View Full Version : rolling stone's 100 greatest guitarists of all time


ferg [ADR]
03-06-2008, 01:31 AM
1Jimi Hendrix
2 Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band
3 B.B. King
4 Eric Clapton
5 Robert Johnson
6 Chuck Berry
7 Stevie Ray Vaughan
8 Ry Cooder
9 Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
10 Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones
11Kirk Hammett of Metallica
12 Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
13 Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead
14 Jeff Beck
15 Carlos Santana
16 Johnny Ramone of the Ramones
17 Jack White of the White Stripes
18 John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
19 Richard Thompson
20 James Burton
21 George Harrison
22 Mike Bloomfield
23 Warren Haynes
24 The Edge of U2
25 Freddy King
26 Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave
27 Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits
28 Stephen Stills
29 Ron Asheton of the Stooges
30 Buddy Guy
31 Dick Dale
32 John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service
33 & 34 Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth
35 John Fahey
36 Steve Cropper of Booker T. and the MG's
37 Bo Diddley
38 Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac
39 Brian May of Queen
40 John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival
41 Clarence White of the Byrds
42 Robert Fripp of King Crimson
43 Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic
44 Scotty Moore
45 Frank Zappa
46 Les Paul
47 T-Bone Walker
48 Joe Perry of Aerosmith
49 John McLaughlin
50 Pete Townshend
51 Paul Kossoff of Free
52 Lou Reed
53 Mickey Baker
54 Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane
55 Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple
56 Tom Verlaine of Television
57 Roy Buchanan
58 Dickey Betts
59 & 60 Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien of Radiohead
61 Ike Turner
62 Zoot Horn Rollo of the Magic Band
63 Danny Gatton
64 Mick Ronson
65 Hubert Sumlin
66 Vernon Reid of Living Colour
67 Link Wray
68 Jerry Miller of Moby Grape
69 Steve Howe of Yes
70 Eddie Van Halen
71 Lightnin' Hopkins
72 Joni Mitchell
73 Trey Anastasio of Phish
74 Johnny Winter
75 Adam Jones of Tool
76 Ali Farka Toure
77 Henry Vestine of Canned Heat
78 Robbie Robertson of the Band
79 Cliff Gallup of the Blue Caps (1997)
80 Robert Quine of the Voidoids
81 Derek Trucks
82 David Gilmour of Pink Floyd
83 Neil Young
84 Eddie Cochran
85 Randy Rhoads
86 Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath
87 Joan Jett
88 Dave Davies of the Kinks
89 D. Boon of the Minutemen
90 Glen Buxton of Alice Cooper
91 Robby Krieger of the Doors
92 & 93 Fred "Sonic" Smith, Wayne Kramer of the MC5
94 Bert Jansch
95 Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine
96 Angus Young of AC/DC
97 Robert Randolph
98 Leigh Stephens of Blue Cheer
99 Greg Ginn of Black Flag
100 Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

WTF kind of bullshit list is this?

YouFrgotPoland
03-06-2008, 02:27 AM
Kurt Cobain was awesome, but I wouldn't put him as number 12 guitarist ever. I do agree with Jimi Hendrix as number one though.

Blunt Object
03-06-2008, 02:50 AM
carlos santana 15?

Blunt Object
03-06-2008, 02:51 AM
carlos santana 15?

pokey
03-06-2008, 02:54 AM
yea fuck this list

ferg [ADR]
03-06-2008, 03:20 AM
jimi was real good, but #1 of all time???? hell no.

they didn't even mention steve vai or john petrucci! vai could play circles around everybody in that list.

pokey
03-06-2008, 03:21 AM
jimi was real good, but #1 of all time???? hell no.

they didn't even mention steve vai or john petrucci! vai could play circles around everybody in that list.

thats what im sayin
petrucci=god of all that has 6 strings

ferg [ADR]
03-06-2008, 03:21 AM
and chuck berry #6???????????? he is not even top 100. not even close.

ferg [ADR]
03-06-2008, 03:26 AM
thats what im sayin
petrucci=god of all that has 6 strings

and sometimes 7 strings :yes:

ferg [ADR]
03-06-2008, 03:27 AM
i will say i'm glad to see robert fripp on that list. he's great, i'd rank him higher though.

and why is frank zappa there instead of steve vai who played in his band? zappa is real good but vai blows him away.

livingdeath
03-06-2008, 07:24 AM
no al di meola,paco delucia or buckethead and angus young is on this list?they should have called the list the best giutarists of popular rock and blues.

livingdeath
03-06-2008, 07:28 AM
eugene chadbourne should be on that list
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YouFrgotPoland
03-06-2008, 07:58 AM
I still think Hendrix is number 1. Dude could make a bar with his thumb, and still play normally.

livingdeath
03-06-2008, 08:41 AM
I still think Hendrix is number 1. Dude could make a bar with his thumb, and still play normally.

yea hendrix is up there for sure.i'd put jeff beck at #1 myself,he's still playing at 60 years old though.hendrix died young.

henry
03-13-2008, 11:11 AM
KURT COBAIN IS SHIT, KIRK HAMMET IS GOOD BUT MUSTAINE IS A MUCH BETTER GUITARIST.

THIS LIST MAKES NO SENSE WITHOUT HAVING SEPARATE CATEGORIES, THE FACT IS IF YOU INCLUDE JAZZ, ROCK AND METAL GUITARISTS WHY NOT CLASSICAL OR LATIN STYLE PLAYERS WHO BLOW EVERYONE AWAY WITH 12 STRINGS.STUPIDLIST!!

ninjashoes
03-13-2008, 11:15 AM
Kurt Cobain was a good song writer but not a legendary guitarist, thats retarded

Hendrix is a good number 1

Joe Satriani rapes them all with his eyes close

I agree Mustaine is MUUUUCH better than the faggy Hammet

ninjashoes
03-13-2008, 11:17 AM
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SumDumbDick
03-13-2008, 01:50 PM
So they don't consider Dimebag to be a top 100 guitarist? When dimebag played you only needed to hear the first couple of seconds to know it was him. Shows how much rolling Stone knows about music. Maybe they should just stick to their liberal articles.

Zere
03-13-2008, 04:16 PM
shouldnt eddie van halen be higher?

YouSlayMe
03-13-2008, 04:35 PM
i'd trade out Duane Allman for SRV and some should not be on the list, but that's my opinion. there's too many genres and good guitarists to narrow them to top 100.

YouFrgotPoland
03-13-2008, 09:25 PM
Ya Mustaine wrote all the great Metalica songs.

GiantRobotDelux
03-14-2008, 05:40 PM
carlos santana 15?

Santana is a pattern player he should be WAY lower, if we're talking actual playing over composing.
This is list is pretty shit. Why is Angus Young so high too and George Harrison so low?

kermitthefrayer
03-15-2008, 05:16 PM
This makes me sooooooooooooooooooooo angry!

First off where the fuck is Stanley Jordan????

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Buckethead

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Why the fuck is Tom Morello at 26????????


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Part 2 no embed sorry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arWHSC3gQkA&NR=1



Larry "Ler" LaLonde????? How can you ignore tha man that Les Claypool leans on?

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I could go on but this is just lame....

kermitthefrayer
03-15-2008, 05:21 PM
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kermitthefrayer
03-15-2008, 05:25 PM
If you ask me they are trying to base this off record sales or something not actual skill.....

zappaite
04-08-2008, 05:12 PM
i will say i'm glad to see robert fripp on that list. he's great, i'd rank him higher though.

and why is frank zappa there instead of steve vai who played in his band? zappa is real good but vai blows him away.

you sir, should commit suicide right now for that statement. i hate you more than you'll ever know for your ignorance

Elduderino
04-09-2008, 12:33 AM
jimi was real good, but #1 of all time???? hell no.

they didn't even mention steve vai or john petrucci! vai could play circles around everybody in that list.

you clearly don't play guitar... Hendrix is an uncontested #1

But why the Fuck is David Gilmour and Angus young so low !!

Elduderino
04-09-2008, 12:36 AM
Ya Mustaine wrote all the great Metalica songs.

you are delusioual my friend... mustaine wrote one good* Metallica song. I'm not saying who the better guitarist is, but if you give mustaine credit for writing all the great Metallica songs, then your clearly confused

Elduderino
04-09-2008, 12:49 AM
I still think Hendrix is number 1. Dude could make a bar with his thumb, and still play normally.

almost every professional or serious gutiarist makes a bar with there thumb. But Hendrix pioneered it was cause it free'd up his pinky which led to his signature sound...

Keep your eyes out and if you can find a clip of a respected guitarist playing a bar chord with their index, I'll be shocked. The Hardest part isn't even using your thumb to fret the bottom E and mute the A sting,.. its fretting the B and E string together with your index

e----3-------- Index
B----3-------- Index
G----4-------- Middle
D----5-------- Ring
A----x--------
E----3-------- Thumb

and now you have your pinky free to unleash an assult of hammer ons and pull offs ala Hendrix

Beanflicker
04-16-2008, 08:55 PM
Well its not all about skill, its about influence, legacy, material, ect as well. Although I do agree that Kurt Cobain belongs NO WHERE on that list.

Elduderino
04-16-2008, 09:38 PM
Well its not all about skill, its about influence, legacy, material, ect as well. Although I do agree that Kurt Cobain belongs NO WHERE on that list.

you contradict yourself... how can you say "its not all about skill, its about influence, legacy, material, ect as well. " and then follow that with saying Cobain doesn't belong anywhere on that list

Beanflicker
04-16-2008, 09:45 PM
Because Cobains influence and legacy is in his songwriting - NOT his guitar playing. Ask guitarists now adays who influenced them. You won't get many Kurt Cobain answers. I'm not denying Kurt Cobain's status as a song writer and a rock star, but there was nothing special about his guitar playing.

Beanflicker
04-16-2008, 09:47 PM
Keep your eyes out and if you can find a clip of a respected guitarist playing a bar chord with their index, I'll be shocked.

Using the thumb is common I'll give you that, but the more technically adept guys (watch John Petrucci) play bar chords with their index fingers very often

Axeman
04-17-2008, 03:30 AM
why in the fuck is Page at #9 he is top 5 easy. this list is shit.

ninjashoes
04-17-2008, 08:43 AM
Cobain is proof that complex and skilled is not necessarily better. The same thing could be said about the Beatles but yeah I dont think Cobain's legacy is about being a great guitarist but an amazing songwriter.

YouFrgotPoland
04-17-2008, 09:49 AM
almost every professional or serious gutiarist makes a bar with there thumb. But Hendrix pioneered it was cause it free'd up his pinky which led to his signature sound...

Keep your eyes out and if you can find a clip of a respected guitarist playing a bar chord with their index, I'll be shocked. The Hardest part isn't even using your thumb to fret the bottom E and mute the A sting,.. its fretting the B and E string together with your index

e----3-------- Index
B----3-------- Index
G----4-------- Middle
D----5-------- Ring
A----x--------
E----3-------- Thumb

and now you have your pinky free to unleash an assult of hammer ons and pull offs ala Hendrix

I am going to have to disagree. I am quite positive not every professional or respected guitarist can make a bar with his thumb and continue to play normally. Hendrix could continue to play with the bar normally.

I think we might be on a different page, because barring the guitar with ur index finger is most common. That is how bar chords are generally played, with ur index barring.

Elduderino
04-17-2008, 10:55 AM
nevermind* Dicky Betts is #58

Elduderino
04-17-2008, 11:19 AM
I am going to have to disagree. I am quite positive not every professional or respected guitarist can make a bar with his thumb and continue to play normally. Hendrix could continue to play with the bar normally.

I think we might be on a different page, because barring the guitar with ur index finger is most common. That is how bar chords are generally played, with ur index barring.

Yes the index barre is by far the most common, but thats cause its used amoung the majority of beginners, cassual players and professionals. I admited the "every professional or serious guitarist" was a tad strong. What I was really trying to convey is that the bulk of the Guitar "Gods" and really decorated guitarist use the thumb to barre (Slash/Clapton/SRV/Keith Richards/Dylan/EVH/Robert Johnson) So yes the Thumb chord is an elitist technique

But my orginal point was that Hendrix's ablity to do it wasn't what made him great or unique. It was his entire approach to playing guitar and to music... not to mention his tone and technique, it was revolutionary. Stevie Ray Vaughan was the only guy to ever come close to mimicking Hendrix's technique/tone and really do his music justice

http://youtube.com/watch?v=zAG-kX_IlUw&feature=related

Beanflicker
04-17-2008, 01:50 PM
So yes the Thumb chord is an elitist technique


Not really. If you look at the guys who are considered the top guitar virtuosos - not necessarily the "guitar gods" - you'll see very little thumb chording. In fact the only "virtuoso" I can think of who I see using the thumb cchord a lot is Steve Vai and sometimes Malmsteen. And again it depends how high a particular guitarist wears the guitar.

YouFrgotPoland
04-18-2008, 11:04 AM
Yes the index barre is by far the most common, but thats cause its used amoung the majority of beginners, cassual players and professionals. I admited the "every professional or serious guitarist" was a tad strong. What I was really trying to convey is that the bulk of the Guitar "Gods" and really decorated guitarist use the thumb to barre (Slash/Clapton/SRV/Keith Richards/Dylan/EVH/Robert Johnson) So yes the Thumb chord is an elitist technique

But my orginal point was that Hendrix's ablity to do it wasn't what made him great or unique. It was his entire approach to playing guitar and to music... not to mention his tone and technique, it was revolutionary. Stevie Ray Vaughan was the only guy to ever come close to mimicking Hendrix's technique/tone and really do his music justice

http://youtube.com/watch?v=zAG-kX_IlUw&feature=related

O ya bro, don't even get me going on why Jimi was the greatest. I was just making a point with the thumb barre.

Elduderino
04-19-2008, 03:57 AM
O ya bro, don't even get me going on why Jimi was the greatest. I was just making a point with the thumb barre.

amen!

Sheddy
04-19-2008, 03:20 PM
For what it's worth, my favourite guitarists Ron Asheton(my AV), Clapton, Townshend and Wayne Kramer should be ranked higher, but there ya go...

I think Cream and Eric Clapton were every bit as good as Jimmy Hendrix Experience and Hendrix himself.

The list mostly comes down to opinion and maybe a bias towards a favourite band or genre.

Elduderino
04-20-2008, 06:11 AM
every list every comes down to opinion..and while I respect Cream ALOT, and specificly Ginger Baker as a drummer. I couldn't put them over JHE as a trio... but I know where your coming from and it really wouldnt be a strech for me

Rob
04-21-2008, 12:09 PM
How does Richie Sambora rate as a guitarist?

Elduderino
04-22-2008, 07:14 AM
How does Richie Sambora rate as a guitarist?

above average ?... sucessful ? thats always key

SolitaryIndividual
04-22-2008, 10:04 AM
vai and petrucci probably lose out because they are so technical, it seems that they care more about the theory and pure speed than the emotional playing that gets guitar players ranked higher on this list it seems

Billy SexCrime
05-11-2008, 06:15 AM
Where's Slash?

Jack Mehoff {ADR}
05-11-2008, 11:50 AM
82 David Gilmour of Pink Floyd



LOL

Jack Mehoff {ADR}
05-11-2008, 11:51 AM
no jerry cantrell?

this list sucks dick for coke

Goodkidcc
05-11-2008, 07:15 PM
I call work, Slash should be top 50 at least. He isnt even on the fucking list.

Billy SexCrime
05-11-2008, 08:36 PM
I call work, Slash should be top 50 at least. He isnt even on the fucking list.

That's what I'm saying... I'd say top 20.

the sk slinger
05-17-2008, 08:34 PM
that whole list is fubar
not a huge fan of these guys but chet atkins, joe pass anyone. living legends.
stevie ray should be top 5, slash top 20, eddie van top 20.
albert king should be on there.
cobain is too high, he wasnt the best guitarist in Nirvana
joe satriani cant make the list?
its just a bad list

Elduderino
05-23-2008, 12:00 AM
chet atkins is dead

the sk slinger
05-26-2008, 01:15 AM
lol. i said living legends. my bad