Your top twelve favourite guitarists.

thecolourbox

Powderfinger said:

But no one is saying why... Give it a go, otherwise it will just be a boring list of guitarists.

This is favourite guitarists, not best guitarists uh? Be good to know why.

My "why" is simply because I like the sounds they make and the songs those sounds go with, over a lengthy period of time. There are plenty of musicians in general who have one or the other and they make for a much more varied and diverse list, but that wasn't the brief. 

I have to enjoy the place the sounds are coming from, first and foremost. Hence why for example I can love Jack White's playing but find Dan Auerbach incredibly tiresome and cheesy when essentially they sound fairly similar and in similar formats.

Offset

Fishboy7 said:

Funkfingers said:

Can't help noticing that the overwhelming majority of names dropped so far are:
a) Male
b) Over forty

Ok - favorite 12 female guitarists under 40yo ?

Ooooh... um... errr...

Orianthi... errm... Joanne Shaw Taylor... oops, don't like her.  Errrm... that one from Nova Twins... errrm... 

chris78

John Frusciante
George Harrison 
Buddy Holly
Bruce Springsteen
Scotty Moore
Clapton
Hendrix
Noel Gallagher
John Squier
The Edge
Ritchie Blackmore
Brian May

Fishboy7

Larkin Poe are quite good and Tal Winkenfield , ... if bass counts

thecolourbox

As I'm a bit short of numbers, I could add a few in such as Laura Marling who I just don't normally think of as a guitarist but she is a brilliant player and definitely a favourite of mine. And I quite like Olivia Jean, bit niche but basically a kind of female surf version of Jack White (and his wife, and was in his touring band a few years back). Google suggests they are both 33 so I'm winning at life

Cookiemonster

munckee said:

I’m into songs rather than guitarists if that makes sense as vai, satriani etc mean nothing to me as although I appreciate their skill I don’t like their music. 

So the guitarists associated to my favourite songs are:

john squire
joey Santiago 
frank black
johnny greenwood
david gilmour
Mark knopfler
all associated with the byrds and rolling stones
robbie Krieger. 

Noel gallagher
james dean bradfield. 

Some good ones there. I like Joey Santiago, he plays some interesting things. 

Funkfingers

Fishboy7 said:

Funkfingers said:

Can't help noticing that the overwhelming majority of names dropped so far are:
a) Male
b) Over forty

Ok - favourite 12 female guitarists under 40yo ?

That will be two separate lists. 

stickyfiddle

Without looking at anyone else's and off the top of my head...

Jason Isbell
Sadler Vaden
Aaron Dessner / Bryce Dessner - honestly I'm never sure who plays what but both great
Harrison Whitford (Phoebe Bridgers and others)
The Edge
Thom Yorke 
Keef
Peter Buck
Steve Cropper 
Bruce Springsteen 
Ben Gibbard 

If we're doing ladies under 40....

Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, Amanda Shires*, Taylor Swift, St Vincent, Molly Tuttle, the 2 from Wet Leg whose names I don't know, Nicole Row**, Grace Bowers (young sensation in Nashville). And that's 10 and I'm out. 

* I think she might be 41 but whatever
** bass not guitar but awesome

Nikc

Trying to be really honest I love lots of the greats but rarely listen to them so .....

David Gilmour
Pete Townsend
John Mayer
Danish Pete (yes I'm serious)
David Gray
Chris Buck
Joe Satriani 
The Edge
Eric Clapton
Slash
Bruce Springsteen (although more for his songwriting than as a guitarist)
Jeff Buckley

Petepassion

A lot of guitarists in these lists I agree are great, but the ones that truly inspire me…
Jimi
Angus
Steve Marriot
Paul Weller(early days)
JD Simo
Steve Jones
Graham Day
Jordan ‘Reignwolf’ …can’t remember his last name.
Santana…more because of the sounds he created through his collaborations..,although his solo in Black magic woman is one of my all time faves.
that’s all I’ve got.

argh, forgot Chris Dollimore, can’t believe I was asked to be his replacement in one of his projects after the Godfathers.

and just remembered another, possibly the coolest dude of modern times…Scott Holiday 

Nikc

Pah I forgot Sean Daniel he has inspired my playing as a guitarist

Sporky

Dave Navarro
Emma Ruth Rundle
Kevin Shields
Meriel Barham
Will Reid
Debbie Smith
Robin Proper-Sheppard 
Terry Bickers
Margaret Fielder
Neil Singleton
Jody Porter
Ben Sharp

HAL9000

In no particular order (except the first two!)…

Buddy Guy
Jimmie Vaughan
Mike Campbell (obviously)
Freddy King
David Gilmour
Eric Clapton
Mark Knopfler 
George Harrison
BB King
Peter Green
Keith Richards
Robert Cray

sev112

Funkfingers said:

Can't help noticing that the overwhelming majority of names dropped so far are:
a) Male
b) Over forty

They weren’t when they were playing 

ewal

I've never been able to think in favourite guitarist terms, only favourite bands.

And what about women over 40? Poison Ivy surely gets a mention.

sev112

Rhythm
Eddie Van Halen
Mark Knopfler
Brian May
Scott Gorham

Lead
Ritchie Blackmore
FranK Dunnery
Michael Schenker
John Shanks

Acoustic
Ralph McTell
James Taylor
maurice Deebank
Molly Tuttle

swiller

1) Hendrix 
2) Marr 
3) Nile rodgers
All original styles, made it their own^^ Just phenomenal players.
4) Julian bream - classical, no one better in history imho.
5) The edge - had his sound, complimented the singer. Great strat tones.
6) Knopfler - a good improviser.
7) Zappa - nutter love it.
8) Kingfish - best of today imho. maybe deserves the number 5 spot.
9) gilmour
10) eddie van halen - cant argue with the skill and solos
11) my brother. semi finalist in world segovia guitar classical competition 1989 ( i was 17). Weaned on villa lobos, bach etc.
12) Billy gibbons - purely because of the guitar sound of gimme all your loving live on the tube in 1983. 

flying_pie

In no particular order

Ian, the other guitarist in my band - he's a really good player and actually inspired me to take up guitar when we were teenagers

Sir Dr Brian May - just purely iconic 

James Hetfield - the king of downpicking and riffs in Em

David Gilmour for the bends

Johnny Greenwood for The Bends

Angus Young - no explanation needed

Malcolm Young -see above

Dave Murray - he just makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside when he's on stage

Tom Morello - so what if he gets hate for still playing like Tom Morello - he's fucking Tom Morello and you didn't think about making DJ noises on the guitar or using a DigiTech Whammy for solos

Billy Joe Armstrong - awesome rhythm player, singer/songwriter and live performer 

Randy Rhoads - Revelation (Mother Earth), Mr Crowley and Crazy Train alone are enough evidence the man was a god in his short existence 

Kurt Cobain - say what you like about his technical ability but he wrote all those riffs and melodies and you didn't (and what a voice)

barnstorm

The ones I really like for something beyond their contribution to a particular song:

Albert King

Bill Frisell

Chuck Prophet

Paul Gilbert

RJ Ronquillo

Ronnie Wood

Paul_C

Paul Weller

Dave Gregory/Andy Partridge

David Gilmour

Graham Coxon

Kelly Jones

Gaz Coombes

Steve Rothery

Johnny Marr

Steve Craddock

James Broad

Jonny Greenwood

Brian Robertson