I think Orianthi is a pretty amazing guitarist, like a young, female Santana. She was the one who would have played guitar for Michael Jackson’s This Is It tour

From just ability as a guitarist I think it would have to be Yngwie, but from a creative POV I would probably say Satriani was more accomplished.

BTW you forgot to mention Price, who is an outstanding guitarist.. I remember reading an article in a magazine where they interviewed Slash as they’d chosen him as the guitarist of the century and he said something like; “have none of you guys heard of Prince? Seriously? The guy is an amazing guitarist”. They don’t get much better than Purple Rain (or louder if you’re in my car when it’s on the radio?!!!)

Umm, Wes Montgomery is dead.

You also need to add Brian Setzer.

Keith, I think these should be added to the list:

Matthew Bellamy – Muse
Eric Sardinas
Buddy Guy
Chuck Berry

Q.

Wicked list – agree with Bellamy but you definitely need to get
Paul Gilbert on there, especially if you’ve got the likes of Satriani.

Thanks for kicking the list off Keith. OK, after a quick rummage through the old vinyl collection and the less dusty corners of my iTunes collection here are a few that come to mind immediately and for various (and generally personal) reasons:

Leslie West
- Living legend, so influential for modern rock/metal guitarists – without a lot of them realizing it!

Vernon Reid
- The first time I heard him live I actually HAD to start dancing; who else could trigger the primal dance response and still have the props to mix it with the legends of Jazz?

Billy Gibbons
- Probably the main reason I find myself googling tabs at 1am in the morning! If blues guitarists are still around in the 22nd century the’ll sound like this guy!

Richie Blackmore
- He has a prickly reputation among ex-band mates but he walks the walk so he’s earned the right to talk the talk!

Tony Iommi
- Mastermind of the visceral wall of sound solo. (Still looking for the 12″ version of “Die Young” for the extended solo version of “Heaven and Hell” on the B-Side – If anyone is selling; I’m buying)

Rudolf Schenker
- Wot?!? Yep, older brother of more famous Michael and on my list as a perfect rhythm guitarist, any lead guitarist who’s lucky enough to have this guy backing him up must feel like they’ve won the lottery.

Biréli Lagrène
- Former child prodigy. I’ve heard many great guitarists who manage to emulate Django but somehow this guy manages to connect with and communicate the legacy on an emotional level too.

Mathias Jabs
- Often overlooked replacement for Uli Jon Roth with the Scorpions who managed to take then from their 70′s Hendrix roots into the 80′s with a sound that was more Randy Rhodes (but before the polka dot maestro got to lay it down!) and classically influenced scales á la Leslie West.

Joe Walshe
- He may be as mad as a box of frogs but somehow he always sounds fresh on those old recordings from the 70′s – some kind of genius, what variety I know not!

John Mayer
- Despite the fact that he appears to have been groomed from birth to be a guitar hero he does definitely have what it takes.

Neal Schon
- I’m always depressed by players as good as as this guy who make it look so easy!

Ace Frehley
- The spaceman seems mundane at times in the studio but if you ever have the pleasure of seeing him live you’ll find yourself at a full-on banquet of tasty solos – He’s the reason that at 14 I used to spend a lot of time dreaming of owning a smoke spewing Les Paul>

Omar Rodríguez-López
- Just doesn’t seem to put a foot wrong and at the same time is always unexpected.

Ry Cooder
- The “Smithsonian” of guitarists!

Preston Reed
- Blimy!

Robin Trower
- Much underrated in the 70′s, labelled as a wannabe Hendrix copycat, but he’s actually a master arranger and more than purely virtuoso pushes rather than pulls those who are lucky enough to play with him.

Mark Gallagher
- From the NWOBHM monsters Raven, eclectic in a way that was unlike any other metal player at the time. Plus anybody in a band band that manages to give away backstage passes with every copy of their debut LP and trashes their gear every night, even if there is only one man and his dog watching them is OK with me.

Tom Morello
- Just when you thought you’d heard every possible distinctive style of playing along came this guy.

Alex Lifeson
- Responsible for some of the best riffs of all time, live he managed to make you feel like you were sitting in on a small session at his place – which just happened to be in a different dimension…

Walter Becker
- Turned on huge numbers of strummers to jazz without them even knowing it!

Ted Nugent
- Wouldn’t like to be stuck in a lift with him but I’ve never seen anyone own a stage like this guy. Just how he controls feedback in the way that he does from that Gibson Byrdland is a complete mystery to me!

Bill Frisell
- No one ever forgets the first time they hear Bill Frisell, you get that awful feeling that you’ve come late to the party!

That’s it for now but I’m sure more will spring to mind the moment this is posted… would love to hear more from everyone else – with your reasons why.

–
Fintan

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Big omission (or should that be big haired?) – Brian May!

Hubert Sumlin is still alive. Glad to see Prince on a list like this.

Great to see Joe Bonamassa on your list, right now my favorite guitarist alive.
A couple omissions I noticed right away: Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks.

Here’s a bigger list that i’ve been thinking about – hope there are some metal heads here to appreciate some of them!

Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth)
- Master of exotic scales and a crazy picking style

Dave Murray (MAIDEN)
- Co-Master of some of the best melodic solos in Heavy Metal

Tommy Emmanuel
- mad-ass wicked acoustic skills

Guthrie Govan
- Note-heavy, but seriously skilled. Seriously.

Rory Gallagher
- Ultimate blues-booze combo.

Peter Green
- Best. Tone. Ever. (and you’ve GOT to have him if you’ve got Buckingham too)

+1 for Tommy Emmanuel.. forgot about him!

Rik Emmett is the Greatest Living Guitarest.

Honorable guitarest that have not beem listed, Adrian Vandenburg, Alvin Lee, Ronnie Montrose, Pat Travers, Dave Davies, Rickey Medlocke, Charlie Hargrett just to name a few.

Joe Bonamassa NR 1 for me, but I would put Jan Akkerman on the list for sure!!

John Jurgenson
Steve Lukather
Buddy Whitington
Andy Timmons
Brad Davis

Andy Summers of The Police, an amazing yet underated guitarist.

Shame on you for not including Steve Cropper.

Why isn’t Tommy Emmanuel on this list?? All others pale in comparison. Seriously.

Whoa, you were really late to recognize Tommy Emmanuel, who is absolutely amazing!! And his brother, Phil Emmanuel is no slouch, either.

Phil Keagy http://www.philkeaggy.com/

Meriel Anderson http://www.murielanderson.com/

Stanley Jordan http://www.stanleyjordan.com/ (A friend of mine built a custom guitar for him that is extraordinary! http://www.stanleyjordan.com/Tools/blatz.html#Blatz )

Pierre Bensusan http://www.pierrebensusan.com

But, there is a problem with saying “the world’s greatest living guitarist” – the genre has gotten so diverse that there can never be “just one” – what style? How do they use their instrument? Do they work in standard tunings or open tunings? etc etc.

For example, Pierre Bensusan has been a huge influence since the early 70′s on acoustic guitarists through his development of DADGAD techniques. Joni Mitchell opened people’s ears to a variety of open tuning sonorities in the late 60′s and 70′s.

Stanley Jordan invented the tapping style in the early 70′s that is now very popular with acoustic and electric players.

Today, someone like Meriel Anderson does with a classical guitar what some people only wish they could do with their steel stringed or electric instruments!!

Just like in this, the golden age of luthiery, you are never going to find agreement on the “best” guitar (as you shouldn’t), you are never going to find agreement on the best guitar player.

Perhaps a list of names and websites is not enough – may comments as to their style and what they play would also be helpful/interesting.

Another name missing is Paul Simon – who may not be the greatest living guitar player, but who is excellent beyond most people’s awareness.

Ditto: James Taylor, Livingston Taylor, David Wilcox (from NC, USA, not England or Canada), Kenny Rankin (RIP), Noel Stookey and Peter Yarrow. The list goes on and on.

It’s an amazing world out there, and I hope some of you will find the time to go to NAMM and/or Newport Miami Guitar Festival (in Fort Lauderdale) and/or the Montreal Guitar Festival – great gatherings of guitarists, luthiers, and spectators!! Feast your eyes and ears on amazing hand built instruments played by the best of players!!

Cheers,

Di

Tony McManus

Nuno Bettencourt. Possibly the most complete package as a guitarist currently working. Tight funky style, jaw dropping solos, super creative rhythm parts. Also a great pianist and drummer and like Richie Sambora, a better singer than the lead vocalist in his band. What more could you ask for?

Also put Guthrie Govan on there. The only player who seems to be playing a different instrument from the rest of us – ooh apart from Mattius “IA” Ecklundh. He’s just mental….

My suggestions for the list …
Eric Johnson, Dave Mustaine, Uli Jon Roth, Jennifer Batten

Scotty Anderson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg9Y8wssqlg

Frank Marino

Jeff Healey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TuYyFArhwA

Robben Ford, one of those players you recognize by his individual style & tone.

Robben Ford, one of those players you recognize by his individual style & tone. Can’t go wrong with Joe Bonamassa either. Let’s face the facts, you could argue over this list till you’re blue in the face.

Quote: [mike blackburn, December 26, 2009
Jeff Healey]

Hi Mike thanks for contributing afraid the great Jeff Healy passed in March 2008 otherwise he would definitely be right up there on the list.

–
Fintan

Rory Gallagher also listed above, but sadly no longer with us.

John McLaughlin http://www.johnmclaughlin.com/
Pat Metheny http://www.patmetheny.com/
Chris Cain http://www.chriscain.cc/
John Scofield http://www.johnscofield.com/
Al Di Meola http://www.aldimeola.com/new-site/index.php
Gerardo Nuñez http://www.gerardonunez.com/
Sonny Landreth http://www.sonnylandreth.com/

I would have Voted for Pat Martino because he is phenomenal, also he had a brain aneurysm, forgot who he was and eventually relearned everything. But he wasn’t there so I went for John McLaughlin, mainly because of his ability to work with outrageously complex melodies and times which came from his studies with Ali Akhbar Khan the Sarod player. Ali was rated as the worlds greatest musician by Yehudi Menhuin.
Having said that, he’s not necessarily my favourite.

Just before he died my dear friend Ike Isaacs (British jazz guitar great) said to me that he felt Scottish player Martin Taylor was the best.

Tony Hogan

Bernie Torme
The greatest solos and the greatest song.

Frank Zappa is the best.

Neil Giraldo — band leader for Pat Benatar for over 30 years. Still rocks. Listen to Heartbreaker again. And again.

David Lindley, Albert Lee

Just Ritchie Blackmore!!! No one can compete with him!!!

Ruyter Suys!!!

Davy Knowles, of Back Door Slam, currently touring with the Rhythm Devils.

Why is Chris Dair not included? He is better than 99% of the list you have, and equal to the rest!!!

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