Your top twelve favourite guitarists.

Hattigol

In no particular order:

Jonny Greenwood
Hendrix
John Mayer
Page
John Squire 
Andy Summers
BB King
Prince
SRV
Graham Coxon
The Edge
Nels Cline

LastMantra

I'm not sure I could name 12 guitar players never mind my favourites.

Gassage

1. Gilmour
2. Lifeson
3. May
4. Moore 
5. Knopfler
6. Buckingham
7. Steuert Smith
8. Vince Gill
9. Clapton
10. Frampton
11. Young (N)
12. Slick

Open_G

Lots of mentions of George Harrison but I’m going to add to this, all of the Beatles (okay not Ringo) I’m not sure they’d even know who played what, when and many of the riffs I thought were probably George have turned out to be John. My favourites of those have been I feel fine and the bluesy 7th style patterns in the ballad of John and yoko. 

Mark Knopfler. 

David Gilmour
Peter Green
lyndsey Buckingham
Martin Simpson
Slash
Mike Mcready/Stone Gossard in tandem
 
but primarily it would be my best mate Chris. As a teenager I was always trying to keep up with him and we still send each other videos and challenges in our mid/late 40s

Offset

I made a major omission yesterday and since no-ne else has mentioned him, I'll put that right now.

Vernon Reid.

Mojopickups

Not in any order,

1. Ira Kaplin
2. Neil Young
3. Lee Ranaldo
4. David Pajo
5. Jim O'Rouke
6. Stephen Malkmus
7. Jimi Hendrix
8. Matt Sweeney
9. Reuban Nielson
10. Lockett Pundt
11. Robby Krieger
12. Alex Scally

thebreeze

1.  JJ Cale - the ultimate guitarist for me.  Sounds simple but very varied, I never get tired of it.  That’s so hard to achieve.

2.  John Martyn - used to love going to see him Live.  Just get taken away with him.  No slouch on the acoustic either.

3.  Lightnin Hopkins - unique, other-worldly, love it.

4.  Mark Knopfler - forged a path of his own.  Hearing Sultans for the first time amongst the other stuff around at the time was genuinely refreshing and exciting.

5.  Pete Townsend - the energy, the tension.

6.  Mick Ronson - Moonage Daydream etc….

7.  Albert Lee - he gets forgotten but the bedrock behind many guitarists/songs and technically great.  Again, love his gigs.

8.  Steve Gaines - recent discovery.  Ronnie Van Zant knew how good he was.  Anyone who can lift Lynrd Skynrd has to be good.  Only one album.

9.  BB King - the King

10.  Robbie Robertson - fits like a glove with the other members of The Band.  Perfectly understated.

11.  Mick Taylor - most of the Stones good stuff but he’s done so much with other people.  His playing on Dylan’s Infidels is a favourite.

12.  Leaving this unallocated for the 1000’s of other guitarists I like, probably forgotten about or would change on a daily basis - country guitarists/Clapton/Richard Thompson/Gerry Garcia/jazzers/punks/rockers and our very own James Oliver of course.

soma1975

The off the top of my head list. 

BB King
Albert King
Jimi Hendrix - Mostly the live stuff
Peter Green
Eric Clapton Bluesbreakers and Cream era plus From the Cradle
Eddie Hazel 
Lyndsey Buckingham
Vernon Reid
Mike McCready
Billy Corgan - up until about 1998
Dean DeLeo
Marc Ford

---------------------

People under 40 I like

Isaiah Mitchell 
Ben McLoud
Sean McVay
Yvette Young
Marcus King
Jackie Venson
Mark Speer

Philly_Q

Offset said:

I made a major omission yesterday and since no-ne else has mentioned him, I'll put that right now.

Vernon Reid.

He was in my long list but I dropped him because I really haven't listened to Living Colour for a very long time.

OilCityPickups

SRV 
Mick Green
Jennifer Batten
Angus Young 
Michael Schenker 
PJ Harvey
Fast Eddy Clarke 
Robert Johnson
Albert King
Albert Collins

oh ... and Wilko Johnson and Bruce Kulick

inewham

John McGeoch
Johnny Marr
Vini Reilly
Robin Guthrie 
Wilko Johnson
Molly Tuttle
Yvette Young
Alan Sparhawk
Kevin Shields
Robert Smith
Andy Gill
Stuart Adamson 

viz

In no particular order (that’s clearly a lie):

Steve Vai  -  “the genius, the master of the space age guitar”

Al di Meola  -  melodic lines and machine gun rhythms

Greg Howe  -  slips effortlessly between inside and outside

Joe Satriani  -  groove, feel, accuracy and beauty

Nik Kershaw  -  great songwriter, great player

John Petrucci  -  soaring melodies, rich tone

Justin Sullivan  -  so inventive, every song is different

Gareth Pearson  -  check him out, plus he’s a cool chap

Eddie Van Halen  -  never forget my first time hearing him

Captain Sensible  -  tones & tunes that cut to my heart

Richie Blackmore - started it all off for me

Wes Montgomery  -  lovely memorable tunes over chords

JJ72

Neil Young
Daniel Lanois
Marc Ribot
Andy Summers
Steve Jones
Robbie Krieger
The Edge
Mark Knopfler
Jamie Hince
James Walbourne
Adrian Utley
Charlie Sexton

Philly_Q

Sorry for wandering off topic, but I had a dilemma with a number of bands which have two or more guitar players... I love the bands but I couldn't pick one guitarist to the exclusion of the others.  So please allow me this diversion...

Andy Powell, Ted Turner, Laurie Wisefield (et al) - Wishbone Ash
Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and go on I suppose we have to include Janick Gers - Iron Maiden
James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett - Metallica
Brent Hinds, Bill Kelliher - Mastodon
Phil Pendergast, Ben Hutcherson - Khemmis
Bruce Franklin, Rick Wartell - Trouble
Rudolf Schenker, Matthias Jabs - Scorpions
Angus and Malcolm Young - AC/DC
Woody Weatherman, Pepper Keenan - Corrosion of Conformity
Louise Post, Nina Gordon - Veruca Salt
Frank Hannon, Tommy Skeoch, Dave Rude - Tesla
Glenn Tipton, KK Downing and latterly Richie Faulkner - Judas Priest
Scott Gorham, Brian Robertson and all the rest - Thin Lizzy
Joe Perry, Brad Whitford - Aerosmith
Brad Gillis, Jeff Watson - Night Ranger*
Chris DeGarmo, Michael Wilton - Queensryche*
Scott Ian, Danny Spitz - Anthrax*
Rickey Medlocke, Charlie Hargrett - Blackfoot*
Steve Clark, Pete Willis - Def Leppard*
Bernie Marsden, Micky Moody - Whitesnake*
Dave Mustaine, Chris Poland - Megadeth**

... and pick your favourite lineups of Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers Band, the Outlaws and Molly Hatchet.  And Guns N' Roses.  And the Black Crowes.

* I know these bands had lots of lineup changes, but I went with the ones I like; I'm not really bothered about the rest.
** I included Marty Friedman in my Top 12 list, so this gives me a chance to mention Chris Poland.

xGizmo

In no order of pref.

Marty Friedman

Jason Becker

Greg Howe

Jeff Loomis

Allan Holfsworth

Scott Henderson (old henderson/tt before he went bluesfuckerwangbar every note)

Fabrizio Leo

Vinnie Moore

Pete Lesperance 

Bruce Bouillet

John Sykes

 Terry Syrek

Yep i love a bit of Shred/fusion.....

EricTheWeary

I never know with these things but first 12 that come to mind:

Daniel Ash (his birthday the other day which is probably why he was on my mind)
Freddie King 
Roddy Byers
Richard Thompson 
Jim Campilongo 
T Bone Walker 
Al Anderson (the Wailers one, not the NRBQ one) 
Oleg Fomchenkov
Sonny Sharrock
Neol Davies
Tony Iommi 
Bernie Torme

I don't know how interested anyone is in anyone else's list? I'm looking at my phone whilst walking the dog on a blustery day and if he spots a cat my typing will go to...is it typing when it's just your thumb? I don't see why not but it seems a bit grand to call it that. At least it isn't really raining anymore. Good for the garden they say although I need to mow the lawn and I can't do that in this weather. 

Winny_Pooh

Previously obsessed with
Eddie Van Halen - the energy freedom and fun
Eric Johnson - beautiful melodies 
Gilmour - brilliantly melodic and memorable parts and solos. 
Michael Hedges - lovely music composer most of all, inadvertently invented a regrettable slappy acoustic genre he's still the king of.
Angus Young & Malcolm Young - sum up everything great about rock music in one package. (If you want blood you've got it)
Dave Rawlings - perfect sideman and siloist to the best songwriter of recent times.

More recently,
Jim Campilongo - does all the Marc Ribot stuff I like but even more. Heaven is Creepy is hands down his best
Django - the first and still most inventive virtuoso, natural talent that can't really be aspired to.....
Which leads me to....
Allan Holdsworth - insanely brilliant and effortless, just too smart, weird and cerebral for most of us to relate to. Maybe in 100 years.
Kurt Rosenwinkel - mixes Holdsworth and Metheny and a bunch of stuff very satisfyingly. Can be raw and out there too. 

And for fun. If guitar wasn't a prerequisite:
Tori Amos - piano
Ahmad Jamal - piano
Joanna Newsom - Harp
Jenny Lee - bass
Aston Barrett - bass
Tony Levin - bass
Edgar Meyer - Double bass

Philly_Q

EricTheWeary said:

I don't know how interested anyone is in anyone else's list? I'm looking at my phone whilst walking the dog on a blustery day and if he spots a cat my typing will go to...is it typing when it's just your thumb? I don't see why not but it seems a bit grand to call it that. At least it isn't really raining anymore. Good for the garden they say although I need to mow the lawn and I can't do that in this weather. 

You're right, the lists are just sounding off really.  And thanks for that stream-of-consciousness paragraph, I enjoyed it.

stufisher

FWIW and in no particular order ...

Jimmy Page
Rory Gallagher
Neil Young
Buck Dharma
Nile Rogers
Mark Knopfler
Gary Moore
JJ Cale
Dave Gilmour
Roy Williamson
Joe Satriani
Paul Kossof

xGizmo

Philly_Q said:

You're right, the lists are just sounding off really.

I see these more like phishing lists, kind of like using the napster of old, i found (and brough) so many albums just by seeing what other people had in the album lists that were somehow related to the artists i already liked....so if i see guitartist ive never heard of/listen to on someone list here and they also have listed players i like im going to take a few mins on YT to check them out chances are im going to lie them aswell.