POLL- The WEAKEST LINK: Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 10 Guitarist- ROUND 1

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  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    Pete Townshend
    I had to vote off Pete and that's kind of a bummer because he is quite the showman.  But, of course, that doesn't equate to greatest guitar player.
    My list of major omissions for the R.S. list (which I would make as 15 or 20 long):
    Robert Johnson
    Django Reinhardt
    Larry Coryell
    John McLaughlin
    Richard Thompson
    Robert Fripp
    Leo Kottke
    John Fahey

    And I have to at least honorably mention Peter Green, Neil Young, Mike Bloomfield, and Jason Victor.

    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    Pete Townshend
    And have to add, what makes this list bogus is the exclusive inclusion only of rock guitarists.  No jazz or blues guitarist?  Andrés Segovia, anyone?
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • tbergs
    tbergs Posts: 10,437
    edited April 2021
    Chuck Berry
    brianlux said:
    And have to add, what makes this list bogus is the exclusive inclusion only of rock guitarists.  No jazz or blues guitarist?  Andrés Segovia, anyone?
    I'll be honest Brian, I don't know half the names you mentioned. Who should I start with?
    It's a hopeless situation...
  • tempo_n_groove
    tempo_n_groove Posts: 41,531
    Duane Allman
    brianlux said:
    And have to add, what makes this list bogus is the exclusive inclusion only of rock guitarists.  No jazz or blues guitarist?  Andrés Segovia, anyone?
    I would add Charro too.  That girl can play!
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    Pete Townshend
    tbergs said:
    brianlux said:
    And have to add, what makes this list bogus is the exclusive inclusion only of rock guitarists.  No jazz or blues guitarist?  Andrés Segovia, anyone?
    I'll be honest Brian, I don't know half the names you mentioned. Who should I start with?

    That's as hard to answer as naming the greatest guitarist, lol!  But here's a brief rundown of what makes these players great:
    Robert Johnson you probably know as the founder of modern blues as we know it . A great place to start with blues guitar appreciation
    Django Reinhardt is regarded as the first to use guitar in jazz as a lead instrument.
    Larry Coryell was the godfather of jazz rock fusion.  His first two albums, Lady Coryell and Coryell are great!
    John McLaughlin is still playing and has covered a lot of territory from fusion (solo and with Miles Davis) to exotic acoustic.
    Richard Thompson is a phenomenal guitarist.  Shoot Out the Lights with former wife Linda is a great place to start.
    Robert Fripp is a master.  Check out his stuff with King Crimson, David Bowie, and Brian Eno.
    Leo Kottke is an amazing folk and blues guitarist who manages to sound like two or three guitarist while playing solo.  6 and 12 Sting Guitar is a great album to start with.
    John Fahey was a marvelous self-taught guitarist blending blue and folk and other roots styles. The Yellow Princess is my favorite of LPs of his I have but I'm told The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death is even better (a pricey, fairly hard to find LP last I checked).
    Andrés Segovia is generally consider the greatest classical guitarist of all times.  Julian Bream is right up there too.

    I hope you get a chance to check out some of these players, T.

    And maybe our fine thread host will do a "greatest female guitarist" shootout some time.  There are some phenomenal lady guitarists out there as well!

    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • SmallestOceans
    SmallestOceans Posts: 13,542
    Chuck Berry
    Chuck Berry rated higher than EVH


    Trey Anastasio and Jerry G should probably be on the list over Berry and Townshend at this point. Terry Kath is my #1, Jimi thought he was a better player.
    https://www.classicrockhistory.com/why-jimmy-hendrix-called-chicagos-terry-kath-the-best-guitarist-in-the-universe/

    Here’s Duane and Clapton jamming for 2 hours...
    https://youtu.be/pOcgqg_IzG0
    Worcester1 13, Worcester2 13, Hartford 13, San Diego 13, Los Angeles1 13, Los Angeles2 13
    Trieste 14, Vienna 14, Gdynia 14, Leeds 14, Milton Keynes 14, Denver 14
    Central Park 15
    Fort Lauderdale 16, Miami 16, Tampa 16, Jacksonville 16, Greenville 16, Hampton 16, Columbia 16, Lexington 16, Philly1 16, Philly2 16, NYC1 16, NYC2 16, Quebec City 16, Ottawa 16, Toronto1 16, Toronto2 16, Fenway1 16, Fenway2 16, Wrigley1 16, Wrigley2 16


  • cutz
    cutz Posts: 12,274
    Keith Richards
    I like Keith Richards and The Rolling Stones, but he's , at best, the 3rd best guitarist  the Stones have/had.

     Ronnie Wood and especially Mick Taylor are/were better. 

    Great Riffs, but not a great guitar player.
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    Pete Townshend
    SmallestOceans said:
    Chuck Berry rated higher than EVH


    Trey Anastasio and Jerry G should probably be on the list over Berry and Townshend at this point. Terry Kath is my #1, Jimi thought he was a better player.
    https://www.classicrockhistory.com/why-jimmy-hendrix-called-chicagos-terry-kath-the-best-guitarist-in-the-universe/

    Here’s Duane and Clapton jamming for 2 hours...
    https://youtu.be/pOcgqg_IzG0

    I would have loved to seen Terry Kath in some configuration other than Chicago.  But you're right, he was a fine guitarist.
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    Pete Townshend
    A couple more honorable mentions:
    J Mascis.  Maybe not the greatest, but J touches on greatness and find the zone in "The Lung" starting at 33:38 (poor recording, phenomenal performance):

    Harvey Mandel.  Runner up behind Mick Taylor to become a Stone.  Fantastic guitar player!



    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • tbergs
    tbergs Posts: 10,437
    Chuck Berry
    brianlux said:
    tbergs said:
    brianlux said:
    And have to add, what makes this list bogus is the exclusive inclusion only of rock guitarists.  No jazz or blues guitarist?  Andrés Segovia, anyone?
    I'll be honest Brian, I don't know half the names you mentioned. Who should I start with?

    That's as hard to answer as naming the greatest guitarist, lol!  But here's a brief rundown of what makes these players great:
    Robert Johnson you probably know as the founder of modern blues as we know it . A great place to start with blues guitar appreciation
    Django Reinhardt is regarded as the first to use guitar in jazz as a lead instrument.
    Larry Coryell was the godfather of jazz rock fusion.  His first two albums, Lady Coryell and Coryell are great!
    John McLaughlin is still playing and has covered a lot of territory from fusion (solo and with Miles Davis) to exotic acoustic.
    Richard Thompson is a phenomenal guitarist.  Shoot Out the Lights with former wife Linda is a great place to start.
    Robert Fripp is a master.  Check out his stuff with King Crimson, David Bowie, and Brian Eno.
    Leo Kottke is an amazing folk and blues guitarist who manages to sound like two or three guitarist while playing solo.  6 and 12 Sting Guitar is a great album to start with.
    John Fahey was a marvelous self-taught guitarist blending blue and folk and other roots styles. The Yellow Princess is my favorite of LPs of his I have but I'm told The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death is even better (a pricey, fairly hard to find LP last I checked).
    Andrés Segovia is generally consider the greatest classical guitarist of all times.  Julian Bream is right up there too.

    I hope you get a chance to check out some of these players, T.

    And maybe our fine thread host will do a "greatest female guitarist" shootout some time.  There are some phenomenal lady guitarists out there as well!

    Thanks, Brian! I will definitely give them a listen. I know some of them and I'm sure heard others without realizing it.
    It's a hopeless situation...
  • tbergs
    tbergs Posts: 10,437
    edited April 2021
    Chuck Berry
    brianlux said:
    SmallestOceans said:
    Chuck Berry rated higher than EVH


    Trey Anastasio and Jerry G should probably be on the list over Berry and Townshend at this point. Terry Kath is my #1, Jimi thought he was a better player.
    https://www.classicrockhistory.com/why-jimmy-hendrix-called-chicagos-terry-kath-the-best-guitarist-in-the-universe/

    Here’s Duane and Clapton jamming for 2 hours...
    https://youtu.be/pOcgqg_IzG0

    I would have loved to seen Terry Kath in some configuration other than Chicago.  But you're right, he was a fine guitarist.
    Never thought of Kath. Heck, I didn't even know the name of the guitarist for Chicago until now, but 25 or 6 to 4 has been one of my favorite songs since I heard it as a kid, in large part due to that glorious guitar solo. 
    It's a hopeless situation...
  • MedozK
    MedozK Tennessee Posts: 9,212
    The biggest omissions I saw as I went through the entire 100 list, was country guitarist. I know Chet Atkins is #21, but damn no Jerry Reed, Roy Clark or Glen Campbell anywhere on the list.
  • MedozK
    MedozK Tennessee Posts: 9,212
    tempo_n_groove said:
    Duane Allman can play but man, I don’t know...

    Some that should be on here for their innovations are Robert Johnson, G3 Vai, Satriani and Eric Johnson and where the hell is Stevie Ray?

    Yea, Stevie should be in the top 10 he is #12 though.
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    Pete Townshend
    MedozK said:
    The biggest omissions I saw as I went through the entire 100 list, was country guitarist. I know Chet Atkins is #21, but damn no Jerry Reed, Roy Clark or Glen Campbell anywhere on the list.

    When I was a kid I thought Glen Campbell's music was rather hokey.  But then one evening I saw him perform a number on some TV show and his guitar playing floored me.  Man, was I set straight!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • eeriepadave
    eeriepadave West Chester, PA Posts: 43,293
    Keith Richards
    It will most likely come down to Hendix and Van Halen.

    Surprised Prince wasn't listed.
    8/28/98- Camden, NJ
    10/31/09- Philly
    5/21/10- NYC
    9/2/12- Philly, PA
    7/19/13- Wrigley
    10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
    10/21/13- Philly, PA
    10/22/13- Philly, PA
    10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
    4/28/16- Philly, PA
    4/29/16- Philly, PA
    5/1/16- NYC
    5/2/16- NYC
    9/2/18- Boston, MA
    9/4/18- Boston, MA
    9/14/22- Camden, NJ
    9/7/24- Philly, PA
    9/9/24- Philly, PA
    Tres Mts.- 3/23/11- Philly. PA
    Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
    RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    edited April 2021
    Pete Townshend
    tbergs said:
    brianlux said:
    tbergs said:
    brianlux said:
    And have to add, what makes this list bogus is the exclusive inclusion only of rock guitarists.  No jazz or blues guitarist?  Andrés Segovia, anyone?
    I'll be honest Brian, I don't know half the names you mentioned. Who should I start with?

    That's as hard to answer as naming the greatest guitarist, lol!  But here's a brief rundown of what makes these players great:
    Robert Johnson you probably know as the founder of modern blues as we know it . A great place to start with blues guitar appreciation
    Django Reinhardt is regarded as the first to use guitar in jazz as a lead instrument.
    Larry Coryell was the godfather of jazz rock fusion.  His first two albums, Lady Coryell and Coryell are great!
    John McLaughlin is still playing and has covered a lot of territory from fusion (solo and with Miles Davis) to exotic acoustic.
    Richard Thompson is a phenomenal guitarist.  Shoot Out the Lights with former wife Linda is a great place to start.
    Robert Fripp is a master.  Check out his stuff with King Crimson, David Bowie, and Brian Eno.
    Leo Kottke is an amazing folk and blues guitarist who manages to sound like two or three guitarist while playing solo.  6 and 12 Sting Guitar is a great album to start with.
    John Fahey was a marvelous self-taught guitarist blending blue and folk and other roots styles. The Yellow Princess is my favorite of LPs of his I have but I'm told The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death is even better (a pricey, fairly hard to find LP last I checked).
    Andrés Segovia is generally consider the greatest classical guitarist of all times.  Julian Bream is right up there too.

    I hope you get a chance to check out some of these players, T.

    And maybe our fine thread host will do a "greatest female guitarist" shootout some time.  There are some phenomenal lady guitarists out there as well!

    Thanks, Brian! I will definitely give them a listen. I know some of them and I'm sure heard others without realizing it.

    Sure thing, T! 
    I forget to say something about the other name I mentioned, Jason Victor.  He's one of my favorite younger (not real young but younger than most mentioned in these pages).  Playing slide and lead guitar here:



    Post edited by brianlux on
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • tempo_n_groove
    tempo_n_groove Posts: 41,531
    Duane Allman
    eeriepadave said:
    It will most likely come down to Hendix and Van Halen.

    Surprised Prince wasn't listed.
    Prince could play but wasn't better than most mentioned.
  • tempo_n_groove
    tempo_n_groove Posts: 41,531
    Duane Allman
    Someone I'll add also as I think he gets better every time I see him is John Dwyer from Thee Oh Sees.  Dude has some serious sense of tone.
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    Pete Townshend
    tempo_n_groove said:
    Someone I'll add also as I think he gets better every time I see him is John Dwyer from Thee Oh Sees.  Dude has some serious sense of tone.

    I'm not much of a fan, but I have to give him credit for playing well under the duress of having such a short guitar strap.  If that thing was any shorter he would HAVE to play with his teeth! 
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    Keith Richards
    dankind said:
    tbergs said:
    MedozK said:
    I throw my 2 cents in on this one. This list is beyond messed up. There are great guitarist not on the list at all, and some on here for who knows the reason.
    You mean Keith Richards :whistle:
    rgambs said:
    Only Dankind could vote for Clapton in the first round lol
    What a pud move 🤣🤣🤣
    The average person, at the very least, knows 10 Keith riffs by heart. That's massive! You can probably hear them in your head right now while reading this. And, surprise, they might make you shake your tushy a little bit.

    Now try Clapton. Other than his stuff with Cream (which had stellar rhythm section!) and the intro to "Layla," I cannot do this. His riffs are tired, his fills and solos pretty much chromatic when that's the time to step out of the box.
    Well, yeah, there's zero doubt that Richards wins the songwriting contest over Clapton...easily...but if memorable riffs is the standard, doesn't Page win that contest?  It's hard to count how many Zeppelin riffs are firmly lodged in the zeitgeist, and Page comes WAY closer to mastery of the instrument.  Shouldn't something approaching mastery of the instrument be a requisite for top ten greatest? 
    Clapton's fills and leads may not be the most unique, but Richards couldn't do them at half speed lol
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
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