The greatest guitarists of all time are musicians who didn’t just dazzle with their fretwork but were also constant innovators who inspired others to pick up the instrument. Some of them got on the radio; many of them didn’t. Some of them got to play their riffs to arena audiences; others just have their posters plastered on the bedroom walls of the true believers.

What are the requirements for a guitarist to be accepted on this list? Strong technique can be a factor, but not the most consequential. Influence deserves consideration. So does innovation. Technique and tone, certainly, cannot be ignored either.

More than anything, I’ve chosen these guitarists based on their creativity and their ability to apply it in a musical setting in order to create memorable, history-lasting works.

I have been playing guitar for more than 25 years now and have studied the greats of history. I have taken this passion and used it as the platform from which to write about music. On Alt77 alone, I have reviewed more than 5,000 bands and artists and written more than 4,000 music-related articles.

These are the greatest 100 guitarists of all time.

The Top 100 Greatest Guitarists Ever

100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” Playlist

Rank	Guitarist	Primary Band / Project	Definitive Gear / Style
#1	Jimi Hendrix	The Jimi Hendrix Experience	Fender Stratocaster / Psychedelic Blues
#2	Jimmy Page	Led Zeppelin	Gibson Les Paul / Hard Rock Riff-Mastery
#3	Eddie Van Halen	Van Halen	Frankenstrat / Tapping & Tonal Innovation
#4	David Gilmour	Pink Floyd	Fender Stratocaster / Melodic Expressiveness
#5	B.B. King	Solo	“Lucille” Gibson ES-355 / Vibrato & Soul

1. Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)

Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) is the greatest guitarist of all time, and he doesn’t even always play in tune or on key. But that’s nearly irrelevant.

I confess that Jimmy Page is, also, my favourite guitar player, and has been since I was a kid. Can I play like Jimmy Page? No, I can just play his riffs and solos. Can anyone play like Jimmy Page? No, they just imitate his riffs and solos.

Page is not just a great guitarist. He is a fantastically smart artist using the guitar merely as a tool to reveal his inner visions. If Zeppelin’s music sounds dramatic, heroic, and bombastic, it is because these sounds capture the essence of Page’s inner workings and imagination.

Page is the greatest because he fashioned the guitar riff as the backbone of Wagnerian compositions, wrote solos that are so popular that they’ve been banned from being played in guitar stores, and approached live playing with the fervour of the Normans invading England.

What do I find most challenging about Jimmy Page’s work? His use of melody in the way he develops a solo using blues licks or a solo usually based around pentatonic and the harmonic minor. And I particularly like his resonant use of chords when playing an acoustic guitar or, even, a mandolin.

Still, don’t let the tales of Jimmy Page‘s supposed sloppiness put you off. In the 1960s, he was one of the most in-demand studio guitarists. He was then tasked with replacing Jeff Beck in the Yardbirds, one of the premier pop bands in Britain. Next, he started and financed a little group by the name of Led Zeppelin. And, beyond the 1980s, he’s played with some of the finest rock groups.

If Page’s riff-based orchestration of songs is designed as carefully as Roman temples, guitar solos are not. Most of the time, they’re off-the-cuff, can’t-do-that-again results of pure in-the-moment inspiration. The famous “Stairway to Heaven” solo was cobbled from various improv takes.

From the guitar riff to “Black Dog,” to the solo for “Stairway to Heaven,” from the pure guitar delirium of “Since I’ve Been Loving You” to simply accompanying Moroccan musicians using an acoustic, there are plenty of reasons why Jimmy Page is the greatest guitarist ever.

Read more:

• Led Zeppelin Album Ranking
• Led Zeppelin’s Most Underrated 10 Songs
• A Revisited Look at “Led Zeppelin IV”
• Led Zep’s Mud Shark Story
• The Meaning of “The Hermit” in the Artwork for “Led Zeppelin IV”

2. Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix created sounds using his Stratocaster that Leo Fender, the man who’d designed the instrument, simply couldn’t have imagined. Hendrix took Chuck Berry’s showmanship, his supreme knowledge of the blues, and the rock psychedelia popular at the time of his band’s debut to create instantly striking guitar-based music.

Jimi Hendrix was a guitarist that I initially avoided studying. For a while, I only knew the innovative chord work used on “Purple Haze.” I avoided it not merely because I was intimidated, but because every other guitar player seemed to be copying his licks.

Eventually, took to studying his work and was stunned. The way in which Hendrix can play both rhythm guitar and the melodies on songs like “Little Wing” is astonishing. His pioneering of guitar effects is still a great inspiration. And his jazzy chord shapes along with almost traditional U.S. folk progressions, I find fantastic. I can only imagine what he would’ve done had he more time.

Yes, he was a virtuoso. But, thankfully, he was much more than that. Jimi Hendrix was an immensely creative and restless artist. Had he not been given a guitar during his childhood days in Seattle, he could’ve as easily become a great painter, poet, or architect.

Hendrix had started in the backing bands of rock’n’ roll singers like Little Richard. But he was persuaded by Chas Chandler of The Animals that he could be a star on his own.

While he was shy and introverted, Hendrix nonetheless created a colossal ruckus when he arrived in England. The Beatles, Brian Jones and Eric Clapton were quick to sing his praises. Ol’ Slowhand, to be fair, was also sent into a nervous breakdown by first hearing Jimi play.

He recorded only three studio albums with the Jimi Hendrix Experience. He refused to simply play the hits and constantly worked to improve. And, ultimately, he was a tragic figure. Hendrix is one of the great guitarists and, more importantly, a daring, important artist.

3. Eddie van Halen (Van Halen)

Eddie van Halen (Van Halen) took an old instrument and made it brand new. No, he didn’t add strings or strange wiring. He just made everything faster, dazzling and more sophisticated.

I cannot play as fast or as fluently as Eddie van Halen. And, if you can’t either, don’t worry! Van Halen’s playing is meant to impress when it showcases tricks like double-handed tapping, pick scrapes, or whammy-bar dives. But I’ve found that it’s the simplest riffs and rhythm guitar work that, when played, gets as much of a reaction from audiences.

By the time his group’s debut, “Van Halen,” had been out for just a few months, all the kids who owned a guitar had a new hero, and the top professionals had a new standard to aim for.

Yes, Eddie van Halen is responsible for the “guitar virtuoso boom” of the 1980s. Yep, everyone used double-handed tapping and dive bombs because of him. It’s true that “Eruption” changed the way that these players approached music. But that wouldn’t be the thing that would make him proudest.

Van Halen, for all his fancy fretwork, was happy to be an entertainer. He’d no qualms about playing pop music. He was not resentful of crowds asking to be engaged. And he didn’t even ask Michael Jackson to pay him for providing the solo to “Beat It.“

In his humble and genuine way, together with his godlike talent, Eddie van Halen was a true musical pioneer.

4. Brian May (Queen)

Brian May‘s guitar playing made Queen sound regal. Classy, tasteful, and amazingly hard to replicate properly, May’s guitar acrobatics provided the perfect companion to Freddie Mercury, one of the greatest rock singers of all time, and his vision for rock as musical theatre designed for rowdy stadium crowds.

Brian May’s guitar playing was, likely, the very first that truly impressed me. It was, above all, his tone and his enormous good taste in choosing the appropriate guitar line to complement the songs. And while I have learned most of May’s licks and solos, there’s just something about the tone that comes from his fingers, that will always escape me.

While May’s tone is unique, and while his technique and gear use were innovative, the Englishman was a songwriter first. This explains the musician’s restraint, his desire not to overplay, and his ability to find the parts that perfectly complement Queen’s songs.

You will find that awe-inspiring guitar playing, however, across most of the songs by a group responsible for some of the finest rock music ever created, including “A Night at the Opera“. And who else could Roger Taylor have befriended? There’s simply nobody quite like Brian May.

Read more:

• Queen Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
• “A Night at the Opera” Reviewed and Revisited

5. David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)

David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) may have had a great, large canvas on which to paint. And he may have been given the license to use it as he saw fit early in his career with Pink Floyd after replacing Syd Barrett. But his inventiveness and stylishness are still a genuine wonder.

Like nearly every other guitarist, I too have had a long phase of merely trying to copy David Gilmour. It started when I got a tab book of the compilation “Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd,” and attempted to learn every part by Gilmour.

But I found that beyond the use of pitch-perfect string bends, his beautiful vibrato and his excellent phrasing, it’s Gilmour’s ability to get lost within a song and to way his way out of it, that makes his playing sound grandiose.

Few guitarists on this list are more aped than David Gilmour. That’s partly because of the fame of songs like “Comfortably Numb” or “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” But it’s because many incorrectly assume that his style sits all in the use of dramatic bends and wah-wah pedals. False!

To achieve Gilmour’s sound properly, one would have to possess his silky touch and his creativity. And while he’s done some convincing solo work along the way, it was his ability to provide Pink Floyd songs with the perfect dramatic conclusions that makes Gilmour rank so highly on this list of the greatest guitarists of all time.

Read more:

• Pink Floyd Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
• The 100 Greatest Progressive Rock Bands of All Time
• “Wish You Were Here” Reviewed and Revisited
• The Song Story and Meaning of “Comfortably Numb”

6. Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry invented rock n’ roll guitar, and he would’ve punched out anyone who dared to say otherwise. One of the finest U.S. phenomenons, Berry’s slide licks, use of twangy vibrato and perfect boogie grooves created the general public’s view of rock n’ roll.

I heard that Chuck Berry used a pick-up band in every town in which he played. When I was a kid, the fact that so many musicians would know Chuck Berry songs seemed surprising to me. Having now learned “The Great 28,” I can advise young guitarists to do the same. His boogie-woogie guitar rhythm, the use of bends, and those horn-like leads can still serve as a strong basis for any novice guitar player.

And while off stage, Berry was said to have been a difficult person; on stage, he was the personification of an entertainer. Dancing like a duck, playing the guitar behind his head, and throwing dirty innuendos, few could resist his charm.

Sure, most of Chuck Berry’s hits were recorded in the 1950s, but it’s important to remember his greatness as a songwriter. He was the first of his kind. And his influence should inspire young guitarists to write good songs that speak to regular people, not just rely on flash. Berry, after all, combined both of these things.

7. Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple, Rainbow)

Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple, Rainbow) was everything you wanted in an otherworldly guitar hero. He was colossally talented and came skilled straight off the gate. He was also English, arrogant, and willing to show off.

I am in awe of Ritchie Blackmore’s talent. There are some of his licks that I still play on the guitar, nearly daily. But there are parts for which I’d have to train like a marathon runner before the Olympics before even trying to attempt them.

Blackmore’s use of harmonic minor scales and the Phrygian dominant mode, along with his use of neoclassical phrasing, opened the door to a new kind of complexity within the world of guitar playing. His alternative picking, use of his thumb to fret bass notes, and, of course, his galloping guitar leads, have proved to be an incredible inspiration on the guitar virtuoso scene.

Deep Purple was the finest club of hard-rock musicians, especially its “Mk. II” incarnation. It was Blackmore who had pushed for his more aggressive direction. This brought the group its notoriety. Many heavy metal and prog metal groups took inspiration, although few produced anything on par with “Smoke on the Water.”

But it was also Blackmore, dissatisfied with the funk-rock of a later version of the group, who started Rainbow. This band renewed the guitarist’s success first through epic fantasy-inspired rockers, and later through well-crafted pop-rock. Many power metal groups took as much as they could

Losing interest in heavy rock altogether, Ritchie Blackmore then found solace in neo-medieval folk rock. Yes, he even plays acoustic guitar better than most.

Ritchie Blackmore has had a tremendous career. And while you can get your fair share of imitators at a bargain price, I suggest that you accept nothing but the original!

Read more:

• The Top 11 Songs by Rainbow
• Deep Purple’s Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
• “Smoke on the Water” Meaning Explained

8. Jeff Beck (Jeff Beck Group, The Yardbirds)

Jeff Beck, quite simply, had a way of touching the strings of the electric guitar like nobody else. Where other players rely on a fancy rig of pedals, Beck created his unique tone with just his fingers. In fact, unlike most of the guitarists on this list, he hardly ever used a pick, although that didn’t stop him from a lightning-fast cavalcade of notes.

Jeff Beck first graduated from the guitar school of The Yardbirds, which was also responsible for Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page’s evolution. You’ll easily spot all of these characters on Alt77’s list of the greatest rock bands and artists of all time.

He was then one of the first to introduce heavy blues as a marketable proposition. His solo records, especially “Wired” and “Blow by Blow,” expanded the rock guitar vocabulary to include jazz fusion and funk.

But most importantly, although some tried, nobody ever sounded like Jeff Beck and few ever figured out how his incredible control was achieved.

9. Joe Satriani

Joe Satriani was the first, and arguably, the greatest guitar teacher to become a bona fide rock star. Still, it’s hard to comprehend just how important St. Satch was for the rock guitar community.

Satriani was mostly self-taught and developed sophisticated techniques (double-hand tapping, sweeping, endless legatos) for an instrumental rock context. Not only was he so good that he taught the likes of Steve Vai or Kirk Hammett, who you may also find on this list.

Satriani’s early albums, in fact, had him cast himself in the role of many different types of guitarists. Indeed, no “guitar virtuoso” albums quite translated to the mainstream like he did with albums like “Surfing with the Alien.”

Humble and hard-working, Joe Satriani then became a celebrity guitarist for hire, playing for the likes of Deep Purple, Mick Jagger and Sammy Hagar.

He’s never given up on his solo career, though. And, unlike some of the students who rever him, he’s never overly relied on explosive techniques and fancy tricks.

10. Eric Clapton (John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Cream, Derek & The Dominos)

Eric Clapton (Cream), in fairness, was the very first guitarist to stun audiences. It was no accident, and no hint of irony, in the famous London graffiti that proclaimed: “Clapton is God.”

Clapton’s style was the natural blues-rock evolution from the style of Hank Marvin, the previous generation’s guitar hero. And just like The Shadows’ guitarist, he increased the sale of Fender Stratocaster guitars by a tremendous factor.

First with John Mayall’s group, then with the first supergroup, Cream, occasionally with members of the top group in the world, The Beatles, Clapton specialised in silky, fluid and, occasionally, transcendent guitar solos. And, if that’s not enough, his cries of despair on “Layla” cemented his renown.

He later became an unlikely pop star, scoring big hits in the 1980s. But, to his credit, he’s always returned to where it all started – the blues. Clapton is to the blues what Martin Scorsese is to Italian cinema – its most famous student and collector.

11. Carlos Santana (Santana)

Carlos Santana‘s playing was the point at which the electric guitar stopped being simply a tool for entertainment. While the Santana group came up playing Latin party songs, Carlos’s playing was designed as a makeshift spiritual ceremony.

Sure, sure, not everyone cared about that. The band and its namesake guitarist achieved success through Latin-rock classics like “Abraxas,” featuring the ageless cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Black Magic Woman.” And, after a couple of decades in a quasi-religious wasteland, Santana made one of the biggest career comebacks with “Supernatural.”

It’s Carlos Santana’s tone and the intention behind it that make him such a colossal guitarist. It’s not the fact that he holds the pick with three fingers or his fast-paced pentatonic runs. Like the master himself will tell you, from the way that his brain thinks to the way that his wrist moves, everything about him is tuned to create celestial Latin-rock.

12. Angus Young (AC/DC)

Angus Young (AC/DC) just wanted to play rock n’ roll. Sure, he’s the hero of heavy metal guitarists and bike gang members everywhere. And, yes, that volcanic sound has filled out arenas across the world.

But, Angus and his brother Malcolm just wanted to bring back the “roll” to the rock genre. They wanted to honour and update Chuck Berry’s sound. And, along with conspirators like Bon Scott, they were happy to create some mischief along the way.

Young’s technique is, indeed, born out of early rock n’ roll and its roots in the blues. Still, it’s the way that the Aussie guitarist pushes himself to exhaustion in each performance that’s part of what creates his sound.

The other important element that needs mentioning is Malcolm Young‘s influence. Playing open chords with perfect timing, Malcolm brought a swing to AC/DC’s music that nearly none of its hard-rocking rivals possessed.

Finally, Angus Young is one of the great showmen of rock, and one of the players who single-handedly helped out the guitar economy through the years by encouraging sales from awe-struck fans.

13. Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)

Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) dialled things back and tuned his strings down in order to make the guitar sound evil. Gone were the reverb-drenched beach sounds of Hank Marvin. In were behemothic guitar riffs that seemed to belong either to a horror movie, or to ring out from the steel mills of Birmingham.

Iommi, Jimmy Page, and Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar riffs and solos created the public appetite for hard rock. Their inventiveness and, for a long time, willingness to learn and experiment stretched the vocabulary of rock guitar.

In the same way that schoolchildren are made to recite Shakespeare, young guitarists are required to learn “Iron Man,” “War Pigs,” or “Paranoid.” Black Sabbath’s discography is a wonder, and Iommi is its principal architect.

14. Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac)

Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac) was the most beloved guitarist of the 1960s by those playing the same instrument. And because of a type of playing that approached, at times, the supernatural, he is a revered cult figure today. It’s no wonder that the likes of Gary Moore or Kirk Hammett would spend big to own Greeny, the musician’s famous Gibson Les Paul.

Green’s playing also proves, beyond doubt, that it’s not (just) speed or showboating which makes a guitarist’s reputation. Peter Green named his band Fleetwood Mac after the his bass player and drummer. The group included three lead guitar players. And on songs, like the majestic “Albatross,” it’s Green’s flawless phrasing that brings the music to life.

Of course, the fact that Peter Green’s glorious initial run was cut short by LSD experimentation adds to the myth. Still, few guitarists brought more of themselves to the instrument or created more important songs.

15. Steve Howe (Yes)

Steve Howe (Yes) was a driving force behind the first rock combo dedicated to enlarging and enriching rock music’s vocabulary to the point that it could compete with classical. Yes was a highly ambitious band. To be a member signified a musician’s prodigious abilities.

Howe didn’t just play daring licks inspired by jazz and European medieval music. Oftentimes, like Brian Eno in Roxy Music, he just designed sounds appropriate for the song. You can feel his presence all across albums like “Fragile,” but you’ll rarely find him elbowing for the limelight.

And while Yes has undergone numerous lineup changes, frankly, there’s nobody that could ever take away Steve Howe’s job.

16. Slash (Guns N’ Roses)

They call them “Guitar Heroes” for a reason. There’s arguably no other modern player who’s made more kids want to pick up their instrument, learn their riffs and duck behind a top hat.

It’s not just hype either. Decades on from the monumental “Appetite for Destruction,” recorded with the wonderfully chaotic Guns N’ Roses, Slash remains the go-to guitarist for video games, celebrity-filled collabs, or for playing of the national anthem at sports events.

But what about his technique? Slash used to be able to blaze through bluesy solos like it was nobody’s business. Dare I say, he’s improved in the years since, adding greater speed and tone control to an already impressive arsenal.

17. Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stevie Ray Vaughan took Hendrix-style blues up in a rocket ship, in between the stars, and, always landed the damn thing down seamlessly. Few guitarists ever took more risks with their playing or had more of that work than SRV.

Of course, Vaughan was inspired by Jimi Hendrix to the point of early imitation. And, yes, his style was based on the always-thriving Texas blues. But to treat him as merely a blues player is, practically, to call him a cover artist. Stevie Ray Vaughan was much more than that.

I am also a guitar player, and in my younger days, I took studying seriously. Watching a DVD of Stevie Ray Vaughan back then was the closest I came to quitting. I could not believe that someone was playing as fluently and naturally as he did. Other virtuoso players seemed to have obtained most of their skill through serious work. Nothing that SRV did seemed to have been laboured over.

In fact, even his sad demise at too early an age can’t hide the fact that he made a lot of terrific music. The playing of “Texas Flood” is still sizzling hot. And although, thankfully, new blues players make the scene every day, all of them have to bow their heads in admiration to SRV.

Hear any guitarist say that playing the blues is easy and tell them: “Not if you’re playing it the right way!”

18. B.B. King

B.B. King wasn’t so much an entertainer as he was a prophet. He didn’t just play the guitar, but dialogued with it. And, in many ways, every guitarist who followed in his wake was playing a little bit of catch-up with the great man.

Those chasing his sound tended to play faster. B.B. King was an innovator. His legendary “Lucille” electric guitar was played with bends and moaning tremolo in a way nobody had dared to do before him.

I suppose that B.B. King is one of the guitar players you can’t copy. Just how much do you have to bend a string? How much vibrato? A supercomputer may be able to provide an answer, but that would be missing the point of his music entirely, I believe.

One of the so-called three kings, along with Albert and Freddy, B.B. was the connection line between the Mississippi Delta and its modern incarnation. Young blues guitarists have quite the legacy to live up to.

19. Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits)

Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) swears that he’s never taken guitar lessons for fear of embarrassing himself. He tells nearly all reporters that he doesn’t even know how to properly hold the guitar. If that’s true, why does practically everyone in the world know his guitar sound?

With Dire Straits and solo, Knopfler possessed a rare combination of musical elements. On the one hand, he had an ear like few others. He used it to seamlessly pick up country, blues, and rock elements and add them to his repertoire.

On the other hand (pun intended), he developed a unique fingerstyle technique born out of endlessly messing around on an unplugged electric Stratocaster as a youth.

From the chicken-picking solo of “Sultans of Swing” to the mammoth stomp of the riff to “Money for Nothing,” few guitarists are more unique-sounding.

20. Duane Allman (The Allman Brothers Band)

Duane Allman (The Allman Brothers Band) is the great patron saint of slide guitar. He was also a terrific band leader for The Allman Brothers Band. And even though his career and life were short, Allman’s musical ability progressed at a wondrous speed.

Allman got his start as a session player at the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. He then started The Allman Brothers Band, one of the most reputable live groups of all time and, for all intents and purposes, the inventors of Southern-rock as a distinctive genre. Not long before his untimely passing, he helped Eric Clapton create the epochal Layla as part of Derek & The Dominos’ sole album.

Allman died at 24 years old in a motorcycle crash. But what he built was sturdy. His band, led by his brother, Gregg, carried on for decades. His style was copied and adapted. And those slide licks played on “Layla” are, as you read this, playing on someone’s radio speaker.

Top 21 – 30

21. John Frusciante (Red Hot Chilli Peppers)

Solemnly dedicated to the art of guitar playing in the way a monk would be to the convent’s rituals, John Frusciante is one of the most influential guitar players in recent memory. Certainly, plenty of Stratocasters have been sold to youngsters trying to figure out the Hendrix-like opening lines to “Under the Bridge.” In and out of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and mad as a hatter, Frusciante’s done enough to warrant a place on this list.

22. Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones)

They call him “Keef the Human Riff”, and that’s precisely what the Rolling Stones’ guitar player and band leader represents. Possibly the finest rhythm guitar player on this list, and certainly the one placed highest, Richards is a master of playing efficiency. The man only has five strings on his guitars, plays open tunings and uses his right hand to strike the instrument in odd ways. Push him to it, and you might still get a “Brown Sugar” or “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” out of the man.

23. Neil Young

One producer advised a young Neil Young to stick to guitar playing and lay off the high-pitched vocals. The always stubborn Canadian, instead, took it as a mission to blend both these elements. And, indeed, his lyrical guitar playing is what sets listeners on colossal journeys on songs like “Cortez the Killer” or “Cowgirl in the Sand.” Age has done nothing to dissuade him, and fans can still watch Neil Young journeying out into the cosmos whenever he plays his electric.

24. Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead)

You wouldn’t be able to entertain audiences for hours and hours without some considerable talent and technique. I don’t care how strong the acid was in the 1970s. Jerry Garcia was a student of country, blues, gospel and every North American music style in between. Sure, the Grateful Dead allowed him ample opportunities to improvise. But some of the stuff that he came up with, mostly in a live setting, was out of this world.

25. Prince

Prince was just a little too good at making music for rock fans to take him seriously. Capable of playing numerous instruments proficiently since his teenage days and greatly inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana when it came to his lead guitar playing, you’ll find traces of brilliance all across his pop albums.

But Prince, a man known to play music for 5-6 hours every single day, had no problem jumping on any stage and jamming with any musician. Just watch Tom Petty’s jaw drop when The Purple One took over for Eric Clapton at “The Concert for George.”

26. Steve Vai

There are guitarists, guitar players and stuntmen playing guitar. Vai is of the latter category. A student of Joe Satriani and someone who, by his teenage years, had mastered most of the famous rock songs and the techniques used in them, Steve Vai remains an inspiration to anyone trying to elevate the vocabulary of electric guitar playing.

27. Hank Marvin (The Shadows)

Hank Marvin is unfairly forgotten whenever a guitar nerd, likely a metalhead, assembles such a list. But where would the first British rock n’ roll guitarists be without The Shadows’ guitar player, who constructed bona fide instrumental singles on the strength of his reverb-drenched tone alone? Marvin was not just a pioneer, but a very tasteful composer whose songs can still be enjoyed and inspire today’s players.

28. Alex Lifeson (Rush)

Rush was never a cool band, but always the most competent group on the beat. The Canadians wore out the defences of casual fans, who eventually awarded them their devotion and attention. While two of the three musicians were virtuosos and contributed to the complex compositions, it is Alex Lifeson who provided the rock element that turned the group’s songs into radio staples. Highly quoted by other prog-rock guitar players, Lifeson is one of the greatest guitar players of all time.

29. Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne)

Who knew that the world’s most popular instrument could be reinvented? But, as far as 1980s kids were concerned, that’s precisely what Randy Rhoads and Van Halen did when they recorded their first iconic tracks. Rhoads was a student of classical music as well as a showboating electric guitar player familiar with playing to rowdy club audiences. Joining Ozzy Osbourne provided him with a much-needed platform for his work and, in the words of the man himself, saved Ozzy’s career.

I love the story of how Rhoads landed the Ozzy gig. Supposedly, Osbourne had considered other musicians before coming to watch Rhoads play. The guitar player plugged and proceeded to warm up. A politely inebriated Ozzy Osbourne yelled out, “Stop it! You got the job!” Best drunken decision that the former Black Sabbath singer ever made, I think!

30. Andy Summers (The Police)

The Police, one of the most beloved pop-rock bands of all time, was a punk group before Andy Summers joined. And while Sting and Stewart Copeland get most of the credit, can you imagine songs like “Message in a Bottle” or “Roxanne” without Summers’ complex, jazz-influenced guitar voicings? Fortunately, we don’t have to!

Top 31 – 40

31. Joe Walsh (Eagles, James Gang)

Much like the time that Neil Young joined Crosby, Stills and Nash, Joe Walsh elevated and, eventually, destroyed Eagles with his greatness. That’s not to say that the fun-loving Walsh was doing fine on his own. “Rocky Mountain Way” or “Turn to Stone” demonstrate why, as a guitarist, he has always possessed supreme confidence.

32. Robert Johnson

You’d have to make up a story about Robert Johnson to make any of his playing believable? He must’ve sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads to get the play the blues so well, right? Instead, he was likely one of the finest blues guitar players ever, writing or adapting ghoulish songs that still captivate audiences today.

33. Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)

For a man who knows every trick in the book, it all starts with that shuffle groove for Billy Gibbons. And, once the ZZ Top guitarists has got you hypnotised, he’s ready to help deliver hit after Southern-rock hit. There are fewer most tasteful players and fewer musicians on whom chance has smiled as widely.

34. Johnny Marr (The Smiths)

Johnny Marr’s aggressive folk-style playing adapted to the electric guitar is, practically, impossible to replicate. That hasn’t stopped copycats from trying. But it is Marr’s impeccable ear for guitar melodies that has helped keep The Smiths fondly remembered as one of the best guitar bands of their era.

35. Gary Moore

When he was young, Gary Moore was determined to play faster and more aggressively than any guitar player in Ireland, or, indeed, the world. It’s this that landed him the role with Thin Lizzy. However, upon securing all the praise he needed, Moore began to listen more closely to his favourite blues players. He began to take his time and make his moves count. He turned himself into one of the finest blues guitar players of all time.

36. J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.)

Indie rock doesn’t get a lot of guitar heroes, at least, not ones who blast solos at mind-numbing volume. Thankfully, J. Mascis had little time listening to advice. He developed his own style, one equally influenced by Tony Iommi’s riffs as well as the self-imposed limitations of avoiding barre power chords. Masic is the one indie rock guitar player I could hear solo for hours on end.

37. Jack White (The White Stripes)

Jack White took a look at the rock landscape before him, heard the songs, and opted to strip everything down to its bare essentials. The White Stripes were, essentially, a distillation of all that was good about the blues and early rock n’ roll. White proved that one cheap, distorted guitar and simple drum grooves could capture the attention of an audience. Whenever a stadium crowd chants “Seven Nation Army,” guitar music has secured another battle.

Read more:

• “White Blood Cells” Reviewed and Revisited
• “Seven Nation Army” Meaning Explained
• “Blue Orchid” Meaning Explained

38. George Harrison (The Beatles)

He was the lead guitar player in the world’s best band after all! And while George Harrison rarely rated his own abilities, the proof is in the numerous contributions he brought to some of this world’s finest and most beloved songs. It’s not that it all happened by accident.

Harrison was known to practice his parts relentlessly before showing up at the studio. Want more proof of his brilliance? When he briefly quit in 1969, Harrison asked the now Fab Three to carry on with Eric Clapton. Instead, John Lennon remarked that the group might as well break up then and there.

Read more:

• The Beatles Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
• The Beatles’ Best Obscure Songs
• Paul McCartney’s Greatest 10 Solo Albums
• John Lennon’s Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
• George Harrison’s Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
• “Abbey Road” Reviewed and Revisited

39. Yngwie Malmsteen

Yngwie Malmsteen was always incredibly talented and unrelenting about drilling this into the mind of anyone who might doubt him. How did the Swede get so good? By his own admission, Malmsteen would routinely fall asleep on his guitar as a child while learning to play Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar solos.

When he finally got a shot at recording his own material, the impression Yngwie left on the guitar community was no less remarkable than the first times they’d heard Van Halen or Rhoads.

And while Malmsteen rarely strays away from the neo-classical style that made him famous, and rarely is humble about his achievements, the Swede is one of the most influential virtuoso players.

40. Dean Ween (Ween)

To some, it was Ween, not Oasis, who were the “Beatles of the 1990s.” However, the musical ability of the duo may have been lost on some. That was, for the most part, due to the humour that dominates most of the band’s compositions. But listen closely and you’ll uncover hills full of golden musical ideas and the ability to turn those into pop and alt-rock songs.

Much of that musicality is the result of Dean Ween’s imagination and skills on the electric guitar. Whether he’s messing around with fancy chords on “Mister Would You Help My Pony?” or playing angelic leads on “A Tear for Eddie,” Dean Ween is one of the truly great guitar players.

Top 40 – 50

41. James Hetfield (Metallica)

It’s that damn right-hand groove! That, in my opinion, is one of the technical aspects most often ignored by young guitarists. And, while many want to learn Kirk Hammett’s speedy solos, how many can actually play rhythm like James Hetfield?

According to a former bandmate, the answer is “three.” The “Chosen Ones” include Mustaine himself (of course!), Hetfield, and AC/DC’s Angus Young. Mighty true statement! I reckon Hetfield’s rhythm guitar is the single greatest musical element in Metallica.

42. Michael Schenker (UFO, Scorpions)

Michael Schenker, if the dice had fallen differently, would today be as esteemed as Eddie Van Halen is. And, to be fair, he is to some. The aforementioned Hetfield and Hammet grew up with posters of the German riff-master on their walls. Just as importantly, I love his riffs.

Michael Schenker peaked early. He was a teenage sensation roped in to play with his older brother in Scorpions. He wrote some of the best rock riffs this side of Jimmy Page with UFO. And he had the guts to turn down bands like Aerosmith and Ozzy Osbourne. He’s an underrated player that you should check out.

43. Buddy Guy

Buddy Guy is finally getting his due on account of starring in the Oscar-winning “Sinners.” But let history note that I had included Mr Guy on my list long before that fact. I’ve always felt he was a master guitar player.

Yes, in a way, Buddy Guy is a bridge between the classic blues of Muddy Waters (who discovered him) and its modern incarnation. Every step away, one song or jam at a time, Guy has been known to play just the right notes.

44. Joe Perry (Aerosmith)

Like his hero, Keith Richard, Joe Perry is more than a guitar player, but the spirit of rock guitar playing itself. Together with his partner, Brad Whitford, he’s responsible for some of the most memorable guitar riffs to rock stadiums to their metal bones.

Perry’s a student of the blues and the British Invasion. He’s a pragmatist when needed, playing just the right riff. However, he’s known to go wild in his solos as well. A true great, few guitarists have co-written more famous music than Joe Perry.

45. Kerry King / Jeff Hanneman (Slayer)

I’ve given this a lot of thought before, including a guitar duo. Still, I think it’s appropriate that Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman make the list together. Not only was their guitar attack responsible for turning Slayer into a force for decades, but their styles perfectly complemented each other.

For the most part, Hanneman brought in the demented rhythm guitar work, while King added the hellish guitar solos. Sure, it goes deeper than that, but take one of the men out of the combination, and it all falls apart. Few guitar tag-teams are more iconic.

46. Rory Gallagher

Rory Gallagher let it all hang out! Still, unlike your local blues band’s lead guitarist, the Irish player never repeated himself or let his playing get boring. He had a million tricks at his disposal.

He also had a great knack for writing, with songs like “Tattoo’d Lady” or “A Million Miles Away” being true classics. Jimi Hendrix was once said to have called him “the greatest.” And many fans of late-1960s and early-1970s guitar playing will agree. Rory Gallagher was a fantastic electric blues player!

47. Dimebag Darrell (Pantera)

In his teenage years, Dimebag Darrell managed to get himself banned from guitar competitions. The problem? He was just a little too good with former collaborators, claiming he could’ve embarrassed Eddie van Halen and Randy Rhoads themselves.

However, it was when Darrell took his foot off the pedal that his riffs got heavier and more memorable. One of the modern greats, Pantera’s guitarist has plenty of imitators, but very few counterparts.

48. Pete Townshend (The Who)

Pete Townshend is one of the greats, like it or not. See, even rhythm guitar players can get on my list!

Sure, The Who’s guitarist rarely played lead. In fact, the great bassist John Entwistle usually handled those parts.

However, Townshend had the vision, wrote the songs (most of ’em anyway), and used his electric guitar to create colossal explosions of sound. Yeah, Townshend is one of the greats, alright.

49. Robert Fripp (King Crimson) 

Robert Fripp has never done what was expected of him. In the earliest days of King Crimson, he played shows while sitting on a chair. His guitar playing style was intricate, prioritising alternate picking, string skipping, and a strong grasp of musical theory. Hardly guitar hero stuff in the conservative sense.

Fripp turned King Crimson into prog-rock’s most forward-thinking outfit, then remade it as a sophisticated pop band, and is currently known for making brilliant comedy music videos with his wife, Toyah Willcox. What ever will he do next?

50. Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)

Revenge is a fantastic reason to start a band! Revenge will make any task seem lighter! That, at least, seems to have motivated Dave Mustaine to create one of the greatest metal bands, Megadeth, after being asked to leave thrash titans Metallica.

Mustaine’s complex riffs already dominated Metallica’s earliest compositions. However, he brought an even greater focus to Megadeth. Arrangements resemble jazz-fusion in their complexity, the rhythm guitar playing is sensational, and the guitar solos are lightning-fast. Mustaine is one of the greats!

Top 51 – 60

51. Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave)

Political rhetoric aside, Tom Morello’s fame is owed to a guitar-playing style that, at the start of the 1990s, was wholly innovative. Although a skilled shredder, Morello took a different approach.

His playing emphasised song effects and grooves. He essentially used the guitar as a DJ would use a turntable. Nonetheless, his ability to write memorable riffs further endeared him to audiences.

52. John Petrucci (Dream Theater)

John Petrucci is an almost saintly figure to generations of ardent students of virtuoso heavy-metal guitar. Petrucci, after all, cofounded Dream Theater while professionally studying music at Berkeley University. His lightning-fast runs and use of exotic scales and complex rhythm patterns have been massively influential in progressive metal and beyond.

53. Allen Collins (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Lynyrd Skynyrd paved the way for Southern Rock’s ascent, blending blues, country and stadium rock. This approach needed guitar heroics, and usually it was Allen Collins who provided them. Collins’ melodic phrasing and his tone are the secret to iconic guitar lines, not more famous than the solo for “Freebird.” Allen Collins was one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

54. Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead)

Jonny Greenwood was touted as a musical genius even before he was a member of Radiohead. And, while technically gifted, Greenwood purposely avoids guitar virtuoso cliches. His playing embraces wild dynamics, dissonance and extravagant use of pedals. A modern master, Jonny Greenwood’s style is practically uncopyable.

55. Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden)

Iron Maiden always branded itself as the rock music equivalent of a wild roller coaster ride. Adrian Smith’s been just the man to add the cherry on top – the flashy solos and memorable riffs. Swashbuckling, but also very exact in his playing, Adrian Smith is a truly elite rock guitarist.

56. Mike McCready (Pearl Jam)

57. Mick Taylor (The Rolling Stones)

58. Dickey Betts (The Allman Brothers Band)

59. Matt Bellamy (Muse)

60. Robby Krieger (The Doors)

Top 61 – 70

61. Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)

Mike Campbell was a master of subtlety and one of the greatest sidekicks in rock n’ roll. But make no mistake about it, his licks were killer, and his guitar solos soared. It’s no wonder that Tom Petty included him on nearly every project he was ever a part of!

62. Stephen Malkmus (Pavement)

Stephen Malkmus’ style is based as much on skill as on not caring about skill. The Pavement frontman holds the guitar like an object that can just be tossed around. But his playing is noisy, chaotic and has magic to it. Besides, Malkmus has had a massive influence on modern indie bands.

63. Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick)

Rick Nielsen is a genius when it comes to pitching a band and giving it a look and sound. But he’s mighty handy on the electric guitar as well. Part Beatlesque rhythm player, part flashy stadium rocker decked in dorky clothes, Nielsen always knows what he’s doing.

64. K.K. Downing / Glen Tipton (Judas Priest)

Including just one of them would’ve been unfair to the list. Both K.K. Downing and Glen Tipton are excellent guitarists with different qualities, sure. However, it’s their dual guitar attack in Judas Priest that changed the way the heavy metal game could be played.

65. Steve Hackett (Genesis)

Steve Hackett is one of the best, most underrated guitarists of all time. While not a strutting performer on stage, Hackett’s playing in Genesis had flash, flair and featured plenty of tricks. It’s no wonder that Eddie Van Halen may have been inspired to use double-handed tapping from him. And that’s not even the best thing about Steve Hackett!

66. Tom Verlaine / Richard Lloyd (Television)

Once again, I need to include a duo. The interplay between Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, two very different musicians and personalities, on the “Marquee Moon” album is second to none. Guitar lines weave together seamlessly like two great painters finishing each other’s brush strokes.

67. Ace Frehley (KISS)

KISS may have just been another power-pop band in face paint had it not been for the explosive playing of Ace Frehley. Never much concerned with subtlety or fancy technique, Frehley shot from the hip. A generation of lead guitarists grew up wishing they could be him.

68. Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac)

Lindsey Buckingham is a fantastic guitarist whose abilities are somewhat undervalued. Early on, Buckingham developed a unique fingerpicking technique that immediately sets him apart. Yet, this studio maverick has always used his playing to enhance the quality of his recordings.

69. Joe Bonamassa

The blues has been around forever. But the blues always need new guitar heroes. Even as a teen, Joe Bonamassa demonstrated incredible knowledge of his blues predecessors and a daringness to take the style into the future. He’s an old-fashioned guitar hero of the modern era!

70. Alvin Lee (Ten Years After)

Alvin Lee, on a good day, simply had nobody able to touch him. His blues-rock was aggressive and fiery, and his improvisations always showcased his incredible imagination as a soloist. Others may have more consistent discographies, but Lee’s best recordings stand up there with anyone on this list.

Top 71 – 80

71. Steve Lukather (TOTO)

Look what a good education can do for you! Steve Lukather was only a teenager when he was getting work as a session player. The best of these musos assembled in the pop-rock outfit TOTO. Lukather is another musician who knows the value of restraint. But is there anything he cannot play on the guitar? Not likely!

72. Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi)

Richie Sambora has the talent for making any band he plays with sound better. His style is a combination of flash, soul and extraordinary confidence. Sambora’s a master of the tasteful lick, as is the intro to “Wanted Dead or Alive” or of the acrobatic guitar solo as on “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Personally, however, I prefer his acoustic guitar playing, where I think he’s one of the best in rock music.

73. Kirk Hammett (Metallica)

A great guitarist makes the best of the talent he’s been able to acquire. While there are faster or better-trained guitarists in the world, none of them could’ve played in Metallica, the leaders of their genre, for as long as Kirk Hammett. There’s a very good reason why teenagers everywhere try to learn his parts.

74. Tom Scholz (Boston)

Tom Scholz is one of the first massively successful independent musicians. Investing the money made from his engineering work into home recordings, he transformed Boston into one of the biggest 1980s bands. But, at the very heart of it, stands Scholz’s tasteful, quotable lead guitar playing.

75. Neal Schon (Journey)

Neal Schon was another rock n’ roll prodigy. Getting to play with Santana as a teenager may have been enough to get onto this list. However, Schon used his skills to become the band leader of one of the top pop-rock groups of all time, Journey. But can he shred, too? You betcha.

76. Lee Ranaldo / Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)

There are countless ways to approach playing the guitar. And, Thurston Moore, together with Lee Ranaldo, has been a duo obsessed with finding the least likely way of making guitars sound powerful and surprising. The Sonic Youth guitarists were massive innovators of the instrument.

77. Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme)

Nuno Bettencourt can stand alongside almost any of the great shredders. This is a skill developed through years of practice. However, the same can be said of his good taste. It’s no wonder that his finger-picked acoustic playing used on “More than Words” is the most famous moment.

78. Peter Buck (R.E.M.)

Peter Buck worked in a record store before co-forming R.E.M. This detail is relevant. Buck was always a tasteful player, one who knows when and how to serve the song, a guitar player who quotes from the critics-approved list. Furthermore, I’ve always highly regarded Peter Buck for his willingness to continually evolve his sound.

79. John Sykes (Whitesnake, Tygers of Pan Tang, Blue Murder, Thin Lizzy)

John Sykes was a guitarist who, arguably, had everything except perhaps greater ambition for success. On the other hand, his music speaks for itself. Sykes’ muscular riffs and expressive solos always worked great in a band setting, helping to elevate his groups rather than merely draw focus to the lead player.

80. Johnny Ramone (Ramones)

Yes, Johnny Ramone! You don’t get to influence the whole punk-rock movement and not make it on my list. Could Johnny Ramone solo? Not really! Did he know more than two chord shapes? Probably not! But did he use his skill to write rock history? Absolutely! No Johnny Ramone = No punk-rock.

Top 81 – 90

81. John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

Few guitarists had a greater run of form than John Fogerty in the late 1960s. A city boy who channels slithering blues-rock and dirty swamp music, Fogerty is responsible for a host of inspired riffs and solos that are fundamentally ingrained in classic rock history.

82. Freddy King

One of the “Three Kings of the Blues,” Freddy King always delivered an intense performance. No, he wasn’t very interested in speed or fancy tricks. King took elements of Texas and Chicago blues and gave them an emotional punch every time that he touched his six-string.

83. Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine)

Most guitar players move in a straight line and attack the solo like it’s a race. Kevin Shields is a master of texture. Much of this, quite famously, comes from his clever, intricate use of guitar pedals. A part of it comes from the way his production style has him obsessing over every detail. Shoegaze and dream pop might not exist without Shields.

84. Johnny Winter

Johnny Winter is one of the greatest slide guitar players of all time. Winter’s passion for Delta and Texas blues can be heard in any one of his recordings. His playing is intense, fast, and always balanced.

85. Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains)

No, Jerry Cantrell is not just a grunge or heavy metal player. No, he’s not just a workhorse musician who plays rhythm, leads, and has time to sing. Cantrell is one of the great rock composers, and every one of his lines perfectly integrates into the structure of Alice in Chains’ music.

86. Peter Frampton

Since his teens, Peter Frampton has developed the skill of entertaining crowds of thousands using an electric guitar. Consequently, Frampton is responsible for establishing the framework for the classic rock guitar hero. Using a talk box, extending rock guitar solos, and singing over melodic, rhythmic parts were all established with Frampton’s help.

87. Ron Asheton (The Stooges)

I will always stand by Ron Asheton as one of the great guitarists! The man, modestly, single-handedly changed how the instrument could be played. Asheton broke the electric guitar down to its absolute basics and made The Stooges’ riffs sound like something that could cause great bodily harm.

88. Albert King

Albert King was a masterful guitar player with one of the best picking hands in music. King famously played a flipped-down guitar and focused on a picking style that emphasised downstrokes. His leads were aggressive, but soulful. Hearing and watching clips of Albert King are bound to brighten your day!

89. Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age)

In the 1990s, Josh Homme’s playing was among the most exciting developments in heavy-duty guitar music. Drawing on metal, stoner, and grunge, Homme’s desert rock travelogues earn him a place among the greats.

90. Paul Kossoff (Free)

There have been few greater electric blues-rock players than Paul Kossoff. A master straight out of his teenage years, and a player able to make simple licks sound grandiose, Kossoff’s playing for Free deserves greater recognition.

Top 91 – 100

91. John Squire (The Stone Roses)

It took years before The Stone Roses won any admiration in Manchester, let alone the world. And during that time, John Squire developed a sensationally original style of playing. Squire could complement the group’s dance rock style perfectly, or could break into Jimmy Page-styled riffs. Squire is one of the British greats!

92. Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big)

Paul Gilbert is one of the most skilful guitar players on this list. He is an ace when it comes to most fancy techniques, including legatos, tapping, economy picking, arpeggios, etc. And, yes, he can showcase all of them at breakneck speeds. However, Gilbert wins extra points for having class and a bit of humour about himself and his virtuoso credentials.

93. Eddie Hazel (Funkadelic)

The story goes that Eddie Hazel was instructed to play the solo for “Maggot Brain” as if a relative had just died. The result is one of the best electric guitar displays of all time. Hazel was an excellent funk guitar player with the ability to play incredibly expressive lead lines.

94. Ronnie Wood (Faces, The Rolling Stones)

Ronnie Wood is just a natural. While he’s played bass guitar and great solos, as well, Wood’s greatest gift is his ability to play the kind of rhythm parts that always feel like they’re in an unnatural, strange balance. For a guitar sound that gets people to move, look no further than Ronnie Wood.

95. Steve Jones (Sex Pistols)

Yes, he was good! Never mind the people who say that Sex Pistols’ members couldn’t play. Steve Jones was always a good rock n’ roll player, making the best of his guitar vocabulary. But most importantly, he’s the man responsible for inspiring a near-revolution in the UK using only his guitar.

96. Mick Ronson (David Bowie)

David Bowie needed a wizard-level guitar player to realise his vision for Ziggy Stardust. And, he more than found that in Mick Ronson, a guitar player with extraordinary tonal control and the ability to dazzle audiences. Want proof? Just listen to Ronson’s solos on songs like “Time” or “Moonage Daydream.”

97. Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)

Kurt Cobain became a guitar hero by mocking what a guitar hero was supposed to do. He often played wrong notes on purpose, and his guitar parts may seem simple on first listen. However, Cobain was a great rhythm player, a great composer and a man who got whole new generations interested in the instrument.

98. Dave Davies (The Kinks)

Not enough is said of what Dave Davies did for the electric guitar. It’s likely that his prototypical use of distortion over chunky riffs helped create hard rock, heavy metal, and all other genres that require the guitar to play a central role. Davies played guitar riffs that you can chant in a sports stadium.

99. Eric Johnson

Of the guitar virtuosos, few, if any, are as tasteful as Eric Johnson. Sure, his jazz-influenced playing is dazzling. But, on songs like the iconic “Cliffs of Dover,” you get the sense that Johnson holds back, choosing to plant pictures inside the mind of the listener rather than overwhelm them with cascading notes.

100. Joey Santiago (Pixies)

Joey Santiago, in my estimation, is a supremely clever, natural rock guitar player. He is the secret weapon for Pixies, creating incredible dynamism in all the songs he plays. And, if you think what he’s doing is simple, just try to replicate it. I dare you! It’s the quickest way to learn just how unique Joey Santiago is.

Notable Mentions

Top 101 – 110

101. Les Paul 

102. Phil Collen (Def Leppard)

103. Chet Atkins

104. Jan Akkerman (Focus)

105. Duane Eddy

106. Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth)

107. Mark Tremonti (Creed, Alter Bridge)

108. Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society)

109. Dave Murray (Iron Maiden)

110. Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit)

Top 111 – 120

111. Omar Rodríguez-López (The Mars Volta)

112. George Lynch (Dokken)

113. Munky / Head (Korn)

114. Buckethead

115. Guthrie Govan

116. Jason Becker

117. Michael Angelo Batio

118. Tosin Abasi (Animals as Leaders)

119. Andy Powell (Wishbone Ash)

120. Jeff Loomis (Nevermore)

Top 121 – 130

121. Richie Kotzen

122. Greg Howe

123. Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)

124. Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree)

125. Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins)

126. Chris de Garmo (Queensryche)

127. Graham Coxon (Blur)

128. Albert Hammond Jr. / Nick Valensi (The Strokes)

129. Tommy Shaw (Styx)

130. Noel Gallagher (Oasis)

Top 131 – 140

131. Robert Smith (The Cure)

132. Nita Strauss

133. Adam Jones (TOOL)

134. James Dean Bradfield (Manic Street Preachers)

135. Juan Valdivia Navarro (Heroes del Silencio)

136. Plini

137. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

138. Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction, RHCP)

139. Tim Henson (Polyphia)

140. Tommy Stinson (The Replacements)

Top 141 – 150

141. Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Band)

142. Misha Mansoor (Periphery)

143. Adrian Belew (King Crimson, Talking Heads)

144. Trevor Rabin (Yes)

145. Martin Barre (Jethro Tull)

146. Paul Weller (The Jam)

147. Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads)

148. Don Felder (Eagles)

149. Uli Jon Roth (Scorpions)

150. Chris Poland (Megadeth)

Top 151 – 160

151. Steve Hunter / Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper, Lou Reed)

152. Mick Ralphs (Mott the Hoople, Bad Company)

153. Hillel Slovak (The Red Hot Chilli Peppers)

154. Snowy White

155. Phil Manzanara (Roxy Music)

156. Phil Campbell (Motorhead)

157. Robert Cray

158. Jade Puget (AFI)

159. Marty Friedman (Megadeth)

160. Nancy Wilson (Heart)

Top 161 – 170

161. Andy Timmons

162. Joan Jett

163. Matthias Jabs (Scorpions)

164. Mick Box (Uriah Heep)

165. Jim Martin (Faith No More)

166. Vivian Campbell (DIO, Def Leppard)

167. Mick Mars (Motley Crue)

168. Marc Ribot (Tom Waits)

169. Steve Miller

170. Tony MacAlpine

Top 171 – 180

171. Robin Trower

172. Roy Buchanan

173. John Lee Hooker

174. Steve Morse (Deep Purple, The Dixie Dregs)

175. Tommy Bolin

176. Vinnie Moore

177. Mk.gee

178. Nile Rodgers

179. Mike Einziger (Incubus)

180. Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day)