Who is the best guitar player in the past 25 years?

Question

My top 3
Slash
Angus Young
Zakk Wylde

Sandy--have you ever heard Frampton play? lol

Rockman--THANK YOU!!!

Answer 1

Can I vent?

It's really down to opinion/what you need at the time
or, mood. Right?

Ok, it's like this. Mr. Jimi, Eric, JEFF BECK, that
Pagey fellow, and David Gilmour are the
PRE-past 25 years best five, with quick-upon
their fingerprints, let's call it Senor Carlos, Keith,
Frampton (Peter is perhaps the most underrated
along with Lindsey Buckingham, Billy Gibbons
and Joe Walsh), Knopfler and any dozen
I'm unintentionally omitting.

Now--of *the past 25 years* (do people not read?):

Slash came along at a time when millions of us
were Jonesing for "real Rock'nRoll" and he
practically saved the genre of hard rock.
That cat can jam.

Angus is the greatest of all blues-based guitarists
EVER in rock whom the snobs/elite/whatever
totally disdain. They pontificate having no
conception of phrasing.

Zakk Wylde. Hmm. Isn't that him (composing
and performing) on "No More Tears"? 'Nuff said.

Objectively: Stevie Ray Vaughan. (Just ask Jeff!)
My personal taste: Eric, because he's so pure.

Thanks. I feel better already.

p.s. My 3 ever-ever: Page, Richards, BB King

EDIT: No guitar greats list can be w/o
Tony Iommi (another Most Disdained, sadly)
Brian May (master of the succinct)
Don Felder (phrasing personified)
and we ALL owe it to
Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and Scotty Moore
...whether one knows or wishes to acknowledge it.

Answer 2

Are you talking about guitar players that started in the early 1980's? Can they be ones that from before the 80's but went on into the decade? That's what I see everyone else doing...although I don't know why Hendrix is listed on a couple answers.

Well, I'll just go with people in the 80's, 90's, and 00's. These aren't the best players, but they're my favorites.

Adrian Smith/Dave Murray (Iron Maiden). They got great solos and riffs flying around in the songs. Mixed with some great vocal, bass, and drum work, we got one of the greatest bands of heavy metal.

John Petrucci (Dream Theater). He's one of the few guitar virtuosos I really enjoy listening to. Others like Joe Satriani don't really appeal to me, but then again, I don't like instrumentals much.

Kirk Hammett (Metallica). Another metal guitarist. Mostly great in the 80's, with his wild but appropriate solos.

Marty Friedman (Megadeth). I like him just as much as Kirk Hammett, although not Megadeth as much as Metallica.

Stevie Ray Vaughan. Undeniably one of the greatest blues-rock guitarists of all time. He's really only matched by Eric Clapton, but I don't like Clapton's solo work much.

Those are my top "five". More like six, but I can't tell the Iron Maiden guitarists apart, in terms of playing at least.

Answer 3

Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen

Answer 4

Jimmy Page
Eric Clapton
Eddie Van Halen

Answer 5

Mark Knopler, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Edgar Cruz

Answer 6

There's lots of good guitarists out there, but in my opinion Eric Clapton is at the top of the list. I've never heard anyone that can make a guitar talk like Clapton does.

Answer 7

First off... what a ridiculous question. You really can't compare different genres and styles. Were you around for the huge uproar after Rolling Stone magazine listed their top 100 guitarists of all time?


And sorry, but none of your "top 3" would be near the BEST

The correct answer would be a 5 way tie between:

-Hendrix
-Garcia
-Malmsteen
-Clapton
-Anastasio

(PS...did someone seriously say FLEA?! umm.. )

(PPS Seafoam - Clapton didn't get sober till the late 80's. And Hendrix "smoked drugs"?? lol.. either way - he was brilliant ON drugs.)

Answer 8

Brian May (QUEEN).
I admire & respect all other guitarists mentioned below and many that aren't,BUT. . . . .
Brian May,to this day,still plays the same guitar that HE HIMSELF (with a little help from his Father) built,carving the body alone from a 200 year old Mahogeny fireplace.
If ever any of you get the chance,listen to the track "Brighton Rock Solo" from the "Live at Wembley '86" CD or better still,watch him perform it on the "Live at Wembley '86" DVD.

I Highly Recommend It ! ! !

Answer 9

Zakk Wylde by far.

There are so many that are great and better then Zkk, but he gets my vote because I have seen him live numerous times and I have yet to see anyone else play like he does and how he does. Its amazing.

Answer 10

I would say Eric Clapton. . . .not only is he an excellent guitar player, but he pulled himself backed up when everybody was doing drugs in the 60's. While Jimi Hendrix was a hippie and smoking drugs non stop, Eric Clapton rose above that.