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Greatest Guitar Players Ever

this guy. you can keep your Hendrix, Clapton, Page & Van Halen's. this guy has never played a blues pentatonic lick in his life. he makes the most unique sounds I've ever heard coaxed out of a 6 stringed instrument. he's never has a 'bad patch', genius all the way
 
I'm going to answer this in 2 parts:
My favorites:
Rick Richards-Georgia Satellites
Ken Kennedy-The Raves
Don Rich-The Buckaroos
Duane Eddy

Bass Players
Rick Price-Georgia Satellites
John Entwistle-The Who
Kyle Henderson-The Producers
Jack Bruce-Cream/solo
Bill Blough-George Thorogood
Shaun Kelley-Desperate Angels/ Jalan Crossland

John Entwistle bass solo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVl39LBZGMw
 
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Great videos of Buckethead and Jimmy Page/John Bonham. I think one thing Page, and for that matter Bonham, really do not get credit for, is how many hours they spent on stage each show and just how good virtually every song and every improvisation they ever did, minute on minute, hour on hour really was. And how popular. I am sure that some of the things that Clapton has done on stage, and for that matter that SRV did on stage, were just amzing that I could barely stand to listen to. Very little Jimmy Page has ever played that I have heard that was not pretty listenable to me. There was only on guitar player on that stage when Zep played, and they have been voted again and again the best rock live act ever. How can anyone play that consistently well and interesting for that amount of time and that many shows? (Page is famous, by the way, for not being able to recreate the version of that part of Stairway that is on the album! He sure does not here either, as great as what he plays is!)

So correct. Many of the guitarists as amazing, but the music they made is just not my taste. I don't care for classic rock, but Jimmy's music is still amazing 30 years after I first heard it. I have my "Big 5." 5 bands who could do not wrong, who I have listened to for at 10 years:

Beatles
Led Zeppelin
The Jam
Bad Religion
Lagwagon

Only one has a guitar hero, but they have made music that I have listened to everyday of my life for the past 30 years. Guitar Heros are great, but without good music (or music that you like), it is wasted.
 
Hard to argue against Alan Holdsworth, but if your a gonna, I would say SRV.
Or Willie. Willie makes a guitar want to fall apart, and it's pretty close to doing just that.
Ahh, too many, not fair.
Brent.
 
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I could post about 5 people a day for a long time on who i think is the best. Tom Morello is a great guitar player. When he plays you would never guess a guitar is making those noises. Steve Vai is a great technical player and one of my favorites. Although i like hearing about self taught guitar players more. They go by feeling more than which pentatonic to follow next. Today my Best Guitarist Award goes to SRV
 
Reviving this thread. I was watching Pearl Jam 20 documentary by Cameron Crowe tonight on my local PBS station.

I still stand by my initial post. Pearl Jam's Mike McCready :w00t:
 
I'll revive this thread once again! OMG after reading 17 pages of some of the greatest guitar players ever i am kinda surprised some that were not mentioned at all some only a few times so here are a few more.


RORY GALLAGHER (Rory on!)
GARY MOORE
ROBIN TROWER
EARL SLICK
MICK RONSON

(Bass Players)
STANLEY CLARKE
JACK BRUCE
JOHN PAUL JONES
MEL SCHACHER


Just to name a few overlooked.
 
Good pick with James Taylor.

I do not know how much he really plays in concert these days, but I saw him in the mid-70s. He played a lot, and I was struck by just how good he was. Of course, no matter how good one once was, a lot can be lost just through lack of "use."
 
Good evening chaps. This thread surfaces from time to time and it is something of a monster. However, I read through all seventeen pages just to see who was listed. I notice a heavy preference for blues>rock>metal type artists. Now mind, I really don't know anything about proper music notation, or technical correctness. Like most folks I just like whatever happens to appeal to me at the moment.

The one overriding factor you see in this thread is what I referenced above. Most of us list greatest as playing what we like to hear. So yes, very subjective. I had no clue who Andres Segovia was til a few years ago when Scotto started a similar thread. One or two quick listening sessions on YouTube convinced me of not only his technical greatness(do I really know what that is?) but his flowing, connected way of playing an instrument that was supposedly never designed for or capable of playing classical music. To, an extreme WOW. I could listen to his stuff for hours. In fact I bought the Deutch Gramophone four disc collection of his work.

I also wanted to elabourate a bit more on the country western artists who are a bit more obscure to our blues/rock fans. As mentioned, Roy Clark. I will link a video or two and you can listen yourself. I hope I can find some of his more obscure stuff. Mesmerising.

Jerry Reed. Just trust me. Do a few searches for his stuff. The man was REALLY good.

Thank you to whoever mentioned Don Rich. I could not remember his name offhand and I did not want to cheat by looking it up. He played with Buck Owens' Buckaroos. Again, listen to some of his sixties stuff. Owens left recording and touring for the HeeHaw gig after Rich died. The guy was so essential to his sound that old Buck just did not think he could keep it the same without him. Think you've heard the Bakersville sound? Think Don Rich.

Waylon Jennings. Yes, Waylon. And look for stuff other than his outlaw years.

Willie. The man has the most unique guitar sound I have ever heard. Listen to his Stardust album for the most interesting and wonderful take on classic Americana pop tunes of the thirties and forties you have ever heard.

Vince Gill. Say what? Who? Yeah, Vince Gill. His singing is so smooth and serene you often get a bit lost in it and do not pay attention but please, listen to the guitar work. Smoothness.

I am sure others will come to mind so you country fans help me out.

Cheers, Todd

Here's Roy's Classic Malaguena

Caravan

Vince Gill Oklahoma Borderline Check it out at the 2:44 mark onward. Was he really that young then?

Mystery Train. I wish I could find some of his ballad work.
 
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Frank Gambale
Guthrie Govan
Scott Henderson
Wes Montgomery
Pat Martino
Jon Scofield
Bill Frisell
Bireli Lagrene
Django Reinhardt
Pat Metheney
lionel loueke
shawn lane
alan holdsworth
Don Ross
lenny breau


to name some :)
 
I have played guitar all of my life. I've been a pro player, a touring sideman, a studio player--for the past 50 years. I owned a guitar store for 30 years. Growing up in New Orleans, I am greatly influenced by the jazz and street music of N'awlins, and especially the soul artists of the 60's. So I'd have to say that Mac (Dr. John) was an amazing influence to me as a guitar player. (Yes, he plays guitar.) But I've seen three players live in my life that completely and totally blew me away. And I've seen hundreds of famous players, but these three were the top:
1. Larry Carlton
2. Joe Pass
3. Eric Johnson
 
Stevie Ray Vaughan. My def favorite over ALL. I actually think his near perfect cover of "Voodoo Chile" was better than Hendrix did it. The man straightened out his life, sobered up and still we lost him far too soon.

Brad Paisley (as much as I don't care a lot for most of his music) is WICKED on guitar. Country gets overlooked in this category. Also any of the old banjo players make even metal guitarists look slow...

Dimebag Darrel
Slash
John 5 (freakin weirdo, but he knows his guitar. Very well.)
Justin Sandercoe. hes a Kiwi, but pretty darn good with any guitar, acoustic, electric, pick, fingerstyle.

Oh, and for non-traditional guitar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddn4MGaS3N4

This guy blows my mind. So Rhythmic....:)
 
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