Best Guitarists Evah!!!

[diddley]

Steve Cropper and what a major influence he was and gave to so many songs.
I've seen him twice live and it was memorable, played for 2 hours big man and no drop of sweat.
And when you see or read interviews with the man he is really modest and down to earth.
But what a band he was playing in. they should make a statue for that band.Booker T and the M.G.'s i am talking about.

 

[Jbrunwa]

The trio

 

[earlevel]

Does no one else think Alvin Lee belongs in this league?

I read the first page of the thread, with no mention of Alvin Lee, and right off thought...I really need to listen to more Alvin Lee, to see if I've been mistaken. Been rolling though the past hour, via Apple Music. Nope, wasn't mistaken, deserves mention...

But there are so many, and there are different measures (influencing a number of other guitarists who go on to be greats is one). It took seven pages to get to Holdsworth. Steve Hackett hasn't been mentioned. Eleven to get to Steve Howe. Thats why I wasn't even going to put up my own pick. There is no wrong answer, it's whoever did it for you. And on another level, for other guitarists who went on to do it for you. These kind of posts should maybe be more about your favorite guitarists.

 

[Sal1950]

"Best Guitarists Evah"?
ME, you should hear me jam my Air Guitar, no one can keep up.
I can surpass anyone I put on the HiFi.
Damn I'm good.

 

[ahofer]

Guthrie Govan. No contest. He can play any contemporary style better than the original, and he's a supremely fluid improviser.

 

[ahofer]

btw, Clapton and Garcia are very overrated. Generally speaking, the studio guys (Carlton, Ford, Khan) can run circles around them and play and improvise in way more styles. As can Guthrie.

 

[Rottmannash]

btw, Clapton and Garcia are very overrated. Generally speaking, the studio guys (Carlton, Ford, Khan) can run circles around them and play and improvise in way more styles. As can Guthrie.

Hate to say this but Garcia was a mediocre guitar player. Clapton had moments but not a great soloist.

 

[ahofer]

Hate to say this but Garcia was a mediocre guitar player. Clapton had moments but not a great soloist.

Yeah, I troll a bit with the comment. Clapton is really good IMO, but his status as a guitar god makes little sense. Garcia repeats himself endlessly with four note descending and ascending scale intervals, and a lot of the time he and the band were too high to make much sense.

Granted, I weight my ratings in the following order:
1. improvisational fluidity and melodicism
2. technical ability
3. multi-style integration/versatility

A lot of the rock/blues gods are one-trick ponies, staying in one dominant mode and repeating licks. Some people who catch a lot of guff - Frampton and Mayer for instance, are really fluid and melodic improvisers. But if you want a (incomplete?) list of people who do all three-

• Guthrie Govan
• Larry Carlton
• Pat Metheny (we could debate how far-ranging his styles are, I know, but the synth and prepped guitar is a pretty good flex)
• Andrew Synowiec

Heroes that have great technique and improvisation but stay mostly in fairly narrow stylistic lanes (some of them invented their stylistic lanes, tho)

• David Gilmour
• Jimi Hendrix
• Pat Martino
• George Benson
• Joe Pass
• Peter Frampton
• John Mayer
• Tommy Emmanuel
• Mike Stern
• Eddie Van Halen

Then there are the speed/shred guys who seem like mostly technique, without melodic improvisation or style versatility to me, e.g.:

• Steve Vai
• Joe Satriani
• Al Dimeola

Here's Guthrie imitating a bunch of guitar gods in rapid succession:

 

[Jimbob54]

These 3 should probably be in any decent long list

From 9 mins for the trio

 

[Suffolkhifinut]

Yeah, I troll a bit with the comment. Clapton is really good IMO, but his status as a guitar god makes little sense. Garcia repeats himself endlessly with four note descending and ascending scale intervals, and a lot of the time he and the band were too high to make much sense.

Granted, I weight my ratings in the following order:
1. improvisational fluidity and melodicism
2. technical ability
3. multi-style integration/versatility

A lot of the rock/blues gods are one-trick ponies, staying in one dominant mode and repeating licks. Some people who catch a lot of guff - Frampton and Mayer for instance, are really fluid and melodic improvisers. But if you want a (incomplete?) list of people who do all three-

• Guthrie Govan
• Larry Carlton
• Pat Metheny (we could debate how far-ranging his styles are, I know, but the synth and prepped guitar is a pretty good flex)
• Andrew Synowiec

Heroes that have great technique and improvisation but stay mostly in fairly narrow stylistic lanes (some of them invented their stylistic lanes, tho)

• David Gilmour
• Jimi Hendrix
• Pat Martino
• George Benson
• Joe Pass
• Peter Frampton
• John Mayer
• Tommy Emmanuel
• Mike Stern
• Eddie Van Halen

Then there are the speed/shred guys who seem like mostly technique, without melodic improvisation or style versatility to me, e.g.:

• Steve Vai
• Joe Satriani
• Al Dimeola

Here's Guthrie imitating a bunch of guitar gods in rapid succession:

Would add Carlos Santana to the list of speed/shred guys with great technique and no melodic interpretation. Remember John Williams in a group he helped form ‘Sky’ and while you couldn’t doubt William’s technique it was so musically sterile and uninvolving why did they bother?

 

[Phorize]

Yeah, I troll a bit with the comment. Clapton is really good IMO, but his status as a guitar god makes little sense. Garcia repeats himself endlessly with four note descending and ascending scale intervals, and a lot of the time he and the band were too high to make much sense.

Granted, I weight my ratings in the following order:
1. improvisational fluidity and melodicism
2. technical ability
3. multi-style integration/versatility

A lot of the rock/blues gods are one-trick ponies, staying in one dominant mode and repeating licks. Some people who catch a lot of guff - Frampton and Mayer for instance, are really fluid and melodic improvisers. But if you want a (incomplete?) list of people who do all three-

• Guthrie Govan
• Larry Carlton
• Pat Metheny (we could debate how far-ranging his styles are, I know, but the synth and prepped guitar is a pretty good flex)
• Andrew Synowiec

Heroes that have great technique and improvisation but stay mostly in fairly narrow stylistic lanes (some of them invented their stylistic lanes, tho)

• David Gilmour
• Jimi Hendrix
• Pat Martino
• George Benson
• Joe Pass
• Peter Frampton
• John Mayer
• Tommy Emmanuel
• Mike Stern
• Eddie Van Halen

Then there are the speed/shred guys who seem like mostly technique, without melodic improvisation or style versatility to me, e.g.:

• Steve Vai
• Joe Satriani
• Al Dimeola

Here's Guthrie imitating a bunch of guitar gods in rapid succession:

I’d suggest that Biréli Lagrène meets all 3 of your criteria, which as an aside I think are very good criteria. Could be argued that Robert Fripp does too.

 

[bluefuzz]

Don't think Steve Hillage of Gong has been mentioned ...

 

[ahofer]

I’d suggest that Biréli Lagrène meets all 3 of your criteria, which as an aside I think are very good criteria. Could be argued that Robert Fripp does too.

Didn't know Bireli. Found the video below which is kinda cool. Mostly I see him doing straight ahead jazz and Django-style acoustic. Fripp is pretty great.

 

[bluefuzz]

Or Eddie Hazel ...

 

[ryanosaur]

Saw him mentioned in pg1, but I really want to put some emphasis on John McLaughlin!
His work going all the way back with Miles Davis is just the tip of the iceberg. And Miles even named a cut on Bitches Brew after him!!!
But also some amazing recordings with his group, Mahavishu Orchestra… so many more…
Truly an outstanding and groundbreaking musician with virtuosic talent.

 

[Suffolkhifinut]

Saw him mentioned in pg1, but I really want to put some emphasis on John McLaughlin!
His work going all the way back with Miles Davis is just the tip of the iceberg. And Miles even named a cut on Bitches Brew after him!!!
But also some amazing recordings with his group, Mahavishu Orchestra… so many more…
Truly an outstanding and groundbreaking musician with virtuosic talent.

Great technician never found him involving.

 

[bluefuzz]

Richard Lloyd and the late Tom Verlaine of Television.

 

[ryanosaur]

Great technician never found him involving.

I can dig it... There are a lot of really amazing musicians I don't enjoy listening to, myself. It isn't a statement against skill or talent. Just what works for us, the listeners.

 

[bluefuzz]

There are a lot of really amazing musicians I don't enjoy listening to, myself.

Yes. Just looking at the guitarists posted in this thread, it is almost as if having prodigious chops is inversely proportional to actually being able to make interesting music. Obviously that's far from always the case, but musicians who know and utilize their limitations always seem more interesting than those who appear not to have any limitations ...

I'd much rather listen to John Lee Hooker than the likes of widdle merchants like Vai and Satriani ...

 

[bluefuzz]

You don't have to be dead to be great guitarist though. I've probably said it before but Mary Halvorson is one of our most interesting living guitarists. Also proving that having great chops doesn't prevent you making great music.