Guitarists.

[Nigh Invulnerable]

Why Tony Iommi?

Seriously? The guitarist from Black Sabbath (aka the band that practically invented metal) is Mr. Iommi. The guy wrote more awesome riffs on their first few albums than most bands will ever hope to crank out in their careers.

Well, I've never been the biggest Black Sabbath fan. I just don't like his stuff as much as the guys on my list. I dunno if he is top ten material for me.

Also I take serious issue with having Dave Mustaine on a list with no Kirk Hammett, or even with having Dave Mustaine at all. He plays the guitar proficiently, but there is no real feeling behind it. Megadeath is only intermittently good for me. The songs often start out well, but devolve into something unpleasant. (Also this doesn't influence my decision, but his singing blows.)

Kirk gets a lot of press already, and while I do think he's a really good guitarist, he kind of relies on his wah too much. The dude can shred pretty nicely though. Here's the difference between Megadeth (Mustaine+whoever) and Metallica (Hammett+Hetfield): impressive technical shred vs. impressive catchy riffs. I can respect Mustaine's writing and playing a lot more from a technique standpoint while Metallica riffs tend to stick in my head longer. However, some of Metallica's best stuff (earlier material) was written by Mustaine, so take that for what it's worth. Dave's vocals are pretty grating most of the time, I agree with you on that.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

I forgot someone.

Jon Van Gowler, my guitar teacher (he teaches at where I work). If yu have heard of him, or Keltika (his band) I love you.

 

[CIA]

Why Tony Iommi?

Seriously? The guitarist from Black Sabbath (aka the band that practically invented metal) is Mr. Iommi. The guy wrote more awesome riffs on their first few albums than most bands will ever hope to crank out in their careers.

Well, I've never been the biggest Black Sabbath fan. I just don't like his stuff as much as the guys on my list. I dunno if he is top ten material for me.

Also I take serious issue with having Dave Mustaine on a list with no Kirk Hammett, or even with having Dave Mustaine at all. He plays the guitar proficiently, but there is no real feeling behind it. Megadeath is only intermittently good for me. The songs often start out well, but devolve into something unpleasant. (Also this doesn't influence my decision, but his singing blows.)

Kirk gets a lot of press already, and while I do think he's a really good guitarist, he kind of relies on his wah too much. The dude can shred pretty nicely though. Here's the difference between Megadeth (Mustaine+whoever) and Metallica (Hammett+Hetfield): impressive technical shred vs. impressive catchy riffs. I can respect Mustaine's writing and playing a lot more from a technique standpoint while Metallica riffs tend to stick in my head longer. However, some of Metallica's best stuff (earlier material) was written by Mustaine, so take that for what it's worth. Dave's vocals are pretty grating most of the time, I agree with you on that.

According to Wikipedia these are the songs that he co-wrote.
Kill 'Em All
"Jump in the Fire","Phantom Lord" and "Metal Militia" "The Four Horsemen"

Ride The Lightening
"Ride the Lightning" "The Call of Ktulu" (Instrumental)

These are amazing songs; I like all of them, but they don't include my favorites on either of theses albums. (I like Hit the Lights best on Kill 'Em All and I'm quite partial to Creeping Death from Ride The Lightening.) Also I do think that Metallica's early stuff is great, but the later stuff is just as good. All of their albums, with the possible exceptions of Load, Reload, and St. Anger, are good. Load and Reload get a little boring while St.Anger is downright bad.

I appreciate the skill, but I always want to see skill as well as a song that will get stuck in my head. Metallica does both.

(Wah is too much fun not to use.)

One could argue that Kirk is overrated, but I don't think of that when I listen to music. I mean, I've got J. Mascas on there. My musical tastes don't cave to peer pressure I suppose.

By the by, you get mad props for Alex Lifeson, John Petrucci, and Buckethead.

 

[JanatUrlich]

Number one:


I don't give a fuck about any others. The fact that he's extremely attractive definitely helps him out

I'm not a massive fan of musicians really. It takes a lot to impress me

 

[iron codpiece]

Wow guys. Really? Seriously? Jeebus Christ you're all fake elitists. Listen to 'real' (creative, a-la, not STOLEN RIFFS) guitar players. Hmmph.

Hahaha back under the bridge, please.

What constitutes a 'real' guitar player in your eyes? Examples? Where's your list?

Also please tell me who Jón Þór Birgisson stole his riffs from, I'd like to listen to that guitarist myself. Really, I would.

Isn't he the guy that uses a bowstring on his guitar? Or am I thinking of someone else.

 

[nohorsetown]

1. Duane Denison
2. Justin Trosper
3. Daron Malakian
4. Guy Picciotto
5. Jimi Hendrix
6. Rob Crow
7. Ry Cooder
8. Ler LaLonde
9. Kirk Hammett
10. Omar Rodriguez Lopez

..(maybe) my favorites.. obviously not the "best", since "best" usually means blindingly fast virtuoso wankfest. I say "maybe" because these are just guitarists who come to mind.. I'm sure I'd revise the list if I spent a while racking my brain.

 

[AgentNein]

1) Chuck Berry
2) Dave "Sasquatch- Sasquatch and The Sick-a-billys, Sasquatch and The Holy Hellraisers
3) Bob Dylan
4) Dick Dale
5) Woody Guthrie
6) Hank Williams
7) Johnny Thunders- The New York Dolls, Johnny Thunders
8) Steven Severin- Siouxsie Sioux and The Banshees
9) Joe Strummer- The Clash, Joe Strummer and The Mesceleros, etc...
10) Jo Callis- The Rezillos

Not necessarily the most talented guitarists in the world, but in my opinion the bestest.

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

~snippo

According to Wikipedia these are the songs that he co-wrote.
Kill 'Em All
"Jump in the Fire","Phantom Lord" and "Metal Militia" "The Four Horsemen"

Ride The Lightening
"Ride the Lightning" "The Call of Ktulu" (Instrumental)

These are amazing songs; I like all of them, but they don't include my favorites on either of theses albums. (I like Hit the Lights best on Kill 'Em All and I'm quite partial to Creeping Death from Ride The Lightening.) Also I do think that Metallica's early stuff is great, but the later stuff is just as good. All of their albums, with the possible exceptions of Load, Reload, and St. Anger, are good. Load and Reload get a little boring while St.Anger is downright bad.

I appreciate the skill, but I always want to see skill as well as a song that will get stuck in my head. Metallica does both.

(Wah is too much fun not to use.)

One could argue that Kirk is overrated, but I don't think of that when I listen to music. I mean, I've got J. Mascas on there. My musical tastes don't cave to peer pressure I suppose.

By the by, you get mad props for Alex Lifeson, John Petrucci, and Buckethead.

I'm not really saying Hammett is overrated, just that he's not necessarily my favorite guitarist ever. The interplay between Hetfield and Hammett is pretty dang sweet though. Alex Lifeson is one of those great underrated players. As is Ler from Primus, who I forgot to include in my original list. Listen to Ler's three second solo on "Sgt. Pilcher" (Go, Ler! *wheedle wheedle dee* Thanks, Ler!). Oooh! Adam Jones is pretty damn good at creating neato atmospheric stuff too. Just another guitarist to add to the ever-increasing list.

 

[Mozared]

Hmm. This would be an odd list for me.

Tomas Kalnoky would be in it, though not because he's an awesome guitar player but because of the other stuff he's done. Frusciante would also be in it, not because I'm a deranged RHCP fan but because some of the riffs he's made really are brilliant to play.

Trevor Reilly from A Wilhelm Scream is also in the list, though the awesome riffs he plays come from Nuno Pereira, the band's singer who (I think) also writes their songs. Ian D'sa from Billy Talent would also be in that list - again not because he's a great player but because he manages to play all sorts of interesting little riffs in instrumentally not that interesting songs.

Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (from Daft Punk) would also be in it - again, not because they're brilliant players, but because they make decent house music and yet somehow manage to throw in a kickass guitar solo at a random point.

Aside from them, there aren't a lot of guitarists I specifically find worth mentioning.

 

[Godhead]

1. Adrian Smith
2. Dave Murray
3. Janick Gers
4. Dimebag Darrel
4. Jimmy Page
5. Me
6. My friend Sam
7. Dave Mustaine

That's all i got im very narrow minded if u see a recurring theme

 

[CrysisMcGee]

Another list thread....that hasn't been locked yet?
Hmmm...lemme think.

Malcolm Young
Angus Young
Tony Iommi
K.K. Downing
Glenn Tipton
Randy Rhoades
Jake E. Lee
Dave Mustaine
John 5
Ted Nugent

Joe Satriani
And Zakk Wylde in last place.

 

[dreamtime]

In no particular order, my top 5:
* Nick Drake
* Thurston Moore
* Lee Ranaldo
* Kevin Shields
* Joey Santiago

 

[mikey300]

1.joe satriani
2.mikael akerfeldt
3.marty freeman

i would say i bunch of others but i cant remember names (i have a really bad memory)

 

[Aggressor and Usurper]

Oh, hmm. 10 I like in no real order.
Dave Mustaine
Kirk Hammett
Phil Demmel/Robb Flynn(Machine Head)
Brent Hinds (Mastodon)
Mick Thomson (Slipknot)
Jimmy Page
David Gilmour
John Petrucci
Joe Satriani
Tony Iommi

 

[-Orgasmatron-]

1)Slash
2)Buckethead
3)Kirk Hammet
4)The Edge
5)Johhny Marr
6)Kurt Cobain maybe
7)Noel Gallagher?
8)Tom Morrelo I suppose
9)???
10)Profit

I dunno really, I'm not a crazy metalhead so I don't have a list of guitar players I care about that much besides a few.

 

[BonsaiK]

Jón Þór Birgisson

Isn't he the guy that uses a bowstring on his guitar? Or am I thinking of someone else.

Yeah he does that, amongst other things. He uses it in a pretty different way to, say, Jimmy Page, or most other people who've done it.

 

[BonsaiK]

Number one:


I don't give a fuck about any others. The fact that he's extremely attractive definitely helps him out

I'm not a massive fan of musicians really. It takes a lot to impress me

Oh no, the "slap pop" disease has made the transition from bass guitar to acoustic guitar. Soon there'll be accordion players doing it. God help us.

He has incredible technique but I don't like his songs at all. He is pretty though, I'll give you that, I thought I was watching a girl. A very attractive girl.

 

[skitzo van]

In no real order

1. Bumblefoot
2. Buckethead
3. Eddie Van Halen
4. Jimi Hendrix
5. Vesilious Tsunios (my guitar teacher)
6. Mattias Eklundh
7. Yngwie Malmsteen
8. Joe Satriani
9. Steve Vai
10.Guthrie Govan

 

[Sven und EIN HUND]

In no order, my favourites are:

Jimmy Page
John Frusciante
Jerry Cantrell
Ian D'Sa
Jimi Hendrix
Matt Bellamy
Mike McCready (I saw pearl jam just last night, DAYUM.)
Larry LaLonde
Tom Morello

Honourable mentions to:
Vai
Alex Lifeson
Satch
Kirk Hammett
Adam Jones
Mikael Akerfeldt
Vernon Reid
Adrian Smith
Dan Donegan
Eric Clapton
Xan McCurdy
Buckethead

 

[skitzo van]

You guys are all pillocks. A persons technical proficiency at playing an instrument has nothing to do with their ability to create good music.

It sorta does.

Whose gonna make a better song?

The kid who can barely play an E7 chord, or the guy who has played for 34 years and can immediatly shift from the F sharp scale to the E flat?