5 Best

[Dusty Chalk]

Jeff Beck!!
Sorry about that, brain fart.
Can't make my list, not influential or famous enough.

You what now? Naw, now you're just trollin'.

 

[veinbuster]

My list was people I always enjoy listening to and like to borrow from. What they did when I saw them live had a big impact on how I felt about them. Steve Ray Vaughn walking to the front of the stage and casually sitting down while he got lost in his guitar was a very special moment.
The thing I like most about Jeff Beck is that he seems to mostly play for himself and I find him the hardest to try to replicate. By that, I don't mean play one of his riffs, but to play like I was him. He has a feel and flow that I find very appealing.

 

[geese_com]

Here are mine In no particular order:

Eddie Van Halen
Shawn Lane
Guthrie Govan
Yngwie Malmsteen
Eric Clapton

 

[rugerpc]

Screw the 5 limit. Rock is much too diverse to elevate only five people to major influence status.

Gilmour
Hendrix
May
SRV
Page
Beck
Harrison
Clapton
Robert Johnson
Knopfler

I reserve the right to add more in edits.

 

[IKnowALittle]

You what now? Naw, now you're just trollin'.

Dude, it's just a fun list. You like who you want.
[mod edit: personal attack and name calling deleted]

I think Beck is a fabulous guitarist ... still doesn't make my list.

 

[IKnowALittle]

I honestly think that the most important thing about music is how it moves and influences people's emotions.

Technical skills are wonderful to listen to, but...I would agree, technical skills aren't the be-all, end-all. A great and memorable guitar part, a cool melody, etc., are equally, if not more important.

Let me address the "fame" part. Honestly, if no one knows who you are, how can you be influential. Simply can't be.
e.g. Clapton influenced thousands of guitarists. Robert Johnson influenced Clapton, but very few others.
Hey, it isn't fair, it isn't right, but it is the way it is.
Not to be a jerk, but I would be willing to bet a lot of money that not a single one of you could play an original Robert Johnson song ... just 'sayin.

Name me someone who is in any top 10 "best" list that isn't famous. Doesn't exist. Sorry.

 

[rugerpc]

I disagree with your criteria for 5 best.

"Famous" to me means as much as who wins an Oscar or what some critic thinks of a song or movie. I just don't care what they think. I buy, watch and listen to media based on what I like, not on the recommendation of critics or by album sales.

That's also why I refuse to limit myself to 5 in listing guitar greats. It's an arbitrary limit for the purpose of a list, but rock is way to diverse for limits.

 

[Alan Manning]

There's some amazing artist's out there some famous some not maybe right place right time but they all make music that move's us. Don't necessarily need to be famous to be talented it's all great stuff.

 

[Kynlore]

Let me address the "fame" part. Honestly, if no one knows who you are, how can you be influential.

If someone listed them here, then someone knows who they are.

The title of the thread wasn't the 5 Most Influencial. It was the 5 Best.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Let me address the "fame" part. Honestly, if no one knows who you are, how can you be influential. Simply can't be.

Everyone knows who Robert Johnson is, even if they can't play his tunes. And I think you'd be wrong about everyone not being able to play his tunes.

There's a famous quote about the first Velvet Underground album -- I forget what the number is, but it goes something like "they only sold <xxx> albums, but every one of those people went on to form a band". So it's not linear, as you seem to want to make it out to be.

And Jeff Beck made plenty of top guitarist lists -- Rolling Stone, etc.

I mean, I have artists that I'd want to be more like -- Vangelis, for one -- but I just don't sound like him, so I don't cite him as an influence.

 

[CVS]

I honestly think that the most important thing about music is how it moves and influences people's emotions.

Technical skills are wonderful to listen to, but...I would agree, technical skills aren't the be-all, end-all. A great and memorable guitar part, a cool melody, etc., are equally, if not more important.

Amen....Amen....Amen.... (the shredders never did it for me)

 

[CVS]

This is all subjective. There is no right or wrong answer.
But, I ask you this ... who is the best/greatest guitarist regardless of genre.
And, there is a lot more to this question than technical prowess.
Criteria has to be defined very carefully.
I know my answer.

Can we all now redo our top 5 lists and include jazz guitarists?

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

Jeff Beck!!
Sorry about that, brain fart.
Can't make my list, not influential or famous enough.

You'd got to be sh!!tting me?!?!

Most guitarists that we've all mentioned would put him top of their lists!

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

Brian May... I should probably have put him in my list along side that bloke from Stoke.

Refined list...

David Gilmour
Mark Knopfler
Gary Moore
Brian May
Slash
Jimi Hendrix
Eric Clapton
George Harrison
Joe Bonamassa

 

[IKnowALittle]

hey, lots of hate here.
can't say your wrong, I just believe that someone in the general public, who isn't a musician or guitarist has to know who you are.
at least, for my list ... your list is likely very different ... c'est la vie.

 

[IKnowALittle]

Everyone knows who Robert Johnson is, even if they can't play his tunes. And I think you'd be wrong about everyone not being able to play his tunes.

There's a famous quote about the first Velvet Underground album -- I forget what the number is, but it goes something like "they only sold <xxx> albums, but every one of those people went on to form a band". So it's not linear, as you seem to want to make it out to be.

And Jeff Beck made plenty of top guitarist lists -- Rolling Stone, etc.

I mean, I have artists that I'd want to be more like -- Vangelis, for one -- but I just don't sound like him, so I don't cite him as an influence.

whatever, I don't think my observation about Robert Johnson is incorrect... every guitarist might know who he is, but to suggest that "everyone" does ... not really.

 

[shupe13]

whatever, I don't think my observation about Robert Johnson is incorrect... every guitarist might know who he is, but to suggest that "everyone" does ... not really.

In all fairness the same can be said about most of the guitarist listed. Many fans of the Eagles' music couldn't name the guitarist. Same said for fans of Rod Stewert. People know the voice and face but may not link the collaboration with Beck. Even Van Halen, though less likely. Jimi Hendrix, known by most? Probably so as his band is his name. Clapton, the same. Exception being his works with Cream possibly?

Robert Johnson IS a possibility unknown to most outside the blues community.

Only musicians tend to dissect each and every sound and who made it.

Influential is very subjective. Bonamassa may be a major influence to me without my knowing his influences.

Technical... MANY listed above aren't what I would consider technical, but are bad ass at what they did.

Until the good Lord comes down with His list... Moot argument. Fun nonetheless!

 

[rugerpc]

I'm proposing a solution for this list and any future lists...

Let people own their own lists without recrimination.

Didn't make your list? Fine. No sh!tting on someone else's list because it is different from yours.