All-Time Greatest Guitarist

[oldbuckster]

Fahey.

Nice way to waste space!!

[nicholtl]

Kirk Hammet of Metallica.

[OldSkool]

This is easy: Randy Rhodes.

He was classically trained and never stopped trying to learn. People often try to pigeonhole Randy with his Ozzy

days but overlook his classical guitar prowess and lifelong pursuit of

mastering that art. Randy could stand the hair on the

back of your neck up with ONE NOTE using sustain. Some of his

stuff on the Ozzy albums show that, but his talent gets lost in all the

Ozzy-theme hype. One example would be the ending to 'Tonight' from

Diary of a Madman. The long drawn out solo Randy does is slowly

faded away as the song closes, but if you keep turning up the volume

you will hear his mastery of sustain and feedback. But even that

doesnt come close to illustrating what that guy could do.

There are a plenty of shredder riff guitarist out there (ala Zakk

Wylde) who can scale for hours perfectly, but it doesnt take long

to see how that can leave you empty. If you wanna see insane

fretwork go watch Jeff Watson;

the first person to lay down the incredibly tough 8-finger technique,

but that stuff doesnt touch Randy. Its all about feeling and how the notes dig in and tweak your insides.

Only guy Ive heard who can milk a note as good as Randy was Stevie

Ray. Derek Trucks is getting there fast with his slide also.

Mister can you make folks cry when you play and sing.
Have you paid

your dues, can you moan the blues,

Can you bend them guitar strangs.

He

said, Boy, can you make folks feel what you feel inside,

Cause if your big

star bound let me warn you its a long hard ride.

[ranjith]

Kirk Hammet of Metallica.

I agree that Kirk is a phenomenal guitarist but in my books he isn't great. Even apart from his work with Metallica, hes a very nice blues guitarist too. I have seen some bootleg of him just practising and at a SF area club, he shows incredible emotion in his playing. But I find that his work with metallica, especially some of the solos, is so wah-drenched for the most part. I wish he would have more of an input on their song writing process, maybe he can showcase more of his technical prowess while still being able to play an emotional solo.

[oldbuckster]

This is easy: Randy Rhodes.

He was classically trained and never stopped trying to learn. People often try to pigeonhole Randy with his Ozzy days but overlook his classical guitar prowess and lifelong pursuit of mastering that art. Randy could stand the hair on the back of your neck up with ONE NOTE using sustain. Some of his stuff on the Ozzy albums show that, but his talent gets lost in all the Ozzy-theme hype. One example would be the ending to 'Tonight' from Diary of a Madman. The long drawn out solo Randy does is slowly faded away as the song closes, but if you keep turning up the volume you will hear his mastery of sustain and feedback. But even that doesnt come close to illustrating what that guy could do.

There are a plenty of shredder riff guitarist out there (ala Zakk Wylde) who can scale for hours perfectly, but it doesnt take long to see how that can leave you empty. If you wanna see insane fretwork go watch Jeff Watson; the first person to lay down the incredibly tough 8-finger technique, but that stuff doesnt touch Randy. Its all about feeling and how the notes dig in and tweak your insides.

Only guy Ive heard who can milk a note as good as Randy was Stevie Ray. Derek Trucks is getting there fast with his slide also.

Mister can you make folks cry when you play and sing.
Have you paid your dues, can you moan the blues,
Can you bend them guitar strangs.
He said, Boy, can you make folks feel what you feel inside,
Cause if your big star bound let me warn you its a long hard ride.

Randy Rhoades was a great guitarist, BUT don't compare him to SVR. Derek Trucks, PLEAZE bring back Dickie Betts. Derek Trucks couldn't tune his guitar. Zak Wylde has done fine by Ozzie.

[steamer]

After reading this thread last night I was inspired to put this guy in the CDP!..I listened to no less than 5 albums for hrs,read the liner notes on the box set,again...WOW!!!

at the age of 16 he was kicked out of H.S for long hair and found himself standing guitar in hand outside a house in Denver.Seems he heard these guys jammin in the basement.He finally talked his way in.Jeff Cook a band member and later well known player/song writer describes it like this

"The first I played with Tommy I coulnt believe what I was hearing.In fact all of us in the band just stared in amazement as this 16 year old kid from Sioux City plugged in his guitar and played rings around us.The first song we played together was "PURPLE HAZE" by Hendrix and Tommy not only played it note for note in Hendrix style but then proceeded to improvise in his own style turning the song around and around until musically it became his own.Believe me Jimi would have been smiling"

These guys formed the band Zephyr.They once warmed up for Led Zeppelin and fellow band member David Givens is quoted as saying"Zeppelin was the hot band at the time and Jimmy Paige about fell out of his tree when he saw Tommy play.It was really astonishing.Jimmy Paige had been in the music business for a long time at that point and he was just astonished by Tommy".They broke up a few years later but key members went on to form a band called Energy.The band was based in Boulder,Co and backed up blues greats like John Lee Hooker,Chuck Berry and Albert King.A famous bluesman Willy Dixon had this to say"Most guitar players of our time are labled by comparison...In my ten years involvement with this Archive and listening to hundreds of hours of Tommys playing-I have arrived at one simple conclusion...there are no comparisons.Tommy was by far the best-one of the most innovative and brilliant guitarists ever."IMHO thats pretty high praise from a true legend.Energy played the local circut and audiences came to see them,only one problem,beer sales went down because the people were so impressed and couldnt tear themselves away.The band eventually broke up never getting a record contract.

Tommy ended up in New York and hooked up with the jazz legend Billy Cobham to record the ground breaking jazz/rock Spectrum album.People like Jeff Beck cited it as a direct inspiration for thier own forays into similar musical areas.

Next stop...Joe Walsh after doing his own thing for a few years called the James Gang back up to suggest a lead guitar.His replacement Domenic Troiano and the Gang were not working out.Tommy meets the Gang for an audition.He plays some of his work from the Spectrum album.The Gang are impressed but say that is not what they are about.Tommy says"Thats ok,I like to play rock and roll too."Fifteen minutes later the job was his.This is in Aug. 1973 by Oct the James Gang had an album in the stores.The album was Bang.What is noteworthy here is 8 of the 9 songs carry his name.The James Gang took one listen to his material and went with it!Thier next album was called Miami.Though not a big success it brought forth the comment in England by Ritchie Blackmore that he was one of the few guitarists in America at the time doing anything interesting.Tommy was never one to stay in one place musically for to long.

Next stop L.A where he gets a call from jazz great Alphonse Mouzon to lay some tracks down for the Mind Transplant album.He was also working on his solo efforts.Some very interesting music to say the least.At this time the band Deep Purple was searching for him to take Blackmores place as lead guitar.David Coverdale convinced the band to audition Tommy.Jon Lord has this to say about the expierience one he says he will never forget."He walked in,thin as a rake,his hair coloured green,yellow and blue with feathers in it.Slinking along beside him was this stunning Hawaiian girl in a crochet dress with nothing on underneath.He plugged into four Marshal stacks and...the job was his.He impressed them and they impressed him.All Coverdale could say was"What did I tell you,what did I tell you?Tommy and Coverdale wrote half the songs on Purples next release Come taste the band.On that one Tommy played slide,lead and rhythm guitars.Also his own solo album Teaser was in the stores,quite a variety of technic going on there,not even close to what you heard with Deep Purple.At this point the story takes a sad turn.Tommy has a heroin addiction and over the next year or so Deep Purple comes to an end.

Tommy went on to record another album called Private eyes,again nothing like his previous Teaser.He went on the road with the Tommy Bolin Band and in Miami on Dec 4th 1976 succumbed to his addition.

I felt compelled to post this because this guy was under the radar.He could do it all and never stopped growing as a musican and guitar player.Notice all the names dropped in my post and what they had to say about Tommy.Is he the best ever,no but he certainly deserves a mention in this thread.If he were still alive would his name make the top 100 list posted earlier?I have been listening to him for the past day and have to say his work is very impressive along with all the other greats mentioned.

Greg

[steamer]

another pic

[steamer]

one more

[steamer]

and another

[rockbobmel]

.

[Mike Lindsey]

First, let me say that Jeff Beck has got it all over Page and Clapton. Neither one of them can wear Jeff's jockstrap as far as I am concerned.

For anyone to say that Segovia is not the greatest guitarist of all time simply has not heard him. The man was an absolute phenomenon, and we may not ever hear anything like him again.

Having said that, some guitarists that I enjoy more than others:

Al Dimeola

Michael Hedges (not mentioned in this thread)

Steve Howe (absolutely brilliant guitarist)

Steve Vai (nuff said)

Mike

[pauln]

I liked Michael Hedges, too. I remember years ago a news story on the radio about how he was 'missing' and no one knew where he was. Days later he was discovered dead in a car crash down a hill. They reported that from the scene it was clear that he had been alive but dying for many days. Strange and tragic that such a beautiful soul died such a horrible and painful death. Makes you wonder...

Pauln

[Mike Lindsey]

I liked Michael Hedges, too. I remember years ago a news story on the radio about how he was 'missing' and no one knew where he was. Days later he was discovered dead in a car crash down a hill. They reported that from the scene it was clear that he had been alive but dying for many days. Strange and tragic that such a beautiful soul died such a horrible and painful death. Makes you wonder...

Pauln

Yes... I had just seen him 2 weeks before at the Birchmere (NoVa) from about 10 feet away. He was the most effortless guitarist I had ever seen (Clapton a close 2nd). The world lost a good one there to be sure.

Mike

[kingnothing]

Well, after just cranking out Iron Maidens dvd Live after Death I'm going with Steve Harris. God can this dude play some bass which by the way has become my favorite instrument since purchasing my wonderful beat up, neglected RF-7's.

Bob

[ClaudeJ1]

ONE people. Jimmy Page, without a doubt. For exactly the same reasons Jeff has posted.

I know this is an old thread. But I rermember a Cream magazine interview with Jimmy Page, talking about a childhood friend..........When asked: "You are considered one of the best guitarists in the world, so is there anyone out there you adimire?" Jimmy Page replied: "When he's on, no one in the world can touch Jeff Beck."

They are still friends and Jeff has created more new licks than anyone on the planet. He has done it all and continues to innovate. Saw him a few months back. Still amazing and it's all 4,000 guitar players in the audience with their kids.

Claude

[oldbuckster]

HENDRIX is the Man, but no longer with us,........So, the best alive today..........MR. JEFF BECK......Period.................

[Fish]

I saw Jeff with Jimmy and Eric,Jimmy still owns the guitar and all the music he created on it.The others mentioned are great and my favorites,just not enough versatility.

[oldbuckster]

It's real un-fair to name just one.............there are so many good ones........it's all a matter of taste.......but let me add this, before I write it, I must say, I know Jimmy Page has a contract with GIBSON.....and Carlos Santana has one with Yamaha.....but, the great ones play FENDERS.....I can list guitarist that don't play Fender, but the great ones do........FENDER BENDERS........Electric Guitars rule the World..............

[JJkizak]

I saw some tall western dude about 40 years ago on an amatuer show with real long fingers who was sensational. Never saw him again. Don't know his name.

JJK

[kelA]

This guy may not be an 'All-Time Great', but he is pretty good nonetheless. I think he should get an honorable mention. GARY HOEY. You can get a little sample by checking out his myspace site. Check out his song Psychedelic Psyco @ www.myspace.com/garyhoey He has been with some of the big names.