# The 100 best guitarists



## Cadence (Nov 20, 2007)

Can you name the 100 best guitarists according to Rolling Stone Magazine (2003)?

If you've got 12 minutes to kill - check out this sporcle quiz (and feel free to discuss how they've placed the rankings) :smile:

http://www.sporcle.com/games/rs100greatestguitarists.php

Cadence


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## Stonesy (Oct 7, 2008)

Well they got the first one right. Jack White? Jack Black is better than him. EVH at #70 with Joe Perry 22 notches ahead? Dream on. Joan Jett? If your gonna go PC why not Batten,Ford,Wilson,Boyd or Block? Was Alex Lifeson on there? No.


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## WarrenG (Feb 3, 2006)

That was a bit of a joke. 100 most popular. Yes. Best? No.


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## Eager Beaver (May 31, 2009)

I love what happens when you type in satriani or slash's names.

But really, 99.99999% of these ranking are always opinion, so they account for nothing.


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## Cadence (Nov 20, 2007)

They probably are most popular based on record sales or something since "best" would be strictly opinion. I found it tough to get a lot of the ones that were just listed as soloists. I kept forgetting a bunch.

...And I do enjoy Jack White. I'm looking forward to seeing that documentary he's in that's coming out later in the summer.

Cadence


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...add me as another fan of jack white.

i think the guy is amazing, as a guitarist, singer, writer, performer, producer...

-dh


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

Stonesy said:


> Well they got the first one right. Jack White? Jack Black is better than him. EVH at #70 with Joe Perry 22 notches ahead? Dream on. Joan Jett? If your gonna go PC why not Batten,Ford,Wilson,Boyd or Block? Was Alex Lifeson on there? No.



...acknowledging female guitarists is pc?



-dh


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Lists like this tend to confound most popular with most influential with most groundbreaking with most iconic with most virtuosic (sp?) with busiest-and-most-omnipresent (which would put Tommy Tedesco and Howard Roberts near the top) with best tone with loudest with most infrequently disappointing with best hair-and-posture. Someone like Joan Jett may be a particularly mediocre player, but she made it seem cool for a grrrl to strap on a guitar. That's an accomplishment of sorts, but not really moving the craft forward, as such. As much as I like Eric Johnson, and he's an impressive player, I don't think he has done a lot to move the art forward. On that scale, I'd rank Steve Cropper much higher. Wes Montgomery is not the sort to thrill the average RS reader, but there is no denying his influence is huge. Then you have guys like Ry Cooder who are not virtuosos in the sense of making your jaw drop (and there you turn to Sonny how-the-f***-did-he-do-that Landreth), but whose playing can always be relied upon to be absolutely tasteful and appropriate, not a spec of cereal.


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

Eager Beaver said:


> I love what happens when you type in satriani or slash's names.
> 
> But really, 99.99999% of these ranking are always opinion, so they account for nothing.


yes - I found it interesting that both their names aren't there....what a peculiar list - Joan Jett - but no Bonnie Raitt?

Slash or Satriani not there....funny comment on Vai too

no John Mayer?

no Steve Stevens?

Hammet's there - but no Mustaine?...no James Hetfield? - I'd put Hetfield ahead of Hammet!

why the heck are Gilmour and Young so far down the list?

and where the heck is Nancy Wilson? cause - dudes - she's frikkin fantastic!

Rolling Stone needs to redo the ratings man!


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## Stonesy (Oct 7, 2008)

david henman said:


> ...acknowledging female guitarists is pc?
> 
> 
> 
> -dh


Acknowledging only 2 woman out of a list of 100 smacks of PC.


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## Eager Beaver (May 31, 2009)

lbrown1 said:


> I'd put Hetfield ahead of Hammet!


I would agree, but again, it comes down to preference. They have two completely different playing styles, and apparently Rolling Stone prefers the abuse of the wah.


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## noobcake (Mar 8, 2006)

Dude seriously, not even a single jazz or classical player on that list.... People like Pat Metheny and John Scofield deserve a spot on that list.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Generally, folks tend to give this sort of list too much credence. The composers of such lists rarely articulate the parameters, qualifiers, or bias involved, leaving us to make those assumptions for ourselves.

My heros, my best of, include names like Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, Joscho Stephan, Django Reinhardt, Tony McManus, Don Ross, Pierre Bensusan, Steve Morse, Jeff Beck, Johnny Winter, etc. Lots of non-guitarists too, Oscar Peterson, Stephane Grappelly, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Carlos Del Junco, plus choral and organ music.

Popular, in the mass appeal sense, is meaningless to me. When I do have to face popular choices, I'm usually bored and irritated. 

Peace, Mooh.


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## Spikezone (Feb 2, 2006)

It's a joke, IMHO!
-Mikey


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