Best Guitarists Evah!!!

[babayaga]

These are some of my favorites:
SRV
Pat Metheny
Robin Ford
Larry Carlton
Sonny Landreth
Jeff Beck
Alvin Lee

 

[JonK99]

Forgot about John Renbourn
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Then you certainly have to mention Bert Jansch too. Trad folk seems dated these days but both John and Bert were true masters of fingerstyle acoustic guitar.

 

[Beave]

Wow read through all of this thread and there some great guitarists mentioned. One thing that has stayed with me when this conversation comes up is the answer Sammy Hagar gave when he was put on the spot between Santrini and EVH. He asked the interviewer if he meant in terms of music created or in terms of command of the instrument. He said that EVH was creative as f***k but that he had never seen anyone command the instrument like Joe.

I also think you need to consider historical precedence when you look at the greatest. No one had done before what Hendrix, Page and Clapton (Cream) created for us. All of the trail blazers should get big props regardless of skill. That's why I can't understand when people say KISS or AC/DC weren't great bands.

So:

• Props to Hendrix, Page, Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, and Slash who are on a lot of the lists. When I first heard those I knew I was listening to completely new.
• My favorite contemporary guitarist is Calum Graham, and he was inspired by Michael Hedges. So glad Michael was mentioned here as he was super talented plus made great music.
• Sammy has been around a lot of rock guitarists so I take his word that Joe Santrini commands the fretboard.
• Chet Atkins and Roy Clark were childhood heroes of mine. Chester and Lester, and Roy and Glen's One Guitar, were musical masterpieces.
• One poster mentioned Rick Miller of SCOTS! That's probably my favorite band to go see live. They have a one week run in Austin at the Continental this April and I will be there for as many shows as I can.
• BB King made a guitar cry.

Who is Santrini? Did you mean Joe Satriani?

 

[Multicore]

Buckethead​

Did we forget Buckethead? We can't forget Buckethead! His output is pathological (over 400 solo releases?!) so for you I choose a truly superb album with

Brain (Brian Mantila) on drums, well known from Primus. One of my favorite drummers Evah!!!
Bootsy!!
Bernie Worrell!!!
AF Next Man Flip (Lord of the Paradox) -- aka Afrika Baby Bam

This is one of Laswell's best productions.

 

[Randy Bessinger]

These are some of my favorites:
SRV
Pat Metheny
Robin Ford
Larry Carlton
Sonny Landreth
Jeff Beck
Alvin Lee

I was coming back from one of Joe Bonamassa’s Keepin the Blues Alive cruises and ran into one of the perfomers at the airport. Won’t say who but we chatted and I mentioned that I thought Sonny Landreth was great. He told me he and Joe Satriani were at a concert in Europe and they were to the side of the stage where Landreth was playing. Satriani said…”how in the f*** do we follow that”..

 

[Timcognito]

 

[diddley]

lindsey buckingham

 

[boswell]

Best Lenny Breau, virtuoso
2nd Danny Gatton, ("World's greatest unknown guitarist" : Les Paul)

honorable mention: Buddy Emmons (pedal steel)

 

[pablolie]

Stanley Jordan
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[Tremolo]

Best Lenny Breau, virtuoso

I really second the nomination

Classical: David Russell, the best IMO nowdays

 

[ivayvr]

Jimi all the way! No contest.
I can't understand how Eric Clapton could even be compared to Jimi, much less rival him. He was decent with the Cream. Everything else is a joke. I shot the sheriff?!?!

 

[Tremolo]

Not the best maybe but some I like and worth a mention:

Ani Di Franco

Ida Presti

Roland Dyens

Duck Baker

 

[babayaga]

I was coming back from one of Joe Bonamassa’s Keepin the Blues Alive cruises and ran into one of the perfomers at the airport. Won’t say who but we chatted and I mentioned that I thought Sonny Landreth was great. He told me he and Joe Satriani were at a concert in Europe and they were to the side of the stage where Landreth was playing. Satriani said…”how in the f*** do we follow that”..

I saw Sonny a few years ago at the City Winery in Chicago. Excellent!

 

[Multicore]

Not the best maybe but some I like and worth a mention:

Ida Presti

Roland Dyens

Duck Baker

Splendid. Thankyou. Do you know where the Ida Presti film was made? Spain? I'm curious what sort of social situation the film represents.

 

[Multicore]

Cecilio Perera playing Leo Brower etudes that I also play impressed me a great deal.

Crummy audio on this video but I like the playing better than his studio CDs and any other version of these two etudes I'm heard

 

[Dismayed]

Does 'Best' really matter? Perhaps we should just celebrate that we can choose to listen to so many phenomenal guitarists.

 

[Tremolo]

Splendid. Thankyou. Do you know where the Ida Presti film was made? Spain? I'm curious what sort of social situation the film represents.

"Ida Presti in 1938 appeared in a french film "Le Petit Chose" by Maurice Cloche and played a waltz by Francisco Tarrega (1852-1909)"

I guess the plot is from the Daudet's novel, so it isn't Spain but France, second half of the XIX century

 

[computer-audiophile]

Does 'Best' really matter? Perhaps we should just celebrate that we can choose to listen to so many phenomenal guitarists.

Good point!

 

[Multicore]

Does 'Best' really matter? Perhaps we should just celebrate that we can choose to listen to so many phenomenal guitarists.

I think that was the OP's real intent and is what we have accomplished.

 

[ahofer]

Some names that should come up, but I neglected:

Glen Campbell
Greg Howe
Orianthi
Barney Kessel
Tal Farlow