Who is the Best Guitarist of All Time?

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The discussion revolves around the question of who is the best guitarist of all time, with participants sharing their opinions and favorite guitarists. Jimi Hendrix is frequently mentioned as a top choice due to his innovative techniques and impact on music, though some argue about his technical skills compared to modern players. Eric Clapton, Leo Kottke, and Paco de Lucia are also highlighted for their unique styles and contributions to guitar music. The conversation touches on the distinction between technical proficiency and emotional expression in guitar playing, with many asserting that true greatness involves both. Other notable mentions include Frank Zappa, Joe Satriani, and various metal guitarists like Dave Mustaine and James Hetfield, emphasizing the diversity of styles and personal preferences in defining the "best" guitarist. The debate reflects a blend of admiration for technical skill and the emotional connection that music can evoke.
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Pretty straight-forward question. Who do you think is the best guitarist of all time? Post a sample of their music if you would like.

Obviously, I would have to say Jimmy Hendrix (cant decide on just one song for him). He could do things with a guitar that others wouldn't think was possible (playing a lefty guitar righty, playing with his teeth, etc). But I feel like saying Hendrix is a cop out because it is so easy to say him.

Other than Hendrix I would have to go with Eric Clapton (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hwnb8AB2kc&feature=related").

Some others that I like (in no particulat order): Kirk Cobain, Jeff Beck, Duane Allman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JToo3iwTOso&feature=related" is a great song).

What do you guys think?
 
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Erik Mongrain. Have you ever seen anyone able to play a guitar like that?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbndgwfG22k
 
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I vote for Andre Segovia.

Chet Atkins related a story about how when he decided to go for a cruise he grew a beard and decided to wear sunglasses most of the time so no one would recognize him. One day on board the ship he was practicing guitar and a man walked up to him and said, "Say you're pretty good." Chet thanked him for the complement. Then the man added, "You're no Chet Atkins but you're pretty good."
 
Probably the greatest guitarist of all time - Leo kotke. Unfortunately no good videos of him playing survive. This is a horrible quality video, but gives you an idea of his capabilities.



I like Hendrix, Zappa (not known for being a good guitarist, but an incredible mind), and the others listed so far, but they don't have true talent that rises above the rest.

Popular songs is one thing, exceptional talent is another.
 
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I have a passion for great guitar. Some of the Spanish guitar players are my favorite.
 
Evo said:
Probably the greatest guitarist of all time - Leo kotke. Unfortunately no good videos of him playing survive. This is a horrible quality video, but gives you an idea of his capabilities.



I like Hendrix, Zappa (not known for being a good guitarist, but an incredible mind), and the others listed so far, but they don't have true talent that rises above the rest.

Popular songs is one thing, exceptional talent is another.


I went to a Leo Kottke concert once. Partway through, while tuning his guitar, he mentioned that once he went to an Andre Segovia concert and noticed that Andre Segovia didn't tune his guitar during the whole concert. "Some people just don't care."
 
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I have absolutely no technical knowledge of music or guitar in particular so consider my vote unqualified but Joe Satriani is one of my favourites and I understand that he is considered to be pretty damn good.

Here is one of my favourite pieces...
 
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Evo said:
I like Hendrix...but they don't have true talent that rises above the rest.

Popular songs is one thing, exceptional talent is another.

WOW! Did you just say that Hendrix doesn't have exceptional talent?!
Sorry but I am going to have to strongly disagree with that. I listened to Kottke and it was great. But c'mon! Sure, you can say that Kottke is better than Hendrix (it's your opinion after all). But to suggest that Hendrix isn't even in the same leauge as Kottke I find rediculous!
 
  • #10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="660" height="525"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tWLw7nozO_U&hl=en_GB&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tWLw7nozO_U&hl=en_GB&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="660" height="525"></embed></object>
 
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  • #11
skeptic2 said:
I went to a Leo Kottke concert once. Partway through, while tuning his guitar, he mentioned that once he went to an Andre Segovia concert and noticed that Andre Segovia didn't tune his guitar during the whole concert. "Some people just don't care."
He's incredible.

In the olden days of yore, when I lived in Houston, Tx, I dated the guy that did the sound at a music place called Liberty Hall that hosted unknowns like Bruce Springsteen, Lightnin' Hopkins, Muddy Waters, etc... It was during the intermission of a B B King show, that my boyfriend left me in control of songs for intermission. I played Leo Kotke's Vaseline Machine Gun and got a standing ovation. :-p
 
  • #12
DR13 said:
WOW! Did you just say that Hendrix doesn't have exceptional talent?!
Sorry but I am going to have to strongly disagree with that. I listened to Kottke and it was great. But c'mon! Sure, you can say that Kottke is better than Hendrix (it's your opinion after all). But to suggest that Hendrix isn't even in the same leauge as Kottke I find rediculous!
I saw Jimi Hendrix play live at the Houston Colloseum. No, Hendrix was not that talented on the guitar. Good, but not exceptional.

I love Hendrix, but he's honestly not technically that great a guitar player. Are we talking favorite songs or technical ability here?

Ronni le tekro is good, I agree max.

While Satrianni's music is great to listen to, techically, as a guitarist, he doesn't stand out as exceptionally gifted.

A lot of the great songs/bands I love aren't technically great. That also means that a lot of the technically great don't have good music.
 
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  • #13
Always liked Buckethead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Et6BSDMNLY

Michael Romeo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG2804ggsI0

John Petrucci
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVmq2C5kLoM

Alexi Laiho
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFuHXAOrwkI

Jesper_Strömblad - steel guitar solo is awesome at 2:10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrdGYVir6DU
 
  • #14
Evo said:
Erik Mongrain. Have you ever seen anyone able to play a guitar like that?

I have! :biggrin: stanley jordan plays two electrics simultaneously. i think he calls it his touch technique:


danny gatton might be my favourite guitarist though:
-7R4mwOOyEQ[/youtube] & how can ...ing pegs: [MEDIA=youtube]gd4uVwxsSHk[/MEDIA]
 
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  • #15
I think a good example is a song I love by Mason Wiliams. Classical Gas. A beautiful acoustic guitar piece.





That was destroyed by being popularized on tv.

This is what happens when good music goes bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgUql7E7S-k&feature=related

Mason is not an exceptionally gifted guitarist, but that is an incredibly beautiful song.
 
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  • #16
Evo said:
I think a good example is a song I love by Mason Wiliams. Classical Gas. A beautiful accoustice guitar piece.
Love Classical Gas. Gives me goosebumps.


Hate me for it, but I like the 'concert' version. This is the first time I've ever heard the unplugged version.
 
  • #17
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUqn1EEWaRw
Brian Haner. The best IMO.
 
  • #18
DaveC426913 said:
Love Classical Gas. Gives me goosebumps.

Hate me for it, but I like the 'concert' version. This is the first time I've ever heard the unplugged version.
Wow, I can't believe you've never heard the original version, but I guess many haven't.

Either version is beautiful, but I prefer the acoustic.
 
  • #19
yee-haw!


more danny gatton. it really picks up at the end


...& one of the masters
 
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  • #20
Evo said:
I love Hendrix, but he's honestly not technically that great a guitar player. Are we talking favorite songs or technical ability here?

Are we basing guitar the best guitarist on pure technical skill? If we are, I am going to have to say Jason Becker or Yngwie Malmsteen but I don't think that pure technical skill should be the end to which we define a good guitarist. A guitarist should use his or her technical skill to convey the emotions within their music. Using technical skill to convey emotion as an end, I would have to say that Jimi Hendrix fits this best.
 
  • #21
Evo said:
I saw Jimi Hendrix play live at the Houston Colloseum. No, Hendrix was not that talented on the guitar. Good, but not exceptional.

I love Hendrix, but he's honestly not technically that great a guitar player. Are we talking favorite songs or technical ability here?

Ronni le tekro is good, I agree max.

While Satrianni's music is great to listen to, techically, as a guitarist, he doesn't stand out as exceptionally gifted.

A lot of the great songs/bands I love aren't technically great. That also means that a lot of the technically great don't have good music.

There is perhaps a point where virtuosity abandons art to become merely an exercise in technical perfection. And vice versa, that artistry may lose technique in pursuit of pure aesthetics. Perhaps the greatest artist and the greatest technician can not be the same.

I like your choices. Mongrain in particular.
 
  • #22
Evo said:
I think a good example is a song I love by Mason Wiliams. Classical Gas. A beautiful accoustice guitar piece.


That was destroyed by being popularized on tv.

Whats wrong with bringing beautiful music to the masses?
 
  • #23
From metal these two know how to write riffs.

Tommy Vetterli
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTlBua7mfao

Trey Azagthoth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7YLblswAI0
 
  • #24
Evo said:
That was destroyed by being popularized on tv.

This is what happens when good music goes bad.
Look what they've done to my oatmeal.
 
  • #25
KrisOhn said:
Whats wrong with bringing beautiful music to the masses?

Did you listen to the differences? I think Evo's point was that they sort of did a Hooked on Classics butchering of it.

Personally, I like it, but I recognize Evo's preference for a purist's version.
 
  • #26
Evo said:
Erik Mongrain. Have you ever seen anyone able to play a guitar like that?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbndgwfG22k


Great post Evo!
 
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  • #27
We have a mentor here that is not only a great guitarist, but a great vocalist, and he's going to kill me for letting it be known, but Kurdt is a Kurt Cobain identical twin.

I have videos of Kurdt playing and singing and you can't tell them apart.

This is one in particular where his singing and playing is so similar, it's spooky. They even look alike.

 
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  • #28
DaveC426913 said:
Did you listen to the differences? I think Evo's point was that they sort of did a Hooked on Classics butchering of it.

Personally, I like it, but I recognize Evo's preference for a purist's version.

I see now, yes that second versions is butchered, I've heard both, but I didn't realize that the concert version only happened after it was popularized. I learned Classical Gas on the guitar a few years ago, but I could never get some parts to sound exactly right, to do with my timing, I'm going to take a look at it again now...
 
  • #29
I like Al di Meola.
Al Di Meola - Egyptian Danza (Live)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vuY0_JCHaF4&hl=de_DE&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vuY0_JCHaF4&hl=de_DE&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

Al together with Paco de Lucia and John McLaughlin - Mediterranean Sundance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9cadbYIzhqQ&hl=de_DE&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9cadbYIzhqQ&hl=de_DE&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
 
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  • #30
that buckethead guy sounds good.

here's joe pass
 
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  • #31
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  • #32
Too many "bests" to list. As a guitarist, myself, my "best" changes frequently. Often bubbling to the top are Hendrix, Junior, Adrian Legg, Robben Ford, and Danny Gatton.
 
  • #33
another one
 
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  • #34
Danny Gatton is probably my favorite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MS5XH84mmI4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MS5XH84mmI4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
 
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  • #35
He probably isn't the 'best' technically, but my favorite guitarist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg3BYU2U6ic
 
  • #36
Mark Knopfler, mainly for fingerpicking.
 
  • #37
Niles said:
Mark Knopfler, mainly for fingerpicking.
If you like Knopfler, pick up some old JJ Cale stuff. Knopfler should pay Cale royalties every time he sells an album.
Highly derivative, though I like Knopfler's creativity.
 
  • #38
Dembadon said:
Danny Gatton is probably my favorite.

yes! I'm surprised somebody else has heard of him :smile:
 
  • #39
fourier jr said:
yes! I'm surprised somebody else has heard of him :smile:
I've got albums and the double-CD "best of" set. Redneck Jazz, Indeed!
 
  • #40
Evo said:
Probably the greatest guitarist of all time - Leo kotke. Unfortunately no good videos of him playing survive. This is a horrible quality video, but gives you an idea of his capabilities.



I support the nomination of Leo. I think Airproofing is one of his finest. As you watch, look around him to verify that there is indeed only one guitarist playing.
 
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  • #41
TheLoser said:
I just want to tell you that i don't care about guitar
Yeah? Well...guitars probably don't care about you, either!
 
  • #42
Chi Meson said:
Yeah? Well...guitars probably don't care about you, either!
There were times that I owned 20 or more at once. They were my buddies.
 
  • #43
turbo-1 said:
There were times that I owned 20 or more at once. They were my buddies.

That's either wonderful or sad. I'm not sure.
 
  • #44
SRV unplugged


more crazy bending by adrian legg
 
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  • #45
Chi Meson said:
That's either wonderful or sad. I'm not sure.
It was wonderful. I bought them in lean times and sold them when people were flush. I service guitars and amps, and when they left my hands, they were in top-notch condition.

I loved taking in well-worn instruments, refretting, adjusting, etc, so they were back at the top of their form.
 
  • #46
Evo said:
I saw Jimi Hendrix play live at the Houston Colloseum. No, Hendrix was not that talented on the guitar. Good, but not exceptional.

I love Hendrix, but he's honestly not technically that great a guitar player. Are we talking favorite songs or technical ability here?

Does somebody really need to be technically good to be considered great at something? Hendrix's playing, for the time period, was outstanding. There's A LOT more to being good at something than being able to do things that are hard.

"Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see."
- Arthur Schopenhauer

Hendrix did things that nobody could have foreseen, he will never be surpassed on the guitar. Not to mention he wrote some of the most memorable guitar songs.

When the title says "Best Guitarist Ever", it means the best overall not who can play something that's the hardest to copy.

dx said:
He probably isn't the 'best' technically, but my favorite guitarist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg3BYU2U6ic

His solos had a melody to them, I would say he was great but he wrote a few good solos.

If were talking about great technical players, I like these to guys:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/famYtHftpwE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/famYtHftpwE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/55nAwmVLQSk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/55nAwmVLQSk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

Not to mention they were creative. They blow people like bucket head out of the water overall.

Edit: Here's a list made by Rolling Stones Magazine: http://nopski.multiply.com/journal/item/8/100_Greatest_guitarist_of_all_timeRolling_stones_magazine_

I disagree with some of it but I think it's a decent list, best that I've seen anyway. Although when you get to a certain level of "Greatness" it becomes useless to rank them, it is then just a matter of taste.
 
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  • #47
Chi Meson said:
I support the nomination of Leo. I think Airproofing is one of his finest. As you watch, look around him to verify that there is indeed only one guitarist playing.


That was gorgeous.
 
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  • #48
I saw Leo one night at Bowdoin college. His 12-string was stolen on the trip to Maine, and he was playing a borrowed instrument, but he was still fantastic. That's not easy when you have a "connection" with your guitar and you know all its sweet spots.
 
  • #49
more adrian legg & leo kottke


 
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  • #50
Not sure about greatest guitarist ever, but I've recently become a fan of Andy McKee. Good music to listen to in the background while reading.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfF4QLO-L_4&a=IzIo8BLeiso&playnext_from=ML

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRAiUzrmkMk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHFcg1Bg83w&feature=channel
 

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