Top Metal/Rock guitarist of all times

Vinnie Moore
Michael Schenker
George Lynch
Joe Satriani
Michael Romeo
John Petrucci
Matthias Jabs
Steve Vai
Greg Howe
Tony Macalpine
 
There are so many I could never choose a "best"... I will say this... I have witnessed and heard over 200 concerts in my lifetime and can easily say Jeff Healey had the best live guitar sound I have ever heard. Even with his bluesy style he had a more Metal guitar sound then most Metal players... RIP my friend.
 
10. Magnus Karlsson
9. Rafael Bittencourt
8. Bruce Bouillet
7. Vinnie Moore
6. Jason Becker
5. Paul Gilbert
4. Kiko Loureiro
3. Rob Marcello
2.Johnny Ohlin - One of the smoothest/cleanest guitar players, he doesn't get enough credit. Dude rocks
1.Yngwie Malmsteen - the man that changed everything
 
In my mind, Vai and Satch are in a league of their own. Once you hit that second tier, there's a ton of amazing players. Everyone from Metal players like Romeo and Loomis to Blues players like Lang and Shepperd.
 
Guitar heroes opened the gates to metal for me, so choosing my all-time favorites isn't always easy. Here goes:

Steve Vai--To this day, no other guitarist amazes me like he does. His command of the instrument is the sort that everyone should aspire to have on whatever instrument they play.

Joe Satriani--This is the guy who opened said gates for me. His ability to make a guitar-based instrumental that appeals to mass audiences is unparalleled.

John Petrucci--This guy was amazing when he first came onto the scene, but what really impresses me is his never-ending search to expand his playing vocabulary.

Paul Gilbert--This man simply makes shredding fun, and he's one of the cleanest players around to boot.

Tony MacAlpine--One of the most underrated guitarists in the world. You can put this guy in any band, and he would comfortably fit right in.

Daniel Gildenlow--There is so much amazing guitar work on Pain Of Salvation's albums, and Daniel provides a lot of it. To top it off, he sings his ass off on stage while playing all of it.

Kiko Loureiro--Incredible phrasing, great tone, and wicked versatility.

Mattias "IA" Eklundh--One of the most unorthodox players out there. Some of it may sound silly, but just you try to play it!

Guthrie Govan--Why this guy isn't on the cover of every guitar magazine is beyond me. If you haven't heard him, do yourself a favor and go to Youtube immediately.

Marcel Coenen--See Guthrie Govan. Otherwise, just listen to Lemur Voice and Sun Caged.


I can go on and on, but I think these guys are truly the cream of the crop.


Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert
 
No order really:

George Lynch
Michael Schenker
Gary Moore
Yngwie Malmsteen
Tony MacAlpine
Vinnie Moore
John Norum
Akira Takasaki
Criss Oliva
John Sykes
Tony Iommi
Jason Becker
Paul Gilbert
Randy Rhoads
Shawn Lane
Alex Lifeson
Uli Jon Roth
Jimi Hendrix
Eddie Van Halen
Frank Marino

Of course I could go on all day with more that are basically the equal to those above (Satriani, Trower, Blackmore, Lee, Howe, Petrucci, Hoffman, Romeo, Jabs, Travers, etc, but those came to mind first :)
 
I can't add much to those already mentioned but I'm surprised no one has listed Jimmy Page. He's one of my all time great guitarists.
 
I'm not the biggest fan of Dream Theater (but i think they are good) as a player I'd have to say Petrucci impresses me the most.

Others who are killer..

Romeo
Loomis
Jorn Viggo (probably my 2nd fav behind Petrucci)
Kiko
Luca Turilli
 
johan68 said:
1. Huw Lloyd Llangton (Hawkwind)

I was in London in 2004, I went to see a local psychadelic rock band and Huw was appearing to do an opening acoustic set. Me and a friend who recognised him said hello, he was kinda all messed up (kinda like how Ozzy was portrayed on his TV show) and proceeded to walk across a 6 lane main road completely oblivious to any traffic whatsoever. I hadda turn round and not look cos I thought he was totally gonna get skittled.

Somehow he made it back alive, did his acoustic set, then later on the main band got him up to do some Hawkwind covers. After being introduced by the band he walks up to the mic and all he said was "Sorry." I'm not sure why he said that but I dont think I've ever heard a perfomer apologise to a crowd for no particular reason lol. I still laugh about it to this day.
Click to expand...
 
Some sick players that are amongst my faves that no one has mentioned yet...

Steve Morse
Allan Holdsworth
Dann Huff
Vito Bratta
Jeff Kollman
Brett Garsed
Rocky George
Eric Johnson
Michael Angelo Batio
 
mel_progson said:
Some sick players that are amongst my faves that no one has mentioned yet...

Steve Morse
Allan Holdsworth
Dann Huff
Vito Bratta
Jeff Kollman
Brett Garsed
Rocky George
Eric Johnson
Michael Angelo Batio
Click to expand...

Yeah those would all be on the list, along with Al DiMeola. Mine would be an alarmingly long list, just a lot of great players out there...
 
Thorshammer69 said:
Just off the top of my head, and in no certain order except for #1
1.Chris Oliva(loved his tone)
2.Michael Romeo
3.Randy Rhodes
4.Jorn Viggo Loffstad
5.Thorpe/Mcgee(Vicious Rumors)
6.John Sykes
7.Henny/Stefan(Primal Fear)
8.Gus G.
9.George Lynch
Click to expand...

I can't believe this one slipped my mind!
10.Alex Skolnick
 
So many greats; getting down to ten is hard, but the ones who immediately get my ear tend to be guitarists whose tone and phrasing are instantly recognizable.

Ritchie Blackmore
Uli Jon Roth
Joe Satriani
Steve Vai
John Petrucci
Blues Saraceno
Akira Takasaki
Bill Tsamis
Tony Iommi
Yngwie Malmsteen
 
EVH
Vai
Satch
Morse
IA
Ron Thal
G.Lynch
Nuno
Vito Bratta
Gilbert
Kotzen
Greg Howe


none of them are better than Holdsworth...but he's more of a fusion guy....and there are heaps i could have added from thatcategory
 
Wolf Hoffmann - God of the guitar Gods. Wolf was one of the very few that mastered fusing blues and classical. Wolf also plays with a blend of great style, emotion and technical expertise. He also has the greatest tone I have ever heard. He is also the Riff-meister of all-time.

Jorn Viggo Lofstad - Son of God maybe. Although a little more "flashy" and magic trick oriented with more jazz influence than classical, he really still reminds me a great deal of Wolf. His tone is monster too, though more like the EVH brown sound. Incredible player !

David Gilmour - This guy has made a career of playing "memorable solos." Dave can do more with five notes than almost any other guitarists can do with 25. Incredible soloist and also great texturist as a rhythm player.

Vito Bratta - I always hated to hear that he was an "Eddie clone." Vito certainly took a few pages out of the Eddie book of guitar, but he was much more of a perfectionist/detailist. He was one of the most precise guitarists ever. I don't know if he has ever hit a bad note.

Viv Campbell (Dio years) - Simply put, Viv just had the coolest soloing style of any guitarist for a couple of albums. His solos from HD and TLiL, still sound great today.

Yngwie - I have been bored with him for decades, but let's face it...... he changed metal guitar more than any man on the planet. He single-handedly created a sub-genre we call, neo-classical. His first four releases still sound awesome as well.


Akira Takasaki - incredible player. Great leads and rhythms. Asian musicians are known to borrow styles ftrom others and simply make them better, but Akira owns his own. Extremely underrated player. Great rhythm player too.

Mick Mars - Yes I said Mick Mars !! Mick is mediocre at very best from a technical standpoint, but he is tied with THE MOST INSTANTLY RECOGNIZABLE GUITARIST period. I can hear three chords from Mick and I know it is a Motley Crue song. His tone and style are so unique, he deserves to be on ANY "best" list. Mick is also the "heart" of the live sound of MC. I have heard the band (even the mighty Tommy Lee) sound very sloppy at times, but Mick is always razor sharp live.

Angus Young - Tied with Mick as the most recognizable sound in guitar....... I would die to have his guitar tone (on rhythm)

Bruce Kulick - Great all-around player. Blends emotics and technical expertise very well.

Stephan Lill - Maybe one of the most well-rounded guitarists there is. Great riff-meister, and great soloist. Great songwriter and harmony vocalist. Although VP has been my favorite band for many years, I didn't put Stephan on many of my "fave" lists until recently because he never stood out. Well.... he never stood out because he plays in Vanden Plas. The band's style doesn't allow for a musician to stand out....... yet if you listen close enough, they ALL stand out more than almost any.

Rickey Medlocke (current Lynyrd Skynyrd/former Blackfoot) - Southern rock musicians are tough to beat outside of the prog-rock/metal world and Rickey is the best of the Southern Rock guitarists in my ears. That is a bold statement because there are many Southern Rock guitarists that would make some of the best metal guitarists weak in the knees at the thought of a guitar duel. Still, I think Rickey, especially in his Blackfoot days, was/is one of the best out there. I also think the opening riff to "Highway Song" is the greatest "clean" guitar riff of all-time.

Simone Mularoni - I am not a good Glenn butt-kisser..... and in fact, I probably don't even give him enough credit for some things. I will give him credit here...... I wasn't familiar with DGM when they played PPUSA, but Glenn put the best shredder I have ever seen live on stage for me last year. I respect Yngwie and Mike Romeo, but live, Simone was the best pure shredder I have ever seen. I thought he was incredible !!

Tom Schultz - Much like Wolf and Angus, his tone was unmatched. In fact, he might have set the bar for tone and Wolf and Angus only equaled it later, as they didn't peak until later than the Boston debut. His "singing" style solos were only upped by the great David Gilmour.


There are many great guitarists I am leaving out like Chris Oliva, Jake E. Lee etc. etc. but I can't name all of the ones that bring awe to me. I must say that I am disappointed that I didn't see Mattias Jabs on this list though.


Bryant
 
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