Grateful Dead Music Forum

I find it hard to have a Top Ten without at least breaking it down to "jazz vs rock vs country/bluegrass vs world", etc... I'll have to post simply as Top Ten Rock Guitarists, because there's simply no way I can see to interlace mega-talents like Doc Watson, Joe Pass, Leo Kottke, Kenny Burrell or Django with the likes of these:

1. Hendrix
2. Garcia
3. Jeff Beck
4. Anastasio
5. Page
6. Van Halen
7. Townshend
8. Zappa
9. Clapton
10. the Rev. Billy Gibbons

In no particular order -

Joe Pass
Wes Montgomery
Kenny Burrell
Birelli Lagrene
Django Reinhardt
John Williams
David Russell
Steve Howe
Steve Hackett
Paul Barrere

Jerry and Bob
Mick Taylor
Buddy Guy
G.Harrison
JJ Cale
Robert Johnson
John McLaughin
Bonnie Raitt
Matt Guitar Murphy
Robbie Robertson

i dont think john frusciante is that good, he is very repetitive. And not that creative as everyone says. IMO

spacehead333 wrote:i dont think john frusciante is that good, he is very repetitive. And not that creative as everyone says. IMO

Have you ever seen the peppers live? Frusciante throws it down pretty damn hard, man. Also check out his solo records the first was called "to record only wind on water for ten days" or something like that. The other one is called "When shadows collide with people" there are others i think. I just don't remember the titles. Anyhow as far a bass players go:

10. Todd Sicafluss
09. lesh
08. rob from moe
07. Kenny Gradney
06. Charlie Hunter not really a bass player but the top three strings on his eight string guitar are bass strings, and he simultaneously plays guitar and the bass line he might loop it, but it changes too often- i forgot to nominate him for guitars, he is sick
05. Rod Horning
04. Claypool
03. Flea
02. Wooten
01. Jaco Pastorious

Number one for me is definitely Jerry but the rest are in no order

Bobby
Trey
Freddie King
Jon Gutwillig
Carlos Santana
BB King
David Gilmour
Jimi Hendrix
Mark Knopfler
Jimmy Page
Dimebag Darrell

Yeah not too keen on RHCP live.Kinda hit or miss.Live the vocals are weak.Not as tight as I thought they would be,either.
Not a big fan of J.Fuscianti either,but he is a great guitarist no doubt about it.
I think he plays with great emotion and passion and it really comes out in his music,which has a very personal feel to it.
I like his stuff over alot of other young gun stuff you hear around and about.

CaptainTrips wrote:I wont go so far as to say that I hate Jimi but I certainly dont hold him in the regard that some seem to.

finally! someone who agrees with me on hendrix.

most overrated guitarist of all time.
not to say some of his songs arent good(bold as love and manic depression are great) but overall hes not too good. i can see how trey was influenced by him tho (but trey is 10000000x better)


oh yeah and because people are doing bassists too now

phil lesh
mike gordon
oteil burbridge
john wetton
jaco pastorious
john kahn
ryan stasik
marc brownstein
justin chancellor
jack casady


and shakedown im sorry but slash?
seriously?

In no order: Top 10

-Jerry Garcia (duH!)
-Warren Haynes (I love his style, very emotional)
-Trey A. (you may not like him, but I think he can jam DEEP, very melodic)
-Nick Drake (Great acoustic songwriter in open tunings, huge influence on my music)
-Michael Kang of String Cheese Incident (ok.. he plays electric modified mandolin... but it sounds like electric guitar)
-Michael Hedges (he started a new movement of music)
-Jimmy Herring (even though he is SOOO boring to watch in concert, the man can rip)
-Tim Reyonlds (not so good by himself, but as a backing musician he can really add some unique flavors. He makes Dave Matthews intresesting.)
-Duane Allman (duH!!!!)
-David Gilmor (He style reminds me slightly of Warren Haynes. It is very emotional. I picture someone singing his solos every time I hear them.)

bobbybobbob wrote:
-David Gilmor (He style reminds me slightly of Warren Haynes. It is very emotional. I picture someone singing his solos every time I hear them.)

Warren Haynes was 8 years old when Gilmour played on his first floyd album, so I supposed you mean the other way around...

1 jerry
2 trey
3 duane allman
4 dave gilmour
5 david byrne (not so much for soloing but for sheer funk inventiveness)
6 hendrix (i will agree with Hajimemashite!!!
that he's not the best ever, but i wont agree that treys better, hendrix was the first to play like he did, no hendrix no trey, or anyone in hard rock really)
7 jimmy herring
8 derek trucks
9 frank zappa
10 jimmy page

not listed in order, i just have numbers cause the blurbs near names

not totally in order...

jimi hendrix
jimmy page
wes montgomery
mike stern
john mclaughlin
jerry garcia
eric clapton
stevie ray vaughn
david gilmour
steve vai

No order:

Jerry
Bob
Pete Townshend
Alex Lifeson
Warren Haynes
Angus Young
Buck Dharma
Stevie Ray
George Harrison
Lowell George

I didn't know we were supposed to do bass players so here goes nothing:

John Entwistle
Phil
Geddy Lee
Chris Squire
Ronnie Lane
Paul McCartney
Joe Bouchard
Jack Cassidy
Barry Oakley
Woody

Top 5 (Orderless)
JG
Jimi Hendrix
Trey Anastasio
Derek Trucks
SRV

6-10 (Orderless)
Bobby
Duane Allman
John Mayer (before you shreek, check out the JMTrio album "try")
Carlos Santana
David Gilmoure