Every rock fan, let alone guitar players around the world, have this argument at least once a month, and that’s “who are the best guitarists of all time?” The problem is everybody has preferences and different definitions as to which skills are the best to have.
Some people like shredding while others like slower and more melodic playing. Some want to see the fundamentals mastered while others others think if you aren’t using jazz music theory you aren’t even in the same playing field as the greats.
What matters is all of this in the right context, which signals maturity. Nobody likes the player that bumps up his volume knob and tries to shred non-stop. Nobody wants to be bombarded with 32nd notes during a ballad.
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The following are without a doubt the top guitarists to have ever picked a string. We also include a few runners up that are very close to taking a top spot and may already have in your mind. And of course at the end we give honorable mentions to the other greats (plus some shoutouts).
Interestingly, only one of these fine players is one of the richest guitarists in the world. That lets you know how much the general populous cares about skill. Without further ado, let’s jump into the
David Gilmour is the voice and guitar of the prog rock kings Pink Floyd. Like everyone on this list, he’s won all the awards. He’s known for his simple but huge riffs and ambient chords, full of blues phrasing, note bends, and plenty of sustain. He doesn’t get a lot of credit for it, but he can play many other instruments just as well.
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Though many have tried to emulate his sound and copy his exact equipment, you can’t replicate his fingers and his choice of notes and usage of effects. He does it just right in context, which is what lands him on all of the top lists, though not always in the top 10. He’s the undisputed master of lyrical guitar soloing.
Trivia Facts: Unlike others, Gilmour didn’t even receive his first guitar until his 21st birthday. In 1970, all of Pink Floyd’s gear was stolen, including Gilmour’s iconic guitar The Black Strat in New Orleans, leading to the cancellation of the tour. #9 – Steve Vai
Steve Vai’s illustrious career with Frank Zappa, Alcatraz, and the David Lee Roth band led to his mastery, growing even deeper in his current solo work with has matured immensely. He’s the king of the whammy bar, which helps too. Many would argue that he’s the best
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He’s the co-designer, with Ibanez, of the JEM guitar that changed how guitars are designed ever since. He’s a part of the G3 concert live-only tours with Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson. His guitar techniques include two-handed tapping, legato, sweep picking, alternate picking, acrobatics, circular vibrato, whammy bar, and other advanced methods that set him far apart technically.
Trivia Facts: He bought his first guitar at age 13 and started taking lessons from legend Joe Satriani. His practice routines early on included 10 to 15 hour days. He treated it like a career and made it so. #8 – Tommy Emmanuel
Tommy Emmanuel is the king of finger style solo guitar. He’s a true one-man band, even beating his guitar to create percussive effects. He was given his first guitar at age 4 and by 6 heard Chet Atkins playing with the Travis picking style and the rest was history.
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He draws from many genres like bluegrass, folk, and jazz, but country fingerpicking is the core of his style. He uses a thumbpick, a plectrum (a flat pick), and his fingers, which is known as hybrid picking. He uses all types of tuning and various string gauges to smooth out his unique tone.
Trivia Facts: When Tommy was 6 years old, his dad formed a family band, sold their house, and they hit the road. He became a pro at 6! When his dad passed, Australian country music star Buddy Williams took the brothers on tour to help them make an income. #7 – Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen often lands at number one in these lists. He’s that good. He credits Eric Clapton as his main influence but says he’s closer to Jimmy Page in style. He’s the kind of player that has been tapped by other top acts like Michael Jackson to play backing tracks for them.
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One of his standout tactics is tapping, where he uses both hands on the guitar neck to rapid fire off notes. Many consider one of his solos as the greatest ever, if not second greatest, due to this technique. He says he got this skill from watching Steve Hackett of Genesis and Jimmy Page.
Trivia Facts: Eddie Van Halen never learned to read music. He’s also an inventor, holding several patents including one for a device that allows the guitar to be played like a piano. Eddie and his brother Alex started the insanely successful band Van Halen, featuring the singer David Lee Roth. #6 – Brian May
Brian May is the lead guitarist of legendary band Queen. He is known for his innovative and unique guitar techniques, including the “double delay, ” in which he plays a note then creates a delay by tapping the strings on the preceding fret. He also developed “guitar orchestrations, ” a technique in which he would overdub guitar tracks to create a multi-layered sound.
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Trivia Facts: Brian May holds a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College London and was a co-author of several scientific research papers. He has also worked with many other famous musicians outside of Queen, including David Bowie and Pink Floyd. In addition to his music career, May is an animal rights activist and has campaigned for better treatment of animals in the entertainment industry. #5 – Pat Metheny
Few young listeners know about Pat Metheny, but you’re looking at a world class musician working in the jazz fusion genre, touring the globe constantly (and making god knows how much money). His knowledge of music theory and the application of it are nearly unmatched.
Listeners love his unique voicings and phrasing, and especially when he uses MIDI guitar to emulate the sounds of other instruments and even synthesizers. You won’t find a more disciplined and professional player other than maybe Steve Vai. We’re a huge fan of his impeccable picking and not being shy about heavy compression.
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Trivia Facts: Pat Metheny is the only person ever to win Grammys in 10 categories. His brother is the famous jazz flugelhornist Mike Metheny. He plays a custom 42 string Pikasso guitar at times. He’s one of the first to use a guitar synthesizer. He lost some of his masters (thankfully digitized) in the 2008 Universal Studios fire. #4 – Guthrie Govan
Guthrie Govan is the best guitarist, period. As amazing as others are, this guy edges them out by not only having the topmost technical ability but can use it in any genre. There are no limits to Govan’s abilities. He shares the love, spending much of his time as a guitar clinician, teaching in masterclasses around the world.
Among the bands he’s played with, the most successful is Asia, but he was even the lead guitarist in the Hans Zimmer Live band. He says his influences are Hendrix and Clapton, though he says he has the imagination of Steve Vai and passion of Yngwie Malmsteem. His mind is not like ours, and he can visualize entire complex songs before playing or writing them down.
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Trivia Facts: Guthrie Govan says he’s “wary” of the 1980’s shredding, which is a sign of maturity as far as I’m concerned, though he can do it. He thinks of the guitar as a typewriter for getting out a musical message. #3 – Eric Clapton
Everybody knows Eric Clapton. Some consider him the number-one or two top player ever, and he’s the only person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times. Even if you don’t like Clapton, you like his bands such as The Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominos, etc.
At one point, Clapton was going to join The Beatles and the question was actually posed about who had more clout at that time. What matters about Clapton besides his skill is that nearly everyone loves him. And if you can touch that many hearts then you must have a level of mastery that few others have attained.
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Trivia Facts: Eric Clapton considers artists like Robert Johnson, Buddy Holly, Muddy Waters, and Freddie King to some of his influences. Music historians credit Clapton as the figure that led to the mythology and cult of personality surrounding the lead guitarist. #2 – Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page, the lead guitarist of Led Zeppelin, is known for his versatile guitar playing and innovative use of guitar effects to create a distinctive sound. He was one of the first to play the guitar with a bow, giving Led Zeppelin’s music a haunting and otherworldly quality. He also used a theremin on several tracks, including “Whole Lotta Love” and
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