Mojo

Oh theres been debate. It may be the obvious choice to put Hendrix as #1 but he'd be my #1 too without a doubt.

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pourmeanother

If Jack White makes this list at 127, Dan Auerbach should be up there. The only thing you can ding him in (off your criteria) is popularity, as he isn't a common name, although I think the Key's 'Attack & Release' may have put him more mainstream... that album is probably the worst showcase of his talents.

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GuitarBizarre

Heres my top 10 list. ALL OF YOU WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT A LACK OF FEELING IN THIS LIST, HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS BETWEEN THE TERMS GUITARIST AND MUSICIAN, SO IF YOU'RE ABOUT TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THAT CRAP, GO DIE. PLENTY OF THESE PLAYERS HAVE BOTH ANYWAY, BUT I JUST KNOW SOMEBODY IS GONNA BITCH.

1 - Guthrie Govan - By FAR the most versatile, technical, and generally excellent all around guitar player I have ever seen. He can improvise the kinds of melodic structures most guitarists can't even comprehend, and he's absolutely demonic when it comes to note perfect accuracy and clean playing.


2 - Rusty Cooley - For all out SPEED, nobody can come anywhere close to Rusty. Musically, he's pretty boring (Although Dark Matter shows at least SOME promising musical elements), but the man plays faster than ANYONE ELSE I HAVE EVER SEEN. Note: These videos are NOT sped up. He actually plays this fast.


3 - Mattias Eklundh - He's wierd, he's hilarious, and he plays the impossible. Not the fastest, as Shawn Tiago and Rusty will demonstrate, but my GOD does he ever manage to bend that guitar of his into doing some wierd ****. He uses a harmonic map of the fretboard to play notes VASTLY higher than the standard range of a guitar, and he does it with disturbing dexterity.


4 - Shawn Lane - He's actually NOT a favourite of mine, but he's here because his technical skill is undeniable and because plenty of people think he made beautiful music. One of only 2 people I've seen get even within spitting distance of Rusty's speed.


5 - Tiago Della Vega
This guy is the second of the 2 I mentioned a moment ago. He practically makes economy of movement into an artform. Generally its difficult to tell when his fingers are fretting notes, because he sets his action so low and he's practiced an absurd amount to reduce any extraneous movement in his playing.


6 - Michael Romeo - He's awesome. He's fantastically technical, he has great phrasing and feeling, he's extremely accurate, and he's the guitar player for arguably the best band ever.


7 - Paul Gilbert - The man is a string skipping alternate picking GOD.


8 - Michael Hedges - He's awesome. Speed isn't his technical forte (Though he certainly has it), but the sheer level of coordination required to even begin playing his music is insane, and his use of harmonics is awesome to behold. Good voice too. The second vid isn't of him, but the sound quality is so much better than the hedges recording on youtube, I used it instead.


9 - Tommy Emmanuel - This man, possibly Hedges excluded, SCHOOLS EVERYONE ELSE AT ACOUSTIC GUITAR. FULL STOP.


10 - Phil Keaggy - Just freakin watch.

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mr dave

i've seen that phil keaggy ebow clip before. he might be a good guitarist but his use of effects is pretty bland, you can pull out WAY more than what he shows with that device and just a little fuzz. he's playing with a safety net and definitely thinking inside the box on that one.

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dac

Wats teh diffurunce between a guatarist an da musichan?

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lucifer_sam

Guitarists make shit music.

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Kamikazi Kat

I really liked that, great guitar player. Both on a technical and musical level, it was truely some great guitar work.

Another guitar player that does great tapping work is Spencer Siem. Not only does he have great playing ability, but I love his style and music as well. Its hard to find a good video of him playing though. Alot of the videos on yoututube are always looking at the drummer in the band. Zach Hill is an amazing drummer, but I wish more would pay attention to Spencer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdMDcG3zAEI

Spruance is more of a better composer then a guitar player. He is a good guitar player, but not the best. He makes up for what he lacks in technical skill with good creativity with the music he makes, and he can play a variety of instruments beyond just the guitar. As a guitar player, hes not my favorite, but as a musician overall, he is one of my favorites.

Molecules

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crash_override

Paul Gilbert is sick.

mr dave

the choice of focusing on the instrument over the full spectrum of the art form.

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