Top 50 Guitarists

14 December 2021 updated 7 February 2022

  1. Jimi Hendrix Starting off the list is the greatest guitarist of all time. Groundbreaking, virtuosic, the guitarists guitarist, with many great performances live and in the studio.
  1. Joe Satriani Joe took tapping to the next level, combining blistering technique, masterful musicianship and feel.
  1. Brian May While arguably not quite at the very top of the list in terms of blistering technique, he can still rip it up, and he really operates on a higher plane than other guitarists. With his dad, he built his guitar from an old fireplace. He has had amazing commercial success with the band Queen. He has collaborated with some of the greatest artists on some of the most amazing events including the Star Fleet Project EP, Live Aid, The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness and Guitar Legends, Seville 1991.
  1. Diesel
  1. Stevie Ray Vaughan On another level.

  1. Gary Moore

  2. Jeff Healey

  1. Eric Clapton Yardbirds alumni Clapton, Beck and Page are almost impossible to separate in rank. Clapton gets the nod here. For the moment. There is his blues work, his phenominal work with Cream, and his catalogue as a solo artist, encapsulating the good, the commercial and the emotionally impactful.
  1. Jeff Beck Jeff Beck is sometimes cited as the guitarists guitarist. However, his work hasn't generally reached the commercial success of his fellow Yardbirds alumni.
  1. Jimmy Page Jimmy Page was a top session musician, and a key member of the quintessential hard rock band Led Zeppelin. He also did other good work, including his 1993 collaboration with singer David Coverdal on the album Coverdale–Page.
  1. Angus Young
  1. Malcolm Young
  1. Vinnie Vincent
  1. Ace Frehley
  1. Eddie Van Halen A virtuoso musician, popularised tapping, with great commercial releases in the mid 1980s.
  1. David Gilmour
  1. Nunu Bettencourt An amazing guitarist with the band Extreme.
  1. Brian Setzer
  1. Dave Edmunds
  1. Steve Vai
  1. Frank Zappa

  1. Dweezil Zappa

  2. Ritchie Blackmore

  1. Stevie Salas

  2. Slash

  1. B. B. King
  1. The Edge
  1. Aldo Nova

  1. Les Paul

  2. Joe Perry

  1. Joe Walsh
  1. Ted Nugent
  1. Tracii Guns

  1. Alvin Lee

  2. Mick Ronson

  3. Robert Johnson

  4. Ry Cooder

  5. Keith Richards

  6. Mark Knopfler

  7. George Harrison

  8. Pete Townsend

  9. Randy California

  10. Bonnie Raitt

  11. Kane Roberts

  12. Steve Jones

  13. Andy Summers

  14. Billy Gibbons

  15. Scotty Moore

  16. Tony Iommi

  17. Steve Stevens (born Steven Bruce Schneider)

  18. Lesley West

  19. Prince

  20. Randy Rhoads

  21. Tom Morello

  22. Jakey Lou Williams (a.k.a. Jake E. Lee)

  23. Pete Haycock

  24. Stanley Jordan

58–100 In Progress