The 50 Greatest Guitarists, Who's Missing?
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- Опубліковано 6 лис 2022
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#greatest #guitarist #reaction
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Who got left off? Segovia, Django Reinhardt, Les Paul are some more that come to mind.
Allan Holdsworth, the guitarist that Eddie van Halen said was the greatest guitar player. Plus tons of jazz players that, as you mentioned, were completely missing from the list.
Julian Lage
Definitely Django.
I can't believe Jerry Reed was left off. I'm not even into Country, but he literally invented a new guitar technique that nobody else could replicate. He's amazing.
D. Boon 100% the most underrated
Did they miss Eric Johnson???? I’m shocked by this because he’s a tone genius that inspired the likes of Bonamassa and Andy Timmons (who should also be here)
This baffled me. It's unreal how Eric Johnson was missed - he is like the perfect encapsulation of everything on this list. Rooted and inspired by the blues - melodic and fast guitar like the metal guys - inspired and technical music (though not "prog") like the prog guys - and passionate about the instrument.
And he seems like generally an awesome dude - deserves to be in the top 25, at least, IMHO.
Eric deserves a spot on this list 💯
I'd add him as well.
Yup, yup, yup!!
Yeah, they fucked that one up big time. Probably should have been a top 15.
I am honestly stunned how Guthrie Govan is never on these lists. He can literally imitate all of these guy's playing and you wouldn't even notice
Yes, but he has no recognisable body of work.
Being an artist is part of being a "great guitarist", and not just playing skills.
I agree that GG is out of this world - but making music that reaches the world, and through generations, is an absolute factor.
You and I should know - it's our chief failing. You and I are better players than many famous guitarists....but we haven't put any points on the board!
Doesn't matter if youry the MVP of last season, if you put no points on the board this game. 🤷♂️
Who?
Yeah, that's your answer. He can imitate other guys that are on this list. I cant disagree that he's probably the most technically capable player, but he has no original work. I'd put Kingfish ahead of him on the list of modern day guitarists.
@@RByrne he has a ton of original work, you just haven't listened to it lol check out the aristocrats and I think you'll change your mind
@@swerdna54 ill check it out, thanks!
Edit: those arent really recognizable songs though. Its sort of just a jam or intrumental. Like Buckethead. Its cool to listen to for a bit, but like the other commenter said it isnt really recognizable.
This should be called 50 Greatest 'Rock/Metal' Guitarists.
There are countless great masters in Jazz, Acoustic, Latin... etc.
There are Jazz and blues guitarists on this list
@@alvar5720 Only the few who would be most recognizable by current music fans.
I had such a good laugh. All the usual cliches biased by sales. How about Roy Clark and Glen Campbell?
Shawn Lane, Al Di Meola, Allan Holdsworth aren't even on
@@catfishcave379 Chet Atkins
The lack of Frusciante is mind blowing to me, he was writing riffs and solos like Under the Bridge, Give it Away, and If You Have to Ask at 18 years old. Then went on to write and re-define the peppers with every album he did. His guitar playing hits right in the soul. That's not even mentioning his stunning solo career. No doubt in my mind he will go down as an all time great in 20 or so years.
Exactly
yeah suprised hes not on here somewhere!
The fact he's not on this list tells us that it was simply a list of 50 guitarists, not the top 50🤷♂️ He's unquestionably top 10 of all time.
@@klintburns7230 he is def a good guitaris and he needs to be in this list but he is definetly not on the top 10, you cant put him over people like mark knopfler or bb king
The chilly peppers are shit musically speaking. You only like em because of the slick marketing
Kind of a crime to not have Chet Atkins on the list. The guy was absolutely amazing.
Chet Atkins was truly masterful, immense repertoire, a highly influential country guitarist. But then Chet cited Jerry Reed as a “better picker” who didn’t devote as much time to it. And both revered Lenny Breault.
There is no single greatest or best. Too many genres and criteria.
One thing is certain: this automatic naming of Jimi Hendrix as the god of guitars is totally foolish. If he were in your living room jamming with Roy Clark Danny Gatton Chet Atkins Roy Buchanan Les Paul, the fusion shredders, jazz players, he would quickly be humbled.
Chet was a beast. None of the guys on this list can play half as good as Chet and that's fact. Tommy Emmanuel is the best guitarist alive now. And Eric Gales. And Guthrie Govan.
Along with Glen Campbell and Roy Clark
This list is very limited to be honest. Lots of jazz, classical, country and prog guitarists are left behind. At least they included a couple of them but the placements are risible nonetheless.
Right on
Allan Holdsworth for his alien compositions and mind blowing legato, Shawn Lane because buckethead thought he was playing with 8 fingers, Frank Gambale for taking sweep and economy picking to unseen levels, Scott Henderson for never overplaying and being in Tribal Tech.
Yes absolutely. Jazz fusion guitarists are never recognized but for their mastery of the instrument. No one on this list of 50 players could do what Allan Holdsworth and Shawn Lane could do.
SHAWN LANE a player that slipped my mind. I wouldn't know where to put him on a top 50.
Solid list
This list could also include a Pat metheny, django, Tommy Emmanuel, Robert Johnson or literally any jazz guitarist really. Larry Carlton is also missing and he played a top 5 guitar solo of all time.
Realx this UA-camr is a fraud
Gary Moore is got to be the most underrated guitarist. I never heard a guitar actually cry until I heard Gary Moore play “Still got the blues”.
His guitar playing moved me like no other … such emotion and feeling in every note.
Ferocious crying - right from the gut :)
Gary Moore is not underrated, Jeff Healey is mate, why nobody talking about him
Although I have never been a Gary Moore fan, and think he was ranked higher, substantially higher than he shoulda been, u nailed it with ur comment and I couldn't agree more. Whoever it is that moves you, affects change in your life or playing, inspires you or is simply someone you could not get thru life without listening to, is who should definitely be ranked at or near the top of your list🤘🤘 That's what it's about 👌👌
@@klintburns7230 You just described who Gary Moore was to me and I feel he should have been higher on the list. Try listening to some of his non blues stuff.
@@boxboxbox624 It's not that I dislike him, and obviously he's an all time guitarist, but for whatever reason I couldn't get into him. I'm a blues guy for sure I just didn't dig it. Any recommendations on what tracks I should check out?
Hendrix claimed that Terry Kath of Chicago was a better guitarist, and he's not even on this list. Another criminally underrated guitarist.
Terry is the reason I picked up the instrument! He would be number 1 on my list for sure.
Absolutely, and he made it look effortless.
In regards to Robert Fripp, he created a tuning system he calls "New Standard Tuning" or NST which is fifths except for what would be the high e in standard tuning as the string would keep breaking. He was also a pioneer of guitar effects, especially delay, developing something he likes to call "frippertronics" which utilizes tape delays to get some real cool sounds. He is known not just for his work in King Crimson but also as a contributor to other musicians as well. For example, he was the one who did the spectral guitar work for the song "Heroes" by David Bowie. I would highly recommend listening to more of King Crimson's music though I am biased since they are my favorite band. I would specifically recommend the songs "Starless", "The Night's Watch", either "Sartori in Tangier" or "Requiem", "Frame by Frame", "Fracture", and "Lark's Tongue in Aspic". "Sartori in Tangier" and "Requiem" are both instrumental songs that exemplify both the NST and frippertronics work. "Frame by Frame" shows some more of the complicated time signature stuff and just sounds great with the dual guitars working off one another. "Lark's Tongue in Aspic" is another instrumental song that is just a really fun with a lot of cool sounds going on. "Starless" and "The Night's Watch" are both just good songs of theirs that I like. "Fracture" and it's sequal "FraKctured" are a showcase of just how technically skilled of a guitarist Fripp is. They're probably a couple of the hardest songs you could play as while they don't feature a wide range of techniques, the amount of control and stamina needed to perform the songs is just absurd.
Can't agree more. Plus rearranged Peter Gabriel's Here Come the Flood, and creating windows vista startup theme.
You've summed this up quite well. Completely agree.
You've beautifully summarized a lot of what makes that little bastard incredible. He has fantastic skills just playing guitar too. His playing can be very impressive but he doesn't like to show off and instead does what is best for the song
He's the type of prog dude that doesn't just throw notes at the speed of light, but actually creates patterns and textures that work perfectly w every song
@@MalMotorDedo But still you can find bits where he goes fast as hell too. But his melodic parts and riffs are the best stuff he does
To be honest... I dont know how Jerry Garcia is not on this list... and alot of other lists. Im not a Dead Head. I have only been listening to their music for a little while now. But his understanding of tone and just overall playing skill is amazing!
I was expecting him to be in the top ten. Even if you aren't a dead head he was an undeniably brilliant composer, soloist and improviser. One of those guitarists you can hear only ten seconds of a solo and instantly know its him
I honestly cant believe Chuck Schuldiner wasnt on this list. Easily one of the most powerful, skilled and uniquely talented guitar players who ever lived. I know Death Metal isnt for everyone but some of the Instrumental work on Death’s albums are second to none. Totally under appreciated!!
100% one of the reasons I started playing guitar
the fact that John Frusciante isn't on this list is just crazy
Rhythm is underappreciated in the guitar world.
just finished to learn the whole BSSM album . Took me 3 months to perfect it as much as possible. He is just a genius player and overall musician
I read this before watching the video and now my expectations are VERY low
It's not like this is any sort of authoritative list, it's some person's or bunch of people's opinions, just as Samurai's telling his own, and there were many others missing as well
Agreed
Since you love B.B. King and Mark Knopfler, you really need to check out Peter Green. King said Green was the only player who gave him "the cold sweats." Check out the live "Jumping at Shadows" for dramatic, melodic blues, live "Rattlesnake Shake" for hard riffing, "Albatross" for sweet melody and tone. Took over from Clapton in Bluesbreakers, influenced Knopfler and Santana.
Totally. Green was a Genius
100% - anyone who enjoys blues needs to check out Peter Green. I also do really love "Black Magic Woman" and "Oh Well". I believe the "Oh Well" riff influenced the "Beating Around the Bush" riff by AC/DC
@@KindaSortaGood and Aerosmiths Walk this way!
@@ceebee491 Great call! Steven Tyler and Joe Perry met at Fleetwood Mac Show at the Boston Tea party. That's why Rattlesnake Shake is on the Aerosmith box set.
You Really need to check out green!!! + Gary Moore! Him and Green should def be in top 20
Pantera recommendations from a longtime fan:
For Riffs:
-Cowboys from Hell
-Regular People (Conceit)
-Shedding Skin
-Living Through Me (Hell's Wrath)
-Revolution is My Name
For Solos:
-Psycho Holiday
-This Love
-I'm Broken
-Floods
-The Great Southern Trendkill
Note: I intentionally picked songs throughout their discography with a lot of variety that showcases why Dimebag is so beloved and was honestly ahead of his time. It'd be cool to see a video of you deep diving Pantera, lots to unpack and digest musically 🤘🏼
Omg, I LOVE the main riff from Regular People. It's sooooo tasty and groovy! Those power chords on the upbeat right after that rippin' riff.....perfection!
This video really explain why I never have 'click' with samurai guitarist' work
He doesn’t even know who Synyster Gates is and misspelled his name 😭
Crazy to see how underrated Johnny Marr is, definitely should have been on this list
Buckethead, John Mayer, Jonny Greenwood etc all not mentioned but Synester Gates is there 🤦🏻♂️
So true.
@@vb2388 you're so right lmaoo
The bias in that list is unreal
Johnny Marr was a tasty guitar player, but one of the 50 greatest to ever walk the Earth? Not even close in my opinion.
Timestamps:
50. Robert Fripp: 0:11
49. John Mclaughlin: 0:26
48. Steve Morse: 0:39
47. Peter Green: 0:59
46. Robin Trower: 1:18
45. Tom Morello: 1:42
44. Paul Gilbert: 2:08
43. Malcolm Young: 2:31
42. George Harrison: 2:54
41. Michael Schenker: 3:32
Merch Plug: 3:57
40. Duane Allman: 4:24
39. Paul Kossoff: 4:44
38. Keith Richards: 4:56
37. Billy Gibbons: 5:21
36. Joe Bonamassa: 5:43
35. Mick Taylor: 6:24
34. Dave Mustaine: 6:42
33. James Hetfield: 6:55
32. Pete Townshend: 7:01
31. Kirk Hammett: 7:21
30. Chuck Berry: 7:39
29. Steve Howe: 7:54
28. Rory Gallagher: 8:06
27. Zakk Wylde: 8:38
26. Frank Zappa: 8:52
25. Yngwie Malmsteen: 9:31
24. John Petrucci: 9:37
23. Prince: 9:44
22. Synester Gates: 10:07
21. Carlos Santana: 10:13
20. Angus Young: 10:45
19. Dimebag Darrell: 10:56
18. B.B. King: 11:12
17. Mark Knopfler: 11:33
16. Randy Rhoads: 11:46
15. Gary Moore: 11:59
14. Tony Iommi: 12:19
13. Joe Satriani: 12:27
12. Jeff Beck: 12:36
11. Steve Vai: 13:01
10. Ritchie Blacmore: 13:15
9. Slash: 13:31
8. Alex Lifeson: 13:56
7. Brian May: 14:13
6. Stevie Ray Vaughan: 14:29
5. Eric Clapton: 15:02
4. David Gilmour: 15:26
3. Eddie Van Halen: 15:37
2. Jimmy Page: 16:08
1. Jimi Hendrix: 16:35
Final Thoughts: 17:37
lol in what universe is players like page, slash, and joe bonamassa better than John Mclaughlin. What a total joke of a list
Thankss
@@ggh_-ts6pn Jimmy Page is way more influential, therefore greater.
i mean greatest is hard to define, but best player at the instrument of guitar is 100% paul gilbert, without question.
Rory Gallagher, Marcus King is as good as any of them.
I'd say Terry Kath deserves some recognition. The solos he did for Chicago in their heyday are absolutely wild!
Kath was way underrated. Some of his solos are mind boggling.
You mean the guy jimi said was the best he ever heard? Nay.......lol
On Gary Moore - turn the volume full, close your eyes, open your mind and listen to Parisienne Walkways live at Montreaux 2010. He's like a kid in the garage playing with his guitar and amps - for me, it's a joy. I think that he might be playing the Gibson he bought from Peter Green and subsequently sold to Kirk Hammet?? (Others will know better than I).
Lack of Joe Walsh on this list is heart breaking.
Don't forget Don Felder! Especially the intro lead to Hotel California.
I had the same thought, I can hear a Joe Walsh song I've never heard (or a song by another artist where Joe just played on the track, even uncredited sometimes) and I instantly recognize who's playing. That kind of distinctiveness has to be telling imo.
@@DavidHernandez-of1gp Felder's a way better guitarist than Walsh
EVH’s rhythm playing is absolutely unreal! The fair warning album still blows me away! One of the best!
Absolutely!!! I hate how all the tapping stuff (which any guitarist will tell u is easy) and JUMP which dominated MTV in my days put me off on EVH early on.
Fair Warning is such an underappreciated album!
I love his rhythm playing in Top Jimmy, it's so creative and groovy.
Van Halen II is their best in my opinion but fair warning is top 5!
My favorite rhythm track of Eddie’s is Summer Nights off 5150, dude was just built different.
Kevin shields really should be on this. He may not be a huge shredder, but he's arguably one of the most revolutionary and unique guitarists of the past few decades. I mean, his playing literally defined a genre
Django, Roy Clark, Jerry Garcia would definitely be on my list... Cool video that obviously can inspire endless debate over such a subjective topic... thanks for posting !
I was angry that Jerry wasn’t on this list, but the more I think about it, I think Jerry would hate being on a list like this. We all know who is number one, it doesn’t need to be said.
So glad to see someone put up Roy Clark. What a legend.
@@erikortlieb7282 well said
@@lastchance000 Jerry Reid too. "There goes Amos Moses."
Roy Clark, Django Reinhardt, Chet Atkins and Les Paul are some of the best guitarists I have ever heard.
Pantera- Floods. This song has one of the greatest solos and outros by Dime. It doesn't matter how many times I listen to it, but when it hits that 3m52sec mark, I can just feel every ounce of emotion Dime put into every note. It's somewhat bittersweet though, since it brings me back in time to the moment I got the news about his tragic passing. Certain songs took on a different feel and impact ever since then.
Yes i totally agree!! I feel that solo in my soul every time.
The sleep as well
@@calebm2242 Totally. I was thinking of The Sleep and Hollow as a couple of my other favourite examples.
The solos on "Floods", "10s", and "Domination" are all great too. For Sammy, though; (as not a metal fan) I'd steer towards Pantera's "Planet Caravan" ...that solo will make Dime fans out of non metalheads.
@@Ninjametal I can confirm that the cover of Planet Caravan can be enjoyed by all. I remember back in my teens my mom (very not into metal) heard it playing one time and asked who it was so she could burn it on a mix cd haha.
Not gonna lie, I had a moment of panic that Mark Knopfler wouldn’t be on this list - he’s extremely well regarded, but is still underrated IMO. Is he the most pioneering and influential rock guitarist? Nope. Is he one of the most gifted, tasteful players, one of rock’s greatest songwriters, and someone who seamlessly marries his guitar playing to his voice and lyrics? Absolutely.
You might want to check out Roy Buchanan. I suggest his album that's what I am here for. Great blues guitarist. Does a very good cover of. Hey Joe. Also check out frank Marino.
Glen Campbell. One of the members of the wrecking crew and he could be a great vocalist at the same time playing some amazing guitar stuff.
Steve Morse is best known for Deep Purple but his work with the Dixie Dregs is what is really worth checking out.
Some of the top players consider him one of the (if not the) best.
Night of the Living Dregs shows you everything you need to confirm his greatness... remember... he wrote it all as well.
His solo records are great also.
My guitar teachers favorite guitar player is Steve Morse and after trying to learn just a few of the Dregs licks, I totally understand why. He’s definitely underrated and while I’m not a big instrumental guitar music guy either, Steve Morse is one of the greatest.
Steve Morse of Deep Of the Dixie Dreggs, STeve Morse Band, Kansas, Flying Colours… considered by all the guitar players mentioned in the list to be one of the best.
I LOVE that you mentioned Vince Gill. It's crazy how good he is at guitar....I was surprised the first time I saw him shred that Tele.
Missing the Mozart of Rock: Kanami Tōno Lead guitarist/songwriter/composer of BandMaid
Idk about Kanami being a one of the greatest guitarist but as a Songwriter and Composer she's one of the best of all-time if not the best. She's absolutely phenomenal
I've got to say, as a King Crimson fan, I think that Fripp should be way up there his innovation and mastery of the guitar are insane, all you really need to see to get an appreciation is fracture, I've tried to learn that song and... well let's just say I very quickly found out why it's called fracture. Also, there was defiantly a strong bias towards the previous generations of music in this list, I think if it took more of a look at the the current landscape of music we would be finding names like Kevin Schylds, and Mike Kinsella for the influence that they have played in the current landscape of both popular and independent music.
Mike Kinsella is so criminally underrated
And don’t forget that Fripp plays all of this without looking at the fretboard. Also Sunday Lunch with Toya and Robert got me through a pandemic
I'll never forget the night in '69 I first heard ITCOTCK for the first time. But even then I knew they weren't for everybody. For me Fripp is number one and if others cannot appreciate him, well, that's up to me.
Johnny Marr is criminally underrated.
Squire as well
Gary Moore played in lots of genres. Prog-rock[Colosseum II], in Thin Lizzy on more than one occasion. He was never a blues player as such until he thought he'd do a one-off blues lp. He was always more a hard rock guitarist. He and everyone else were shocked that it sold so well around the world. Then of course his record company just wanted the blues.
He was also in BBM, with Jack Bruce[from Cream] & Ginger Baker[Cream.]
Probably the greatest British guitarist ever, along with Jeff Beck.
Gary was amazing in many ways. IMO, he was even an underrated singer. Great writer and player. (Although, he was Irish.)
Mick Taylor is an astounding player. His work elevated the Stones to the best recordings in their extensive catalogue and having a world class player opposite him, Keith Richards himself was elevated.
ridiculously great band, but let's face it, the Beatles and the stones were eclipsed by rock guitar talent by 1967
@@RobertMJohnson '67 is a ridiculously early cutoff date for the Rolling Stones. After the disappointment of 'Their Satanic Majesty's Request' in '67, the Stones went on an insane tear from '68 to '72 that is unparalleled in the history of rock. 4 albums, back to back, the last of which was a double LP, that were undisputed classics: Beggar's Banquet (Sympathy for the Devil, Street Fighting Man), Let It Bleed (Gimme Shelter, Midnight Rambler), Sticky Fingers (Brown Sugar, Wild Horses, Bitch), and Exile on Mainstreet (Tumbling Dice, Happy). I'm pretty sure that a big part of this success was due to the "rock guitar talent" of Keith Richards and Mick Taylor (Brian Jones had already faded away by the time they recorded BB).
John Frusciante and John Mayer are definitely contenders for this list.
David Gilmour is my number one for me. Quality over quantity. One of my musical heroes.
In the 80's, Steve Morse opened for Passion, Grace, and Fire (Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, and Paco de Lucía). He's an incredible musician and Deep Purple is a massive, massive step down for him.
Loved your commentary ,thank you. FYI Peter Green wrote 'black magic woman' and played lead on the original recording- fantastic. Tommy Bolin for my top 10
a few more...Steve Lukather, Neal Schon, Lindsey Buckingham, and Mike Campbell. All amazing at playing the perfect part for the song.
Lack of Lukather. Definitely. I mean, beyond Toto, he was as a studio guitarist in a masive records for world known bands.
In the past I wouldn't believe Neil Schon. Until I heard the first Journey records. Oh my goodness!! And of top of that discovering he was on par with Carlos Santana and played some solos for the band
Alvin Lee, Chet Atkins, Charlie Christian, Albert King, Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson, Marcel Dadi, Django Reinhardt, Robert Johnson... And maybe Steve Cropper also deserves a mention.
Brian patrick carroll AKA Buckethead should be on every top guitar list imo !
YES THIS! HAD TO SCROLL DOWN AND SEE IF ANYONE ELSE THOUGHT THIS BEFORE I LEFT MY COMMENT!
Bucket is my favorite living guitar player while Duane Allman is my overall favorite and why I play guitar today. Bucket was putting out music continually this year. He's been going pretty heavy the last month or two, also. Putting out 2 and 3 releases in 1 night and things.
I listen to Bucket daily. My driving music is Bucketheads ambient stuff so I listen every time I'm in my truck. Helps keep me from flipping out on all the garbage drivers out there. Because there's A LOT of garbage drivers out there.
@@J.C... Haha atta boy! Yup Buckethead is a genius at the guitar, couldn’t agree more!
@@NlCKELODEON seriously. If there was 1 person to look up to, it'd be Buckethead. Not only is B an amazing guitarist, but he's an even better human being. The kind of person you'd be proud to call your friend.
“Buckethead” made a conscious choice years ago to never be taken seriously by the mainstream. Clearly, that was his right and we can debate his decision to negate the person playing the instrument all day but it remains undeniable that it limited his appeal, right or wrong.
Other artists have chosen disguises or “personalities” that did what they intended but his choice was full disassociation with the face covering and “bucket.” DEVO also fully adopted characterization but their faces remained their own even with the Energy Domes. Even so it’s taken them nearly 50 years to get the respect they deserve.
It may not be fair that Buckethead is ignored but this isn’t some modern day reaction. There are deeply ingrained social rules that he broke, perhaps bravely, perhaps foolishly in the minds of his fans who expect him now to be judged only as a guitarist. Humans don’t work that way.
Guthrie Govan or Paco de Lucia are unreal. These lists should be renamed "most popular" or "most hits written". Very few guitarists on these lists are really top 50.
It’s a shame that Roy Buchanan sometimes get skipped on lists. David Gilmour says he was somewhat inspired by him, he has a stack of his records at his house. Buchanan was a pioneer and it’s amazing reading what he manages to do without any effects pedals on his guitar. Beck wrote a song dedicated to Buchanan.. “ Ended as lovers” or something. Buchanans music is sometimes hard to enjoy, he wasn’t an excellent song write but an amazing guitarist. They made a documentary on him in the 70’s called the greatest unknown guitarist in the world. His best work is shitty bootlegs unfortunately, but he has some televised performances.
I wouldn’t say he’s number one on the list, but definitely should be in any top 50 based on technical skill.
Amen!
Glad you brought Roy up...was going to but wanted to read the posts first. He can make a Tele sing. Danny Gatton another one.
Correct me if I am wrong, but Gilmour isn't on this list either as well as Les Paul. The list is suspect at best.
For me I look at a guitarists overall body of work, not just technical skills or how fast they play. In my opinion Keith Richards should be top 5 in all lists due to his overall body of work.
Steve Howe was/is in Yes. Please listen to their album Close to the edge. Amazing mind boggling stuff!! Takes a few listens to really enjoy but when you get it, man, you're in for a treat. Progressive rock at its absolute peak!
Also Yours is no disgrace
This list should be called, 50 greatest guitarists that were in popular bands.
Dude... As a Deep purple fan you should know who Steve Morse is. (plus he played with Kansas for a while) Even with all that, my all timer is still Ritchie Blackmore.
Each one to his own, but I personally would not consider Gary Moore to be just "too impressive but not much raw emotion" category like Joe Bonamassa. His solos, even with all the fast stuff, were always emotionally intense, and his leads on songs such as Spanish Guitar, Parisienne Walkways, Still Got the Blues, and I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know never failed to make me feel something.
Not to mention Gary was not just a mere blues player - the man also played jazz fusion, hard rock and heavy metal during his long career as a guitarist, and he did them all good. IMO Gary is one of the greatest ever to have picked up the instrument - RIP 🙏🙏
I know there’s a lot of guitarists out there, a LOT… but Joe Walsh man. No denying he’s brilliant
Ritchie Blackmore has had a much bigger impact on rock and metal guitarists than people seem to know about. Metal guitar owes its speed, flamboyance and classical phrasing more to Ritchie than it does to Tony Iommi.
He's way underrated. Let's not forget that he came up with the best known guitar riff ever! Hand a guitar to anyone - whether they play or not - and they will do "Smoke on the water"
More people need to listen to Rainbow
So it would be more correct that 80s popular metal owes to him. Metal is still always going to be about the riff
If we're talking about Blackmore's influence on metal, Rainbow's Rising is such a seminal work.
@@aldeayeah 👍
Roy Buchanan to me is the most underrated guitar player of all-time.
I'm shocked Robby Krieger isn't on this list. His training in flamenco and his use of slides in so many iconic Doors songs shouldn't be forgotten. He's an underrated guitarist in my opinion.
Well the Doors suck so
@@michaelsuder486 no one asked for your opinion bud
@@michaelsuder486 I’d like to see you try make music as amazing, influential and iconic as theirs mate 💀
I love his playing but he’s amateur.
Make your own list
I'd definitely go in depth into Fripp's catalog, be it stuff he did with Bowie, solo stuff, or Crimson in general he has some really odd phrases and sounds throughout his discography and it is very worth checking out!
Scary Monsters would be a good intro to Fripp I think
FraKctured is just incredible. he plays such an impressive guitar solo, while witting with a straight face. although I'm not a huge fan of the song, It's probably his most impressive performance
Also his live shows. Exiles, The night watch, Starless...
I'll add the following guitar players who are/were great, in no particular order.
John Cipollina, Terry Kath, Lindsey Buckingham, Mike Bloomfield, Roy Buchanan, Alvin Lee, Leslie West, Johnny Winter, Ronnie Montrose, Bill Nelson, Phil Manzanera, Phil Miller. Martin Barre, Al Di Meola, Philip Catherine, Larry Coryell, Allan Holdsworth, Peter Frampton, Pat Metheny, Steve Hackett, Frank Marino, Andy Powell, Jan Akkerman, Frank Gambale, John Tropea, Max Sunyer, Gary Boyle, Dickie Betts, Toy Caldwell, Gary Rossington, Eric Johnson, Derek Trucks, Robben Ford, Harvey Mandel, Larry Carlton, Grant Green, Bill Connors, Pat Martino, Jim Hall, George Benson, Kim Simmonds, Andrew Latimer, Gary Green, Gabor Szabo, Lee Ritenour, Jukka Tolonen, Steve Hillage, Georg Wadenius, Bill Frisell, Danny Kirwan, John Etheridge, Joop Van Niemwegen. Ollie Halsall, Scott Henderson, Jimmy Herring, John Abercrombie, Mario Millo, Luis Salinas, Lino Brotto, Les Paul, Wes Montgomery, Tommy Emmanuel, Joe Pass, Chet Atkins, Bireli Lagrene. Sylvain Luc, Randy Bachman, Stephen Stills, Jim McCarthy, Terje Rypdal, Volker Kriegel, Wayne Krantz, Kerry Livgren, Don Felder, James Young, Ted Turner, Richard Thompson, Robbie Krieger, Randy California, Joscho Stephan, Paco De Lucìa, Ted Nugent, Joe Walsh, Guthrie Govan, John Petrucci, Buddy Guy, Kenny Burrell, Atilla Zoller, Rik Emmett, Django Reinhardt, Tommy Bolin, among many others
Mike Oldfield definitely belongs to this list. One of the most recognizable guitar tones, and pretty good at both the acoustic and the electric. He's well known as a multi instrumental composer, but at least HALF of his greatest moments in his discography are him with the guitar
I think, Mike Oldfield, togehter with Gary Moore, belongs to the group of guitarists widely ignored by the American audiences, maybe because they sound too "European".
Pantera’s Cemetary Gates ….. the pinch harmonics are just unreal
Beato did a video where he went through time of the greatest guitarists and Hendrix was the turning point. Everything before him was mostly very clean tones, but Jimi brought the noise! Everyone else could make the guitar sing, weep and cry, but Jimi made the guitar scream as well as everything else everyone else did before him. Some will argue Jeff Beck did it first, but Jimi brought it to the masses.
Clapton when he was with John Mayall, and even before maybe Freddie and Albert but definetly Buddy Guy had some pretty screaming leads even before Jimi. And Townshend also was quite noiseful, and the Beatles did backwards solos before Jimi, but you're right, Jimi tied it all together, added his own magic and put guitar on a new level.
Mike Campbell left off every list known to man. TPATH's are so underrated its unreal
I recommend giving Rush another try. I only recently got into them as I got older. I know a list of 50 might not be big enough but I would have liked to see Iron Maiden's Dave Murray or Adrian Smith on a list. Those 2 had (still have) a big influence on me.
There are definitely a few picks who could have been easily replaced by those guys
Jerry Garcia should be up there, he inspired an entire genre of music.
Yeah but, then again he may not have inspired Samurai. Definitely inspired me
@@trystinmetallica5663 He was a huge inspiration on me. The first real band I was in was a Dead-style jam band and I wouldn’t have had a clue what to do up there if I hadn’t listened to Jerry.
@@TylerJohnstonGuitar everytime I hear Alabama Getaway it blows me away. Never been huge on greatful dead Lore but I know he puts it down when it comes to guitar
@@trystinmetallica5663 Yeah I’m not a huge fan of the genre but the man was really good at what he did.
@@TylerJohnstonGuitar I looked at your channel and subscribed. Love the Kramer you have
Buckethead definitely belongs somewhere on this list. In fact, I think he made it on a different top 50 list. His work is astonishing
I have no musical talent or ability of my own but a lifelong love and appreciation for those who do. My strong suspicion is that, if you asked Bucket to play the top 50, he'd make light work of it but if you could ask the top 50 to play Bucket, we could quickly sort the wheat from the chaff 🤔 I could be wrong?
@@djh. Buckethead is great, but I dont think he is at the top of the mountain in natural talent. He's definately a top 50 guy, but in the middle to back of that pack.
You need to compose your own great music and or have techniques which noone else does to make it to the top.
@@steveolie985 Again, I could be wrong but at well over 500 albums, has Bucket not composed more of his own great music than just about anyone? Techniques, I wouldn't be able to speculate but like Hendrix, he does have unnaturally large hands, which appear to allow him to achieve extraordinary things? I also just love his music 🤩and would be really surprised and impressed if those on the list (and many notable exceptions) could do what he does?
I think Chuck Schuldiner of Death should have been on the list, he pioneered a whole important metal genre and played guitar like almost no one at the time.
Maybe a guy to look at alongside VH would be Nuno Bettencourt. They're cut from a very similar cloth; the lead playing is what draws most eyes, but when they step back to do rhythm while the singer grabs the attention, they're both doing some really interesting and fun stuff.
First time i ever heard Extreme was "that" song. And it really doesn't prepare you for the absolute cyclone Bettencourt is on the guitar.
I agree, would definitely have Nuno on a top 50 list myself, certainly much more intriguing playing than some of the dinosaurs on the list.
I'm 38 and been a Pantera fan since I was 11. From the second era of the band go check 'The Sleep' solo, 'Floods' and '10's' solos also, 'Domination', 'Cemetery Gates', 'Five Minutes Alone', 'Walk', 'Heresy'... Their discography is full of beafitul and jawdropping stuff. Dimebag was a unique specimen.
PANTERA 4 ever! R.I.P Dime🕊️🕯️
R.I.P Dime, never forgotten
Totally my dude! Good call. One of my favourites is revolution is my name!
Dimebag should be top 5 on any best guitarist list.
Cowboys from hell! Dime is a legend!
Dimebag Darrel and Zakk Wylde are two innovative musicians who injected a lot of country and groove into their brand of heavy metal and created what is known as Groove Metal or Southern Metal. As for recommendations I'd say Cemetery Gates, Walk, Hollow and Cowboys From Hell are good starters for Pantera especially the solos. I think you'd enjoy them.
Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter,Terry Kath. These are some of the greatest as well. I like what you said about Duane Allman .He bared his soul when he played his slide. As much as his live solos are wickedly wonderful. Listen to the Studio version of DREAMS. The sounds coming out of his guitar is amazing.
Should be in top 10. He was not just great slide player. Listen to Whipping Post and Liz Reed on Fillmore East. No slide on those!
My main guitar inspirations that I look up to are way above my skill level but I adore their work. People like Steve Vai, Fripp, Brian May, Hendrix, etc. are absolute legends to me.
Paco de Lucia is missing, "Entre dos aguas" is the best spanish guitar song in history. Also check out "Gary Moore - I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" live at avo session. Man that solo is pure heaven and purest emotion combined with his unique modern blues approach! The one and only Gary Moore, nobody can touch him... Don't miss it, what a sound! RIP Legend
Paco is Legendary status. That Man could Play...
Gary Moore's guitar work with Colosseum II is mindblowing. And then there's his live album _We Want Moore_ where he goes into higher grear.
I think it's implied that the genre is rock, otherwise you'd also have to find the space for, say, Wes Montgomery, and Joe Pass, and John Williams, and a tonne of dudes.
@@koalabandit9166 no, he just mentioned Les Paul and Django Reinhardt as possible left off's himself in his pinned post
@@MrRizoable Yes, but he didn't make the list. I don't want to offend rock fans and I know that's his favourite genre, but I don't think even he thinks Slash is a better musician than Pat Metheny or John Scofield.
Steve Morse won best overall guitarist 6 years in a row in the 80s in guitar player magazine
I would definitely recommend looking into Robert Fripp further. Even if you don't like his work with King Crimson, he did a ton of great work for people like Brian Eno and David Bowie.
Yes. Robert Fripp is a character, but also is a guitar player deserving to be much higher than #50.
Michael Schenker at 41 is all I needed to hear. He was Randy Rhoads’ guitar hero. He turned down Ozzy, The Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Aerosmith, etc. He started with the Scorpions and was 16 on their first album. He then went to UFO and then went on to various Solo or collaboration efforts. His older brother Rudi Schenker has been with the Scorpions all along. He went back and played on the Scorpioms “Lovedrive” album, which was a commercial breakthrough for them. After the Scorpions recorded their “Blackout” album the ~producer asked Michael Schenker to come in a fix the guitar work on the album, which he did. He is still putting out albums and touring at 67yo.
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Hendrix was one of those guitarists I was so scared to listen to for ages for fear of him "not living up to the hype"
I'm in my 30's now and been playing guitar since I was about 14, favourite guitarist as a kid was always David Gilmour (my absolute inspiration to pick up a guitar), as well as lesser picks like R.E.M's Peter Buck and guys like John Mayer. I only last year actually got around to listening to Hendrix, and good God... he's better than the hype he gets. Never been more thrilled to be so surprised by someone.
He just sounds timeless, everything just sounds... like, I dunno. Words can't describe the musical soundscape he makes.
Can we just have one "greatest guitarist" list with Terry Kath on it
I suspect he would have been WAY more popular had he not died so early.
There’s not 50 better than Terry Kath
Regarding Gary Moore: Check out the Live in London 1992 performance of "Seperate Ways" (especially the intro)! One of my all time favourite guitar performances... The combination of tasteful blues bends and extremely fast and energetic runs is so mind-blowing to me (also BB King shows up in the same concert and they play some songs together...)
- doesn’t know who the guitarist is -
Instantly Sammy G: is that deep purple?
Thank you for having Lifeson in the top 10. Rush shaped 50 years of my playing and musical love.
One of the greatest melodic improvisers of all time...
Jerry Garcia
💀⚡🙏🥲
Townshend influenced the way every 70's-80's punk guitarrist wanted to play. His stuff live is amazing as well. Listen to The Who Live at Leeds, the rawest guitar player out there.
The Who live at Leeds is my favourite album by the Who for sure! The drumming is fucking spectacular too
I agree. before Pete, players like Hendrix, Clapton, Page and Beck came from and milked the blues traditions. But Rock Guitar came from Pete Townshend. He blew-up the Power Chord to such a degree that everyone knew what Rock Guitar was by 1970.
The punk bands love him because he was one of them and wrote songs about them. He wrote a song called "The Punk and the Godfather." He smashed his guitar before Hendrix and also got his feedback and volume together before him.
He wrote two Rock Opera's and influenced hundreds-thousands of players that wanted to bang the crap out of their guitar's and not just play pretty melodic or shred lines.
Pete's influences are immeasurable on guitarist of all ages and I'm glad that he didn't die before he got old.
Yeah, I'm glad he didn't die too! Let's not forget when he smacked Abbie Hoffman at Woodstock. He was punk before punk was even thing.
@@maximusindicusoblivious180 Pete and the Who are obviously indispensable to rock, however, Townsend just isn't and never was the player that Clapton, Jimi and Jimmy were ... not even in the same league. and then the others that came later pretty much blow him out of the water.
He's an incredible songwriter, singer and rock star, but as a player he was kind of like Kurt Cobain 1.0
@@RobertMJohnson "Pete and the Who are obviously indispensable to rock," is where you should have left it. Because my comment was in response to Townshend's influence and not to some king guitar list.
Maybe not Top 50, but some newer artists who truly created their own sound and have been around long enough to have major impacts...
Mike Einziger (Incubus)
Issac Brock (Modest Mouse)
Omar Rodríguez-López (Mars Volta)
Glad you mentioned the omissions of John Fruscantie and Tom Delonge 🤝
Jason Becker should be on this list as well as Guthrie Govan, Alan Holdsworth, Eric Johnson, Tony Mcalpine and so many others
Rory Gallagher is criminally underrated. My personal favourite, but has to be in Top10 no matter what..
Yup, he is massively underrated. I live in the UK and almost nobody knows him.
Rory is top 3 at minimum
The fact that Dave Mustaine is on the list, but Marty Friedman is not just triggers me so much.
It's not a bad list. In the past most such lists would always prioritise the super-technical 'notes per second' type of players. A good example is this: It's very refreshing (and profoundly true) to see the likes of Blackmore, a player capable of touch and feeling, being put higher that Malmsteen.
If you've never studied Michael Schenker, then you need to look into it, he's now playing better than he ever did, and actually genuinely improvises, a very rare thing indeed in rock.
Schenker became a guitar hero while he was in the English hard rock band UFO. Check out their great album Force It.
Superb player who brought a European taste to glorious solos.
Steve Rothery, Mick Ronson,, Peter Frampton, and Steve Hackett should have both been somewhere on the list.
Gilmour, Lifeson, and Rothery are the Holy Trinity of guitar for me
The five years the Stones had with Mick Taylor are their greatest years by far and Mick was largely responsible for that.
Mick Taylor is a legend. Apolitical Blues live from waiting for Columbus for reference
And yet Brian Jones was the most talented of The Rolling Stones
@@vitamindeeznutz4102 Definitely the most talented but wasn't a good songwriter. Then there were his "issues".
Please wonderful fluid player, couldn’t write a song to save his life,what’s he done since he left name just one good song,he was lucky to join in that era when mick n keef were hitting there songwriting peak
@@fredtheted2259 there’s no denying a lot of that but I can’t believe it’s just coincidence that he was there during that peak. I don’t believe those albums would be what they are without him.
I absolutely think that Frank Marino belongs high up on this list, he's an absolute monster of both blues and metal
I would extend the list to 100 and make sure that Scotty Moore was on that list somewhere. Interesting video - good job well done :)
Johnny Marr would definitely be in my top tier. If I'm ever in need of some inspiration, he's it. Johnny is melody.
Thank you for mentioning Chet Atkins and Vince Gill. There are just too many great guitar players to just have 50 on a list
Generally speaking, your assessment was solid, though I was surprised you didn't know Steve Howe was the guitarist for Yes. While Howe is not my favorite, but his unique style inspired an entire generation of prog rock artists. I'm super happy you didn't mention Buckethead, because like many others, a person can master an instrument without making an impact on the world of music. Petrucci also comes to mind. As for the greatest, I'm with you on Slash and Hendrix. Great job.
For Gary moore/thin lizzy, personally love Empty rooms, Parisienne walkways, Still got the blues, out in the fields, Chinatown, dancing in the moonlight
I'm honestly surprised George Harrison was so low on the list, I'd have thought he'd be put in the Top 10 or at least Top 15. He was the first guitarist (alongside EVH) that I really looked up to and he played a massive part in my guitar playing, his parts served the songs beautifully and I don't think some Beatles songs would've been as memorable without them. As for Pantera songs to check out, I'll recommend Cowboys From Hell, Cemetery Gates, Domination, Five Minutes Alone, Walk, Floods, Psycho Holiday and This Love
Harrison should definitely be higher up, melodic, creative, unique, slide beast
Trey Anastasio- Dude has been rocking for decades, has written a metric shit ton of music in a wide variety of styles, can shred with the best, or can play something simple and beautiful that will rip your heart out.
Probably lost on this guy unfortunately. I've watched this channel for years but hearing him say he's heard enough long fusion guitar solos hurt my heart. Probably in part because I play them lol, but Trey Anastasio pretty much specializes in long fusion guitar solos - less so nowadays but still a fuck of a lot which is great
Then again maybe Trey is so good it could get SG back into jams, I wouldn't be surprised
@@newusernamehere4772 It just surprises me that Trey never makes it onto any of these greatest guitarists lists. Unfortunately, I don't think he will until he passes away. Then everyone will go nuts talking about how great he was. Weird that so often people have to die to be recognized.
Jeff , keeps getting better and better .
Steve Howe was another of the “on again, off again” members of Yes, and YES, he was/is awesome.
Steve Howe. Yes. Really just an unbelievable and diverse player. Dig his acoustic work on The Clap. Close to the edge will give you a feel for his electric and pedal steel playing.
I got into his Yes stuff because of his playing on the 1968 Tomorrow record. Weird entry point for him.
Peter Green is one of the greatest blues guitarists of all time
IMHO the greatest white bluesman (not just guitarist) of all. So much feel and soul.
If I was going to recommend any guitar solos from Dimebag to someone not familiar with him… I’d say “Cemetery Gates” and “Floods” would be the top two, followed by “5 Minutes Alone” and “Walk” I feel like that would give you a pretty good idea of his style and range as a player