Mark Saleski offers us his own unique take on guitarists...
After reading that list of the Rolling Stone Top 100 Guitarists I felt the need to chime in. Not that there's a problem with the list or anything.…
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
The Top 100 Guitarists According to Mark Saleski - Comments Page 6
Article comments
— go to most recent comments226 - James Pincelli
#100 has the perfect list with zakk wylde as number one and dimebag in second.. It also doesnt including fucking Jimmy Page. I like Led Zeppelin.. but wtf did Jimmy Page ever do sololy that was so great. Almost nothing. He made good music. Who hasnt done that. Trust me if you were all at ozzfest when I was this year and heard zakk wylde play almost a ten or twenty minute solo that led into the star spangled banner. you would've came out saying "i think that was better than hendrix" too. Fuck this Jimmy Page shit.. I give him credit.. but I dont even know if he deserves top 20.
...#100 has the perfect list...
P.S. Happy Birthday Dimebag. We all miss you. R.I.P.
227 - JF
John Frusciante = GOD
228 - yacine
1-Eddie Van Halen
2-Eric Clapton
3-Stevie Ray Vaughan
4-Jimmy Page
5-Duanne Allman
6-David Gimour
7-Ritchie Blackmore
8-Mark Knopfler
9-Joe Bonamassa
10-Peter Green
229 - IMMORTALGUITARIST
BUCKETHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
230 - g
this list is bogus if it doesn't have angus young #1 and zakk wylde #2. they are by far the best guitarists in history (yes keith, sam, angus is better!)
231 - duane
Good list by Fender Stratocaster (#224).
Here's my list for today.
Best rock-style electric guitarists (overall) since the 1960s:
1) Allan Holdsworth (alien)
2) God (divine, knows everything)
3) Steve Vai (brilliantly aggressive)
4) Guthrie Govan (see, listen, and believe)
5) Hendrix (king of the innovators)
6) Eddie van Halen (resurrected the electric guitar)
7) Stevie Ray Vaughan (inspired)
8) Robert Fripp (eccentric genius)
9) Steve Morse (lawdy, man)
10) Billy Gibbons (nasty)
232 - matt
top 5 would be
Eric Clapton
Kerry King
Mick Thompson
BB king
Steve Vai
233 - bob from nashville
My Fav is:
Michael Schenker when he played with UFO, listen to "UFO/Strangers in the night"-by far the best ever!!
-Kirk Hammett's #1 influence (at least he said that in an interview)
234 - Jimmy Page
This is the real Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin and this is what I have to say: listen for starters the old guitarists would maul the new ones there shit and Ritchie Blackmore deserves way more credit and have any of you people ever heard of Mick Jones of Foreigner? I know he ain't the best but he's definately in the top 100 and John Frusciante is a god at guitar. One of my personal favourites. Also Bryan Adams people I don't have to comment on him. This is my and the REAL top 10:1.Jimmy Page(yours truly)
2.Ritchie Blackmore-He was an absolute legend.
3.Jimi Hendrix-Come on who else can play with their teeth and behind their back?
4. Carlos Santana-Very quick style and played scales.
5.Steve Vai-He was an absolute freak with everything he did especially with Whitesnake.
6.Eddie Van Halen-Do I have to say why?
7.Hillal Slovak-No 1 has probably heard of him but he was the original red hot chili peppers guitarist and taught Flea to play bass(that speaks for itself)Pity, he died from drugs and if you thought John was good, he used to idol Slovak.
8.John Sykes-Very, very underrated. He played for Whitesnake and he was an absolute legend. I recommend you people to buy the 1987 album and then you will truly see a master of guitar.
9.John Frusciante-Basically makes a guitar talk and basicaly gives it emotions and makes the guitar express its feelings. He makes it scream, cry, have passion and also he is excellent for the croud.
10.Steve Ray Vaughn-Just listen to his stuff and you will see.
Finally I would like to say the ultimate band. These are all number 1 musicians. So this is it:
Lou Gramm(lead vocals from Foreigner),Ian Paice(drummer of Deep Purple), Flea(bass guitarist of Red Hot Chili Peppers), Jon Lord(keyboardist of Deep Purple)and finally, yours truly(Jimmy Page) on lead guitar(Led Zeppelin).
235 - Christopher Rose
Yeah, and I'm Jimi Hendrix.
Doh!
236 - Mark Saleski
i like how jimmy types with an american accent. very impressive.
237 - greg
All right heres my top 10:
1. Slash
2. K.K. Downing
3. Jimmy Page
4. Dave Murry
5. Eddie Van Halen
6. Dave Mustaine
7. Kirk Hammett
8. Buckethead
9. Angus Young
10. Herman Lee
238 - Jimmy Page
Are you questioning Mr. Page?
Thats an insult to me. I'm sure you know nothing about music compared to me.
239 - Mark Saleski
really? then please tell me what Steve Vai, Richie Blackmore, and yourself have to do with Marc Ribot, Leo Kottke, and the rest of the guitarists at the top of this post?
c'mon tough guy!
you were more fun as a heroin addict.
240 - Jimmy Page
Listen, how come you are being such a smart arse? Who are you anyway? No one has probably even heard of you. Ritchie Blackmore, Steve Vai and myself are up there because we were a revolution in music. I do not mean to be 'cocky' but we basically introduced or should I say, made Rock popular. Don't forget, back in the 60's and 70's, there was a lot of creativity. These days all those guitarists from today's bands such as Snow Patrol or the Artic Monkeys, they just strum the guitar. Otherwise, Blackmore, Vai, HEndrix and the rest of the them all played scales and made good, smooth music. Today, not much skill is needed to make it big.
241 - kiss
kyle great point there buckethead is not a good guitar player at all my top 5 are
1 Ace Frehley
2 the rest
242 - Arne Nordin
Only a week ago did I hear about the list of the 100 greatest guitarists in Rolling Stone.
Better late than never, I suppose.
Before looking into the list I had expected the following guitarists to be amongst the top ten:
Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Alvin Lee and, possibly, Jeff Beck. The two first mentioned were there alright and Jeff Beck was nr 14, but what happened to Alvin Lee??? He who outplayed everyone, Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend and Santana included, on the Woodstock festival. Not even on the top 100!!!
I went into this site, but can´t find him on any single comment or any personal list either (OK. I haven´t read exactly every comment).
Can anybody explain this to me?
243 - Khaled Elnegm
1.jimi hendrix ( the only one that im sure )
2.jeff beck
3.bb king
4.steve morse
5.buddy guy
6.albert king
7.freddie king
8.the guitarist of ( Susannah Hoffs band )
9.susanna hoffs
10.eric clapton
11.bonnie raitt
12.robert cray
13.robert johnson
14.muddy waters
15.joe perry
16.earl king
17.john lee hooker
18.santana
19.wes montgomery
20.joe pass
21.george harrison
22.Steve Cropper
23.james burton
19.chet atkins
20.t-Bone walker
21.charlie christian
22.ry cooder
23.craig ross
24.lenny kravitz
25.eric johnson
26.frank zappa
28.allan holdsworth
29.django reinhardt
30.otis rush
31.billy gibbons
32.jeff healey
33.peter green
34.albert collins
35.stevie ray vaughan
36.jimmie vaughan
37.johnny winter
38.jimmy page
39.ace frehly
39.ricky skaggs
40.vince gill
41.danny gatton
42.keith urban
43.scotty moore
44.johnny hiland
45.steve wariner
46.curtis mayfield
47.howlin wolf
48.jeff baxter
49.roben trower
50.albert lee
51.tracy chapman
52.norah jones
53.vinnie moore
54.jan keuhmend
55.ulrich roth
56.vito bratta
57.douge aldrich
58.matthew sweet
59.noel ghallger
60.Khaled Elnegm ( long live )lol
thats the guitarists as i remmemberd maybe
244 - Vincent
I tried to do a list but its too easy to be influenced by what Im listening to at any given moment. And I dont think anyones gonna give much credit to a guitarist whos involved in a style of music they dont like and dont listen to much. I like a lot of different music.
At the moment Im back into classic soul rnb and inclined to agree with Keith Richards when he was once asked what he thought of Steve Cropper. Keith said - Perfect.
Steves not flashy but man does he know whats needed at the right time. Perfect.
245 - Linda
think Brad paisley ought to be mention he is a great guitarist
246 - Wilson Garglewatts
i just have one thing to say, if you wanna talk the best guitarist as far as making guitar what it is today the list would definently go
1. Chuck Berry
2. George Harrison
3. Jimi Hendrix
4. Eddie van halen
5. Stevie Ray Vaughn
6. Eric Clapton
7. Pete townshend
8. Brian Jones
9. Jimmy page
10. Les Paul
1.Chuck berry practically invented rock guitar so he is the runaway number 1
2.Harrison is the most underrated guitarist of all time, The world had never heard anything like the Beatles, His guitar playing practically gave birth to any kind of Metal (listen to helter skelter, or Revolution). He discovered and influenced Clapton ( clapton guest played on While my guitar gently weeps) and the beatles gave rock music a whole new direction, just because from 66 on they wanted to experiment with new instruments, people forget how good George was.
3.Jimi Hendrix, practically made heavy disortion mainstream, and walk into a guitar store today, and see how many distortion pedals there are.
4. van halen started the phase craze, and re-invented guitar while doing so
5. put in a stevie ray vaughn cd and tell he isnt the shit
6. Clapton is god, enough said, but may i not that harrison laid the frame for his guitar sound
7.a great blues based guitarist like clapton, often overshadowed as a guitar god.
8. People forget that keith richards is a rythem guitarist,he is good, but Brian Jones played lead for the stones during what i consider the highlight of there carrer. he is very creative.
9. Led Zepp is freaking great, bluesy, with the occasional reggae song ( dyer maker)
10. just listen to les paul's new sound, incredible
247 - Anthony
People should know the orgins of guitar and somewhat about music. Most of these guitarist are ROCK guitarist which was formed from the BLUES. My list is short but as shown.
1. Hendrix
2. Clapton
3. SRV
Hendrix is one because he is the father of the guitar and bringing it to the front of the music scene. Now here my point -
Eric Clapton because he was a blues guitarist who paved a way to rock and wrote so much different and great music along the way.
SRV!! Who was a blues guitarist while rock was dominating. I feel he was the most talented guitarist to ever play. No need for lyrics, his guitar played the song and lyrics at the same time.
Most overrated guitarist - Michael Angelo, Stevie Vai - they are great don't get me wrong, but take into considerations tone, feel, change ups. They both play speedy hammerons and it looks like they play the guitar like a piano, not much feel. Still gods in what they do, it doesnt give the same feel when they just speed through notes that go together. The guitar isnt meant to see who can play the fastest, and thats their specialty with sweep picking and such.
1. Hendrix
2. Clapton
3. SRV
248 - Nathan
Kirk hammett does NOT get enough credit!
He may not be a great musician, but, when it comes to technicality he IS the god.
Its all to do with what you can do, not how well you can write it!!!
the most amazing musicians write music that they cant play
249 - Bigjohnwayne2004
HERMAN LI from DRAGONFORCE is probably the most talented guitarist ever!!!
250 - Lucas
I just want to throw my list of who I think the top 10 should be:
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Eddie Van Halen
3. Jimmy Page
4. B.B. King
5. Herman Li
6. Chuck Berry
7. Eric Clapton
8. Stevie Ray Vaughan
9. Ritchie Blackmore
10. Alex Lifeson
1. Hendrix introduced so many techniques, styles, and inspired more artists than any other guitarists. Watch any video of his performance at Woodstock in '69, especially the Star Spangled Banner and the Woodstock Improv.
2. Van Halen is never given enough credit. He had a style of playing all his own. Just listen to Eruption (And no, it's not just improv. It was one of his regular warm-ups that a producer heard, liked, and put on the album.
3. Page didn't play very complex parts, but they were played well musically. His solos fit the songs well. And let's face it. If you wrote the guitar solo for Stairway to Heaven, the ultimate rock anthem, you're automatically great.
4. King popularized blues guitar. He had a smooth tone and played licks that blew people away. He inspires many of today's guitarists and blues muscians. Listen to any of his solos from live shows.
5. Li is constantly overlooked mainly because he is in a modern band. You could consider him the 21st century version of EVH. He can do crazy things with a guitar and play excellent solos at extremely rapid speeds. Watch the music video for Through the Fire and Flames and you'll understand what I mean.
6. Chuck Berry pretty much invented the art of guitar solos. He had a blues and jazz feel in his music and solos and played a major role in the formation and popularity of rock. Listen to Johnny B. Goode.
7. Vaughan was another great blues guitarist. He had his own distinct sound and style. He also combined styles from Hendrix into his playing that seperated him from other blues guitarists. Listen to Teaxs Flood.
8. Clapton showed a lot of emotion in his music. He played with soul and sweetness and could really make you feel how the song made him feel. Listen to Crossroads, Layla, and Tears in Heaven.
9. Black created a styled of playing that many metal guitarists today use. In his music, he used styles of blues and European classical music to make his own unique sound. Listen to Highway Star, Lazy, and Smoke on the Water.
10. Lifeson is, without a doubt, THE MOST UNERRATED GUITARIST IN HISTORY! He plays comlex riffs, time and key changes, and constantly changed sound. Every solo he plays has a meaning and he keeps to that meaning no matter how long the solo is. Listen to 2112 and YYZ.
251 - Brandy
I have never quite understood why Andy Summers doesn't make these lists. He is amazing live.
252 - Mark Saleski
very perceptive brandy. in fact, Summers would have made a great addition to my original list. sure, his work in The Police was great, but so was his stuff with Fripp as well as a bunch of cool solo material.
253 - gonzo marx
for Mark...cuz the "Best" are the ones that Play from their Heart, and most are never heard of...
but many forget guys like Fast Eddie (wait for the solo...acoustic to spare Mark's ears, heh)
and then there's a tough choice for the R.I.P. award... Zappa?.... or mebbe something that shreds
just sharing...
Excelsior?
254 - duane
Enjoyed the Andy McKee, gonzo. Good call.
Do you know these guys?
Michael Hedges
Guthrie Govan
Hedges, I think, made that acoustic tapping style style popular (experts will correct me if I'm wrong, I hope). Govan is just too good for his own good, I think.
I hope the links work. First time I've tried to embed links.
255 - gonzo marx
worked fine, and excellent soundscapes!
thanks for putting good Noise up
Excelsior?
256 - Mark Saleski
oh yeah, i love Kaki King. but gees, Lemmy playing mr sensitive guitar strummer...that's tough to take so early in the morning.
257 - Dirty Pierre
I read the comments to see when someone would mention Django Rheinhardt and it took 7 months but thanks to Sean he finally was acknowledged. Nice goin' Sean.
Django and Stephan Grapelli, on violin, would do intertwining solos and trade licks till the finish came off their instruments. No one came close to them for 40 or 50 years.
I played Eric Clapton's "Crossroads" on a juke box in the '70's for this Jazz Vibes player, Teddy Charles, who won the Playboy Jazz Star of the year award 1954 and he said it sounded like garbage. I was floored. I thought he would love it and realize a new dawn had come but no, this was utter crap according to Teddy.
I play guitar but the reality is I couldn't carry Teddy's bags. The guy really is a genius but he was wrong about the playing on that song. It was inspired.
And Joni Mitchell did some wonderful things on acoustic guitar which I would gladly listen to before some of the howling bandits on these lists. The lists are actually a disservice to all the players. To reduce the love of a lifetimes work distilled into some notes on a guitar to a number on a list is truely disheartening. It doesn't mean the list isn't interesting and fun to look at and create discussion but it should be understood it is a debasing activity and exists for itself and no other purpose.
258 - RJ
The top 100 are...
I'll take a nickle for every time I've plugged a tube or cable in while hearing this debate. I worked with SRV when everything, including his riffs (which he was the first to admit), sucked. I've stood by Bonnie Raitt while she winced at the hideous acoustics of a hall. I watched the roadies scramble helplessly back and forth, Blackmore unable to crank his guitar above a 3 because the show promoters insisted on ground leads on each and every device (you ALL know the ground loop nightmares). I've watches more than my fair share of paychecks vanish up peoples noses and went unpaid. I've watched a half million dollar light show flop as a breeze pushed the smoke off the back of the stage.
The bottom line is, the top 100 doesn't exist. It's the top 200 to 300 and it changed from gig to gig, season to season, venue to venue. The real top guitar players are each and every one of them when everything clicked, everything worked right, the whole band shot straight into the zone, and the person pulling the riffs and licks was out there alone among the stars, humping it to Estelle the cosmic whore and the audience was forgotten. Where jaded techs like me sat there with our mouths open, mesmerized, forgetting to adjust sound levels. Each and every player that burned and cooked in their own perfect moment, deserved and deserves to be at the top of the list. When Page put together some fingering that made you go, 'what the eff was that and where did it ever come from? When Gilmour reverse bended his way down the entire fret board with each hit perfect, when Zappa walked away from his own band and the audience, changing the entire lick from one theme to something entirely other. Albert King digging sound out of somewhere 30 feet beneath the stage. They all flew. They all had their moments at the very top.
259 - Bucketead101
i think buckethead, herman li, eric johnson, and the guitarist from slayer should be included in these man.. there good guitarist and they play a variety of different music...... from riffs to solo... blues to metal. there all around good. jimmy page can just go to hell hes so overrated!
260 - Jimmy Page
I am the number one guitarist ever and I think there is a lot of people that could back me up on that one. How could you call me overated. Thats an insult!
261 - SlashsSon101
Here's my top 10
1. Eddie van Halen
2. Kirk Hammett
3. Dimebag Darell
4. Randy Rhoads
5. Slash
6. Buckethead
7. Marty Friedman
8. Mark Knopfler
9. Jimi Hendrix
10. Jimmy Page
262 - Luis
My opinion of the top 10
1.jimmy page
2.hedrix
3.david gilmour
4.Ace Frehley
5.Stevie Ray Vaughn
6.Slash
7.bb king
8.santana
9.Robbie Krieger (The Doors)
10.Clapton
263 - Stripes
Man everyone bags jack white :P. One thing though. Have you guys actually heard his stuff? He plays some of the most imaginative stuff ever. Listen to his latest on icky thump. His solos are imense. Not to mention the absolute riffage on elephant. Have a listen to songs such as "Ball and biscuit" , "Catch Hell Blues" and then maybe "Youve got her in your pocket" if you want to hear a "stairway to heaven type thing" then come back and make your judgement.
Its not ridiculous stupid solos that some people seem to think make good guitarists. Its being able for that guitar lick to fit perfectly into a song. WHich jack does effortlessly
264 - Wilson Garglewatts
rebecca how in the fuck would you get off saying georege harrison is unimaginative, he has put out the greatest body of work with the beatles, keith richards is the unimaginative one,everyone one of his songs has some generic blues pattern,it got old after the first forty years they were together, i love how the rollings stones were always trying to keep up with the beatles, go learn about guitar before you write on this board,
p.s kirk hammett or metallica would smoke keith richards in a guitar dual off with his eyes closed
265 - John
What I love about the guitar, is there's always someone new who's going to rock the world of guitar.
Now comes this guy named Jordan Rivers, is he popular?.....He's not famous yet, but look at Topix.com voteing poll othe the top 10 guitar players living today. Jordan Rivers,has a commanding lead with over 770 Votes in first place and Eric Clapton is in second at 235 Votes, followed by Santana at 130 Votes,It's shocking to see someone take a lead like this. I almost want to yell at people and say...come on back up Eric Clapton, he's our guitar hero. But Damn, can that Jordan Rivers play !! He has to be one of the top 5 electric guitar players of all time,and his acoustic guitar, I never have heard better.
This guy can do it all.
I almost wanted to hate Jordan Rivers for taking the spot light. But some blogs and forums online have him listed as the 3 best living guitar player alive today. IS he?...his new CD comming out in April may tell the truth. I heard it's AWESOME and all the guitar players want it.
But where did this guy come from? Out of the blue?
Thanks John
266 - John
sorry I posted the Website in the URL above. If you want to see Jordan Rivers online.
also on Topix.com....here that link. wow get the shock of a lifetime there looking at the voting for the best guitarist alive today... here's that link
267 - jason raider
.1 dimebag darryl
.2 zakk wylde
.3 stevie ray vaghn
.4 kirk hammet
.5 jimmy page
.6 eddie van halen
.7 randy rhodes
.8 jimi hendrix
.9 slash
.10 carlos santana
.11 angus
.12 mick thompson
.13 kerry king
.14 tony lommi
.15 dave maustaine
.16 michaelangelo batio
.17 steve vai
.18 joe satriani
.19 eric clapton
.20 herman lee
.21 kurt cobain
.22 john petrucci
.23 ace frehely
.24 robbie krieger
.25 tom morello
268 - Greg Bailey
1. Ace Frehley
2. Angus Young
3. Jimi Hendrix
4. Jimmy Page
5. Eddie Van Halen
6. Brian May
7. Chuck Berry
8. Dave Mustaine
9. Pete Townsend
10. Slash
269 - Sam Costello
Seriously what the hell all your guitar lists suck here's how it should go:
10. Jimi Hendrix
9. Eric Johnson
8. Duane Allman
7. Stevie Ray Vaughan
6. BB King
5. Kurt Cobain
4. Eric Clapton
3. Angus Young
2. Saul Hudson
1. Eddie Van Halen
270 - Forrest
No Particular Order...Just Some That I can remember...
Jimi Hendrix
Tom Scholz
Eddie Van Halen
Kurt Cobain
John Frusciante
Jack WHite
Slash
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Kirk Hammet
Ry Cooder
Jimmy Page
Herman Li
Jeff Beck
Richie Blackmoore
Carlos Santana
Angus Young
Neil Young
Joe Perry
Eric Clapton
B.B. King
The Edge
Duane Allman
Tony Iommi
Pete Townshend
Tom Morello
and Joan Jett
271 - Forrest
as I posted my first comment...i noticed NONE of these lists have Tom Scholz of Boston on them...
MARK...have you ever thought about how Tom introduced sounds never heard before and thought of catchy riffs?...im not saying he's the best ever, but should definetly be in the top 30 at least...
Plus, Boston played such MIND-BLOWING shows LIVE...
272 - Mark Saleski
forrest, yeah...see, the point of this list was to act as a sort of counterweight to the rolling stone list...i just have a different idea of what "good" is.
and yes, i was around when Boston exploded onto the scene back in the day. i didn't get to see them until the second tour, but they were really good. Tom Sholz (and Boston in general) get lumped into the "arena rock" thing...unfairly, i think. the first Boston album had a lot going for it, and didn't sound much like anything else back thaen.
holy smokes, this article is over four years old!
273 - Mathias from Denmark
1. Slash
2. Kirk Hammet
3. Billy Duffy
4. Kieth Richards
5. Jimi Hendricks
6. Eddie Van Halen
7. Angus Young
8. Herman Li
9. Tom Morello
10.Santana
274 - Fast Freddy
No mention of Ronnie Montrose anywhere. Not the most popular guy around, but a fantastic guitarist. One website list even listed Sammy Hagar - that's funny!
The consensus still seems to end up with Hendrix, Page, Van Halen, Clapton, Stevie Ray, The Edge, Carlos, Eric Johnson, BB, etc. Rolling Stone didn't get it all wrong. But they sure included a lot of jokes in there. Must've got some good schwag at one time or another.
275 - eeti
1.Herman Li
2.Slash
3.Sam Totman
4.Van halen
5.Hendrix
6.Izzy Stradlin
7.buckethead
8.Kurt Cobain
9.Dunno
10. Me
man i love herman li and DF