1. Frank Zappa is god and above all others in nearly every way! Composition, complexity, diversity, flawlessness, etc. I have felt this way since 1974 or so! Who else has both the balls and the fan base to release multiple albums made up simply of your guitar solos from live shows!
2. Prince is just that, Prince to the god (King) in #1 here. Once again composition, complexity, diversity, flawlessness, etc. Watch his solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (
) with a superstar cast on stage with him. IMO, one of the greatest guitar solos ever! The jaws of several of those superstars are hitting the floor as he rips that song into a thousand beautiful pieces of 6 string magic. And talk about a mic drop (guitar toss in this case which was a staple for him) at the end of that song! He also added the entertainer/showmanship that Frank did not really have. If he had lived longer, he may have eventually supplanted FZ in the #1 slot, but unlikely to happen with only vault releases from here on out.
3. Third would have to be a mix (each has their own value), Robert Fripp, Mick Ronson, John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, SRV, Steve Vai. I am sure I have missed a few and I am positive I have not heard a lot of the greats ;~))
Favorite band would be any band that Frank Zappa was a part of ;~))
Happy pickin'!
MW