Rank of Electric Guitarists

[SelfDevouringSnake]

I'm going to go ahead with my idea about getting the official list started (see my previous post). Every Saturday, I'll name a guitarist, we can discuss him, and then we'll place him on the official list, which I'll post up as well as record on my profile page. I'll take the liberty of being the "list-keeper" because I started this thread, but I'm trying not to have to large an influence on the bearing of this list.

#1 - Jimi Hendrix.

Jimi Hendrix changed the electric guitar community forever. His brief career (spanning 1966, the formation of the Jimi Hendrix Experience to 1970, his premature death) marked a departure from convention into playing as the song dictated. Hendrix was incredibly talented: he could play the blues, jazz, R&B, pop, soul, rock-and-roll, he could play whatever he wanted. But it didn't matter what he was playing, it was always good, it was always him playing. I'm not saying Hendrix was a trend-setter, I'm saying he showed us what music could be, and he did it using his guitar. When I think of trends, I think of something that is used and used and used to the point that it is overused. People shouldn't try to copy his music, that would be a trend. People should try to copy him, that would be inspiration. Hendrix wouldn't be considered perfect by average standards: he ignored conventional lifestyles for his own kind of enlightenment. You can see him growing musically as you observe his career: God only knows what another studio album would have been like. But I bet it would have been worth listening to.

Because there's only one person named for the official list, there's nowhere to rank him except as the greatest. I'd like to stress that all positions are subject to change. If there's a majority consensus, Hendrix could be second in a week. Please offer your opinions on Hendrix and your opinions on his rank as #1. Also, please continue with your discussions, and feel free to post up anything having to do with your favorite guitarists on this thread.

[SelfDevouringSnake]

No no no Noel Redding was not a great bass player. He only got the job because he looked the part, Given more time to audition Bass players he would not have been Jimi's choice, his playing style often irritated Hendrix as evident in particular on the Experience DVD He also seemed to have an overly inflated ego and an air of arrogance and self importance. Now if you mention Billy Cox ..now there is a mighty fine player of the Bass...much much better tha Redding and more suited to Hendrix's needs.

Interesting, I knew that there'd always been some sort of tension between Redding and Hendrix, but I always thought he was a pretty good bassist. I haven't listened to enough recordings with Cox (only select tracks from Band of Gypsys and some of the recordings from Woodstock) to compare them.

Also, I feel I should clarify my last two posts a bit: we add a new guitarist onto the list every Saturday, then we use the remainder of the week to discuss a new player to add to the list, which will be updated on the following Saturday. Since I've already decided who the first person to be on the list is, I'll let everybody else decide who should be added for next week. Pretty sure this'll work out okay. Feel free to suggest alternative ways of doing the list.

Here's the official list below.

Rank of Electric Guitarists.

#1 - Jimi Hendrix.

[Deborah J]

Hello SDS and All!

I will stand by everyones agreement on Hendrix for the sake of our accomplishing our list and I do love Hendrix and believe he is one of the best electric guitarist in the world, however I personally would still place Jimmy at #1. SDS, you asked us to state reasons why we picked our choices:

I have already stated my reasons in my original post and would like to add the following.

Jimmy wrote a magnificent riff that is the number one requested rock song in history!

Jimmy never took a beautifully crafted instrument and destroyed in on stage for whatever reason a few others did. I personally did not care for this type of showmanship.

Jimmy had the oportunity to build a much more extensive body of work. Sadly, we lost Hendrix to early and I wished he would have lived longer, who knows what he could have went on to do?

Thanks to all in advance for listening but I had to speak my opinion, so with that said you can only guess who is my forced pick for #2

[snapper]

Just for sheer command of the instrument I'd have to go with Danny Gatton #1:

[dazedcat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4xJXNdNKOk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGjmihgUWJY&feature=related

John McLaughlin should be on any "greatest ever" list.

[JTM]

Here's my "Nigel Tuffnel this one goes up to 11 top ten rank of old school Guitar players"

1 - Jimi Hendrix.

2 - Jeff Beck.

3 - Eric Clapton.

4 - Rory Gallagher.

4 - Frank Zappa.

5 - Pete Townshend.

6 - David Gilmour.

7 - Carlos Santana.

8 - Ritchie Blackmore.

9 - Johnny Winter.

10 - Alvin Lee.

11 - Jimmy Page.

[Dr Death]

As I stated prior, Jimi Hendrix should be number one. Nice to see others in agreement on this. When you think of all that he accomplished and all those amazing songs... and the guy was only around a few years and a few albums... just amazing.

Jimi Hendrix: 1

[dazedcat]

It's been forty years or longer since I first heard Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck and to be honest, they're still my top two guitarist choices. There are many many great legends but honestly, in my humble opinion nobody has ever come close to either Hendrix or Beck.

[EtherealAirship]

Jimmy Page

Duane Allman

Danny Weis

Erik Brann

Roy Buchanan

Terry Kath

Jimi Hendrix

Tony Iommi

Richie Blackmore

Eric Clapton

Jeff Beck

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Robin Trower

All unique. For me, there is no order, only what mood I'm in.

[Electrophile]

David Gilmour needs to be near the top of any list of guitarists. The man is a fucking God.

[Oracle]

David Gilmour needs to be near the top of any list of guitarists. The man is a fucking God.

After reading your admonishment towards those who "don't get" certain artists, I find this "fucking God" crap absurd.

No matter how good a guitarist (artist) is or how much they mean to you, NONE are Gods.

As many times as I've read this on various forums, I find it one of the most ridiculous things to say about a person.

Ohmmmmm

Besides, Gilmour isn't really that good. goodgod!!

[Wolfman]

Where's the love for PETE TOWNSEND or RANDY RHODES?

[Wolfman]

Some other greats that should be mentioned are Lindsey Buckingham, Dave Navarro, Peter Framton, Eric Johnson, and ALVIN LEE!!!

[ringoffire]

Anybody who doesn't think David Gilmour is a great guitarist has no idea what it takes to make his guitar sound like it does, how difficult it is connect your playing with that many songs and communicate emotion within that framework, how tough it is to be original, how tough it is to play in front of thousands, or how difficult it is to stay relevant across decades. Of the millions of people who have attempted to learn the guitar, he is in the conversation of the top 5, 10, even if it's the top 100 ever...that's greatness by any definition.

[Electrophile]

After reading your admonishment towards those who "don't get" certain artists, I find this "fucking God" crap absurd.

You clearly didn't read the post you're referencing very well or the subsequent posts where people agreed with me. If you had, you'd understand the point I was making in that post, in relation to that thread.

Of course my opinion about David is just that; my opinion. I think he's absolutely fantastic and the greatest guitarist my ears have ever heard. Me saying I think he's a "fucking God" is not a directive for everyone else to suddenly agree with me.

So chill.

[Electrophile]

Some other greats that should be mentioned are Lindsey Buckingham, Dave Navarro, Peter Framton, Eric Johnson, and ALVIN LEE!!!

Lindsay Buckingham is a damn good guitarist, I agree. His picking work is amazing. Listen to Big Love from The Dance. Phenomenal. Also, I'm So Afraid, from the same show.

[Xtazy]

Besides those already mention.

Joe Satriani.

+1

[lzzoso]

Okay. As some people have already mentionedd, this list is speculative and mainly based on preferences and opinions. Here is mine:

Many people (and magazines, polls and so forth) say that Jimi Hendrix is the Greatest Guitarist of All-Time. Remember, this is their preference and/or Opinion. I have no problem with this. Believe me, I Love the Music and Guitar-playing of Jimi Hendrix. However, I Believe that Jimi Hendrix's actual recording and touring career was very short-lived (unfortunately). Just about 4 years. 1967 - 1970. Granted, Jimi achieved alot in those 4 short years. As I mentioned already, alot of people claim that in those 4 years (over 40 years ago), Jimi Hendrix still remains the greatest guitar player of all-time.

Now, for MY OPINION. JIMMY PAGE began his recording career with session work around 1963 recording with many unknown groups and building his way up to prominent sessions with the likes of, well most of us already know who... leading up to the Yardbirds and of course, LED ZEPPELIN. Most of us know the rest.

My POINT: Jimmy Page is still alive 40 years after the untimely death of Jimi Hendrix. Jimi Hendrix died at the young age of 27. Jimmy Page is 66 years old and still a FORCE to be reckoned with. If some people really think that in 4 years of playing and touring that Jimi Hendrix is the better guitar player than Jimmy Page's playing that spans over 45 years, I would guess that you MUST be a bigger Jimi Hendrix fan than a JIMMY PAGE and LED ZEPPELIN FAN. Which is totally cool because, remember, this is just speculative and just MY opinion.

#1: Jimmy Page

#2: I could care less...

[Deborah J]

Hello All!

If we can just get through the top 5, then top ten....then keep moving we will eventually get this done .I will respect the overall choices by all, but still think Jimmy should be #1 (I know I have made my point very clear )

[JTM]

Anybody who doesn't think David Gilmour is a great guitarist has no idea what it takes to make his guitar sound like it does, how difficult it is connect your playing with that many songs and communicate emotion within that framework, how tough it is to be original, how tough it is to play in front of thousands, or how difficult it is to stay relevant across decades. Of the millions of people who have attempted to learn the guitar, he is in the conversation of the top 5, 10, even if it's the top 100 ever...that's greatness by any definition.

What utter bollox, Gilmour is good at what he does but you need to bring your head back into the sunshine. So he can play a guitar... big deal, so can thousands of other people...most just don't get the break they need so they stick to their living rooms/bedrooms maybe play in a bar or two.......... I've seen hundreds of them over the years....many of them just as good as anyone mentioned in this thread that sit in mine or your album collection. Right place right time is what made many of our fave musicians. Maybe in some cases it's who you know not what you know that helped them on their way.............enough of this Sunday morning ramble .. I've got to go out.

[dazedcat]

I get such a kick out of the angst I see here. Like the last poster said, it's all subjective. Just because the few dare not rubber stamp Jimmy Page as the best doesn't mean those opinions are any less valid.

I don't think lifespan has much to do with greatness, does it? Sure you can grow and expand your musical vocabulary the longer you're around but is that the measuring stick of true greatness?

I posted in another thread here about listening to Hendrix play "Machine Gun" from the Band of Gypsy's album.....that was forty years ago when he did that live on stage. What he did on that tune is just historic now? It doesn't matter as much because he died not even a year later? To my ears I STILL haven't heard anyone top that, not that particular mix of soul, facility of the instrument, the use of electronics....hell all of it really.

Opinions always.......vary.

[SelfDevouringSnake]

I know I missed last Saturday (the date I established for making additions to the list). I'd like to thank everybody who has come to this thread and continued the conversation even though I wasn't here. For future reference, feel free to take things into your own hands if I don't appear within a day or two of the date.

There's been talk of many guitarists on this thread, but I notice two in particular drawing fierce support: Jimmy Page, and David Gilmour. Page is naturally gaining plenty: his influence on the rock spectrum is obvious (and even more obviously this is a Led Zeppelin forum). Gilmour has gathered a very good following on this thread, though not as good as Page's. At least two people have said that they would see Page as #1. Gilmour's supporters are calling for him to have a prominent spot on the list. So basically Page is the contender. I wouldn't really mind seeing Page as #1 (would still prefer Hendrix), but there has been a lot of feedback stating that Hendrix is a fair choice for the supreme rank. So, in using my best judgment, I have decided that Jimmy Page will occupy the second rank (which is where I'd rank him if I was doing this individually as well).

#2 - Jimmy Page.

Led Zeppelin has had a huge influence on rock, particularly hard rock and heavy metal (there are those who wouldn't make the distinction, but let's just say it's the difference between Aerosmith and Judas Priest), but it couldn't easily be called either (whereas Deep Purple and Black Sabbath could be called hard rock and metal without too much argument). Led Zeppelin, like so many of the best things, is not easy to label. Nor was the work of its guitarist Jimmy Page. He could play blistering harsh blues, and compulsive groovy rock, and of course these two were usually mixed (not that these generalizations cover Led Zeppelin's repertoire; for example, where does "D'yer Mak'er" fit in?). Although he's perhaps best remembered for the amazing riffs of Led Zeppelin II ("Heartbreaker" and "Whole Lotta Love"), and (to most people) the solo from "Stairway to Heaven", Page's work is rooted in both the blues which became popular in England and the quainter skiffle material which made for good listening at the time. Page can be said to be the basic blueprint which all hard rock/heavy metal guitarists are based off, more so even than fellow Yardbirds alumni Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton (both incredible in their own right), in that Beck went instrumental and Clapton went solo (a generalization). My point is, Page solidified the idea of the guitarist being a driving force in a band (but credit must also go to Beck and Clapton, as well as at least a dozen or two dozen other people). Page had an experimental side: he was the patron of the distortion pedal, and he invented and/or popularized a good number of production techniques. What makes him a better choice than Beck or Clapton? I don't know. Perhaps influence. Perhaps just groove. I think Beck's probably more talented (maybe), and I think Clapton's probably more famous (maybe). But Page has always been my favorite, and I think that I made a fair choice here, even if you could make just as good a case for Beck, Clapton, and maybe a couple other guys. And what the hell. This is a Led Zeppelin board.

Rank of Electric Guitarists

#1 - Jimi Hendrix.

#2 - Jimmy Page.

So was this a fair choice? It seemed like a logical move to me. The ranks are never permanent by the way (if more people had advocated Page as #1, he'd be up there). Also, I know this thread might give the impression of being spearheaded by me (I chose Hendrix, and Page would have been my second choice), but I want to stress that I wouldn't be able to rank even ten guitarists without help, let alone 100. I'd be able to get to three. So please continue with feedback. This has been extremely interesting so far.

So I said I'd be able to get to three by myself, and I might as well lay my cards on the table: my third choice would be Eddie Van Halen. He's the logical successor to Page in some ways: he upped the ante for the hard rock/heavy metal spectrums by inciting the use (and eventual overuse, which culminated in the stripped down grunge of the '90s) of double-handed tapping and shredding (there's always somebody else to share the credit though: this time the prime example is Yngwie Malmsteen). I'm not a huge Van Halen (the band) fan, but my respect for Eddie Van Halen is bordering on extreme. Van Halen once pointed out that although his biggest influence was Eric Clapton, his style was closer to Jimmy Page's (another reason I said that he was Page's logical successor). I love Gilmour, but Van Halen represents the best of a whole era of guitar-playing.

In an interesting Straight Dope Message Board thread (link: http://boards.straig...ad.php?t=550053), a user came up with an idea rather similar to mine. He (or she) was attempting to choose a guitarist to represent the zeitgeist of a decade's guitar work: his results were limited to the 20th century to the present (probably so that there were recordings from each decade), but he made some good choices (in my opinion). The user had not listened to enough music from the early 20th century to feel comfortable about picking somebody for the first three decades he was covering (1900s, 1910s, 1920s). His choice for the 1930s was Robert Johnson (if you haven't heard of him, I suggest looking him up). Johnson was a good guitarist, but I don't think I'd say he represented the '30s (the man was practically an unknown until the blues revival in the '60s). A better choice might have been Son House. He chose Muddy Waters for the 1940s. That was interesting to me. I probably would have chosen somebody else for that decade also, but the user's thread was interesting enough that I continued reading. He hit the nail on the head for the '50s though: Chuck Berry. Yeah there were other good players from that decade, but Berry is on top (bad pun). And he hit the nail on the head for the next three decades as well: Jimi Hendrix for the '60s, Jimmy Page for the '70s, and Eddie Van Halen for the '80s. Then the user decided he hadn't listened to enough music from the '90s or '00s (21st century) to pick somebody for them. He continued his conversation in another guitar-related thread (it's pretty deep down on the page, but here's the link: http://boards.straig...t=550219&page=3). At this point the user had made choices for all the decades from the 1900s to the 2000s: filling in the 1900s, '10s, and '20s were Agustin Barrios Mangore, Andres Segovia, and Blind Lemon Jefferson (none of whom I can attest to accept Segovia who is responsible for popularizing the guitar as more than a lowly folk instrument, giving it the prominence it would later have when electric guitars became popular). He retconned his choice for the '40s (Muddy Waters), replacing him with T-Bone Walker. Can't comment there really, Waters was at least I decent guitarist, and I don't listen to much T-Bone Walker (I know his licks were utilized by both Berry and Hendrix). His choices for the '50s - '80s remained the same, and I was glad. Lastly his choices for the last two decades were... not bad, but not representative of the zeitgeist the way the prior four choices were. He had chosen Dimebag Darrell for the 1990s and Derek Trucks for the 2000s. Both of them are incredible players, but I wouldn't have chosen them with the decade's zeitgeist in mind. For the '90s I would have picked Slash (either him, Tom Morello, or a grunge guitarist), even if his best work with Guns N' Roses was in the '80s (hell some people would say that Van Halen's only notable work was in '78 with Eruption, a notion I'd disagree with, but things don't just fall neatly into decades). No idea who I'd choose for the 00's, but it wouldn't be the southern rock slide of Derek Trucks (not that he's bad, he's awesome, it's just that he's more of a throwback to an older time than a symbol of the last decade). Matt Bellamy of Muse was chosen by some guitar magazine as the greatest guitarist of the 2000s. Seemed like a fair choice to me: I'm not that big a Muse fan though (they're fine, really). Thought I'd point that thread out due to similarities to this one.

[Wolfman]

How about Ace Frehley? Might not be a top five player but he is still awesome. And of course....Jerry Garcia. Nobody played like Air Garcia.

[SelfDevouringSnake]

How about Ace Frehley? Might not be a top five player but he is still awesome. And of course....Jerry Garcia. Nobody played like Air Garcia.

I like Frehley, but yeah I wouldn't place him in the top 5. I think he's got a good enough shot at getting on this list (no idea where, I'd estimate anywhere from the 30s to 60s). And Garcia. He is a good guitarist. He'd definitely hold his own with plenty of the guitarists mentioned. For him, I'd estimate somewhere in the top 30 (I'm being very liberal with my estimates because I have no idea), and I'll advocate him when I feel the time is right.

Who would you advocate for the third spot? I'm guessing you'd put Garcia above Frehley, and I'm also guessing you'd put Garcia pretty high, but I guess it's best just to ask directly.

[Deborah J]

Hello SDS and all!

I fought for Jimmy in 1st place, but understand we are trying to accomplish just getting through the 1st 10 would be the hardest IMHO and you are the thread host and feel along with a few that Hendrix should be first. My forced choice for #2 would of course be Jimmy

I absolutely love Eddie Van Halen and would rank him at #4 just behind Jeff Beck at #3 since the dynamics have changed since we started. Jeff Beck has remained a true guitarist in every sense IMHO.This is my humble opinion as Jeff Beck can hit one note and you know who it is, he truly has created his own sound and went in many directions taking chances, yet never failing to be magnificent with his electric guitar.

I will respect everyones opinion, but there is my two cents for what it's worth:-)