Best Guitarist

[Blueskies]

What are your top 10 pick's for the best lead guitarist category?

[Liam]

What are your top 3 pick's for the best lead guitarist category?

Neal Schon
Eric Johnson
Joe Satriani

Honorable Mention for REINVENTING the way guitar is played...
Eddie Van Halen

[SteveForever]

#1 Neal, #2 Ericksson from RUSH, #3 Esteban...he's sold more guitars than anyone else

[Distant Voice]

What are your top 3 pick's for the best lead guitarist category?

I think you should extend it to the top 10, 3 is a waste of time and dis-credits alot of great talent out there.

[Liam]

#1 Neal, #2 Ericksson from RUSH, #3 Esteban...he's sold more guitars than anyone else

Ericksson from Rush???????????? Alex Lifeson From Rush.

[Blueskies]

What are your top 3 pick's for the best lead guitarist category?

I think you should extend it to the top 10, 3 is a waste of time and dis-credits alot of great talent out there.

O.K. Will do...just for you!!

[SteveForever]

#1 Neal, #2 Ericksson from RUSH, #3 Esteban...he's sold more guitars than anyone else

Ericksson from Rush???????????? Alex Lifeson From Rush.

oops....got my explorers mixed up,

[SteveForever]

#1 Neal, #2 Ericksson from RUSH, #3 Esteban...he's sold more guitars than anyone else

Ericksson from Rush???????????? Alex Lifeson From Rush.

I'm an Aggie too, class of '87, now ya know

[Blueskies]

I changed it to 10, Liam...back to work on your list!!

[knox]

The 2 best guitarists I have ever heard aren't in Rock music, so this will be an "Other" answer:

Phil Keaggy - The guy played Carnegie Hall at 19 (granted, Neal was in Santana at 15 or 16).
Christopher Parkening - Probably the best classical guitarist on the planet.



My top Rock lead guitarists would be:

1. Trevor Rabin of Yes. I just love the guy's style - and voice for that matter.

2. Eddie - the guy is slammin. Eruption is fantastic!

3. Neal - He doesn't just make noise, he actually has Music in his solos. Though I get tired of the song sometimes, the end of Who's Crying Now is still phenomenal. Technically, it isn't the greatest solo in the world, but it has that emotion that you look for in a good solo, or song for that matter.

[Saint John]

1) Randy Rhoads
2) Neal Schon
3) Eric Clapton

[Clasicrockldy]

Ok..........let me see what I can come up with

1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Neal Schon
3. Jimmy Page
4. Randy Rhodes
5. Carlos Santana
6. Eric Clapton
7. Brian May
8. Eddie Van Halen
9. Stevie Ray Vaughn
10. Ygnwie Malmsteen.

How about that list?

[Jeremey fan forever]

What are your top 10 pick's for the best lead guitarist category?

Since there can only be ONE best guitarist... not 10, or 3, Neal Schon is the best, and he is the best all by his lonesome.

[Blueskies]

Ok..........let me see what I can come up with

1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Neal Schon
3. Jimmy Page
4. Randy Rhodes
5. Carlos Santana
6. Eric Clapton
7. Brian May
8. Eddie Van Halen
9. Stevie Ray Vaughn
10. Ygnwie Malmsteen.

How about that list?

That's a great list, CRL!!

[Wally_Hatchet]

I don't know about being the best, but these are some of my favorites:

Randy Rhoads
Jake E. Lee
Neal Schon
Brad Gillis
Ronnie LeTekro
Steve Clark
Rowan Robertson
Rik Emmet
Tony Iommi
Gary Richrath

[aorgeneral]

As a guitarist this is virtually impossible for me to do! But I would like to throw out the name of a guitar player that is a tremendous talent and was way ahead of his time. Bill Nelson from Be Bop deluxe was (is) a great songwriter,singer, and boy can he play guitar! He along with Schenker and Uli Roth were HUGE influences when i was learning how to play.

[Distant Voice]

1)BB King
2)Neil Young
3)Neal Schon
4)Carlos Santana
5))Eric Clapton
6)Stevie Ray Vaughan
7) Randy Rhoades
Pete Townshend
9)Chris Risola
10)Angus Young

[Vladan]

These are my favourites, and probably some of the greatest aswell.

Eric Clapton (the name says it all)
Neal Schon (ofcourse)
Brian May (one of the greatest melodic guitarist of all time)
Yngwie Malmsteen (fast and brilliant)
Tommy Emmanuel (under rated, one of the best out there today - can do it all. Also see Phil Emmanuel)
Mark Knopfler (unique and one of the greats)
Tony Iommi (heavy metal at its finest)

[Clasicrockldy]

1)BB King
2)Neil Young
3)Neal Schon
4)Carlos Santana
5))Eric Clapton
6)Stevie Ray Vaughan
7) Randy Rhoades
Pete Townshend
9)Chris Risola
10)Angus Young

That is an awesome list DV. I had forgotten about B.B. King ! Shame on me !

[conversationpc]

If we are just talking technical skill, then the list is easier. However, you have to combine technical skill, ingenuity, melodicism, and a host of other skills. My list would look something like this (not necessarily in order of skill)...

• Neal Schon - much more technically skilled than most give him credit for. His melodicism is second to none, i.e., he plays to fit the song perfectly. The guy just keeps improving at a time in life when most players are on the downward slope.
• Al Pitrelli (Savatage, TSO, Megadeth, Asia, Alice Cooper, etc.) - Like Neal, he is much more technically skilled than given credit for. Site reads music like a classical musician. Also like Neal, he has a knack for a flowing melodic style to fit the song perfectly.
• Eric Johnson - I don't think anyone combines all the skills necessary for a great guitarist into one package quite like he does. Similar to Neal in style and ability, but has a tone that is second to none and possibly only equaled by David Gilmour (Pink Floyd).
• Joe Satriani - There's a lot of his tunes that I don't like but the skill is undeniable. Similar to Steve Vai in that he has all the technical skill but with better melodic sense. His instrumental "Always With Me, Always With You" is one of my favorite songs of any genre.
• Steve Howe (Yes, solo) - I can't think of anyone who has combined rock, country, rockabilly, blues, and jazz and made it into a style all his own. He has a truly unique sound, not to mention that he is an astounding acoustic player as well (listen to "Clap" from "The Yes Album" or "Mood for a Day" from "Fragile").
• Eddie Van Halen - Maybe not as technically skilled as some others on this list but truly innovative with the two-handed tapping technique (apologies to Randy Rhoads fans). He was able to combine that technique into a syncopated, rhythmic style that set him apart (see "Mean Street" intro) and used a lot of single note lines in his rhythm playing unlike others. His transitioning from solo back to rhythm is as seemless as it gets.
• John Petrucci (Dream Theater) - If you've seen him playing to the complex arrangements of DT songs, you know any guitarist playing in that band HAS to be good. He's more melodic that most guitarists in his genre as well as having the mind-blowing chops to keep up with the other musicians in the band.
• Phil Keaggy - He's not well known to the music community in general but is to guitarists and fanatics of the instrument. The guy is quite possibly the best overall acoustic guitarist in the world and a good electric blues player to boot.
• Michael Romeo Batio - OK...I'm not real familiar with his work but I've seen a few instructional videos and this guy can just flat-out bring it on an almost unbelievable technical level. The dude can play two guitars at the same time: melodies, rhythms, chords, etc. He can do it all.
• Yngwie Malmsteen - He gets slammed for being only technical but the guy plays with a fire that is unmatched. Believe it or not he does have some slow, melodic, emotional passages in his music. No one has combined the neo-classical approach better, in my opinion.

Honorable mention: Richie Blackmore, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Paul Hackett, Marty Friedman, Jason Becker, Steve Morse, Randy Rhoads, Brian May, Alex Lifeson, Criss Oliva (Savatage, RIP), Uli Jon Roth, Michael Schenker, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steve Lukather, Steve Vai, Vito Bratta, John Sykes, Gary Moore, Reb Beach, George Lynch, etc., etc.

I could probably name a hundred more but I should probably stop there...

[Clasicrockldy]

Hey, how about Tom Scholtz (sp?) from Boston?

[Blueskies]

Wow! Very comprehensive study!! Well done, CPC!!

[conversationpc]

Hey, how about Tom Scholtz (sp?) from Boston?

Scholz is great. He's a lot like Schon with the melodicism and is fairly technically skilled but not as diverse as Neal. I love his playing and his solo in "Hitch a Ride" is probably my favorite of all time. Great keyboard/organ player as well.

[conversationpc]

Wow! Very comprehensive study!! Well done, CPC!!

Thanks...I live and breathe guitar. I don't play much and am nowhere near skilled enough to even really say I'm a guitarist but I eat that stuff up. Just about anything that has good guitar playing in it will catch my ear.

[Distant Voice]

1)BB King
2)Neil Young
3)Neal Schon
4)Carlos Santana
5))Eric Clapton
6)Stevie Ray Vaughan
7) Randy Rhoades
Pete Townshend
9)Chris Risola
10)Angus Young

That is an awesome list DV. I had forgotten about B.B. King ! Shame on me !

Thanks!

These are my favorites over the years, I could of done a top 20 easily

[Clasicrockldy]

1)BB King
2)Neil Young
3)Neal Schon
4)Carlos Santana
5))Eric Clapton
6)Stevie Ray Vaughan
7) Randy Rhoades
Pete Townshend
9)Chris Risola
10)Angus Young

That is an awesome list DV. I had forgotten about B.B. King ! Shame on me !

Thanks!

These are my favorites over the years, I could of done a top 20 easily

You're welcome, DV. And I don't doubt that you could come up with 10 more !

[X factor]

10 Fave Rock guitarists, in no particular order:

Gary Richrath- HIGHLY underrated...before Speedwagon started playing crap...
Ace Frehley- very melodic and stlyish WHEN he wasn't too drunk- did the finger tapping bit years before Eddie (Check out Kiss's 75 MIDNIGHT SPECIAL appearance for proof)
Eddie VH- Eruption- nuff said...
John Sykes- I think his work on the WHITESNAKE album is some of the tastiest playing of the 1980's
Neal Schon- Could I REALLY leave him off of this list? Even though I think in the studio Neal peaks on his non-Journey work (HSAS, BE, Soul Sirkus, etc)
Earl Slick- Always a favorite. If you want an example of his finest hour, check out Bowie's STATION TO STATION. A masterpiece...
Nils Lofgrin- AS Bruce himself put it, the world's greatest "second" guitarest...
Ricky Medlocke- As great a shredder as he is w/ Skynyrd, people forget he has an awesome singing voice, and is a hell of a songwriter (see any early 80's BLACKFOOT as proof)
Rick Neilsen- Either one of the greatest guitarest in the biz, or one of the worst. I'm not really sure, but I love watching him rip it out!
Randy Rhodes- Changed the game for everyone. Gone WAY too soon...

[Distant Voice]

1)BB King
2)Neil Young
3)Neal Schon
4)Carlos Santana
5))Eric Clapton
6)Stevie Ray Vaughan
7) Randy Rhoades
Pete Townshend
9)Chris Risola
10)Angus Young

That is an awesome list DV. I had forgotten about B.B. King ! Shame on me !

Thanks!

These are my favorites over the years, I could of done a top 20 easily

You're welcome, DV. And I don't doubt that you could come up with 10 more !

There is so much great talent out there, it's hard for me to say one is better than the other, each have a unique style, to this day I still see new talent out there that just rocks my world, music is an addiction for me.

[Clasicrockldy]

1)BB King
2)Neil Young
3)Neal Schon
4)Carlos Santana
5))Eric Clapton
6)Stevie Ray Vaughan
7) Randy Rhoades
Pete Townshend
9)Chris Risola
10)Angus Young

That is an awesome list DV. I had forgotten about B.B. King ! Shame on me !

Thanks!

These are my favorites over the years, I could of done a top 20 easily

You're welcome, DV. And I don't doubt that you could come up with 10 more !

There is so much great talent out there, it's hard for me to say one is better than the other, each have a unique style, to this day I still see new talent out there that just rocks my world, music is an addiction for me.

Where you are living, I don't doubt you see new talent that is just awesome. Now where I am at, stuck way out here in the Sacramento Valley, I don't get to see much, or hear much for that matter, so I draw on what I remember seeing and listening to when I used to live in the SF Bay Area. Those where the days......................

[r@y]

Dont they have this thread already, down at the Guitarists forum..?

I dont think there can ever be a top 10,20 whatever list of best guitarist...each of them have their own distinctive style and is also a matter of personal preference..

Here's mine ( with the exception of no.1, the rest are in no particular order.. )

1. Take a wild guess..???
2. Neal Schon
3. Joe Satriani
4. Eric Johnson
5. Steve Vai
6. Ed Van Halen.
7. Mark Knopfler
8. Michael Landau
9. Jeff Beck
10. Jimi Hendrix..?

Ray