5 Favorite Guitarists

[-E5150 StarWanderer-]

I remember listing my top 10 guitarists on another thread, but it was some time ago. So, here's a new enhanced list with some specs why they are on my list. The aspects I "review" are style, versatility, soloing and song writing.

1) Tony Iommi & Ritchie Blackmore - I honestly can't decide between these two titans. Both have written plethoras of riffs that rank among the best of all time, both have a unique sound and take on the instument and are true innovators.

• Iommi: He is of course the father of metal and the riff-emperor, but he is more than just that. His soulful soloing that combines jazz and blues elements just does it for me. I think he has a fantastic sense of style and ear for melody as far as soloing comes. His tecnique is good as well, particularly his legato playing, which is very impressive. Clean bends, nice vibrato and speed if recuired. The man also has written some of the finest chord progressions I've ever heard and often showcases some classical influences with his acoustic pieces. Pure style and soul.
• Blackmore: many of the factors mentioned above go with Blacker as well. Blackmore's playing oozes passion, whether it's an epic like Stargazer, a rocker like Speed King or a ballad like Soldier Of Fortune. Exceptional talent with an uncanny sense of style and ear for melody. Technical aspect of his playing is fantastic too, considering he was one of the first guitarists to use sweep picking in the way we know it today. He is also the very definition of precise and clean playing. He has done some very unique runs that are hard to duplicate while while keeping the playing clean, Burn's solo comes to mind. He's also one of the most versatile players I know, he can play jazz, blues and classical with the best of them. He was also one of the first to strongly blend elements from classical music to the hard rock/metal concept, and in my honest opinion, really is the biggest innovator on that area. No wonder he is one of Malmsteen's biggest idols.

2) Vivian Campbell

Especially during his tenure with DIO, Viv was simply marvelous and didn't pale in comparison with the best of his ilk, like Rhoads, Jake E.Lee and EVH. He, again, posseses a great technique, sense of style and ear for melody (to avoide repetition, I should start referring these three qualities as the holy trinity ). But it's also the pure energy and uniqueness in his playing that already back then set him apart of the ever-growing mass of shredders. He still has that bluesy side of the guitar greats of the 70's, even if he more clearly is follower of the EVH generation of players. This was in fact a quality that sadly started to move to the back ground as the shredding became more and more popular, and led to much less unique axe slingers.

I think Campbell perfectly combines the best of both worlds and adds his own unique take to the stew. He has also proved his chops as a song writer being a big part of those classic first two DIO albums.

I really enjoyed watching him play with Thin Lizzy, and I wish he'd leave Leppard and focus on new projects and keep doing Lizzy on the side. If you ask me, Leppard his holding this amazing talent back.

3) Scott Gorham & Brian Robertson - I think it wouldn't be fair to put one part of this legendary guitar duo over another, so they share the third place. I'd want to add Moore as well, but he was part of Lizzy for only few short periods and established a great solocareer outside of Lizzy too, so I'll separate him from Robbo and Gorham.

• Gorham: extremely melodic lead playing, often somewhat upbeat, but great nonetheless. Again, has a great sense of style and ear for melody. A typical 70's hard rock guitarist with a bluesy style, but there is something very extra ordinary about his playing, but I can't put my finger on it. I think the solo that best showcases his uniqueness is the one in Fool's Gold from the album Johnny The Fox. While the other guitarist on this list do lot of more ad libbed solos in addition to the more carefully constructed ones, Gorham nearly always crafted very carefully thought lead parts, which I think is one of his defining qualities. He also contributed a lot to song writing in Lizzy. He certainly has written and co-wrote some immortal songs and individual riffs, so he also gets points from song writing.
• Robertson: In contrast to Gorhams more laid back style Robertson brough a more aggressive and flambouyan aspect of playing to Lizzy. His solos often just exloded, and the explosion lasted troughout the solo. He could also play more delicate lead parts, which is evident on his trademark solo on live versions of Still In Love With You. Again, a very bluesy approach and impeccable style of sense and melody ear. Again, a strong song writer and has made some majestic riffs and classic songs.

4) Michael Schenker

This man shredded years before the 80's generations of shredders. Fantastic technique, very precise and clean picking and impressing speed. And, well you already know the other two qualities without even me mentioning them, don't you? Also a very versatile player, can outplay most of the shredders and can belt out a soulful piece like no other. He's acoustic/clean pieces are also the die for, great indication of his song writing skills and the versatility. Also the fact that UFO hasn't made a single album without him that could match the albums with Schenker leading the band is clear indication of his songwriting. Has again made plethoras of jaw dropping riffs. If you doubt me, just listen to Shoot Shoot and Rock Bottom by UFO and Assault Attack from his solo career.

5) Gary Moore

The blues master that was equally good within the hard rock genre. One of the most iconic six stringers of our time, a true talent. The man felt every note with his soul and had a fantastic technique. Those fast runs and unorthodox note progression coupled with extremely controlled playing were a true joy to listen to. He constructed some amazing, more complex solos and did wonders over a simple 12 bar blues chord progression too.

But unlike the other guitarists on my top five, I think Moore was more of a guitar hero than a song writer. He could write some amazing pieces, but I don't think he handled the role of a main songwriter in a band very succesfully. I think he knew it, since he often relied on stronger song writers like Lynott - even with his solo career.

Honorable mentions:

• Graig Goldy
• Adrian Smith & Dave Murray
• Randy Rhoads
• Tony Bourge (Budgie)
• Al Di Meola
• Paco De Lucia
• Martin Barre (Jethro Tull)
• K.K. Downing & Glenn Tiption
• Chris DeGarmo & Michael Wilton (Queensrÿche)
• Brian May
• Marty Friedman
• Garry Rossington & Allen Collins (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen
• Jimi Hendrix
• Rowan Robertson
• Rory Gallagher
• Stevie Ray Vaughn

Phew, that was an exhausting task I must say that the the places from second to five are pretty much interchaneable, the marginals are as small as they can be.

And I felt obliged to add honorable mentions, which is pretty much a standard thing when I do these listings

EDIT: Added some honorable mentions and cleaned up the post

[Totentanz]

Tommy Vetterli (Coroner)
Alex Skolnick (Testament, Alex Skolnick Trio)
Tony Iommi
Rob Cavestany (Death Angel, The Organization)
Jussi Maijala (Spiritus Mortis)

[MH1986]

Nice thread, great post. Here are my favorites, not neccessarily who I think are best.

1a. Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
1b. Brian May (Queen)
3. Glenn Tipton & KK Downing (Judas Priest)
4. George Harrison (The Beatles)
5. Mick Mars (Motley Crüe)

[IommiRules]

#1) Iommi- I am an unabashed, unapologetic FANBOY!

#2) Blackmore
#2) Lifeson
#2) Gilmour
#2) SRV

Runners up would include Robert Cray, Jake E. Lee, Brian May, Rik Emmett, The Edge, Mark Knopfler... But my Top 5 haven't changed in over 20 years & probably won't. I even LOVE what Ritchie is doing now with Blackmore's Night. He may well be a jagoff... but a talented one nonetheless.

_______________________________________EDIT_______ _____________________________________________

John Frusciante- I always forget about Frusciante. Honorable Mention not Top 5, but great and very under rated.

[DiosSword]

1. As expected, Tony Iommi. The guy is such an innovator and criminally uncredited for it. Not taking away from any of the seminal groundbreaking early Sabbath, but I believe the quality of his playing got more diverse during the Dio/Martin years, because he could stretch out into other keys.
2. Ritchie Blackmore. Very schooled and the originator of the neoclassical "shred" style, yet he's best known for a very simple guitar riff.
3. Brian May. A one-man guitar orchestra (and a brainiac to boot). No other guitarist would have been such a foil for Freddie Mercury's incredible voice.
4. Michael Schenker. Listen to UFO's Strangers In The Night. No-one sounds like him.
5. Ulrich Roth. Too easily dismissed as a Hendrix clone, he was the texture and colour that made the early Scorpions albums as good as they are. But his vocals really did suck!

HONOURABLE MENTION:

Randy Rhoads. Too short a life for too great a talent.
Rik Emmett. Triumph's ace in the hole; effortlessly melding the heaviest power riffs with delicate acoustic fingerstyle.
Edward Van Halen. The first four Van Halen albums are essential.
Gary Moore. Heavy rockin', jazzin', bluesin', Gaz did them all.
Malcolm Young. His little brother gets most of the credit, but Mal's rhythm guitar makes AC/DC as solid as Ayers Rock.
Matthias Jabs. Tasteful, melodic and the only guts that the Scorps had left in their "hits" era.
Alex Lifeson. Too often washed-out by synths in Rush's '80s techno era, one of Canada's best.
Pat Travers. Another smokin' guitarist from the land of the Maple Leaf, Molson Golden, fries with gravy and Tricia Helfer.

---------- Post added at 09:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:12 PM ----------

Ted Nugent, I'm surprised nobody else has listed Uncle Ted

I grew up in extreme northern Indiana and now live in Michigan, so of course Ted's music was a big part of my formative years and I still groove on his first album and Cat Scratch Fever.

Unfortunately, he seems to be more known now for shooting: his mouth off and various four-legged critters (not necessarily in that order).

I lost a lot of respect for him when he said he'd piss on Phil Lynott's grave.

[IommiRules]

@ DiosSword...

I have been to Ted's old house, now lived in by Taxidermist Mark Ditzel. I have met and spent (sadly) significant time with Uncle Ted. I grew up 5 miles away from where he last lived in Michigan. I can honestly say he is the most despicable, self-centered, spoiled rotten P.O.S. I have ever met in my life. And I have worked in jails with convicted murderers and rapists. GLAD as hell he moved to Texas. Hope he NEVER returns. Politically, he makes me embarrassed to be a Conservative Libertarian.

But yes, he is an incredible guitarist. Asshole, but great guitarist.

[DISCMAN1969]

@DiosSword...

I was going to put Malcolm Young in my top 5 but figured I would get a ton of crap. When the Young brothers were in their younger days, many people said Mal was a better player than Angus.

[kamikazetom]

Here's my favorite 5 in no particular order

1. Eric Johnson - Awesome guitar tone - used to watch him play in the clubs in Austin all the time - zap - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtRk1YSpcKU
2. Stevie Ray Vaughan - Another one I used to watch in the Austin clubs - great blues player
3. Ritchie Blackmore - Huge Deep Purple fan & always loved his solo's
4. T-Bone Walker - to me the source of electric Blues guitar - who else would play the guitar behind their head while doing the splits in a suit? A lot of the tricks Jimi Hendrix used to do T-Bone was doing in the 40's & 50's - Stormy Monday - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVR8lg1YLuc
5. Johnny Ramone - the reason I started to play a guitar in the first place - always loved his playing style & for everyone who says it's simple try to play along with loco live - not as easy as it looks.

[dioisgod]

in no order
ritchie blackmore
tony iommi
chuck schuldiner
jon schaffer
adrian smith/dave murray they are a duo i cant split up lol

[RobotOfDecay]

Blackmore
Iommi
EVH
Rory Gallagher
Roy Z

[Monster Boy]

As far as rock goes, the usual suspects, Blackmore, Page, Iommi and the slightly different Zappa, Beck, Fripp. Then for classical there's Andres Segovia, Pepe Romero, Christopher Parkening, and Sharon Isbin. For jazz there's Django, Wes Montgomery, John Scofield, John Mclaughlin. Then for rock again there are the not so great technically but great lead guitarists nonetheless like Gilmour, Buxton, Barrett. I dunno, hard to narrow it down to five, but i'll try, taking one from each category:

Jimmy Page : the most diverse player of the usual suspects. Iommi is the most unique, Blackmore the most "awesome". Today I pick diversity.

Jeff Beck :again, the most diverse, played funk, jazz, hard rock, all with an unimitable style. Zappa basically lived in one pocket as a player, but had the most amazing sense of rhythm of any guitarist. Fripp was the most scientific, not much of a lead player but put together incredibly complicated and imaginative parts and played them easily.

Andres Segovia: simply an icon, brought the classical guitar to prominence as a concert instrument in the early 20th century. Romero is a "fiery" player who exceutes with passion, Isbin has a wonderful melodic sense and is probably the most high profile female Classical guitarist, Parkening was a great interpreter of impressionist music and all around player. Oh crap I forgot John Williams, actually he beats Parkening for me.

John Scofield: All the other players are great but Scofield is funky, jazz with an attitude, which is what I prefer.

Glen Buxton: Really not much of a player technically, but he wasn't afraid to play something completely ugly yet so completely perfect for the song, like his solo on "Ballad of Dwight Frye" or his lead playing in "Fields of Regret" Really, Gilmour is much better, but I just like Buxton more. I'm an Alice Cooper fanboy that's all.

[Axeman77]

Tough one, can't make a order though.

Probably;

Michael Schenker (UFO, Michael Schenker Group)
Dave Murray (Iron Maiden)
Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple, Rainbow, Blackmore's Night)
Mark Knofler (Dire Straits)

.....

But some big mentions to Gary Moore, Randy Rhoads, Scott Gorham, Brain Robertson, and who really should be on the list Uli Jon Roth, but I could be here all day...

[Ellbery]

1. Tony Iommi
2. Randy Rhoads
3. Ritchie Blackmore
4. David Murray/Adrian Smith
5. Glenn Tipton/KK Downing

The last 2 have to go as duos since their sound really needs the other member of the duo.

That was gonna be my list!!

I might've added Tommy Bolin and Bernie Marsden/Micky Moody though!

[Josef_K]

um... lets see...

1. Ritchie Blackmore, I only like his work up until "Long Live Rock n Roll" and some of the later stuff with Blackmore's Night, but the stuff is still incredible enough for him to remain unchallenged. The tone of this mans solos is just mindblowing, as well as his songwriting abilities, chord progressions, riffs I mean everything is just perfect about this guy.

2. Tony Iommi, I like EVERYTHING he did under the Sabbath moniker, and almost everything I've ever heard from his solo projects etc. Truly a magical guitarist, mainly his riffs are a never-ending source of inspiration.

3. Jimi Hendrix, although I haven't heard all his material, I cannot deny the fact that there was something very very special about this man. His songwriting is focused around his love for playing the guitar in such a beautiful way, and mainly his solos show why so many consider him the greatest guitarist ever.

4. David Gilmour, his solos are great, but the main reason I love him so much is because of his songwriting. He uses effects in such a beautiful way you are immediately hypnotized, probably the most experimental of those on my list.

5. Jimmy Page, what I love most about him is actually his blues-rock tone, it's plain amazing. His riffs are great as are his solos and songwriting capabilities, I guess the others are just a liiittle bit better imo.

[Karl Malone]

francis rossi
tony iommi
ritchie blackmore
dougie aldridge
mark knopfler

rhythm guitar...rick parfitt.

[led sabbath]

Jimi Hendrix
Tony Iommi
Randy Rhoads
Eddie Van Halen
Stevie Ray Vaughn
The Yardbirds Trio - Clapton/Beck/Page
Ted Nugent

[Buffalo Bill Scruggs]

Varg Vikernes (Burzum) - This dude is a great guitar player. Add onto the fact that he's got the raw compositional talent of the classical composers of olde (honestly, I'd go so far as to say Varg is the Mozart of the 20th and 21st centuries), and you've got an amazing musician.

Tony Iommi - The riffmaster. Not much more needs to be said.

Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom) - Like it or not, Bodom is still one of my favorite bands. The dude can really compose a good lead.

Daniel Corchado (The Chasm) - The dude knows how to weave a sinister death metal riff into an entrancing soundscape. If you don't believe me, listen to Vault to the Voyage from the newest The Chasm album.

Shane Rout (Abyssic Hate) - This guy is a master of the buzzy, melodic, entrancing riff. He may only really play simple chords for the most part, but what he has is what a lot of guitarists lack: taste. He knows how to compose a good song without turning it into a pissing contest. I guess being in a one-man project helps.

[MH1986]

He knows how to compose a good song without turning it into a pissing contest.

While I'm not familiar with his stuff I certainly believe that this is right here is something guitarists should take to heart. Malmsteen for instance always seems to be trying to outdo himself and all of his songs turn into a jumble of 32nd notes getting from one melody note to another. While impressive there does reach a point where you just dismiss it entirely. Why play all the connecting notes when you could just play the damned melody in the first place. Now, Malmsteen is just my example, but there are tons of guitarists both pro and amateur that this applies to. Technically talented guitarists often times take a good song idea and turn it into a mess by over-complicating it.

My philosophy as far as creating riffs myself is that if I can make an awesome riff or song in a very simple matter why fuck it up by over-complicating the damn thing. Now sometimes the song calls for something a bit more advanced but I don't believe in showing off just to show off. If the song calls for it by all means shred to high heaven, but to be honest a good bluesy solo always does more for me than a face melting double tapped shred solo ever will. Basically keep it simple stupid.

There is a reason why AC/DC is one of the most popular rock bands in the world and Malmsteen isn't, and it sure isn't technical skill or musical knowledge. I like Malmsteen, even if it seems like I pick on him, he's best in small doses.

[Axe fiend]

Wow, Never noticed this thread before! This is going to be hard, but here goes in no particular order (Not including local guitar players that none of you know about):

- Tony Iommi
- Tommy Bolin
- Jimi Hendrix
- David Gilmour
- Bill Steer (Firebird)

Yeah, I know my list is pretty old school an shit, but these are the guys (Not including local guitar players) that have done the trick for me over the last 30 years. They've inspired me in my own music and I never tire of their tunes.

[SYMPTOMS of EVILWOMEN]

Tony Iommi(Sabbath..etc)
Ritchie Blackmore(Depp Purple..etc)
Ron Ashton(The Stooges...etc)
James Hetfield(Metallica)
Pat O'Brien(Cannibal Corpse..etc)

[IommiRules]

#1) Iommi- I am an unabashed, unapologetic FANBOY!

#2) Blackmore
#2) Lifeson
#2) Gilmour
#2) SRV

Runners up would include Robert Cray, Jake E. Lee, Brian May, Rik Emmett, The Edge, Mark Knopfler... But my Top 5 haven't changed in over 20 years & probably won't. I even LOVE what Ritchie is doing now with Blackmore's Night. He may well be a jagoff... but a talented one nonetheless.

_______________________________________EDIT_______ _____________________________________________

John Frusciante- I always forget about Frusciante. Honorable Mention not Top 5, but great and very under rated.

OK, I must have a brain tumor. I forgot Dickey Betts. His guitar IS a lead vocalist. I forget him because he was part of a team for so long. His sound is so emotional, so raw, so pure. Excuse me, I need to schedule an MRI and locate WTF is wrong with my skull.

http://youtu.be/kCO1iAWZPvw

[Deuce Frehley]

Tony Iommi, Ted Nugent, Ace Frehley, Rory Gallagher, Johnny Winter

[Charger]

Really a tough one...

#1 Tony Iommi (Naturally...he creator of heavy metal, the master of the riff but his solos are brilliant as well and so full of emotion)
#2 Ritchie Blackmore (Techincally probably without a doubt the best guitar player in the world...he constantly plays and practices to be even better. Give him an electric guitar, acoustic, lute, mandolin hurdy gurdy, he can play them all flawlessly, say what you will about his current band but it shows how great of a player he really is)

Those two will never change...but the next 3 can change any day
#3 Criss Oliva (Another guitar god that was taken from us way too early, his playing had so much emotion and soul, he truly was one with his instrument)
#4 Zakk Wylde (He was very young when he started with Ozzy and blew away even the great Randy Rhoads, to a point anyways, clearly Zakk was much heavier player than Randy, which is probably why I like him more. But it wasn't untill Black Label Society that he really found his own thing)
#5 Craig Goldy (Without a doubt the best guitar player DIO (the band) ever had. His playing was very much in the vain of Ritchie, a lot of emotion and aggression when needed. Extremely versatile player, the only DIO guitarist that could play flawlessly both Rainbow and Sabbath)

Then I'd like to mention some guitar duos as well:
Glenn Tipton & KK Downing (Originators of the full double guitar assault)
Dave Murray & Adrian Smith
Scott Ian & Rob Caggiano

And few players that could easily make it to the top 5 on any given day as well
Steve Morse
Matt LaPorte (Yet another player that was taken from us way too early, pure genious)
Randy Rhoads (^^^^)
Gaz Jennings


The world is filled with great guitar players but sadly also many have been taken from us too early...

[Jonas Psalter]

in no order:
GEORGE HARRISON (Beatles but MOSTLY for his solo slide guitar)
TONY IOMMI
JIMI HENDRIX
JIMMY PAGE
JAMES YOUNG (Styx BUT the way he plays it it's heavy metal style, you can not deny that, it's what attracted me to the whole "hard rock/heavy metal" genre in the first place.)

Other mentionables (sorry 5 is NOT enough)
DAVID GILMOURE
ERIC CLAPTON
PETE TOWNSEND
MICK RONSON
CHUCK BERRY (He started it all, and he's STILL doing this at 80+ years old! FREAKING ROCK ON, OLD TIMER!! This should be the standerd on how rock artists should end up.)

[Cozy Powell Fan]

My picks are

1. Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
2. Brian May (Queen)
3. Ritchie Blackmore (Rainbow, Deep Purple)
4. Criss Oliva (Savatage)
5. Chris Caffery (Savatage, TSO)

[rick1892]

In no particular order. RITCHIE BLACKMORE ( I agree with sabbathsteve, CHILD IN TIME is my favourite guitar solo ever)
TONY IOMMI (THE TRUE METAL GOD...THE CREATOR)
CRISS OLIVA (of SAVATAGE...THE MOST UNDERRATED GUITARIST OF ALL TIME.....may he RIP)
STEVE LUKATHER (PERFECTLY POLISHED GUITARIST)
YNGWIE J. MALMSTEEN (TECHNICAL GENIUS)

Honourable mentions go to DAVID GILMOUR
JOE SATRIANI
GARY MOORE (RIP)
NEAL SCHON
STEVE ROTHERY (Some of the most moving and beautiful solos I have ever heard)

[Karl Malone]

1.francis rossi
2.tony iommi
3.ritchie blackmore
4.dougie aldridge
5.jimmy page

[Sporkman GB]

Tony Iommi; THE Riffmaster and most overlooked guitarist of all time, I think.
Ritchie Blackmore: The noodling gets a little repetitive, but I always enjoy what he does live.
John Frusciante: Incredible improv solos and some great funk-rock riffs
Jimmy Page--If for nothing else, the crazy heavy psychedelic guitar solos he added into the fluffy pop songs of the Yardbirds last record.
Randy Rhoades: Love the classical influences.

[Thelemech]

Tony Iommi
Jimmy Page
James Hetfield
Dave Mustaine
Martin Barre

[slymetal]

Right now in 2012, these are my favorites:

Tony Iommi
Magnus Karlsson
Gus G
Michael Amott
Jeff Loomis

[justme1]

For skill, I'll add John 5 to my list as a tie for 5th

[Ochlocracy]

In no order:
Tony Iommi.
Angus Young.
Ian Moss.
Ian Haug.
Darren Middleton.
You guys probably wouldn't know the last three, but I like 'em.

[Billy Underdog]

So if it's my favorites, not who i consider the best, my list would be (in no particular order):

Myself (i've got a mean rythm hand)

The lead-guitarist in my current band (he's nothing extraordinary, but we play well together, make cool riffs together, and he's the kind of guy who can play a lick or a solo over any chord-progression you throw at him)

Jimmy Page (great technique, but still choose to play sloppy, as if he don't care (or are way too stoned on something))

Izzy Stradlin (Guns's own forgotten George Harrison, and like him the most important member of the band. The backbone)

Robert Fripp & David Gilmour (They both play pretty simple, yet complex. Not many others can play a one-note solo and make it sound fantastic)

Runner-ups:
Slash (ofcourse), Tony Iommi (ofcourse), Steve Marriott (also has that sloppyness of Page, plus he looks really fucking cool while playing), Pete Townsend (The king of guitar-smashing), Stian Westhus (of Monolithic and Jaga Jazzist, amongst others), The Young-brothers (Angus would be nothing without Malcolm's rythm) and probably some more i can't remember right now.

I'm not really into having favorite guitarists, a Top 3 bassists and drummers would've been much easier...

[Musicman11]

Dear god this is going to be hard. There are so many guitarists that I love and narrowing it down to 5, let alone the BEST 5 is really hard to do, but I'll give this a shot:

1. Tony Iommi - What can I say that hasn't already been said. The man delivers riffs like no other and is the father of heavy metal riffs everywhere. The best part is he still has awesome riffs in this day and age. His playing has never really waned to be honest, he's been one of the most consistent players out there always playing brilliantly, his worse moments are in league with the best moments of several other guitarists. Whether it be the rhythm or the soloing Iommi is and always will be one of the greatest players in the world.

2. Jimi Hendrix - Sure he can be overrated by some people, but for damn good reason. The innovator with the guitar. He felt every note that he played and put out some really impressive stuff in his short life span. His multiple albums recorded over a 5 year career shows a man with the apptitude for playing and every song has amazing emotion that can only be created by Hendrix. The man leanred Sgt. Pepper in less then 4 days back in 1967, enough said.

3. Ritchie Blackmore / Randy Rhoads - Once again I can't say that much that hasn't been said about these two. Both loved classical music and it showed in the music that they played. In Randy's short life he put Ozzy on the map as a solo artist and as the next generation shredder along side EVH. Shame as what he might have did in the future I have no doubt would have been more amazing. For Ritchie he helped form metal and cemented the rock guitar. His work inside and out of Lord's soloing as well as his own made him one of a kind and I'm glad to see someone work on what they want to in this day and age as Blacmore's Night is brilliant.

4. Buckethead - I don't know if many people know him here. Guested with Primus Ozzfest 99, tried out for Ozzy in the 2000's at some point but didn't get the gig for being too weird or you may know his as the NewGNR guitarist for 4 year in the early 2000's. His work there is great and for a mostly solo artist he did very well in comparison to other virtuoso's who have a hard time adjusting, but it's his solo career that shines above all else. With over 40 albums that fully feature him, most being his solo work, he's a god of a player. Sure he can do the massive shredding like Yngwie can, but he can also put out some heartbreaking stuff that is beautiful such as Baptism of Solitdue. I reccomend you check him out if you get the chance, try Jordan, Soothslayer, Baptism of Solitude, Electirc Tears, and Nottingham Lace. Hopefully you won't regret it.

5. Mikael Akerfeld / Dave Mustaine - Another band I'm a huge fan of led by one consistent memeber. Seeing a trend yet? XD Anyways Mustaine has provided some of the greatest riffs in history. Supplying the rhythm and contributing as many solos as the various lead guitarists over the years, he's been another fairly consistent player. While Mikael As a huge Opeth fan I loved the man. Holding the band together over the past 20 years is no easy task and especially with the length of the songs put into factor. It's not easy making 10 minutes songs interesting for the whole time, let alone 10 of them or a 20 minute one. But each time without fail he has delivered some amazing stuff. Sure he's taking more of a prog rock direction but his playing is as great as ever. Both are brilliant and need to be mentioned.

So yeah I cheated with a couple of ties, but that's just how it is. Now for the fun part the honorable mentions:
Eddie Van Halen - Would be 6th, lost out because of some piss poor playing while he was drinking and his playing can be just a tad repetitive after so long. Still a great guitarist if I may say so myself.
Slash - The man helped bring rock n' roll back out. Some great session work as well as some of the best leads I've ever heard to accompany ballads.
Zakk Wylde - Another great player, but his constant use of pinch harmonics just keeps him out of the top 5.
Yngwie Malmsteen - I love a virtuoso. He may be arrogant and over the top, but he still plays brilliantly.
David Gilmour - I love his emotion with Pink Floyd and his ability to create some interesting bluesy leads in the middle of the Pink Floyd fare.
Chuck Schuldiner - See RLP for this one.
Trey Azagthoth - Another great player leading a great band.
And many more I could mention, but that's enough for now.

[TYR66]

Joe Satriani
Gary Moore
Tony Iommi
Ritchie Blackmore
John Sykes
Randy Rhoads
Jeff Loomis
and many more ...

---------- Post added at 10:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:03 AM ----------

and , of course , Michael Schenker !!

[Sporkman GB]

Also gotta throw in a guy I discovered pretty recently, Chris Duarte. Very bluesy, jazzy player, kind of in the vein of Stevie Ray Vaughn, but maybe better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNS2dURnTSg


The guy's insane

[RichardRG]

My current top 10:

Yngwie Malmsteen
Alexi Laiho
Tony Iommi
Randy Rhoads
Tony MacAlpine
Jose Gonzalez
Andres Segovia
Eric Clapton
Sami Virtanen
Thomas Youngblood

[The Wretch]

TONY IOMMI - Obviously! The riffmaster general!

EDDIE VAN HALEN - Maybe there are more technicall gifted players, faster etc, but nobody as ever had that "lightning in a bottle" quality like Ed. Creative as a rhythm player too, and he has written some fantastic songs. Nobody else has the ability to make me grin from ear to ear everytime, even after 25 years of listening.

MICHAEL SCHENKER - Fluid, melodic, inspired. The perfect mix of feeling and ability. If you are talking purely in terms of lead guitar, at his best nobody can touch him.

ROSS THE BOSS - Somehow manages to play metal, punk, rock n roll, blues rock and even surf music while maintaining a signature, instantly identifiable sound. He plays with such heart and energy, and power right from the gut, and walks the line perfectly between the original recorded solo, and improvisation.

BUCK DHARMA - Simply the most underrated guitarist in rock history. Again, covers a wide range of styles while maintaining his own unique voice. The man is pure class!

Honorable mentions - Gorham/Robertson, Gary Moore, Richie Blackmore, Fast Eddie Clarke, Phil Campbell, Smith/Murray, Tipton/Downing, Gaz Jennings, Bill Steer, Rory Gallagher, Paul Kossoff, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Bell, Pete Brabbs (Tank) and the power that is Malcolm Young!

[Chris Webster]

1. Iommi
2. Hendrix
3. Rhoads
4. Gilmour
5. Tie: Adam Jones, Mike McCready, Townsend, Hetfield/Hammett

HM: Dave Murray/Adrian Smith

---------- Post added at 08:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:48 AM ----------

3. Jimi Hendrix, although I haven't heard all his material, I cannot deny the fact that there was something very very special about this man. His songwriting is focused around his love for playing the guitar in such a beautiful way, and mainly his solos show why so many consider him the greatest guitarist ever.

FYI~I might be the only one who didn't know~Years ago I was in a record store and recognized Jimi's playing on the speakers but I didn't know the song, I inquired and found out the album was Nine to the Universe, CD version is Message From Nine to the Universe. Some great Jimi jams on this one. I tried to buy the album but it was an employees personal LP. The vinyl sounds INCREDIBLE if you can find it, the cd contains the unedited jams.

---------- Post added at 09:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:59 AM ----------

5. jimi hendrix SO SO SO over rated but the other 4 might not of bothered without jimbo so i guess he gets a kedos for that

SACRILEGE! When you die and go to music Hell you will listen to You Light Up My Life for all eternity. ( because it's ironic and a horrible song). Repent while there is still time. Jimi will forgive.

[kamikazetom]

Also gotta throw in a guy I discovered pretty recently, Chris Duarte. Very bluesy, jazzy player, kind of in the vein of Stevie Ray Vaughn, but maybe better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNS2dURnTSg


The guy's insane

Very cool to see another Chris Duarte fan on the boards - he's a killer guitarist & extremely nice if you get the chance to see him live he will always meet & talk with his fans - been a fan since the early 90's always loved his original band with John Jordan on bass - here's one of my favorites from tailspin headwack - Cleo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiV3L3o4BD0