Well??? who is it, who do you think can be looked upon as the greatest guitar player since guitars have been made. There are many greats but who do you think is overall the best guitar player? Im gonna say Hendrix, however Van Halen invented the method of tap guitar playing, so id put him as number two. Yet Jimi Hendrix was a genious and created many new sounds that before him did not exist. So what do you guys think?

Hendrix or Clapton

god there are soooo many great players and each in his own respect is awesome. i dont wanna go along with the trend of Hendrix and Halen but those are the two that i honestly feel are the best so i just wont cast a vote. yingue malmstine is really awesome too so is john schaffer. im the best though nobody is better than me

TheAntipop

well if the antipops real name is jimi hendrix than i agree!!...

nahh j/k im sure your awsome...

it doesnt matter. a band is about cohesian and the overall sound. solos and the other bits are just group induced masterbation and should be left in the garage.

ive been on this huge early 80's brittish rock kick for the last two weeks so my opinion is more then likely bias.

i am

In my opinion the best player I´ve ever heard is John Petrucci... now but if I really try to be objective and all that, I would end up between Al Dimeola or Allan Holdsworth...

Jimi Hendrix is extremely overrated...

PEACE...

Jimi Hendrix is over rated, there are many guitarists that are all around better than him however you have to look at it in perspective. Jimi Hendrix was a pioneer and brought amazing new concepets and sounds to the electric guitar. All his methods were later copied by growing guitar gods who quickly learned the best tehcniques and styles however Jimi learned what he could...then made up the rest...and thats to my understanding why he's looked upon as so great....

I can't pick the best guitar player but I do have the top 3 picked out.

Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughn...

Curse my soul i forgot Stevie Ray!!! How could i forget the fastest guitar player ever to grace the earth...

The top three are:

1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Alvin Lee
3. Carlos Santana

For those of you who don't know who Alvin Lee is, buy an album by Ten Years After. He's the lead singer and guitarist. They played at Woodstock. The only reason Hendrix ever played the Star Spangled Banner on his guitar was so he could upstage Alvin.

I guess it would depend on what you mean by "best". Yes, Hendrix was a pioneer. Yes, his style was unique to the time and unique to this day. But does that make him the best....

I'd have to say:

Eric Clapton
Yngwie Malmsteen
Angus Young
Stevie Ray Vaughan

there are loads of different styles of music, and each of these guitarists play in these different styles, its like comparing apples and oranges.

there are many big guitarists like eric clapton, carlos santana, jimi hendrix, slash, that bloke from pink floyd, kurt cobain (well, mostly lyrical),many more i cant name and all those different spanish guitarists.

but each plays different.

floyd are amazing, but play a completely different style. to say, slash .if any of you have heard the final cut album - a requiem for the post war dream , you will know some of the guitar playing is wicked.

slash's pieces in child o mine and november rain are great too.
i do love slash's double neck 12/6 string peices too

i spend alot of time listening to guitars and guitar solos and i can say that i dont know who the best guitarist is, there are too many.

this is my opinion. that is all it is.

Amen to that brother everybody is good in their own respect. yngue malmstine is an awesome soloist and a VERY fast player. hendrix a pioneer with a sound all his own and an energy that would send people into new worlds just by sound. Edward Van Halen the master of tapping and the wammy bar and harmonics truly a well rounded freaking awesome guitar player. Slash great rythem work as well as enough lead to balance it out. John Schaffer quite possibly the fastest tripleteer alive and awesome solo's and insane rythems as well truly a master of the art of metal. Stevie Ray Vaugn a master of the blues with songs like pride and joy a truly great blues player who will no doubt be rememberd throught the history of blues as one of the greats. Eric Clapton his bluesy riffs and ability to be anywhere on the neck in no time flat will keep him in the eyes of generations to come as a great guitar player to rivle all others.

yes all these players are great in their own respect but none can match the sheer awesomeness that is me. yes i am the greatest guitar player of all time and the dark god of music. all that play the instrument shall bow down before me and offer sacrafice to apphease me or i will strike you down with hand tremors or horrible accedents will happen to your hands allowing you just enough movment to complete daily tasks but not enough to play the guitar like you used to. because that my friends would be the worst punishment of all to a true guitarist. so as i ride out on a storm leaving no trace of my being here remember one thing. that all who doth not accept me as the one and true dark god of guitar shall experience hell on earth with the inability to play forever.

*puts head down on desk* oh god, what have i done? :p

errr...you..... the best....
shut the hell up !

ummm...you...rude...
get the fuck outta here!

My favorite old guitarist: Lindsey Buckingham (Buckingham Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, soloist). He has extremely underrated talent, in my opinion.. and he's wicked with fingerpicking.

My favorite modern guitarists: Mark Tremonti (Creed). He doesn't JUST use distorted power chords, like so many of the newer bands do.. he knows how to solo. Go Mark Tremonti.
Kevin Cadogan (Third Eye Blind, soloist: Cousin Kevin). Another guitarist I think is underrated.. mostly because of his association with Third Eye Blind. No one seemed to notice his guitar work much (except other guitarists) because of Stephen Jenkins's fairly good lyrics. Hopefully he'll make it as a soloist.. he's got an okay voice. Behold: the next Dave Navarro.
Mike Mushok (Staind). Pretty good guitarist. I like him for his creativity and style. Even though his music is a pain in the ass to play, because he just kinda fucks around with the tuning until he thinks it sounds cool.

Basically what it comes down to is what YOU think makes a guitarist good.. whether it be personal style.. the way they fit with a band.. their other talents.. or people they're associated with. Some guitarist are known for being pioneers.. other for solo work.. others for being constants- never very good, but never very bad (James Hetfield!) It's mostly a matter of opinion, is what I think. To me, those four people are the best guitarists.. by my standards.

great answers from everyone...bows down to theantipop. But my intention was for everyone to veiw every guitarist according to their time. In other words who was the best guitarist for their time, i should have made that clear. Anyway Jimi Hendrix was a God for his time, sure now he may not be as good or as techincal as more modern guitarist but when comapred to his time he was outstanding. Thats what im trying to ask, when put against the standars of their time, who was the best guitarist....