# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2001, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/81 "2001-07-24T00:10:57Z")
Well, I’ve seen a lot of “great” guitarists play–Hammett, Malmsteen, Lifeson, Van Halen, Satriani, Dave Murray, The Reverend, Brian Baker, that guy from Triumph, Gilmour, Townsend, King; all of 'em more than once, except the last three. The one guitar hero who I _worshiped_ was **"that dude who played with Root Boy Slim."** I never learned his name, never read about him or saw his picture, never saw him on TV, but I (and about a dozen of my friends) never missed a show if we knew it was going down within four hours of home. The guy was amazing, playing shit-hot blues that never got above the music like virtually _all_ of those other guys did. He was my favorite back then. Now, I listen to Django. He’s pretty damned good, too. ---
**Author:** ![sdarr2002](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@sdarr2002](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdarr2002)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2001, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/82 "2001-07-24T02:07:19Z")
on second thought, johnny winter plays more of the kind of down & dirty blues that i love so well, but has anyone heard tinsley ellis live? that man can do things with a guitar that are incredible. he is much better live than on his cd’s. he is probably as good as jdw, but i still like the style of music johnny plays better. ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2001, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/83 "2001-07-24T02:34:33Z")
Bearing in mind that _all_ music scenes are equally pretentious: **ANGUS!** > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Number Six \* > For the Rock n Rollers, I don’t think anyone’s mentioned **Chuck Berry** yet. Better late than never, I’d party with ya. (He could play a guitar just like ringing a bell you know.) Also not yet mentioned: Vernon Reid of Living Color, Bobby Baker of The Tragically Hip, Hanneman/King of Slayer, so many others my head hurts. ---
**Author:** ![SteveinSpain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@SteveinSpain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveinSpain)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2001, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/84 "2001-07-24T12:04:47Z")
Diblo Dibala Andrés Segovia Eliades Ochoa Mick Ronson José Feliciano ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_on\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jack\_on\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_on_Fire)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2001, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/85 "2001-07-24T18:35:03Z")
Danny Gatton The Three Johns (Langford, King, &?) Glenn Mercer (Feelies) Bill Million (Feelies) ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2001, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/86 "2001-07-24T18:42:13Z")
It would be criminal to leave out **Doc Watson** from this list. Unfortunately his taste in music limits his appeal, but nobody plays any cleaner. It is as though every note is perfectly chisled and individually served to the listener, and he’s doing this at a million miles an hour. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2001, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/87 "2001-07-24T20:31:37Z")
After catching his gig at Deer Creek a few nights ago, I’d have to add **Trey Anastasio** to the list. If you get a chance to hear any of his stuff from the Phish hiatus, you should. His current band is churning out grooves in the Santana/King Sunny Ade tradition, and he’s putting out an album and touring this fall with Oysterhead, his trio with Les Claypool and Stewart Copeland. (Not that there’s anything wrong with his work with Phish, but his technical and composing brilliance have really been shining through lately.) Oh, and his special guest on the keyboards at the Deer Creek show–John Medeski–is no slouch, either. (Damn.) Dr. J ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2001, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/88 "2001-07-24T21:36:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sjc \* > \*\*Anyone ever heard of David Lindley? He kicks ass. > \*\* Nice call. His slide work on Jackson Browne’s _Running On Empty_ is top-notch. He had a solo album (that I can’t remember the title of) where he did a killer rendition of _Werewolves of London_. As for my picks … I’m a sucker for something intangible … you know you hear a cat play and you just think, that’s coming straight from the crotch … so (in no particular order): Stevie Ray - I get the feeling listening to him that he has no idea how he does it - this magical music just flows from him - of flowed, I guess I should say. David Gilmour - I remember an argument I had in high school with a rabid Van Halen fan (whom I actually like too, but I digress) where I mentioned that Gilmour put more feeling in one note that Eddie V put in 97. I think that holds true. Joe Walsh - The idiot savant of music. He seems like such a freaking goofball, but his talent is undeniable. John Frusciante (Chili’s) - He seems like when he is playing he is the happiest bastard on the planet - you gotta love that. Les Claypool - I have no idea how he does what he does, but I could listen to it for days at a time. I’ve heard some truly blow-me-away-and-call-me-Matilda jazz and classical playing, but I’m not that educated on it, so I can’t really name names. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2001, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/89 "2001-07-25T01:52:59Z")
Charro. Anonymous. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2001, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/90 "2001-07-26T00:16:18Z")
After careful consideration and some listening; Stevie Ray Vaughn. Number one. No doubt. His playing was as natural, as expressive, as voice. He worked his ass off and made it look like playing. And he knew how to sing to enhance his music. Perfection for his genre. If I could pick one musician to emulate, this would be the man. Jimi Hendrix was also a great. Not number two, just a different bag. He never really got to his full potential because he let us, his fans, screw him up. He should have done what he wanted to do. We’d have caught up, eventually. I _love_ his rendition of the _National Anthem_. He told the world how good America was to him. And then there are all those other greats mentioned above. Close, but no banana. 😉 Well, **nick112** , you asked! Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![MrO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@MrO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrO)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2001, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/91 "2001-07-26T13:00:34Z")
The only electric players who ever consistently knock me out are Gilmoure, Santana, and Knopfler, probably in that order. But for creativity, I’d say the late Micheal Hedges on acoustic. Quick story: I went to a Michael Hedges concert once with a Dallas DJ who had a backstage pass so that she could interview him after the show. I was just hanging around outside the dressing room, trying to be inconspicuous and stay out of the way. Really, I tried not to be seen, but Hedges saw me anyway. He stopped the interview, called me into the room, shook my hand, sat me down, asked me how I liked the show. He talked to me more than to my DJ friend! A heck of nice guy. ---
**Author:** ![Fibonacci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Fibonacci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibonacci)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/92 "2001-07-27T00:03:21Z")
Most of the obvious choices were hit upon. If any of you haven’t heard Danny Gatton, Rhino just put out a 2 cd compilation that will clearly show his right to be on the list. Other underappreciated guitar masters include Roy Buchanan. If you ever saw him play, you realized he knew every molecule of his guitar and the sound he could get out of it. Another underappreciated DC area guitar master is Nils Lofgren. Go see him solo on acoustic guitar and you’ll be mesmerized. John McLaughlin is another master. I saw Mahavishnu Orchestra as the opening band for Jerry Garcia/Howard Wales. This was before their first album came out, probably '72. No one had heard of them and we assumed it was just some local band they hired to open. Out walks this guy all dressed in white with a shaved head and double necked guitar. I remember thinking “Jeez, look at this asshole.” Then they started playing. Talk about a mind altering experience! Other guitarists you should hear: Henry Kaiser Richard Thompson Leo Kottke Larry Coryell ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/93 "2001-07-27T10:51:39Z")
First, as a guitar player, let me say bless you all. I am so sick of the Clapton-as-God thing I could puke. Sorry, OK… Great how? Fast? Innovative? Choise of music? Range? Songwriting ability? Hendrix Django, for his day. You can’t believe how tough it is to be an innovator. I saw Zappa set in at a local club with the band - Who would of thunk it!!! Incredible, and I don’t even like his “music”. By the way, the band he sat in with was “'Lightning” w/ guitarist Rocky Athis. He did E.vH.stuff when they were still in diapers. Has any Doper heard of him lately? But still, Eddy Brian May -very under-rated ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/94 "2001-07-27T12:01:14Z")
David Lindley’s solo album was called “El Ray-o X.” He’s not only a great guitar player, but a fine all around muscian. He’s also a complete eccentric. Many of my favorites have been mentioned - ranging from Doc Watson to Pat Metheny with quite a few styles in between. I’m glad to see that Brian May got mentioned a few times. Not alot of flash, but plenty of talent and tons of brains (he built his own guitar from the ground up - not just assembling the thing, but cutting and grinding the frets, machining the metal parts, hand-winding the coils for the pickups, making the fret markers from old buttons, the whole nine-yards). He has as distinctive a sound as you’ll find and is a first rate song writer (give It’s Late from News of the World a Listen). Plus he seems like a genuinely nice guy. ---
**Author:** ![iceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/46a35a/32.png) [@iceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iceman)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/95 "2001-07-27T15:26:01Z")
Danny Gatton, Danny Gatton, Danny Gatton. Could play ANYTHING with unbelievable speed, precision, emotion and tone. Which is part of the reason he’s so little known-he never picked a genre and stuck with it. To him it was all music, and he played it all. Hendrix would be number two, or maybe 1A. That being said, there’s the pack of usual suspects: Stevie Ray, Jeff Beck, Billy Gibbons, Duane, Carlos, Knopfler, Roy Buchanan, Satriani, Metheny, et al. All good, all different. Albert Collins deserves a mention. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/96 "2001-07-27T15:26:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by plnnr \* > \*\*David Lindley’s solo album was called "El Ray-o X \*\* Ah yes, I remember it well. _“Tiki torches at Twighlight … to the girls in the bar …”_ A casuality of the great CD disappearance of '99. (about 20 of my favorite CD’s came up missing after the exodus to Cali - curses!) ---
**Author:** ![Hibbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ce73a5/32.png) [@Hibbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hibbins)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/97 "2001-07-27T16:30:50Z")
No one’s mentioned Paul Stanley yet. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/98 "2001-07-27T17:23:00Z")
I was going to mention Ace Frehely, but he isn’t the greatest. He isn’t even great. He’s just my first guitar hero. Man, when I was 10, I so wanted to be Ace. ---
**Author:** ![Roger\_the\_Shrubber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@Roger\_the\_Shrubber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_the_Shrubber)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/99 "2001-07-27T18:00:09Z")
Okay… i’m hearing a lot of hendrix, (or at least i did before i lost interest and started this post… ;)) and yes, he was a good guitarist, but nowhere near the best. innovative? definately. but not the best. vote for best i’ve heard, jeff beck, stevie ray vaughn, satriani. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178/100 "2001-07-27T22:04:04Z")
Remember, this is all very subjective - but going by who can communicate a mood the best? Mark Knopfler, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Cray, Stevie RAy Vaughn. I hate to be the first one to drag the word Art in here, but if you define art as a method of communicating emotion/mood, then these guys do the job consistently and well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-guitarist-of-all-time/71178.md?page=6)