# Top 100 Rock Guitarists of All Time (yeah, right) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 6, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-rock-guitarists-of-all-time-yeah-right/199933 "2003-09-06T14:39:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-rock-guitarists-of-all-time-yeah-right/199933/1 "2003-09-06T14:39:57Z")
From [this](http://www.rollingstone.com/features/coverstory/featuregen.asp?pid=1917) site - top 100 rock guitarists of all time, according to Rolling Stone Magazine. Oh, please. Jeff Healey, Colin James, Randy Bachman, and Eric Lifeson didn’t make the list, but Keith Richards and Kurt Cobain did?!? I’m sorry - I didn’t realize the list is actually “Top 100 Most Recognizable Rock Guitarists in the United States.” My bad. ---
**Author:** ![Kyomara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8edcca/32.png) [@Kyomara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyomara)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-rock-guitarists-of-all-time-yeah-right/199933/2 "2003-09-06T16:22:17Z")
Oh, **lou** , [I really hate to ruin your thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=209078) [sub](it’s been done)[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Fingolfin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@Fingolfin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fingolfin)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-rock-guitarists-of-all-time-yeah-right/199933/3 "2003-09-06T16:23:31Z")
The list looked pretty good to me, especially the Top 10. Major props for dropping Duane Allman at #2. 😉 My only beefs: Jerry Garcia and Jack White should not be in the Top 20. David Gilmour (82) and Eddie Van Halen (70) should be much, much higher. Gilmour at #82!!?? That’s crazy talk! And dude, you’re insane for suggesting that Keith Richards should not be in the Top 100! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-rock-guitarists-of-all-time-yeah-right/199933/4 "2003-09-06T21:16:23Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m sorry - I didn’t realize the list is actually “Top 100 Most Recognizable Rock Guitarists in the United States.” My bad. Let’s see… when I think recognizable, I think of Derek Trucks, Ali Farka Toure, Zoot Horn Rollo and Tom Verlaine. Yup. There are plenty of weird things on this list, like Jack White and John Frusciante being better than George Harrison, Mark Knopfler, Neil Young, Gilmour, Les Paul, T-Bone Walker… well, you get the point. But they did manage to toss in some pretty obscure people. Props indeed to Duane at #2. And to Robert Johnson at #5, I didn’t think RS would be smart enough to acknowledge either one. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-rock-guitarists-of-all-time-yeah-right/199933/5 "2003-09-06T22:58:18Z")
O.K., I looked several times and couldn’t find **Lindsey Buckingham**. I hope I’m not the only one to feel this is a major oversight. Also, the **Steely Dan** guitarists: Walter Becker, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, and Larry Carlton are without doubt, more talented than some of the folks listed here. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-rock-guitarists-of-all-time-yeah-right/199933/6 "2003-09-06T23:29:21Z")
\<---- Wonders why Tom Morello is only #26? I mean I love Nirvanas music, good guitar, but definitely no guitar “talent”. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-rock-guitarists-of-all-time-yeah-right/199933/7 "2003-09-06T23:31:47Z")
Eric Lifeson didn’t make it? What the hell? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-rock-guitarists-of-all-time-yeah-right/199933/8 "2003-09-07T01:48:26Z")
**ParentalAdvisory** , Tom Morello’s great, but he’s not better than an awful lot of people on that list (and a bunch who didn’t make it). Not by any standard I could think of, anyway, and I really like his playing and think he’s one of the most creative players around. Actually, he might be the only guitarist in his genre to whom the word “creative” can be applied. I can understand Cobain being on that list, for one, because of his prominence, and mostly because of the influence his writing, style, and sound have had. He sure wasn’t a technical player or a flashy one, but given that this is Rolling Stone, I can understand him being there. ---
**Author:** ![unclviny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e274bd/32.png) [@unclviny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclviny)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-rock-guitarists-of-all-time-yeah-right/199933/9 "2003-09-08T02:01:29Z")
no Adrian Belew? unclviny ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-rock-guitarists-of-all-time-yeah-right/199933/10 "2003-09-08T04:29:45Z")
OK, waitaminnit here. Ritchie Blackmore is at #55. Ritchie Blackmore, the Coolest Right-Handed White Guy Ever to Strap On A Fender Stratocaster and Go Forth To Do Battle with the Forces of Darkness [sup][sub]TM[/sub][/sup] is clear the hell down at _ **NUMBER FREAKING FIFTY-FIVE???** _ Wait, it gets worse. Tony Iommi, who is about the most awesomestestest rhythm player ever (and he doesn’t suck at lead, either- oh the joys of a one guitar band), the guy who made what could have been just another really depressed heavy metal band into the Loudest Jazz Band Ever[sub][sup] TM[/sub][/sup] is clear in the (vulgar term for sexual intercourse) down at number eighty-two? What’s the world coming to? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-rock-guitarists-of-all-time-yeah-right/199933/11 "2003-09-08T05:01:42Z")
Hmm, did a search on this forum for this topic for the last two weeks, and it gave me nothing. That’s what I get for wasting my time and bandwidth on actually doing a search before starting a thread. ---
**Author:** ![Fingolfin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@Fingolfin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fingolfin)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-rock-guitarists-of-all-time-yeah-right/199933/12 "2003-09-08T21:27:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by minlokwat \* > \*\*O.K., I looked several times and couldn’t find **Lindsey Buckingham**. I hope I’m not the only one to feel this is a major oversight. \*\* Crap, I didn’t notice that! He should be in the Top 30 for sure! I take back everything said. The list is garbage!