Back in the 50's, we had great guitarists like Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. In the 60's, more guitar legends came to be, in particular George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix. In the 70's, Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, Angus Young, etc. dominated the scene. Then the 80's had a crap load of great heavy metal guitarists that no one really knows the names of.
Somewhere around the early 1990s, a new generation of music began. From the time of the grunge scene to now, who are/were the greatest modern guitarists?
Here's what I think:
Jack White of the White Stripes. Great guitarist overall. The way he uses guitar effects effectively really impresses me. Especially how he created that bass sound with his guitar in "Seven Nation Army". In general, the White Stripes are one of the better modern bands.
2007-08-21 09:59:34 · 17 answers · asked by Montag 5 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Music ➔ Rock and Pop
John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He takes a more melodic approach to music. Influence of guitarists like Hendrix is evident, especially in Stadium Arcadium. Plus, he actually gets solos, like the ones in "Scar Tissue".
Matthew Bellamy of Muse. Nothing too fancy about him in comparison to the other two. He's got nice melodies and riffs, and occasionally has solos, which are nice. He takes influence from many guitar greats too. His solo in "Invincible" proves some skill and the riff in "Knights of Cydonia" are solid.
Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead. Just got into Radiohead. Greenwood is an excellent guitarist who really shows some skill. The solo in Paranoid Android really amazes me. Radiohead probably is the best band since Nirvana.
Tom Morello of Audioslave and Rage Against the Machine. I'll admit that the only thing that really is special about him is his use of extended techniques. He's a unique guitarist basically. Otherwise, his guitar playing is above par.
2007-08-21 10:05:23 · update #1
Majestic One, as much as I love Prince's music, let's stick with people that began their music careers or became famous sometime in the late 80's and on.
2007-08-21 10:08:05 · update #2
The Mule: Eddie Van Halen is a skilled guitarist, but I don't really like "Eruption". I hear skill...but that's it really. Besides, let's stay in the 90's and 00's.
2007-08-21 10:10:45 · update #3
Totally agree with Jonny Greenwood, but John Petrucci of Dream Theater and Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree are also amazing modern guitarist.
I'm a little iffy about Jack White being the "greatest", I mean he might be close to the greatest on the mainstream front, but there are plenty of underground bands with much more amazing guitarists.
2007-08-21 10:16:06 · answer #1 · answered by meep meep 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
IMO the best guitarist is Jack White as well if you're talking recent. I have seen him 4 times in person and at Bonarroo when they streamed it on the net. Not only for the reasons outlined above, but because he plays so many types of music. On Icky Thump alone you have some Latin influences (Conquest) Ragtime (Rag and Bones), ballads, metal, progressive, you name it.
Not to mention the fact that he is one helluva producer and did an outstanding job with The Raconteurs first LP. I'm 40 years old and still dig just about everything this guy does.
weeder
2007-08-21 10:14:17 · answer #2 · answered by weeder 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jeff Beck
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Trey Anastasio
2007-08-21 10:25:58 · answer #3 · answered by mac 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't forget Eddie Van Halen man. Just listen to eruption....sweet sweet sweet. A agree with you on Jack White though. Keep pimpin
somebody mentioned Trey Anistasio up there too, he's pretty rad. Best unscripted guitarist of our generation probably
2007-08-21 10:08:51 · answer #4 · answered by Scratch-N-Sniff 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tom Morello
Nuno Bettencourt
Trey Anastasio
2007-08-21 10:03:56 · answer #5 · answered by Fonzie T 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Warren Haynes of Gov't Mule deffinitely #1.
I would agree that Jack White has to be up there.
Synyster Gates of Avenged Sevenfold.
and Claudio Sanchez from Coheed.
2007-08-21 10:35:18 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Steve Howe of Yes, Asia, and Remedy. He's the most versatile as well as technically proficient guitarist I have ever heard. No matter what style he's playing, he always plays with a great deal of emotion. Check out his extensive solo work.
2007-08-21 10:10:41 · answer #7 · answered by rtanys 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
John Scofield
2007-08-21 10:07:39 · answer #8 · answered by tuberk768 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Prince
2007-08-21 10:03:30 · answer #9 · answered by Majestic One 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Satrian, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson and Yngwie Malmsteen.
Some of them are called Guitar Gods.
Yngwie is old, but still plays.
All they can do is play fast.
There is music is not much emotional , its full of technical brilliance.
2007-08-21 10:12:43 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋