Your all-time greatest guitarist list

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Forostar said:
What's the difference? What you find great is for you the best (greatest), isn't it?
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"Greatest" implies a guitarist with influence, impact and popularity. "Best" implies most skilled. "Favourite" has no criteria.
 
An example: Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Michael Angelo Batio and John Petrucci are highly skilled, but are very far from being the best.
 
Jeffmetal said:
An example: Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Michael Angelo Batio and John Petrucci are highly skilled, but are very far from being the best.
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Skilled at high speed playing but what keeps them from best is that's about all they do. John is an exception and I would rank him as one of the best.
 
That's why I disagreed with those criterias, as you just backed up my point, which is all down to personal taste. All those guys I mentioned were important at some point, but for my tastes, their musicality and/or their skills started to run in circles, generally using a certain formula, but even then, not using it with the necessary skill (it's a paradox, but it makes sense).

So a most important guitarrists list could be perfectly different from a greatest/favourite guitarrists, bands, bassists list.
 
which makes them not the best.

Edit: Just read Moonchild's post and I agree with you. Well that was a waste of 4 posts.
 
I agree with Jeff because it all comes down to personal taste and interest. To say the best = > most skilled would be difficult because there are many skills. Besides skill, a guitarist can also evoke a certain emotion when he plays with a certain feel. He can also play a wonderful melody. He can also have a certain style or sound. And these criteria are hard to define as best.

In this light there is no difference between "my greatest" and "my favourite".
 
The following eight, guitarists with exceptional talent. Fuck! this list could be a very long one!, I will need to think about this one for a while, so for now my all-time greatest guitarist list is... and in no particular order.

Frank Zappa
Steve Vai
Angus Young
Stanley Jordan
Joe Bonamassa
Dweezil Zappa
Tony Iommi
Jimi Hendrix
 
Forostar said:
I agree with Jeff because it all comes down to personal taste and interest. To say the best = > most skilled would be difficult because there are many skills. Besides skill, a guitarist can also evoke a certain emotion when he plays with a certain feel. He can also play a wonderful melody. He can also have a certain style or sound. And these criteria are hard to define as best.

In this light there is no difference between "my greatest" and "my favourite".
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I agree with all the above but that last sentence confused me. I thought we were talking about "my best," not "my greatest."
 
Your greatest is your best, too, 'cos it's subjective to your desires. A greatest list based on factual events is different 'cos you have to look at those who made a mark in a genre, being them all your faves or not.
 
Jeffmetal said:
Your greatest is your best, too, 'cos it's subjective to your desires. A greatest list based on factual events is different 'cos you have to look at those who made a mark in a genre, being them all your faves or not.
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If that's the case I think this would be a general top ten list:
(no particular order)
Jimi Hendrix
Tony Iomi
Jimmy Page
Eddie Van Halen
George Benson
Les Paul
Jeff Beck
Randy Rhoads
Chuck Berry
Joe Satriani
 
I differentiated between greatest and favorites because in fact my two lists differ greatly. Dave, Adrian , and Janick all make my top ten favorites, but I'd be hard pressed to include them on a greatest list (apologies, Church of H folks). Conversely, as much as I admire Django, Barney, and Les, their music doesn't exactly light a fire under my ass... Near the top of my favorites list is Ace Frehley, the only guitar hero that I might actually play better than... :lol:
 
Oh  I forgot him.  New list!

10:David Gilmour
9: Ace Frehley
8: John Petrucci
7:Roy Z
6: Dave Murray
5: Adrian Smith
4: Ritchie Blackmore
3: Alex Lifeson
2: Eddie Van Halen
1: Nuno Bettencort
 
The Knife Master said:
If that's the case I think this would be a general top ten list:
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Mark Knopfler is a big name too.

By the way, which criteria did you use, because it's your greatest list, not just "a greatest list"?

Personally, I have some trouble with putting Benson in a top ten. I know he was (ans still is) successful but when it comes to playing, Grant Green was one of his bigger heroes.

About Grant Green:
"A severely underrated player during his lifetime, Grant Green is one of the great unsung heroes of jazz guitar ... Green's playing is immediately recognizable -- perhaps more than any other guitarist."

Because of that typical own style, indeed more recognizable than any other guitarist, I have put him high on my list. More info here.

So when it comes to sales as a criterium only, then indeed Benson (who made a lot of money with his commercial vocal work as well) should be higher on the list.
But when it comes to style, I'd prefer other axemen.

Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery are other huge names in jazz, and there are more of course.

To be honest, we can rationalize this as much as we want, but in the end it again comes down to taste for guitarists (and knowledge about them).
 
No order :

Adrian Smith
Dave Murray
Roy Z
Ritchie Blackmore
David Gilmour
John Petrucci
Mark Knopfler
Jimmy Page
Randy Rhoads
Tony Iommi
Eddie van Halen
Joe Satriani
Jimi Hendrix
Angus Young
Janick Gers
Dave Mustaine
Marty Friedman
Kirk Hammett
James Hetfield
Chuck Schuldiner
Brian May
Eric Clapton
B. B. King
Michael Schenker
Glenn Tipton
K. K. Downing
Jeff Hanneman
Steve Morse
Jeff Beck
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Steve Vai
Jan Akkerman
 
Forostar said:
Mark Knopfler is a big name too.

By the way, which criteria did you use, because it's your greatest list, not just "a greatest list"?

Personally, I have some trouble with putting Benson in a top ten. I know he was (ans still is) successful but when it comes to playing, Grant Green was one of his bigger heroes.

About Grant Green:
"A severely underrated player during his lifetime, Grant Green is one of the great unsung heroes of jazz guitar ... Green's playing is immediately recognizable -- perhaps more than any other guitarist."

Because of that typical own style, indeed more recognizable than any other guitarist, I have put him high on my list. More info here.

So when it comes to sales as a criterium only, then indeed Benson (who made a lot of money with his commercial vocal work as well) should be higher on the list.
But when it comes to style, I'd prefer other axemen.

Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery are other huge names in jazz, and there are more of course.

To be honest, we can rationalize this as much as we want, but in the end it again comes down to taste for guitarists (and knowledge about them).
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I made that list based on how much of an influence they have had. I know I missed a bunch but that list was just a general list of guitarists who would be in any top ten list.
 
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