Best professional guitarists

You would have to break it into categories... no way you can name a best guitarist... just too broad a subject.

My personal favorite and muse is David Gilmour.

as it happens, Jeff Beck's playing has been at the top of my list for years. but I would never expect significant agreement on this topic -- even if broken down into categories. we've been there many times ….

Yea as gnease mentioned we've been down here many times before and there is no right or wrong answer only your personal opinion.

And everyone has different criteria. For me it's ( now that I think about I have no idea really) just something that I kind of feel I can't really put my finger on it but one of the things for me is if I like the songs they play, technical expertise aside. If I like the music I usually hold the guitarist in a higher status.

Unfortunately, there's not much of Jeff's music that I find really interesting, but I'll be the first to admit I know little of his catalogue, but there is no denying his skill as a guitarist so I guess I can admire him for his skills but deduct points for his music.

I never really had a guitar hero but Slash is someone I like. On the technical side I'm sure he's not as proficient as Jeff but the music he made for me was more enjoyable.

I like Warren Haynes.....very adaptable

Far too big and general a question to only have one answer.

Is Scotty Moore better than Gary Moore? Is Dave Gilmour better than Dave Evans (The Edge), or Dave Edmunds? And is John Frusciante better than John Williams? Or vice versa.

Wholenote.com ran a "who is/was the greatest guitarist ever" poll a few years back and Andres Segovia won. Who? A dead Spanish classical guitarist, that's who; but was he better than Django, and would the answer have been different if Django had had full use of all his fingers?

I know who I think is the the best professional guitarist - me, in case anybody didn't know - and I know who I think is the best of the rest, but then I don't know anybody who plays funk or soul, and I'd be hard pushed to think of a living country guitarist so it's all very subjective.

A :-)

Some Guy.

Best all around guitarist, (blues, rock, metal, classical, shred, way-out-there, etc.), on my list would be Buckethead. 8)

So many guitarists, so many genres - impossible to choose. I know who MY favourite guitarists are - some of 'em probably well known here (Keef, JP, Carlos, etc etc....) some of 'em not-so-well-known - Mike Whitney, Manny Charlton etc etc. So many guitarists who I can appreciate were great musicians (Hendrix, SRV, Satriani, EVH, Yngwie, etc etc) who do absolutely NOTHING for me....

The guitarist you're going to put top of your list is the guitarist you listen to most, not necessarily the guitarist you think is the most complete all-round guitarist.

:D :D :D

Vic

Brian May - he might not be the most technically acomplished of gutiarists but his gutiar parts for queen were always a joy to listen to.

this is impossible to answer. far too many parameters and subjectivity.
I like Joe Hempel's playing. and Slejhammer knocks me out.
as for the pros, I have listened to too many genres and periods of music to have a clear choice.
I have strong influences but that's not the question.

He's right, for the love of Pete.....there is NO ANSWER.

Wholenote.com ran a "who is/was the greatest guitarist ever" poll a few years back and Andres Segovia won. Who? A dead Spanish classical guitarist,

A :-)

Isn't Segovia like the father of the classical guitar ( not like the guitar itself but the style of playing it ). IEDIT: Scratch that, thanks WIkipedia, he helped bring it back, because at the time Flamenco was more popular.

Sorry , way off topic :P.

But if we are talking technical guy, there are alot of em these days Paul Gilbert, Satriani, Vai, Petrucci.

Its all a matter of opinion i think.

But if we are talking technical guy, there are alot of em these days Paul Gilbert, Satriani, Vai, Petrucci.
.

Lets not forget Steve Morse. 8)

We go through this about once a year. The result is always the same - no answer.

There are too many variables, which make a decision impossible. What, for example, is the definition of "best"? Is it technically the best, or is it musically the best? Does best mean fastest? Most "feel"?

Then, of course, there is the ultimate variable - the listener. Those, who are into punk, will have a totally different set of parameters than someone into surf music.

There is just no simple answer and, certainly, no definitive one.