I’m listening to ‘Band of Gypsy’s’ now, Jimi is still alive…
For true innovation, Hendrix, and latterly, Tom Morello are unsurpassed.
Chet Atkins fits this description for me. Yes, he was amazingly skillful. Yes, his technique was extremely difficult. But God, was he boring to listen to!
I grew up on Chet Atkins because my father was a fan. So I’ve heard a lot of him. He was able to take good songs, apply his thumbpicking technique to them, and render them dull. His album “Chet Atkins Picks on the Beatles” is a good example. He just took the life out of some great songs.
On the positive side, my favorite best guitarist vote goes to Junior Brown. He plays lead on two instruments and sings lead at the same time. Friggin’ incredible.
No-one here has heard of him, probably, but Moyses Kolesne from the Brazilian band Krisiun. As far as extremely fast Classical-influenced Metal guitar playing goes, he kicks the crap outta Yngwie Malmsteen and that ilk. I’ve seen Krisiun live four times and it’s great, his right hand is a blur yet he never misses a note. Unlike most audiences at a Metal show, everyone stays really still and just watches him and the drummer, cheers like mad after every solo and blast beat section, then quiets right down so they won’t miss the next part. Just amazing.
Heck, some of Mark Knopfler bores me. 
But my favorites to listen to: Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Yngwie, Gary Hoey, and Ry Cooder.
IMHO
Eric Clapton
Jeff Beck
Steve Vai
Randy Rhodes
Edge
Slash
James Hetfield
B B King…yes. I know. He’s horrible with chords. Feel free to throw things.
Steve Vai (a lot of musical masturbation in there, but he can rock)
Eddie Van Halen
Eric Johnson
Billy Gibbons
Django Reinhart
All of the guys from the Hellecasters
Having just seen the G3 tour in San Francisco on June 30[sup]th[/sup] I can nominate one guitarist that has not been mentioned yet:
John Petrucci
of Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment. This guy opened the show and promptly blew the doors off of Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. His style was melodius, fluid and razor sharp. This is a man to watch in the future, great things are going to come from this individual. Fortunately most of the other guitar wizards have been mentioned already. I’m pleased to see that Jeff Beck has been mentioned so much. I’ll put up my own list of favorites.
Andres Segovia
Without him the guitar might not even exist as the instrument we know today.
Jimi Hendrix
If there was ever a master of the electric guitar it was him.
Eric Johnson
His versatility alone gets him onto this list, not to mention his compositional skills.
Junior Brown
This lunatic is a man you have to see in order to believe. His abilities go so far beyond country that it is amazing.
Jeff Beck
When he wants to, this guy can blow your ears off with immaculate phrasing like no one else.
John Renbourn
His acoustic fingerpicked guitar remains a standard to be matched by all others.
Prince!!!
Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde from Primus, which I’m listening to right now.
Trey Anastasio from Phish.
Well, I was all set to shoot this down as being a variation on the oft-heard tale in my neck of the woods that Hendrix cited Phil Keaggy of Glass Harp (and a still-active career in Christian music) as the greatest guitarist. Phil is from my hometown, and I used to see him in 1966 with his local bands Volume IV/New Hudson Exit.
The Snopes site debunks this rock ‘n’ roll urban legend here:
http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/keaggy.htm
But the page concludes with this passage:
“Hendrix apparently did sing the praises of a pre-ZZ Top Billy Gibbons (then a little-known guitarist with a band called Moving Sidewalks) during a ‘Dick Cavett Show’ appearance at about the same time. We doubt that was the origin of the Phil Keaggy legend, but who knows?”
So your overall point may be right, even if the details were not.
Of course, the idea is absurd. First of all, Ringo was NOT a sub-par drummer, and those who say he is simply don’t know what they’re talking about.
As for George, I thought the quote from the guy who’s been playing lead guitar in Paul McCartney’s tour band for the past several years was interesting.
In MOJO’s “100 Greatest Guitarists” issue a few years back, he said something to the effect that, when he signed on with Paul, he figured he’d work out all-new solos for the Beatles songs Paul was including in his repertoire. Then he listened to them, and he realized that the parts George played were absolutely perfect for the songs and couldn’t be improved upon.
As bootlegs of studio outtakes demonstrate, George was pretty terrible when playing off the top of his head. But given time to work out a part, he inevitably came up with a great one.
An EXCELLENT point, and one that I’ve made many times. I particularly like the last three on your list.
I don’t think there can be any debate that Jimi Hendrix was the greatest rock ‘n’ roll guitarist of all time. He did things that simply were never done before he picked up his axe. But the important thing is that, beyond technical skills, Hendrix played with passion and soul – and also, importantly, in the service of good songs.
This is what’s missing from the work of the guitarists Astorian cited earlier and others of their ilk. I think they make music primarily for other guitarists to drool over, rather than anything others would want to listen to. As a (mostly pedestrian) guitarist myself, I admire their skill, but in the end it’s mostly wanking.
Many great and talented guitarists have been mentioned, and I’m glad to see so many votes for my hero, Hendrix. But I would also like to add a mention for the virtuoso Stanley Jordan. I’ve seen him live every chance I’ve had (which is only 3 times in total, he doesn’t come over to the UK much) and every occasion has been a delight and a thrill beyond description. C’mon guys - we all love the players we do for their technical proficiency and their musical soul. Jordan - with his unique hammer-on style - is playing TWO lines at the same time, and with dazzling fluidity. Yet aside from all technical considerations, his music is as intense, melodic, stirring and beuatiful as any I’ve ever heard.
Alex Lifeson, a genuine wizard, particularly during the 2112 - Power Windows era
Eddie Van Halen, obviously, but only when he was still drinking
Roscoe Holcomb
Pete Buck
Prince, good call
Andy Summers - where has that guy been hiding?
Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, but only because conventional wisdom dictates they belong on any such list.
Hendrix, Clapton, Page, Beck (in no particular order).
And let’s not forget the blues masters: Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Robert Cray.
Tonino Baliardo of the Gypsy Kings - not only sublime to listen to, but a joy to watch. I’ve never seen anyone look so at peace with the world while doing something so difficult.
Leo Kottke for similar reasons and for his individuality.
No one has mentioned Michael Hedges yet, so I’ll put in a vote for him.
And yeah, it’s important to separate technical skill from musicality. There are a lot of rock guitarists capable of some amazing technical pyrotechnics (Steve Vai and Joe Satriani are excellent examples), but they just can’t create lasting music.
On the other hand, a guitarist like Slash can just drip emotion from his guitar, without having to do anything fancy. His guitar solos in songs like “November Rain” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine” can just chill you to the bone.
And I haven’t seen Duane Allman listed yet - he’d have to be pretty high on the list of Rock Guitarists.
Eric Clapton is also one of my faves. Plugged or not.
Christopher Parkening
Maybe he is so highly touted for his deft use of his effects pedals.
Yeah, people like Steve Voi, Eddie VanHalen, and John Petrucci can play good, but are mostly just playing fancy or catchy riffs. People like Hendrix (my vote), plays form his soul. He doesnt follow what someone else made, but he improvises. I wish i could have seen him live, it would be awesome.
My age is showing again.
Any of you guys ever hear of LES PAUL? Not saying he’s the greatest, tho I was very impressed; just saying he was VERY, influential in the electric guitar world.