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Best Guitarists Evah!!!

I know what you mean. But I don't think you can engage in any artistic endeavour without some element of romanticism. It's the Ying to reason and rationality's Yang.
Rationality is a small subset of human experience and so is romanticism. But while it can be hard to explore the vast spaces of being and magick without proceeding from and returning to reason, I see no need to visit romanticism on those excursions.
 
You could say the same of Plato, Newton, Descartes, and Marx. And yet all 5 changed Western thought more than you or I are likely to.
Yeah, but how was there guitar acumen. I mean, could they play.
 
Strongly disagree with the (mis)characterization of John McLaughlin.

I was at that infamous Friday night show in San Francisco. I also saw him play in Santa Barbara with Katia and Marielle Labèque. Sadly I never got to see him play with the Orchestra. I have Birds Of Fire sitting comfortably on the mountain top.

If he is not number 1, he's top 3 IMO. Don't know what "un"musical is, but it sure sounds like a flavor choice, nothing more. Fusion is noise to one, bliss to another.
 
Susan Weinert
Joni Mitchell
Ralph Towner
Ry Cooder
Stephen Stills prior to the last 20 years or so

None the greatest ever but all contributed significantly IMO to the art!
 
I'd have to disagree on that one. I saw SRV live in '86 and it was certainly a thrill to see Voodoo Chile and Little Wing done well in a live situation. Almost as good as the real thing. But SRV was at best a good pastiche of Hendrix and Albert King and a decent enough session player (e.g. Bowie's Let's Dance). But there was little else of substance there, IMO, and his backing band was positively lumpen compared to The Experience ...
There was substance there. SRV simply died too young.
Was SRV's backing band even comparable to The Experience? Different times, different traditions from SRV. Personally, that style of drumming gets on my nerve, like Ginger Baker's - like they're trying to be "jazz", experimental and advanced, but won't bother to figure out what it is they're trying to achieve and reach a mature expression. Gifted drummers, no doubt, but lots of loose ends. I like the typical direct and clear-cut sound of Texas blues rythm sections - SRV, Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets, The Fabulous Thunderbirds.
So here you go: Anson F. and Jimmy V., two more great guitar players
 
It almost seems like there are dueling definitions in play... and both are appropriate in their own ways. There is technical skill or virtuoso talent. Then there is musicality.

There are of course musicians who excel in both categories. However, being technically excellent does not always equate to great musicality... or having the best sense of musicality does not guarantee technical proficiency to any great extent.

I know I will almost always favor a listening session with the more musical sensibility on display as opposed to the note-jockey who can play Flight Of The Bumblebee on the Tuba. ;)
Certainly, it pretty cool to do that; have that ability. But not to the extent that it, in and of itself, transports me to another level. (This is why I really hated music school and the Legit repertoire that we were all expected to learn and be able to perform! While the Creston Sonata for Alto is a great piece of music, I've never found myself moved by it. On the other hand, I pulled out the Hindemeth Sonata, also a great piece of music and much more musical rather than just being a display of technical proficiency.)

In many instances, as a Jazzer in part of my Saxophone upbringing, this has been one of my bones with BeBop. Those musicians were, without a doubt, amazing. Yet in many instances I find myself listening to notes (well executed to be certain) without a great sense of story being told from a musicality standpoint. As BeBop transitioned into other forms/styles of Jazz you started to get more musicality mixed in with the technique. Improv was a story or a conversation and the best performers move you.



:cool:
I will repeat my three criteria from above:

1. Musical and free-flowing improvisation
2. Technical ability
3. Integration of multiple styles.

Still think Guthrie Govan and Pat Metheny are the best fit on those criteria. I see lots of nominations above that don’t cover #3. SRV, for instance, stayed in one musical and stylistic lane. John Mayer and Prince can play like SRV *and* Clapton *and* Jerry Garcia, and improvise far more freely than the latter two.

Hendrix, Beck, and Van Halen absolutely invented new styles. So did Tommy Emmanuel and Pat Martino. Dimeola, Vai, Wylde, Satriani, etc have huge chops, but are missing 1 and 3.

But I think “greatest” has to do it all.
 
Strongly disagree with the (mis)characterization of John McLaughlin.

I was at that infamous Friday night show in San Francisco. I also saw him play in Santa Barbara with Katia and Marielle Labèque. Sadly I never got to see him play with the Orchestra. I have Birds Of Fire sitting comfortably on the mountain top.

If he is not number 1, he's top 3 IMO. Don't know what "un"musical is, but it sure sounds like a flavor choice, nothing more. Fusion is noise to one, bliss to another.
If you're responding to me then I can provide examples of where I think McLaughlin is wonderful and where I think it's little more than extraordinary athleticism. As I said, I love McLaughlin. I just think some of the stuff he's done is evidence of the powerful incentives that take some players, even good ones like McLaughlin, into the competitive domain of shredding-for-its-own-sake.
 
I will repeat my three criteria from above:

1. Musical and free-flowing improvisation
2. Technical ability
3. Integration of multiple styles.

Still think Guthrie Govan and Pat Metheny are the best fit on those criteria.
Wait a minute. Pat Metheny is a good example of the kind of post-Charlie Christian jazz guitarist that doesn't play the guitar really like a guitar. Or at least not when he's soloing. He plays like horn player. And that's what counts in jazz: playing like Bird. The guitar is a chordal instrument with 6 or more strings, frets and open strings. Playing jazz solos like Jim Hall is impressive, and sometimes I'm into it, but not very guitar-ish. Interesting corollary I've noticed with players of this kind, they disdain the use of a capo. Who would want to disdain this?

Now, what style you play on guitar, if you try to imitate horn players or now, is fine with me. It's just I think there's something lost when players deny themselves the full potential of the instrument. Don't get me wrong, love a number of PM records. Thrilled to listen to them. Just pointing out a thing among some guitarists, especially in jazz.

That said, Pat Metheny is a superb and expert player of the Roland GR-300. He totally gets and plays that machine. Here's a fantastic example. It's like a horn player using the unclean edges of reeds or mouthpieces for full effect. Brilliant! But still, where are the chords? That's a 6-note polyphonic synth. (And take care, that youtube is also an example of why I try not to listen to John Schofield.)
 
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Wait a minute. Pat Metheny is a good example of the kind of post-Charlie Christian jazz guitarist that doesn't play the guitar really like a guitar. Or at least not when he's soloing. He plays like horn player. And that's what counts in jazz: playing like Bird. The guitar is a chordal instrument with 6 or more strings, frets and open strings. Playing jazz solos like Jim Hall is impressive, and sometimes I'm into it, but not very guitar-ish. Interesting corollary I've noticed with players of this kind, they disdain the use of a capo. Who would want to disdain this?

Now, what style you play on guitar, if you try to imitate horn players or now, is fine with me. It's just I think there's something lost when players deny themselves the full potential of the instrument. Don't get me wrong, love a number of PM records. Thrilled to listen to them. Just pointing out a thing among some guitarists, especially in jazz.

That said, Pat Metheny is a superb and expert player of the Roland GR-300. He totally gets and plays that machine. Here's a fantastic example. It's like a horn player using the unclean edges of reeds or mouthpieces for full effect. Brilliant! But still, where are the chords? That's a 6-note polyphonic synth. (And take care, that youtube is also an example of why I try not to listen to John Schofield.)
Metheny also plays straight ahead midwestern acoustic, chord solos, and a variety of acoustic preparations. Perhaps you haven’t listened to his entire oeuvre.
 
Ok. So slightly going stir (bat s*it actually) crazy here in Malaysia. Listening to some of my fav albums, which sparked a search on " Best Guitarists Ever". Rolling Stone has several lists that seem slightly dubious to this old guy. Other sites actually have Slash and Willie Nelson in the mix, while ignoring Carlos (Santana for for the Luddites in the crowd). I thought it may be interesting (probably wrong) to see where ASR denizens stand. So, being new, ill informed here are MY top ten. Care to Contest???

1.0 Tie between Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix
3.0 Joe Satriani
4.0 Jeff Beck
5.0 Carlos Santana
6.0 David Gilmore
7.0 Keef (Keith Richards)
8.0 Jimmy Page
9.0 Stevie Ray Vaughn
10.0 Pete Townshend
All those you list are wonderful.
Segovia was quite good.
Django Reinhardt too.
Wes Montgomery.
Maybe expand the musical horizons...
There is no 'best'. Each is a different hue; you need a full pallette to get a complete picture.
 
I like the way J Winter plays.
Kurt Cobain could write some really great simple melodic riffs on guitar.
J Page riff writer / borrower
Gilmour, string bender extraordinaire.
I enjoy albert Albert Kings playing.


I think John Lennon said something like "I'm not the greatest guitar player in the world, but I can make it speak". That kind of sums it up for me.

The best technical guitarist in the world is probably some classically trained dude I've never heard of.
 
But there is so much great guitar music from Africa. A few more of my favourites:

The two towering giants of Malian guitar: Boubacar Traoré & Ali Farka Touré


African Brothers Band - Highlife from Ghana


John Peel's favourite The Four Brothers - from Zimbabwe


The great Franco Luambo and TP OK Jazz - Congolese Rhumba. I could listen to this all day ...



 
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