Who Are Your Favorite Guitarists?Music 

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Max Powers
It may be skewed by how much I enjoy CCR, but he has written some amazing songs and he plays with more feeling and soul than most other guitarists.

I guess you kind of made my case for me though. I just feel like CCR is one of those timeless musical acts, and Fogerty has been the driving force behind them. He may not be able to play 50 scales in a row as fast as Joe Satriani can, but I'd rather listen to Fogerty any day.
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I actually listen to Fogerty any day, even right now. Who'll Stop The Rain FTW. 👍

I remember seeing an interview in which he said that when he wrote the first CCR songs he had a dream of still hearing them on the radio ten years later. If he only could have known, forty years is a matter of weeks now and fifty will certainly be broken! The best singer/songwriter ever if I'm the one whose opinion is asked.
 
Greycap
I actually listen to Fogerty any day, even right now. Who'll Stop The Rain FTW. 👍

I remember seeing an interview in which he said that when he wrote the first CCR songs he had a dream of still hearing them on the radio ten years later. If he only could have known, forty years is a matter of weeks now and fifty will certainly be broken! The best singer/songwriter ever if I'm the one whose opinion is asked.
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I'd agree with you on the singer/songwriter part for sure. I can't believe it's been almost 50 years now, thats nuts.

My personal favorite is "Someday Never Comes", one of the most beautiful songs ever written in my opinion.
 
While I mostly agree with Duke and Alfaholic on Clapton, I have to say that "Tears in Heaven" and "My Father's Eyes" show that Clapton can channel some emotion into his playing.
I will maintain that the only time Clapton "plays" guitar, rather than "plays at" guitar is when he's playing the blues. He does have his "run home to mama" riff when he runs out of stuff to play. But most guitar players have a riff they run back to when they lose the essence of the song. It allows them to regroup and continue.
Clapton just don't do it as well as some other folks.
SRV has a riff that he runs back to all the time, In fact if you listen to the "Couldn't stand the Weather" EP, you'll hear it in almost every song. But He makes it "fit" so much better than 'ol Eric.
 
See, when I hear Clapton play the blues, I hear a ventiloquist who does perfect impressions of Buddy Guy, Albert King, Muddy Waters, etc. through his guitar puppet. Clapton, for all his technical skill, has hardly done anything to expand the guitar's world.

I realize this is heresy to a lot of people; even to a lot of guitarists. But heck, I'd rather listen to Michael Bloomfield or Alvin Lee than Clapton.
 
Max Powers
Also, I totally agree about artists such as Satriani and Malmsteen, while they have incredible talent, they do play with almost no passion, and it becomes very mundane very quickly.
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Malmsteen yes, but Satriani? Don't confuse 'ability to play fast' with 'no feeling'.
 
In no particular order...

Jimi Hendrix
Eric Clapton
Eddie Van Halen
Phil Collen (Def Leppard)
Kirk Hammett (Metallca)
Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
Matthias Jabs (Scorpions)

Hendrix and Clapton are the best in the history of ever. I really wish Hendrix didn't die so young...
 
I certainly won't deny that Clapton is highly skilled at all. I just think, to paraphrase Mark Twain, that Clapton's guitar playing is better than it sounds...
 
lethalAE86typeR
Gilbert
Petrucci
EVH
Satriani
Vai
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I just can't get on board with Petrucci. The guy plays with no feeling. It's like listening to someone play scales really fast. Impressive, but not really enjoyable. I don't deny that Petrucci has some crazy technical skills, but it takes more than that to make good music. That case has already been settled.

Petrucci vs. Hedrix (who I note did not make your list)

would be somewhat analogous to

Mozart vs. Beethoven

You pick Beethoven every time, and you pick him because his music has pure raw emotion in it. In music, Emotion > Technical Skills. I know I know, I really shouldn't compare Hendrix to Beethoven or Petrucci to Mozart, because the old dudes were way better at composition, and obviously Mozart is way more famous than Petrucci. But when it comes to style (and style alone), the comparison fits pretty well.
 
Duke
See, when I hear Clapton play the blues, I hear a ventiloquist who does perfect impressions of Buddy Guy, Albert King, Muddy Waters, etc. through his guitar puppet. Clapton, for all his technical skill, has hardly done anything to expand the guitar's world.

I realize this is heresy to a lot of people; even to a lot of guitarists. But heck, I'd rather listen to Michael Bloomfield or Alvin Lee than Clapton.
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But Bloomfield and Lee are better players than Mr. Clapton.
Hell, Duane Allman made Layla, a great song.
Clapton's only real "standout" performance was on a damn Beatle's record.
And I'm reasonably sure that McCartney could have pulled it off.
 
No one has mentioned Curtis Mayfield, or Django Reinhardt.
Please forgive me for slackin'.:sly:
 
My Top 5..... today. Not in any paticular order:


Tommy Emmanuel


Eric Clapton(3:20 - 4:20)


Leo Kottke


Eric Johnson One of the best guitar songs I've ever heard, Cliffs of Dover. This one has over 2 minutes of prelude, but can't complain.


Xan McCurdy from Cake.
 
You all know that none of the people mentioned are taking guitarism forward anymore except the ones i mentioned?
 
Hm....

1. SRV
2. Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple)
3. David Gilmour
4. Alex Lifeson (Rush)
5. Colin James

Honorable Mentions:
-Walter Becker (Steely Dan)
-Mark Knopfler
-Eric Clapton
-Randy Bachman
-Eric Johnson

SRV has been, and probably always will be, my favorite guitarist. Colin James is a Canadian musician, and having seen him live, can say that he's easily the best act I've seen (Having also been to Clapton, Blue Oyster Cult, and Bachman/Cummings). I love the composition of Blackmore and Gilmour for how they can build a song as much as I love their solos. Clapton gets bumped far off the top five due to his clinical, rather than soulful, playing style. Eric Johnson is easily my favorite 'New' guitarist, and I look forward to seeing how his music develops.
 
GTveteran
You all know that none of the people mentioned are taking guitarism forward anymore except the ones i mentioned?
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You young kids and your "forward thinking," WHO NEEDS IT!

No one will ever top the oldies!
 
Haha I was waiting for that. It is true the oldies are brilliant. But I like to hear how playing has advanced over the years too. Its still going.
 
I am amazed noone has said Jason Becker yet, and the people who posted above me about Petrucci I think is right that he doesn't play with much feel but he is really talented. It imediately reminded my of the John Petrucci Psycho Exercises on Youtube. Here's my 5

Jason Becker
Michael Romeo
have to say Yngwie Malmsteen just because he really got me into guitar
Frank Zappa
Can't decide a fifth because it gets really crowded around here.
 
I'm a little surprised noone's mentioned Prince yet either. He may be more famous for the shape of his guitar than how he plays it, but he's got skills...








*puts on flameproof overalls*
 
GTveteran
You all know that none of the people mentioned are taking guitarism forward anymore except the ones i mentioned?
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Tom Morello makes noises out of a guitar that nobody has done before. He added a huge dose of creativity to the instrument to use it in such interesting and different ways than its intended purpose.
 
Prince is highly underrated, and his music in general is somewhat an acquired taste, but he can definitely PLAY that thing.

👍
 
Danoff
I just can't get on board with Petrucci. The guy plays with no feeling. It's like listening to someone play scales really fast. Impressive, but not really enjoyable. I don't deny that Petrucci has some crazy technical skills, but it takes more than that to make good music. That case has already been settled.

Petrucci vs. Hedrix (who I note did not make your list)

would be somewhat analogous to

Mozart vs. Beethoven

You pick Beethoven every time, and you pick him because his music has pure raw emotion in it. In music, Emotion > Technical Skills. I know I know, I really shouldn't compare Hendrix to Beethoven or Petrucci to Mozart, because the old dudes were way better at composition, and obviously Mozart is way more famous than Petrucci. But when it comes to style (and style alone), the comparison fits pretty well.
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I get what you are saying, but listen to that solo in Glasgow Kiss,the G3 version.

3:25, on that video, the song in general has a happy kind of vibe. Petrucci shows a little emotion at 3:25, but it wont be a Little Wing by Hendrix, I didnt want to put hendrix on my list because he would be an obvious choice for anyone, so why repeat? LoL.

Glasgow Kiss





Lost without You, if you dont hear any emotion, i dunno then man.



BTW, i didnt realize the video's time goes backwards, when u embed it, just click on the video and it will take you to the youtube site with the video.
 
I would plump for

John Frusciante
Thurston Moore
Carlos Santana
Slash
Russel Lissack


My choices are more due to originality. And as John Frusciante once said (according to wikipedia) 'When the intellectual part of guitar playing overrides the spiritual, you don't get to extreme heights.'
 
Brian Setzer
Derek Trucks
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Eric Clapton
Slash

That's my top five list, in no order.
 

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