The following article consists of a general list of the top 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Read on…
”Sometimes you want to give up the guitar, you’ll hate the guitar. But if you stick with it, you’re gonna be rewarded.” – Jimi Hendrix
It is well said that music has a lot to offer, and this fact is proven by the variety of techniques and styles that guitarists come up with. There are hundreds of guitarists in the music industry who have their own style of playing and have a unique sound. However, there are some famous guitar players who have changed the way music is played and seen at. Had not it been for these best guitarists of all time, we would not have got to learn so many guitar playing techniques available today. It is a surprising fact that even if the overall skills and techniques of the greatest guitar players in the world are combined together, the addition would just be a drop from the ocean of music. The following list of 100 greatest guitarists will help us know which musicians have reached a respectable level in exploiting their guitar playing skills.
Top 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time
| Sr. No. | Guitarist |
| 1 | Jimi Hendrix |
| 2 | Yngwie Malmsteen |
| 3 | Eric Johnson |
| 4 | Mark Knopfler |
| 5 | Eric Clapton |
| 6 | Joe Satriani |
| 7 | Steve Vai |
| 8 | John Norum |
| 9 | John Petrucci |
| 10 | Jimmy Page |
| 11 | Tommy Emmanuel |
| 12 | Michael Angelo Batio |
| 13 | Doug Aldrich |
| 14 | Steve Morse |
| 15 | John Frusciante |
| 16 | Reb Beach |
| 17 | George Lynch |
| 18 | Rex Carroll |
| 19 | Randy Rhoads |
| 20 | Slash |
| 21 | Mark Tremonti |
| 22 | Carlos Santana |
| 23 | Lenny Kravitz |
| 24 | Tony Iommi |
| 25 | Kirk Hammet |
| 26 | Joe Perry |
| 27 | Stevie Ray Vaughan |
| 28 | Ritchie Blackmore |
| 29 | Kee Marcello |
| 30 | Bryan Adams |
| 31 | Izzy Stradlin |
| 32 | Richie Sambora |
| 33 | Eddie Van Halen |
| 34 | Gary Moore |
| 35 | Bruce Springsteen |
| 36 | Paul Gilbert |
| 37 | Kaki King |
| 38 | Paco De Lucia |
| 39 | John Mayer |
| 40 | Al Di Meola |
| 41 | C. C. DeVille |
| 42 | David Gilmour |
| 43 | Matthias Jabs |
| 44 | George Harrison |
| 45 | Mike Bloomfield |
| 46 | Johnny Ramone |
| 47 | Zakk Wylde |
| 48 | Les Paul |
| 49 | Alex Lifeson |
| 50 | Malcolm Young |
| 51 | Bob Hartman |
| 52 | Brian May |
| 53 | Keith Richards |
| 54 | Ace Frehley |
| 55 | Uli Jon Roth |
| 56 | Jason Becker |
| 57 | Allan Holdsworth |
| 58 | Prince |
| 59 | Pat Metheny |
| 60 | Phil Collen |
| 61 | Dave Murray |
| 62 | Tom Morello |
| 63 | Dave Matthews |
| 64 | B.B. King |
| 65 | Michael Schenker |
| 66 | Vivian Campbell |
| 67 | Adrian Smith |
| 68 | Mick Mars |
| 69 | Trey Hill |
| 70 | Dimebag Darrell |
| 71 | Jerry Cantrell |
| 72 | Peter Green |
| 73 | Vinnie Moore |
| 74 | Pete Townshend |
| 75 | George Benson |
| 76 | Dave Mustaine |
| 77 | Glenn Tipton |
| 78 | K. K. Downing |
| 79 | Billy Gibbons |
| 80 | Marty Friedman |
| 81 | Jake E. Lee |
| 82 | Mick Thomson |
| 83 | Synyster Gates |
| 84 | Mike McCready |
| 85 | Kim Thayil |
| 86 | Chad Kroeger |
| 87 | Warren DeMartini |
| 88 | Trey Azagthoth |
| 89 | Buckethead |
| 90 | Joe Walsh |
| 91 | Jeff Beck |
| 92 | Mike Shinoda |
| 93 | Herman Li |
| 94 | Billie Joe Armstrong |
| 95 | Alexi Laiho |
| 96 | Guthrie Govan |
| 97 | Dick Dale |
| 98 | Alvin Lee |
| 99 | Mick Barr |
| 100 | Leo Kottke |
This is a list of the greatest lead and rhythm guitarists. Let us now know about some of the best bass guitarists.
Greatest Bass Guitarists of All Time
- Abraham Laboriel
- Michael ‘Flea’ Balzary
- John Leven
- Stuart Hamm
- Billy Sheehan
- Marco Mendoza
- Victor Wooten
- John Myung
- Duff McKagan
- Uriah Duffy
- Tony Kanal
- Jeff Pilson
- Geddy Lee
- Bobby Dall
- Brian Marshall
- Steve Harris
- Kip Winger
- Les Claypool
- Geezer Butler
- Nikki Sixx
- Sam Rivers
- Glenn Hughes
- Gene Simmons
- Timothy B Schmidt
- Roger Waters
- Rick Savage
- Pino Palladino
- Johnny Rod
- Sting
- Cliff Williams
- Mike Starr
- Steve Harris
- Phil Lynott
This is a running list of the top 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Note that the names are not mentioned as per ranking. Some of the above mentioned musicians are not only guitarists, but also can play a wide range of instruments ranging from the bass guitar, drums, keyboards, violin, and many other musical instruments. Some of them are Lenny Kravitz, Prince, Billie Joe Armstrong, and Duff McKagan. Most of the guitarists in the list have been inspired by Jimi Hendrix. Good examples can be taken of Prince, John Frusciante, Eric Johnson, and Yngwie Malmsteen. Aspiring guitarists can learn a variety of techniques just because of the experiments of guitar virtuosos who were and still are in the music industry. You are always welcome to comment on the guitarist you think is the best.
