Best Guitarists

[Thatch_Ear]

You guys forgot the guy that started it all, Django Rhienhardt. If you don't know who this guy is watch a movie called Sweet Lowdown starring Sean Penn who thinks he is the best guitar player in the world "Well maybe except for this 3 fingered French gyptsy guy"

Thatch

 

[Pat S.]

You're absolutely right. Django was incredable. I have a couple of records that he recorded in the 40's and the playing is still innovative today. I should also mention Charlie Christian, the father of modern Jazz guitar.

Sweet and Lowdown is one of my favorite movies too.


Pat

 

[Shadow]

Hey Folks

I am an old Picker from another Galaxy Far Far away LOL.

Just a few names I haven't seen listed yet.

A good friend & mentor
Steve Cropper from Booker T & the MG's the STAX A&R Man and later backer for the blues bros.

Merle Travis
Robert Johnson
Muddy Waters
Elias McDaniel=? Better known as Bo Diddley
Scotty Moore
Carl Perkins
Twanger= Duane Eddy
Don Bogle
Nokie Edwards
Don Wilson the Ventures
Lonnie Mack
Link Wray

We must not forget
George Harrison
John Lennon
Paul McCartney
Keith Richards

Lindsey Buckingham
Johnny Winter
Paul Butterfield
Elvin Bishop
Jim "Roger" McGuinn
David Crosby
Stephen Stills
Neil Young

Robbie Robertson

De Plane- De Plane LOL
Jorma Kaukonen
Paul Kantner Jefferson Airplane

Steve Miller

Robby Krieger= Doors

John Cipollina- Quicksilver Messenger Service

Billy Gibbons
Joe Walsh

I will rest now and give someone else a chance.

OOPS Must List
Duane Allman &
Dickey Betts

and
Gary Rossington
Ed King
Allen Collins
Steve Gaines from Lynyrd Skynyrn

Dave Hlubek
Duane Roland
Steve Holland= Molly Hatchet

Alvin Lee

YADDA< YADDA< YADDA

~Shadow~

 

[Thatch_Ear]

One more and this guy does not play guitar but mandolin is a guy named Kenneth "Jethro" Burns. You need to hear this guy play! A geetar playing bud of mine that lives all the way in Taxachusettes sent me a copy of his work.
Thatch

 

[bully]

Holy cow, Batman!!
Just shows how many great guitar players were out there, especially from the mid-60s throughout the 70s, and even beyond and before.
Can't believe I didn't think of at least half those Shadow listed, and the other half, well, yeah.
Gawd, for sheer speed, ol' Alvin Lee could really get the fingers blazin'!
Some great, great pickers y'all have named. Whew.

pete

 

[loonytunes]

Most every guitar picker I can think of has been mentioned already. One old timer I can think of is Arthur "guitar boogie" Smith. 40's hillbilly stuff.

Say, you guys see that list of the top guitar players recently released? I don't know who's list it was but they had Slash from guns n' roses rated at #5???!! Of all time??!! Stevie Ray at #19?
One thing they got right was Jimi Hendrix #1 Jimmy Page #2
But Slash #5?? NO WAY!

Derek

 

[Thatch_Ear]

Bonnie is a fun gal. I saw here in an outdoor show up in the Berkshires 30 years ago with a new musical wit, John Prine. Bonnie was a real party gal back in those days and the concert was very lively. Everybody had fun but maybe Bonnie most of all.

 

[loonytunes]

Here's a few more:

Ladies: Nancy Wilson Joan Baez

George Thorogood
John Fogerty
Tommy Shaw
Vivian Campbell
Glenn Tipton
K.K. Downing
Justin Hayward-Moody Blues
Mick Ralphs- Bad Co.
Neil Geraldo-Pat Benatar
Erik Brann- Iron Butterfly
Hilton Valentine- The Animals
Frampton
Glen Buxton-Alice Cooper
Leslie West- Mountain
Carlos Cavazo-Quiet Riot
Rod Price-Foghat
Mick Box- Uriah Heep
Lemmy-Motorhead (or did he play bass?)
How's about ol' Flatt&Scruggs

Derek

 

[bully]

Shadow--I'm glad you mentioned Steve Cropper!
For "some reason" this morning I got to thinking about Steve Cropper, and couldn't remember anyone mentioning him.
I thought someone had, but wasn't sure, so checked again.
Yeah, some fine fine licks represented by all of these guys, and surely more fine guitarists that 'we've' never heard outside some small bar or just sitting in their home grinnin' stupidly while they play for the sheer fun of it ...

 

[Toasted Almond]

Frank Zappa
Zoot Horn Rollo
Larry Coryell
John Abercrombie
John Tropea
David Amaro
Lowell George
Brian Jones (Remember HIM? It was HIS band!)
Les Paul
Tal Farlow
Mahavishnu John McLaughlin
Robben Ford
Bill Connors
Alex Snouffer
Ry Cooder
George Benson (pre-famous)
Grant Green
Clarence White

Too many of them.

Toasted Almond

 

[Punker X]

Not much to add to these awsome player listed, but I didn't see Dick Dale mentioned anywhere.

I'll agree with Thatch, on the Ry Cooder. Personal favorites of mine also not mentioned.

John Lee Hooker
Ted Hawkins
Muddy Waters
Mississippi John Hurt

X

 

[madpioneer]

Michael Lee Firkins
Marty Friedman
Michael Harris
DOUG MARKS
George Lynch
Warren De Martini
John Albani
Adrian Vandenberg
Tony Macalpine
Lanny Cordola
Vinnie Vincent
Neal Schon
Tom Scholz
CHRIS IMPELLITERRI voted the fastest player in the world at an event in Japan
:guitar:

 

[dderat]

Not a single mention of Django Reinhardt. This is very disheartening. I would encourage all to listen to some of his recordings from the early 30's.... and he did it all with only two good fingers on his left hand.

 

[dderat]

oops

I missed the several fine references to Django Reinhardt. My apologies to all.

I turned Thatch onto Jethro Burns. He is to mandolin what Django is to guitar. I've never heard anything quite like it. He was playing at 6, professionally at 13. Whenever you hear mandolin with Chet Atkins, it almost certainly will be he.

It would almost be appropriate to call Django the Jethro Burns of guitar ......

Almost.........

 

[dingus]

only 1 mention of Lindsey Buckingham, thats a tragic oversight, here's some more.

Neil Finn
Davey Johnstone
Robert Fripp
Jim Mogine
Martin Rotsey
Trevor Rabin
Bill Duffy
Walter Becker
Buddy Guy
Mike Rutherford
Roy Clark

and a guy i saw at the Red Dog Saloon in Oklahoma City in 1983, in a band called "Bad Gnu's". he was pretty awesome.

 

[gearhead]

I'd like to add, if they haven't already been mentioned, Adrian Belew, Reeves Gabrels, and John 5.
I read an article about Mr. 5 in a Guitar Player mag from last year I picked up at the used record store. He was Marilyn Manson's guitarist for a while.
He's got an album called Vertigo, and I just got it today.
It's pretty good, it's got thrash-metal-bluegrass on it, fer cryin' out loud!
Well, maybe thrash-metal AND blugrass. (Heavy bluegrass?)

 

[unclebort]

One of my favorites has always been Michael Schenker during his UFO and early MSG days.

Tom

 

[Micropassatman]

Rudolph Schenker
Matthias Jabs
Buck Dharma
Stevie Stevens
Randy Rhoads
Zakk Wylde
John Sykes
Angus Young
Malcom Young
Dave Mustaine
Robert Randolph Amir Derakh
Brian Blush
Tom Scholz
Brian May
Chris DeGarmo
Nuno Bettencourt
Brion James
Dave Meniketti
Joe Perry
Ritchie Sambora
Criss Oliva
Russ Freeman
Al Pitrelli
Gary Moore
Jerry Cantrell
Reb Beach
Roger Fisher
Howard Leese
Ty Tabor
Gene Allen
J. Holmes
Rick Nielsen
Ronni Le Tekro
Gary Richrath
Mark Ferrari

...and MANY more, I'm sure...

 

[dr*audio]

Nobody mentioned my favorite, Steve Hackett, ex- Genesis lead guitarist.
Also:
Pat Donohue
Pete Huttlinger, National Fingerstyle Champion
Patty Larkin (you just try playing her stuff, you'll see how good she is)
Kaki King
Adrian Legg
Mark Knopffler
Snuffy Walden
And the guy in the movie, "Sweet and Low Down" who played all of Sean Penn's guitar parts! Lets go to the dump and shoot rats!

 

[Micropassatman]

Was Steve Howe on anyones' list?