning movement (i.e. the Nu Metal sound of Korn, Limp Bizkit, etc). Morello's sound was unlike anybody else at the time. I still remember when I saw Rage at Gathering of the Tribes in 1992. I spent almost their entire set searching the stage for the DJ who was so obviously f@#king up the turntables until I finally realized that all of the scratching and wiki-wiki noises were coming from the guitarist. Sure, it's all effects driven, but up until that point nobody was making those kinds of sounds with their guitar. So in that respect he was an innovator (one could even argue that Morello had a positive effect on DJing as around the same time the likes of DJ Q-Bert and the Skratch Piklz started using guitar effects on their turntables).

Additionally, a few years back at SXSW I caught Morello on his inaugural Nightwatchman solo jaunt. Dude knows how to wreck havoc on an acoustic guitar, that's for damn sure. Hearing him play in a church in downtown Austin with nothing more than a battered six-string was pretty amazing (sadly the album he did under the Nightwatchman moniker was terribly over-produced and way too slick; it didn't nearly capture the grit, grind, and pure driven emotion of his acoustic set).

[nesta]

shows you how difficult it is to narrow it down to 50. Maybe it should have been the best 100 guitar players. Don't think I saw Neil Young, Stephen Stills, John Frusciante or Phil Manzanera on that list either. Might not be top 50 but would definitely be in the top 100.

[Alaskan Rover]

To all you knuckleheads out there, and I mean that in a friendly way....the list was ALPHABETICAL. That's why Hendix was #21. There was A through G before him.

What really cracked me up were all the people ib in the LA Times comment section wondering why Roy Clark was so far above Jimmi Hendix!

They did it alphabetically so they wouldn't have constant negative feedback on who is "the best". I guess it backfired on them. heh heh.

Personally I think that list was a pain in the ass to navigate!!

My own favorite guitarists are ALL acoustic with the exception of SRV. They are:

Tommy Emmanuel
Michael Hedges
Don Ross
Paco de Luca
SRV
Erik Clapton
Kaki King
John Williams
Antoine Dufour
A youtube guitarist known simply as Naudo.

And one up and coming extremely gifted young guitarist: Sungha Jung.

My #1 most HATED acoustic "guitard": Andy McKee. HTF does this frickin' guy get 30,000,000 hits on his youtube videos when a guy like Michael Hedges (RIP) can play circles around him, and only get like 50,000 hits??? WTF??

[dookeyXXX]

To all you knuckleheads out there, and I mean that in a friendly way....the list was ALPHABETICAL. That's why Hendix was #21. There was A through G before him.

way to be late to the party, dude (this was revealed way back on Page 1 in Post #13 by Dumpy)

My own favorite guitarists are ALL acoustic with the exception of SRV. They are:

Tommy Emmanuel
Michael Hedges
Don Ross
Paco de Luca
SRV
Erik Clapton
Kaki King
John Williams
Antoine Dufour
A youtube guitarist known simply as Naudo.

Interesting, since last time I checked Eric Clapton was best known for being an electric guitarist...

[buttahflake]

howsa bout this guy? anyone?

[Eastside]

My #1 most HATED acoustic "guitard": Andy McKee. HTF does this frickin' guy get 30,000,000 hits on his youtube videos when a guy like Michael Hedges (RIP) can play circles around him, and only get like 50,000 hits??? WTF??

I was pleased to see your list did not include McKee. Every time a great guitarist list comes up on a forum some fucking noob posts that fucking Mckee video. I'm not sure why the video annoys me so much.

MF

[nickwm21]

I don't understand the hate for Jack White.. He should not be in the top ten or twenty, but he is the (IMO) best guitarist of his generation

[hop]

howsa bout this guy? anyone?

One of my favorites acoustic or electric.

[KQ]

Knopfler didn't crack the top 50... am I alone on this one?

Definitely an ommission. Knopfler is someone I would drive many miles to see.

Knopfler obvious miss
Dickie Betts ditto

Love Knoffler. He made #17 on this list

[schindlerpiste]

My top 5:
Rory Gallagher
Duane Allman
Jimi Hendrix
Steve Gaines would be here, if he didn't die so young
Jeff Beck
Stevie Ray Vaughn

Rounding out the top 10 would be Zappa and Clapton

[ötzi]

Love Knoffler. He made #17 on this list

Slash is the 9th-best guitarist ever. Apparently.

[Core Shot]

Not saying he’s the greatest. But this video showing his mind and theory and tuning is wild.
Not to mention the five string custom.

[buckethead]

link is no mas.

did steve morse make the list?

i'm certain moris tepper not included.
he was the guitarist who brought beefheart back to glory after his mid-70's, ill-fated attempt at commercial viability.

likely no sonny sharrock in there either.

[Danno]

did steve morse make the list?
.

No idea. But he is the greatest guitarist I have ever seen play, and I've seen some good ones.

[Danno]

did steve morse make the list?
.

No idea. But he is the greatest guitarist I have ever seen play, and I've seen some good ones.

[ticketchecker]

No idea. But he is the greatest guitarist I have ever seen play, and I've seen some good ones.

You going to catch one of these Dregs shows coming up?


Sent from the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen

[Rasputin]

Love Knoffler. He made #17 on this list

I like Knoffler too, but that list is, um, well there's no accounting for taste........John Mc Loughlin #49, Slash #8, I suppose if popularity was skill.