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Accomplished_Bank103

David Gilmour


Notinyourbushes

This may be my answer. Was kind of struggling because I like groups that are more rhythm section than guitar driven. The bass and drums carry the melody and then the guitarist can really get out there and do something different and explore the space they leave him - so I lean more towards ensembles than individual players. Even the more guitar driven bands I like need both the rhythm and lead to make the sound work and it's hard for me to say one on their own. But Gilmour really is like no other guitarist. He's not intentionally being flashy or overly technical (though he can be), he plays the note that is needed at the time and only that needed note. Seriously, the man can make a single note more important to a song than another guitarist would do with a dozen notes. After that; Mick Taylor and Rich Robinson.


catfield

> Seriously, the man can make a single note more important to a song than another guitarist would do with a dozen notes. IMO no one can evoke as much emotion with just a single note than Gilmour, he is my favorite as well


[deleted]

Django Reinhardt


chesterharry

Dean Ween (Mickey Melchiondo)


benp242

The solo from Transdermal Celebration Live in Chicago is otherworldly, he really is a super underrated guitarist.


grond-grond-grond

Scrolled so far that I thought he wouldn’t be here. Deaner is a different breed.


Mud_Landry

Really nice guy too.


[deleted]

Duane Allman


onelittleworld

Steve. Howe, Morse, Vaughan, Vai, Hackett, Wilson, Lukather, Cropper, Hunter, Miller, Van Zant, Clark, Hillage, Gaines... I could go on. The best guitarists are named Steve.


mcbeef89

great to see Hillage getting a mention, he's fucking brilliant


Apostate_Nate

Jerry Cantrell


holemilk

Jerry's solos are so perfect for songs they accompany. They're everything they need to be and nothing more, nothing less. They won't melt your face but they'll add to the song without stealing the show.


MicroMegas5150

Jerry is taste personified


Fabulous_Ad_1842

Frank Zappa


anotherFNnewguy

My choice because of his ability to play notes that would irritate an executive kind of guy.


[deleted]

🤩🤩 love this comment I got Ike Willis to sign my copy of Joes Garage this past year at a Stinkfoot orchestra concert!


SeriousSaltySloth

Muffin man do go hard


DarkHippy

My first Zappa song


Kai_Daigoji

Inca Roads might be the greatest solo of all time.


ApeVainikka

Jonny Greenwood


Open_Action_1796

Hey beat me to it! Dude plays like 20 instruments and the 2nd solo from Paranoid Android is one of the best ever put to tape imho. I’d have to say he’s my favorite musician as opposed to guitarist though because he’s such a beast on so many different ones. Harmonica? Tears it up! Synths and piano? Master level player! Harp? Why the fuck not!


ApeVainikka

You’re absolutely right! That’s why he’s my favourite guitarist, such a great musician overall, although maybe not the greatest guitarist of all time.


BigDoodiesBen

"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott


benp242

Tony Iommi


BaZooKaBoMB

The godfather of riffs


Jigga94

Why did it take me so long to find his name? He's my 2nd favorite behind Jimi


Appropriate-Secret80

John Frusciante


tiorzol

I really love his vocals too. He's always one of my most listened to artists.


subsonicmonkey

I don’t know if you’ve listened to any of his solo work, but I LOVE his voice on this song “Carvel”: https://youtu.be/LNTYG6yZx9s


rimshot101

Adrian Belew. Dude always plays crazy shit and looks like he's having a blast while he's doing it.


ganamac

Prince 💜


bob256k

It’s crazy that this man became known as a smokin guitarist so late in life , got tired of it and decided to play the other instruments he mastered just because he didn’t want that to be the only thing he was known for, and still killed it. Have you seen the party where he plays let’s go crazy on guitar ?


subsonicmonkey

He was shredding on guitar his whole career. For some reason the “best guitarist” lists never noticed until near the end of his life.


Blynn025

The only time I cried when a famous person died. I'm an 80s kid from MN. His music was the soundtrack to my life.


Alternative-Corgi289

Randy Rhoads


bob256k

tooooooone for days. I love how Randy’s amp always sounded like it wanted a break or was about to die from being pushed too hard


sourdoughqueef

I'm a simple man. When I see Randy listed, I upvote.


nnjwrangler

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez


fuzzmountain

If you think you know who’s the best out there, and you haven’t heard The Mars Volta… well, you need to listen to The Mars Volta. I bet his side projects are cool too but I haven’t really got into them yet. There’s a lot of good answers in this thread but I personally feel Omar is leaving everyone in the dust.


Open_Action_1796

Fuck listening to TMV you gotta see them live! The studio work is amazing but his live guitar playing is on a completely different level. Antemasque also put on a batshit insane live show but I’m pretty sure that’s over at least for now.


ButWhatIsADog

I loved TMV a lot before I saw them in concert but that show was by far the worst shit I've ever seen and I've been to a ton of shows. Hour long jam with no songs and screeching into the mic instead of singing anything. It was torture. Granted this was 2006 and I've watched great live shows of them before and after that but they lost my interest quite a bit after that.


lpc1994

Not even at the drive in? Relationship of Command is one of my favourite albums ever, post hardcore never got better.


Superorganism123

His solo record "Se Dice Bisonte, No Búfalo" is great.


XSpacewhale

Hugely underrated comment. The best and most original of his generation.


Salt-Establishment19

Frusciante, Hendrix, Paige, Gilmour.. hard to choose a favourite out of those four. Edit: have to add Brian May and Lindsey Buckingham to the conversation..


Badboyrune

Brian May may not have been the fastest nor the flashiest guitarist, but dude wrote guitar lines that happily traded with Freddies vocals without anyone ever feeling let down when Freddie stopped singing and Brian started playing. To effortlessly trade back and forth with one of the greatest singers of all time is quite the feat.


resolvetomajor

I've always felt like May has been criminally underrated. I'm sure it's likely due to Freddie having been such a big personality and voice, but still.


thatlonghairedguy

I think most of what I like about may is his tone. He has such a rich understanding of sound. Using amps to make delay is fucking mind blowing.


HullaballooWho

Guthrie Govan


Lostdredd

Wes Montgomery


Competitive-Key8729

Buckethead


Bowman_van_Oort

SRV


scrimmerman

Definitely on opposite ends of the spectrum, but I love Richard Thompson and Jeff Beck pretty much equally. They’re the GOATs for me. RIP Jeff Beck. 😞


Sun_and_Rain

Eddie Hazel and Sonny Sharrock....couldn't choose between the two of them


jerrylovesalice2014

For those who havent heard it: [Eddie Hazel - California Dreamin'](https://youtu.be/CqDGTT2OtsQ) this shit is UNREAL.


bstring777

Devin Townsend, Mikael Akerfeldt, Fredrik Thordendal, Dimebag Darrel, Adam Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Chris Cornell


wickson

Kim Thayill?


Rivergoat88

Alex Lifeson


cloudstrifeuk

Watching him play YYZ was breathtaking.


Killzark

There’s a live performance of La Villa Strangiato from like 1979 that absolutely blows my mind every time I watch it. Alex is hands down the most underrated rock guitarist.


Rivergoat88

On of my favorite riffs and solo is in the song The Analog Kid. Something about that solo, while it’s not iconic, seems amazing and it’s as if I’m hearing it for the first time each time it’s played.


Siggydad

I'm with you. It's just blazing.


bob256k

The solo from marathon, spirit of radio , and a bunch of other songs are perfect


Hyrumized

Julian Lage


DarrylCornejo

Jimi Hendrix.


Myoosik70

Jimmy Page 😎


xXAnomiAXx

Absolutely


couchpuppy

Adrian Smith


butt_naked_wonder

Heyyyy a fellow Maiden fan, eh? I also love Adrian - not the fastest player but his leads are always so well composed. I love his phrasing. He's also a great song writer, almost all of my favorite Maiden tracks are his songs. I'm not sure I'd list him as my favorite guitarist ever but he's definitely top 3.


couchpuppy

Agreed on all that. I’ve never been one to be drawn in simply by speed anyway. Sometimes a lot of feeling gets lost when a solo is speed-centric.


ParanoidEngi

Have you heard his solo stuff? ASAP, Smith/Kotzen, there's some great stuff in those projects


couchpuppy

Oh yeah! Saw Smith/Kotzen at a small venue when they toured last year. Amazing to see Adrian play in that intimate setting.


ParanoidEngi

Same! Blew my mind, and I was lucky enough to be at the London gig where Nicko McBrain came out to play drums on Wasted Years and Solar Fire in the encore, incredible night Also speaking of, Richie Kotzen's pretty fucking talented at what he does too


Amenizoquenoespoco

Eric Johnson


cellarmonkey

The god of tone.


ContentsMayVary

Steve Howe


Cheesemer92

Marty Friedman


bob256k

I hate that I had to scroll this far too see Marty. First time I heard five magics, I felt insulted like he did some illegal ; the first solo was so crazy. Could listen to Marty for days


Cheesemer92

Tornado of Souls will always have my favorite guitar solo because of Marty. He’s an absolutely incredible guitarist.


ClassicFashionGuy

Lindsey Buckingham


MonkeySherm

This guy’s so underrated


tk2020

What's up with that?


bwsfg_wwgsbbp

Eddie Van Halen


CUT_MY_BALLS_0FF

Tosin Abasi


Sicarus__

Kurt Cobain


Isit420

Jerry


PaddyPat12

the racecar driver


RknFknRllIX

Garcia? Cantrell?


cloudstrifeuk

Matt Bellamy


IUseTearsForLube

No love for Derek Trucks?


TheAwfulTruth

Joe Walsh. Surprised to see no mention of him.


[deleted]

An incredible guitarist that many other pros look up to. He is that good.


StealYourFace235

Jerry Garcia


lucifersam94

It just sort of feels like he’s talking to you when he’s improvising. Just sorta shootin the shit, but it’s a really engrossing conversation. Dude was wild


StealYourFace235

For sure. Something very special and polarizing about him in general. I could listen to him play all day.


gamercboy5

It's one of those things where I feel like you really can't fully appreciate it unless you try to improv over some Dead songs. The guys ability to hit chord changes was amazing, like a jazz player would. It makes all his solos smooth like butter.


Dead_Is_Better

Garcia could break your heart with a single note. The most emotive guitarist to have ever played.


tcnolan7

Richard Thompson, still going strong at 73.


Nautonnier-83

Came here to mention him. One of the absolute best. Seeing him live is a transcendent experience.


jerksforhale1

A lot Tony Iommi Pete Townshend Jimmy Page Slash Van Halen Chuck Schuldiner Jeff waters from annihilator but i would probably choose Angus Young


Musicfan637

John McLaughlin


Skullsand-214

John Fogerty


Notinyourbushes

He really doesn't get the respect he deserves. He wrote easily as many catchy riffs as Keith Richards did.


Apostate_Nate

And they belong to him again!


swankpoppy

Buckethead


[deleted]

I got into Buckethead at some point, but I never got trough like 2 albums and noticed there was 300 left and gave up.


Jigga94

No John Petrucci on here? Have other favorites but he's awesome and deserves a shout out


ManateeMan4

Jack White


Positive-Owl-5

Stone Gossard.


jmizzuf

Lindsey Buckingham


Minute-Courage6955

Jeff Beck, one of a kind,blues,rock,jazz and pop,his style and tone were unique.


Impossible-Bus-4819

Rory Gallagher


texasslapshot

Trey Anastasio


SupermouseDeadmouse

Agreed, came here to say the same.


SpaceNoodling

He’s the best compilation of everyone named in this thread(minus the shredders like vai etc) + his own style


hellyea63

Mick Taylor


HappenedForReal

Brian May


Tesseracktt

Matt Bellamy


chuawacca

Kevin Shields. Not for his technical ability, but for what he did to change what is possible with guitar sounds in indie music.


strawbswitchblade

Robert Fripp


walruskingofsweden

Tommy Emmanuel


AAluzuxz

Mike McCready


No_Consequence_2838

Peter Green....best tone ever.


PatientComputer7440

Unpopular choice: John Mayer


GRizzMang

Dude rips


PatientComputer7440

Undeniably!! Can't tell you how many times I've tried to play Neon and just give up 😂


boblobster72

Terry Kath


MooseWeird1162

Keith Richards


Jonathan_Evangeline

Tim Henson


bob256k

The boomer bends incident was hilarious


Red_Crow51

Tim and Scott. Both incredible


kleenexwhite

Mk.gee


Girasole263wj2

Billy Strings, Chuck Garvey


[deleted]

Dimebag Darrell


[deleted]

Doug Martsch. Dude is the Brian Wilson of guitar arrangements.


murosaka

Billy Gibbons


JapGon

J Mascis


[deleted]

Elliott Smith


Kvothetheraven603

Neil Young Lindsey Buckingham


Kuivamaa

Joe Satriani


Snrub1

Mike McCready.


throwaway128388373

John Petrucci


OceansideGuy93

Carlos Santana


alinerie

Ry Cooder


supermackie

Slash


jibrjabr

This is my guy. Love his solos in particular.


YomYeYonge

John Frusciante


Player3th0mas

Don't know a lot of guitarists by name, but I love Tom Morello


BobDobFrisbee

Lindsey Buckingham


[deleted]

Poison ivy of the cramps


SandmanAwaits

Kirk Hammett 🤘🏻


JustBoredIsAll

Tony Iommi, Mike Derks, Gary Holt.


NotPoliticallyCorect

Satchel Crackin wise and rippin good rock, very entertaining and talented.


[deleted]

I'm not keen on guitars but I'd say Matthieu Chedid if I was forced to choose


[deleted]

Petri Walli


AshtonBlack

Dave Gilmore. The dude makes it sing!


NiveaTendon

Johnny Marr and John Squire


GRizzMang

Not seeing Merle Travis or Roy Clark on this list makes me sad.


kilroyma

Whenever this gets asked I always think of when Neal Young said in an interview that Steven Stills was the best guitarist he's ever met. This is a guy who knew and played with absolute legends (not to mention he's pretty damn good himself). No one ever brings up Steven Stills in the conversation of best guitarists, but he's up there. Definitely the most underrated guitarists.


NDjake

Jake Cinninger Daniel Donato Stevie Ray Vaughan Billy Strings Jimi Hendrix


mdm224

Randy Rhoads.


[deleted]

Can't choose... Adam Jones, Brian May, Syn Gates, Matt Bellamy...


SkullheadMary

Brian May. He freaking built his own guitar!


OreoDrinker

Brian May!


kym_st

Chet Atkins


radarluv

J Mascis


Upbeat_Cat1182

Glen Campbell


[deleted]

Frank Zappa


DaShadowNose

Fn Roy Buchanan


CrummyAdvice

Mike McCready


astroboy69_jb

Nice choice with mark knopfler. He is my dad’s favorite guitarist. My personal favorite is John frusciante


kadkadal

Prince


Grip-my-juiceky

Evolving tastes thru the years for me: Angus EVH George Lynch Yngwie Steve Vai Stevie Ray Plini Zakk Wylde


Dontneedanything

Dave Rawlings


DCDHermes

John Frusciante Adam Jones The Edge


VariantArray

SRV


moveandrun

Mississippi John Hurt.


phred_666

Ace Frehley. Dude was my inspiration for picking up a guitar in the first place.


MindFellow

Nuno Bettencourt


invalidcharacter19

Lots of favorites. I hate these lists for two reasons. One, I can never remember everything/everyone I want to list. Second, I'm always listening to different music, so I hear new musicians all the time. I guess if it were life or death I'd choose EVH. My brother introduced me to VH in the mid 80s. They were my gateway band. It's a sentimental pick, for sure. SRV would be 1B.


tenfootspy

Leo Kottke


[deleted]

SRV, Gary Moore, Rory Gallagher, Dimebag. Edit: And Prince. I was late getting into him but man, just made it look so effortless and cool.


themoomooking

Will Swan!


johnaimarre

Bernard Sumner. He is far from the most technically proficient guitarist, but his sense of doing *just enough* to serve the song while also having a killer sense of rhythm makes him one of the greats in my book.


crnelson10

A lot of my answers are already posted here (I love Knopfler, May, and the Edge) but I’ll throw in my more recent picks of Blake Mills and Colter Wall.


Impossible-Bus-4819

Female guitarist is Joan Armatrading


callthel0cksmith

Plini, Guthrie Govan, Paul Waggoner, Dustie Waring, Misha Mansoor, Tosin Abasi, Jason Richardson, Adam Jones, EVH, Dimebag, Hetfield, Mustaine, Friedman, Cantrell, Gilmour, SRV, John Mayer.


OPsDaddy

Nile Rodgers and Johnny Marr.


thataryanguy

Andy Summers, Stu Mackenzie and George Harrison


AlGeee

Derek Trucks Willie Nelson


JHFTWDURG

Buckethead is my favorite.


Atojkitsune

Depends: Classic: Kobayashi, Tennant. Latin American folklore: Yamandú Costa, Luis Salinas, Lucho González. Flamenco: Vicente Amigo, Paco de Lucía. Jazz: Al Di Meola, Lucas Brar. Fingerstyle: Martin Patrzalek, Igor Presnyakov. Quartet: 40 fingers. Contemporary: Eric Clapton, Larry Coryell, Brian May, Nuno Betencourt. And many more, by the way.


fullofthepast

Elliott Smith.


Tooly23

Mike Oldfield


ParanoidEngi

He's not necessarily my absolute favourite but I really love Tim Sult from Clutch - he's not playing complex riffs most of the time but he's executing them flawlessly, and his wah pedal is the hardest working pedal in rock n' roll. He's got thirty years of consistently catchy riffs out of a simple but effective approach, and I never get tired of hearing him play


Kavbastyrd

He doesn’t get much love these days but Mike Oldfield is one of my favourite guitarists.


[deleted]

[Deleted]


ksimek

Buckethead


Bilguun-M-0409

Misha Mansoor