# Who is the greatest Guitarist of all time? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 4, 2001, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178 "2001-07-04T05:06:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nick112](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@nick112](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nick112)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/1 "2001-07-04T05:06:48Z")
Any genre, just the preformer who makes your jaws drop the best. Mine would be Hendrix. ---
**Author:** ![SeQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@SeQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeQ)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/2 "2001-07-04T05:12:39Z")
Tom Morello!!! šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/3 "2001-07-04T05:33:06Z")
There are too many brilliant, unrecognized rock guitarist to pick just one. Here are my candidates: Mick Ronson Phil Manzanera Jeff Beck But if you had to pick just one guitarist, there is no doubt that the most skilled guitarist who ever lived was: Andres Segovia ---
**Author:** ![LoverBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@LoverBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoverBoy)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/4 "2001-07-04T05:47:10Z")
I would second the vote for Hendrix. Iā€™d also cast one for James Hetfield (I love pre-Black Album Metallica.) - Rob ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/5 "2001-07-04T06:56:52Z")
Well, at this moment, Chet Atkins is high on my list. Trivia: Many many guitarists claim Hendrix as their favorite guitarist. Who was Hendrixā€™s favorite guitarist? On the tonight show with Johnny Carson, Hendrix named as his fave Billy Gibbons, now of ZZ Top, but at the time in the Moving Sidewalks. ---
**Author:** ![Feynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@Feynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feynn)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/6 "2001-07-04T07:07:29Z")
Jeff Healy. Ry Cooder. Stevie Ray Vaughn. Robert Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/7 "2001-07-04T08:49:26Z")
**Feynn** wrote > [@](#): > > Jeff Healy. > > Ry Cooder. > > Stevie Ray Vaughn. > > Robert Johnson Not to get critical on a judgement call, butā€¦ Great choices until Mssr. Johnson. He was a great songwriter and a total pioneer, but I donā€™t think he was really a very good guitar player. In fact he had terrible rhythm. You didnā€™t mean **Eric** Johnson, did you? ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/8 "2001-07-04T13:09:54Z")
good morning friends chet atkins was the master. also submitted: alvin lee (of ten years after) brian may (of queen) mark knophler (of dire straights) ---
**Author:** ![Daniel\_Sugar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Daniel\_Sugar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daniel_Sugar)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/9 "2001-07-04T13:18:25Z")
My top 5 in no particular order: Brian May Nuno Bettencourt Slash Vito Bratta Sasha (KMFDM) 2 guesses which musical era I grew up in(!) ---
**Author:** ![zeroth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/839c29/32.png) [@zeroth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeroth)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/10 "2001-07-04T13:36:58Z")
I donā€™t have a vote for a single greatest, but here are some that I think are quite good: El Hefe [NOFX] Dick Dale Billy Corgan [Smashing Pumpkins] Robert Smith [The Cure] The two Chrises from Lagwagon Adam Jones [Tool] Tanya Donnelly [Belly] and while Iā€™m not a Metallica fan, James Hetfield is pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Xerxes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/d2c977/32.png) [@Xerxes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xerxes)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/11 "2001-07-04T13:50:45Z")
Adrian Legg, who plays an Ovation acoustic in ways that made my jaw drop so painfully that years later the only thing I can eat is soup, and even thatā€™s messy. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/12 "2001-07-04T14:54:42Z")
Of all time? **Grindenbock Szabo,** who was a shoemaker by trade, lived in Hungary in the 12th century, and jammed with various bands of roving gypsies. Man, nobody before or since could touch him. I have his tee shirt and everything. {insert rolling-eyes smiley here} ---
**Author:** ![Gregor\_Samsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@Gregor\_Samsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gregor_Samsa)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/13 "2001-07-04T14:57:56Z")
Django Reinhardtā€™s right up there, in my opinion. Also, I really like Les Paulā€™s work. Rock-and-roll-wise, Iā€™d go with Hendrix. ---
**Author:** ![Journeyman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/779978/32.png) [@Journeyman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Journeyman)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/14 "2001-07-04T15:06:33Z")
Iā€™m surprised that no one has mentioned mentioned Eric Clapton yet. Clapton is God. Iā€™ll second Mark Knopfler, and James Hetfield, too. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/15 "2001-07-04T15:08:55Z")
Chet Atkins is high on my list as well. And not just because he died this week. Others: Mark Knopfler, David Gilmoure, Alex Lifeson, Steve Rothery, Brian May, Eric Clapton (plugged, please!), Chris Oliva, Andrew Latimer. The greatest of all time? I couldnā€™t say for sure, but while heā€™s certainly not the most technical of the lot, Gilmoure is the one that can really make that thing _weep_ like no one else. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/16 "2001-07-04T15:18:17Z")
**STEVE HOWE**. Rocks my universe. ---
**Author:** ![Skip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@Skip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skip)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/17 "2001-07-04T15:23:19Z")
Tom Morello is THE rock guitarist of the 90ā€™s (and the 00ā€™s!). The noises he could get out of a guitar are amazing. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/18 "2001-07-04T15:29:52Z")
I enjoy debates like this as much as anybody, butā€¦ Years ago, I read a column in which a critic noted that, if you judged them purely as musicians, George Harrison was a mediocre guitarist, Ringo Starr was a sub-par drummer, and John Lennonā€™s guitar technique was hopelessly flawed. The critic then asked a good question: would the Beatles have been ANY better if theyā€™d replaced Ringo with Simon Phillips and George Harrison with virtuoso John McLaughlin? I bring this up because I can think of MANY guitarists whose dexterity and skills blow me away, but whose music leaves me cold. Allan Holdsworth is a breathtakingly talented guitarist whoā€™s NEVER (in my opinion, at least) made a single great record. The jazz world is filled with guitarists whose technique is superb, but whose performances are unbearably boring (listening, Pat Metheny? How about you, Al DiMeola?). Iā€™ll stick to a handful of guitarists who have a distinctive sound, and whose work has been (to me, at least) most interesting, innovative and/or emotionally affecting: David Gilmour Mark Knopfler Robert Fripp Roger McGuinn Jeff Beck Jimi Hendrix ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/19 "2001-07-04T15:58:29Z")
I know there are some haters out there but Iā€™m gonna say it any way. I think **Eddie Van Halen** is pretty damn good. Especially the early stuff, BV(before Valerie). The stuuf after Valerie didnā€™t have the same edge, I think being in love did that. DAMN WIMMIN!!! ā€œEruptionā€, on the first album, was a perfect leadin to ā€œYou really Got Meā€. The solo on ā€œHot for Teacherā€, had some great licks. I like Hendrix, Clapton, Page, Hetfield, Morello, Joe Perry, the Edge and Brian May too, I thought that Eddie should be mentioned also. As should **Nancy Wilson**. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/20 "2001-07-04T16:06:04Z")
I donā€™t get The Edge, though. Heā€™s the George Harrison of today. An OK guitarist, but certainly not a String God. IMHO šŸ™‚ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178.md?page=2)