Kurt Cobain is listed at number 12, ahead of Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, among others, in Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists. Jimi Hendrix is listed as number one, and my two favorites — Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughn — are listed at number four and seven, respectively.
Updated on 3/19/09 With proper link on Rolling Stone’s site.
Comments
Better than Santana??? No way.
pft. I’m still waiting for the rest of the world to hear about Gordie Johnson, i guess.
B.B.’s No. 1. Then Jimi. Then Chuck Berry. Then Stevie Ray.
All the rest are imitators.
i agree with jimi at one, but jeff beck is far superior to kurt. im a big fan of nirvana, but their style was focused more on the lyrics than the actual guitar. i also didn’t appreciate slash not even being on the list…and jimmy paige is a little too high up too
kurt rocks but i agree he is not the best guitarist of all time but he is 1 off the greatest musicians of all time
any one down sizeing my man is a waste case wish he could ba as good
David Gilmour is wayyyyyyyyy too far down the list. Kurt is also, tooo overrated
Is Yngwie Malmsteen there? Jason Becker? Joe Satriani? Steve Vai? Chris Impelliteri? Greg Howe? Michael Angelo?
Jeff beck is the best.All that stupid list is of commercial success.
i think jimmy page is way underrated. page should be like #2.
Although Kurt Kobain was never the best guitarists, I think the ratings took into account the artists’ impact on music. Kurt Kobain changed rock music forever and is one of the most influential guitarists of all time.
Randy Rhoades that far down that list is incorrect. Was Zakk Wylde on there i Didn’t see him
this list sucks i hate who ever made it
Who the hell said Jimmy Paige Was to high up on the list, hes one of the best guitarists of all time, B.B King isn’t better than Hendrix, and Kurt is a Respected guitarist but its to hard to tell if he’s better hes dead, we never really saw his full potential, Does anybody Know if Tom Morrello was on there i think he should be up pretty high hes amazing
Jimmy Page is probably the best overall guitarist of all time. He can play all styles!!! Anyway Hendrix is probably the greatest when it comes to electric. Kurt Cobain is simply an overrated musician and a very mediocre guitarist.
you losers probly cant even play the guitar haha and if you do you dont know shit
Kurt Kobain was an amazing songwriterm, and it doesn’t take that much technical skill to write a good song. a huge number of american pop classics have been just a few simple chords. so kurt kobain was a genius song writer but i don’t think that his guitar playing was much better than average. any kid whos been playing guitar for a year or two can learn and play his songs. that is not so with say jimi hendrix’s songs. not usually anyway.
KURT KOBAIN WAS THE BEST EVER AND IF YOU WNNA SAY HE IS BAD TO MY FACE COME DOWN TO WA AND TELLL TI TO ME AND WATCH AS I PULL A THIRTY THREE CALIBUR RIFLE TO YOUR FRIGIN HEAD!
Where on the list is Slash, Joe Satriani. Even Jack Black, if you listen to tenatious D you will see he is amazing. Kurt Cobain is way too high up as all his songs are real easy, and Jack White? Again where is SLASH and maybe even Dave Navaaro should be there.Brian May is to low down and Tommy Iommi is too low down. So even is Jimmy Page, and John Frusciante is too high up, I think this guy writing the list was just putting guitarists down in the order that they came to his mind. Maybe Justin Hawkins should be in there near the bottom. Once again WHERE IS SLASH! Tom Morello should be bit higher up as well, and maybe George Harisson and John Lennon should be there for playing brilliant music and having some very acceptable and technical solos. WHERE IS SLASH. And also Daniel Johns of Silverchair could be near the bottom somewhere. WHERE IS SLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
e-mail me on this subject, just put in the subject box greatest guitarists
Heck yah, he is better than all the gee-tarists in the world. Didn’t Rolling Stones mag. clear that up?!!
well kurt cobain is one of my favorite rockman and he always hars a word to say in the matters of guitare despite he’s dead ,and he deserves to keep the podium as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.no matter who tells the countrary. kurt is alive…..
i actually do play guitar so i am justified in saying that i have a better understanding of how this list should go. first of all- if this list is about skills then its missing the point (vai, satriani, petrucci)- if its about most innovative then its missing the point (stanley jordan) if its about “greatest” then its still missing the point (slash, jeff beck, etc.) so i really dont know what its about…
I agree with Cameron, only that I would include john petrucci before stanley jordan in the “innovation” category. And I think he’s more skilled than Joe Satriani too. no more than Steve Vai anyway…he is the number one of all times and categories.
they are all good guitarists it is hard to say whos #1 in my opinion i think it would be Django Rienhardt (i hope i spelled that right) and have any of you heard of Mato Naji( dont know if that is right either) dont know if he is on the list but he should be
JERRY GARCIA IS THE GREATEST OF ALL
COBAIN WAS A MORON WHO COULD NOT HANDLE A SCALE RUN AS MR.GARCIA SEEMLESLY PRODUCED AT OVER 3000 CONCERTS.
COBAIN IS A WORTHY FOOTNOTE IN ROCK HISTORY TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT THEY SHOULD NOT POINT LOADED WEAPONS IN THE GENRAL DIRECTION OF THEIR HEADS, BUT IN NO WAY SHOULD HE EVEN BE CONSIDERED IN ANY TOP 10, 20, 100 or 1000 GREATEST GUITARIST LISTS> NO FUCKIN’ WAY
TAKE AWAY THE DISTORTION AND THIS GUY WAY A HACK>
kurt is the best left hand guitarist
if kurt were alive .. . .
then he would be the sole ruler of rock
Kurt Kobain,was a very good songwriter, a good guitarist. his songs are easy, but brilliant. He was a God of rock, and he still is, maybe not does he deserve this, but he was so special, so thats y he is so high up. BIG NAME
kurt is no more but he left followers behind him. wish he were alive so that v could hear some great music.
now he is in our memories.
Have they no ears?? I’m sure John Petrucci deserves to be on that list, at least within the top 25… shame. This list kinda sucks anyway. Fuck it.
Jeff Beck is #1 period.
Kurt Cobain was not a “guitar player” per se. He played guitar but that was not his job description, if you know what I mean. He was a singer/songwriter and the guitar was the tool he used to get his message across. His guitar playing consisted of the most basic power-chording and simple licks here and there. I’m not knocking him, but I dont think he really belongs on this particular list.
I dont know if its possible to say who’s the greatest guitar player ever, as its all a relative thing. But if there is such a thing as “greatest guitar player”, then Jeff Beck would get my vote. Why? Jeff Beck not only has incredible technique and subtlety on the fretboard, and is well able for the widdly diddly stuff, but he also has managed to acheive what I believe is the ultimate goal of all musicians: To transcend language and express passion and emotion through music rather than words. Much of his instrumental music requires concentration from the listener, its not all “easy listening”, but when the listener becomes fully focused on the guitar, then you really notice the thoughtfullness and feeling Jeff puts into every note. Not one note is wasted.
That, I believe, is how a guitar player should be rated. To hell with their lyrics (this isnt a “best lyricist” poll!) What does their PLAYING say to you?
in Malmsteen’s case, it says “I have very strong fingers” 😉 j/k
Ok, everyone seems to have forgotten about Al DiMeola, Paco Delucia, John McLaughlin, Alan Holdsworth, Steve Morse, Steve Hackett, Steve Howe, Larry Carlton, Steve Lukather, Tony MacAlpine, Pat Metheny, John Petrucci (My personal favorite) and last but not least by any means….. David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. These are real musicians all of them innovative, creative and inspirational to multiple generations of auidiences. You want to hear REAL guiter playing, look up and listen to some of their music. These players have been very inspirational and influential to me and my playing and writing.
Hey wait a minute. I can play a bar chord, my effects rack can overdrive my amp to no end, I could mindlessly hit all the strings all the time only with downstrokes, I don’t need to alternate pick solos, if I do play more than just bar chords I could limit them to just major and minor. If Kirk Cocaine is on the list how come IM NOT! Oh yeah, because music theory is a basis for my playing, I believe if technique is not there then there is NOTHING there, I can play chords other than over the 6th and 5th strings and their inversions (explanation for Nirvana fans, INVERSION: a chord played with the root in different positions), I know all kinds of scales and can implement them melodically within my playing, and alternate picking means something to me. This is why Vai, Malmsteen, Satriani, and Petrucci (MY GOD, PETRUCCI!!!!) may have not been considered by this idiot for this list.
Kurt cobain played with a different approach (thrashing with duck-taped switches??) but is nowhere near even 20, I think. Was Buddy Guy on the list?
dude..kurt should not be ranked that high!!…oh wow he is newer…oh wow he can right…but true guitarist just play guitar not sing…like my man Eddy Van Halen…HIS FINGERS FLY DOWN THE FRET BOARD..what can kurt do….a couple power chords..i mean im no superior guitar player my self but i mean i know a few songs (only been playin for 3 months) but i mean i can just listen 2 nirvana tunes and have them down pat in a couple of minutes…all they are is a effect like distortion and etc…but if i try and play some Van Halen im stumped…he is to fast..dont get me wrong i like nirvana but wtf…y is kurt ranked so freakin high…wow he shot him self..BIG DEAL..lol well i gotta go bye
im sorry but kurdt cobain was not a guitar player…great musician..that one could argue..but where the fuck is vai and satriani..this list makes me sick…it must have been written by a twelve year old girl who went in fucking alphabetical order in her fathers record collection…mick fuckin mars..common
mick mars can blow slash
Jimi will be no.1 for a long time ahead, Kurt was more a singer and composer, he use the guitar to expreess himself with power
What about Robert Fripp? How could anyone say that Cobain was better than Fripp? Or Steve Howe? Or Fred Frith? Or Fredrik Thordendal?
Also, Petrucci I haven’t heard too much of, but I wasn’t THAT impressed…
John Fruscante, way-overrated.
BUll Crap! Jimmy Paige is #2! Kurt Kobain made a new style but isn’t
incredible! Angus Young kicks ass!
And so does Tony Iommi! That list needs some editing! Have they even heard any of these guys!?!?!?!?! That list should be edited! No way even in Hell is Eric Clapton better than Jimmy Paige! Where the hell d
david gilmour 82? randy rhoads 85
angus young 96 and is dimebag darrell even on there? you cant compair kurt cobain to kirk hammett
Every sigle one of are complete idiots. None of you have clue on what you are about. Steve Vai is the GREATEST GUITAR PLAYER ON THE PLANET.
jimmpy paige is the best any one who thinks different is wrong
kurt cobain number 12 utter bullshit dats pathetic he should b numba 1, stop bitchin!!!!
Nigel is quite correct regarding Jeff Beck. Beck resides in a separate universe (figuratively speaking) and light years beyond virtually all contemporaries. Even Page and Clapton know that Beck stands alone in many genres of music. Before his death SRV made public the observation that compared to Beck, he played like a kindergartner with broken fingers. I’ve played guitar for years and while I will never achieve the level that I aspire to, I am continually amazed by Beck. While there are many great guitarist still living (some dead) that are (or were) consummate in skill and ability ….only a very small number can come close to Beck’s ability to create pure emotion through strings and a fret board. While I am a devout disciple of Mark Knopfler and love his style as much as Beck’s…Beck is a virtuoso’s virtuoso.
Kurt Cobain was a deeply disturbed young man that could only pretend to play guitar. Not withstanding the fact that his feeble attempts to create music can only be regarded as hopeless. In common parlance….he couldn’t have mustered a fart even if he had worked in a bean factory. He was a terrible song writer, horrible guitar player and completely undisciplined.
kurdt cobain is the best musician of all time, and I’d much rather listen to him play guitar than that fruit stevie ray vaughn.
anyone who thinks kurdt cobain was a bad musician doesn’t know what music realy is.
I relly dont know how stupid was that guy who created this fucking list.
Why I cant see on the list guitarists like:
Satriani, Vai, Malmsteen, Petrucci, Metheny…?
Maybe because the list was not created according to guitar skills but just number of listeners.
Kurt Cobain wasn’t amazing guitarist. He maybe had good ideas for songs and people like it but it dot change the fact that he was just playing some chords. If you want to see real skills just listen to Satriani or Vai and you will see the diference.
You cant say that Cobain was the best guitarist just because you like his songs.
So why it sais it is “100 Greatest Guitarists”???
Maybe it should be
“100 Most Famous Guitarists” ???
Yeah like Kurt Cobain made very emotional songs that are pretty simple, he himself said on many occasions that he could hardly play the thing, and it was true good ideas and stuff and a new genre spawned but full potential was never realised s’pose.
Crappy list because Clapton could play as technically as Hendrix but Hendrix played shitloads of stuff even before anyone knew it could be done, so how can guitarists be rated when you have such variables as emotion, speed, technical ability, scales, rhythym etc so it becomes very difficult to rate them only the “stupid” media can with the mindless massess in mind.
Kurt Cobain is one of the WORST guitarists in the history of rock. Jeff Beck is far better than him. Same with Eddie Van Halen and David Gilmour. Also Joe Satriani and Steve Vai should be rated.
Where was MR. SCARY himself, George Lynch ????
I was happy to see Jimi as #1, for years I have had heated discussions about what his music prooved, and alot are talking about Jeff Beck, I agree he should be #2, but we have to remember Jimi died at age 27, and he still left us all of that? His royalties are amazing even still, and picking up speed.
I was wondering about why some guitarists weren’t mentioned, or if they were I missed it, like Alvin Lee, wow I had alot of good times listening to him. Rick Derringer, Dickey Betts, Randy Rhoades, and many more. Santana should have been placed higher, maybe even #3 🙂 Joe Perry should have been placed higher too in my opinion. But I think we now need a longer list, 100 just doesn’t cover it anymore, but even with that we’d still disagree about the line-up order, but that’s ok, if we all liked the same music, it would get real boring.
I liked Corbain, liked alot of their stuff together as a band.
I’ll always wonder what Jimi would have accomplished had he not died, if he would have stayed clean maybe more than we can imagine.
And let’s not forget Elvis! He could pick 🙂
Total BS, this insipid list. Cobain was a clown who happened to use a guitar for a prop instead of a bugle horn.
Kurt Cobain is a joke. His songwriting as well as his guitar skill was a joke. He basically ripped off riffs from his 80’s indie rock peers (sonic youth, the pixies, fugazi, etc.) and jumbled them up with his three chord jibber jabber. And as for him supposedly revolutionizing music forever….that’s crap. He revolutionized music for three years until he finally realized he sucked and was a fucking con-artist and turned his head into a convertable. he should not be on the countdown at all.
p.s. I am a guitarist and I know what Im talking about.
I agree. This list is HORRIBLE!! Check out http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com for MANY accurate rock lists. It is really great!
Personally, I don’t think that Jimi should be #1. Given that he was a great guitarist, his credit should go mostly to the fact that he was a pioneer in guitar spells. While he did play fantastic music, I don’t think he deserves to be at #1. Mayber #3, preceded by Joe Satriani (ahh, yay Mystical Potato-Head Groove Thing), and Yngwie Malmsteen. Here’s my justification that Yngwie deserves the #1 spot (event though I don’t even recall seeing him on the list…): First off, anyone who has heard him play would agree that he is an amazing guitarist. That sort of goes with the skill of being able to play the guitar with your tongue. His instrumentals are spectacular, and he plays with a scallop guitar, which is immensely more difficult to play than a regular guitar. His music has amazing flow, and even after putting out albums for twenty one years, he still hasn’t missed a beat. His skill and artistry is appreciated worldwide, from Japan to Sweden to the US. His pick hand was severley mangled in a car accident, he suffered nerve damage from his head smashing into the steering wheel from the same accident, and a couple of years later he broke his pick hand, and yet, he still plays amazing lyrics. He can’t be touched.
wat da fuck?????? Kurt was THE greatest eva. him a fucking joke?? BULLSHIT you dont hav a fuckin clue wat he was about, he made music wat it is, if ther is one fucking rock star he is it! he is everything he made more sense then nebody else and if you cant see that u need to fuckin open ur ears and listen. you need to appreciate fuckin music.
How the hell can anyone listen to Kurt Cobaines music and think that Cobaine is something special. Anyone can produce songs like these, he had some catchy tunes, got lucky and sold millions of records but he was nothing special. He did not start grunge music either, what about Alice in Chains and Soundgarden they were so much better than Nirvana. Nirvana Sucks, Kurt Cobaine sucks, and he should not be on this list. Slash should takes his place at number 12. SRV should be number 5 or 3 and if those changes were made this list from number 1 to 14 would be somewhat accurate. As for Via, Malmsteem, and all those others there music is terrible, there is a reason no one listens to them, becuase theyre boring. So what if they can play 1000 notes in a second they dont put their heart and soul in their music. 1 Hendrix 2 Duane Allman 3 BBKing/SRV 4 Clapton 5 Slash
Kurt Cobain is a joke. He didn’t revolutionize anything. People were so fed up with glam rock that used hate to make music. If you really feel that Kurt Cobain was a genius, you really need to play his songs and realize how ridiculously simple they are. I really don’t care he’s dead. Nothing special at guitar and as far as song writing goes i think we can all agree hes nothing special as well. There is no way he should have been that high on the list.
In such a dire move to die a rock star he killed himself. Only a man who has so much of an ego would leave behind a family because of his own self image. He characterized everything bad about rock music.
And the last posters list isn’t bad at all. Duane Allman was nothing short of genius.
Who would take anything a steaming commercial heap like Rolling Stone would have to say seriously?
As I review most of the comments posted on this board–WOW makes an excellent point about those with blazing speed (1000 notes per sec.). He’s right, Via, Malmsteen, Satriani, et. al. are all technically astounding guitarists. But they are all boring as hell to listen to. I must admit that I had never heard Malmsteen. I went to Napster and listen to several 30 sec. short tracks. Sorry guys…every track sounded the same. Everyone! Blazing speed does not make a guitarist. I’ll take Ricky Scaggs or Mark Knopfler over most of these boys. I respect them for their technical abilities, but they all lack in compositional profiency. Simply stated, they ain’t got soul! They don’t know how to project LIFE through a fret board. These guys have had easy paper routes in life. It’s hard for me to take them seriously.
I guess no one knows who Vinnie Vincent is… heathens.
Lets get one thing straight first of all: I actually kinda like Kurt Cobain; but not as a guitarist. He doesnt belong on ANY “best guitar players” list. As far as I’m concerned, nobody beats Jeff Beck in terms of the perfect combination of technique, “feel” and control of the instrument (just my opinion mind). Rolling Stone are, and always have been, completely oblivious to all things musical. They couldnt find their ass with both hands, and only a fool or very naive person would believe the B.S. they print. Its actually quite laughable. Then again, I dont buy the elitist attitude that you have to be a virtuoso to play rock n’ roll. Rock n’ Roll is for everyone IMO. But theres still no way Kurt should be in the top 1000, let alone top 100 guitarist list. Sorry Kurt. And surprise surprise, look who’s #1! Boy, that Rolling Stone gang have such great imagination, dont they! I love Jimi’s music, but its such a n00b thing to say he’s #1 all the damn time. Lists are for retards anyway. As if you could actually measure musical greatness. Jann Wenner can stick that list up his ass!
All you mother fuckers that said that Cobain does not belong on this list are a bunch of cock-fucks. You do not know what Rock-n-Roll is and what a true Rock star is! Cobain may not have been the greatest guitarist, but each of his riffs seems like a sound from his heart. He played simple and the riffs were very catchy. The mood of each guitar riff is evidently displayed and makes one feel the song internally. I believe that he should be number 1 for the best songwriter of all time, if there is a list. And, for the guy named Dish, you can suck a big one because you are just an insensitive fuck-head. Let the man Rest in Peace!
KC was good he was playing metallica covers at 18, he also had a full trained ear, he alternate picks check out unplugged, he had potential.
That said he is not better than pettruci or slash, he is deserving o fbeing on the list though, his tone was exceptional.
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kurt kobain is the best of all…….this eric clapton n all r shit……they dun deserve wat they r…….nobody is on line of kurt……but people dun know wat he is …….they jus know all other shit…..Kurt is KURT…..no one else
I have been playing guitar for only a year and a half, and i think i am already better than Kurt Cobain…I would like to see Cobain (if he were still alive) play anything written by Becker, Malmsteen, Micheal Angelo, or Petrucci. And i dont think Eddie Van Halen is as good as people think he is…. jason becker makes him seem like he doesnt know shit about playing guitar.
Personally, I don’t think anyone has the right to say anything on this subject unless that person knows most of the names that are on these posts. (Marsbondfire, you haven’t heard of Yngwie Malmsteen? Jeez,,, I mean a few of the others might be a little bit less known to the public, but every (electric) guitarist has *at least* heard of him. I agree that the age of the speed guitar has passed but it is still a marvel (to anyone who has picked up a guitar) when hearing it.) Also, I agree with most of the other posters that the Rolling Stone list has left out very many talented guitarists. The people who made the list probably used criteria other than musical creativity, guitar technique, improvisation, etc. Even more likely, they were drunk and stark raving mad at the time of the creation of this list.
People nowadays don’t see the amazing talent kurt cobain had, the way he could sing and play the guitar together has not been done by any guitar players i’ve ever heard.
yes he dind’t spent as much time makin’ solos or something as jimi or steve but he was the best in what he did!
Cobain had some good ideas and shit, but I would like to see him even attempt BB King,Danny Cedrone , or Billie Joe Armstrong . Where the fuckin’ hell are they. Any fuckin’ retard can play a vocal line in quarter notes(Teen Spirit) and arpeggiate an open chord(HSBox), but you dont need to have herion or crack in your bloodstream to put Life into your slab of rosewood. I’ve been playing for 2 1/2 years and I can blow Kurt out of the water. His lyrics aren’t even that good, “Load up on guns and bring your friends its fun to lose and to pretend” what bullshit is that? I write songs and they’re fucking Shakespeare compared to him. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Jimi at #1 was also bullshit. All you need to do Hendrix is a)a knowledge of the pentatonic scale b) LSD and crack, andc) a shitload of FX .All I have to see is if Billie Joe is on there because most people just think he’s a 2-chord hack, but that’s not the case . His solos and techincal ability with “Blue” on the album 1039/Smoothed out slappy hours had me up all night for a week learning them. He can sing, too. All Kurt did was howl his way to glory, But Billie could be in the Vienna Men’s choir or whatever. BBKing can make his guitar sound like a vocalist, but he stole a few too many licks offa T-Bone Walker to make him good for originality. Believe it or not Danny Cedrone is why we play guitar, he created rock soloing, which in theory is jazz over straight eighths. He exibited his talent over the crucail record in rock and many think he’s that mf from Full House
In my strange opinion, all seattle guitarists are hacks, the real guys are either from MA(Alan Wilson, was he even on there?), CA(Billie Joe Armstrong)or Britain(Page and Beck, clapton’s shit)
Ben Basco you are an ass. It is the simplicity of Cobain’s songs and arrangements that make them so “great”. His words are unique and original. Okay, you can write better? Where are you at in the Music business? “Smells like Teen Spirit” is still a classic to this day. Why the hell is it number 9 on the best rock song ever? Get your shit straight!
I agree that Jimmy page is way to far down. I would rank him probably in at least the top five. As for Kurt Cobian, I think that he was a better songwriter than guitarist and should not be placed so high. I also think Robbie Robertson of The Band should be higher. He is a spectacular guitarist and even in contention with Eric Clapton. If you don’t believe me just watch “The Last Waltz”. I think it is tough to judge who is the best guitarist of all time considering it is really just your own opinion.
shut up shitheads!!!!!!!!!!give kurt a break ppl ..he may not have been the best guitarist of all times but whatever he sung came from his heart thru the guitar……… o n btw hendrix was ..is..n will be the best guitarist who ever walked this earth
I think Jimi h is the best of the 60’s but after that it could be jeff b only ’cause it did some interresting albums and about guitar heroes like malmbad and satbad they are nothing for music just only fantatic tech but only that. For find the best it could be in the harmony and modal music like jazz !!! Hard rock guitarist are nothing if you compare ’cause respect drummer bassman and every musician you want !
tom waits is the greatest
my god how pathetic can people be. Just because a guitarists tune or riff is easy to learn doesnt make it crap. What defines (or should) is the sound that you hear. someone makes the horrid statement that because kurt cobain plays very simple patterns on guitar he is crap. Well actually no your wrong, okay im not saying hes a brillient guitarist because hes not but he understood what he was trying to acomplish and did it. His main idea in most songs was to create a catchy riff that sooted song almost like a childs song. A nursery ryhme is what he was trying to acheive. The words and music fall together to make an amazing sound that is unlike any other because of it. No one can doubt that. If your so pathetic that all you need super speedy riffs that have no real thought behind them go ahead and put down Nirvana’s creativity but dont pretend that they didnt have an amazing colaboration of musicions because they did. Oh and please dont what ever you do say smells like teen spirit is there best song, my god that is wrong!…cheers people.
Yes nirvana is such musican geniouses
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Rape-Me-lyrics-Nirvana/DD7DCBBF70A75BE44825682D000D84B0
OMG LOOK AT THE GENIOUS THERE I CAN SAY RAPE ME 17 TIMES AND CALL IT A SONG AND PLAY 3 CHORDS BEHIND IT!!!!
Nirvana are lame. Smells Like Teen Spirit is only popular because raging pretentious teeny-idiot shitheads cream all over it. It’s a piece of musical fucking travesty. Foo Fighters > Nirvana.
Oh, and where the hell is Brian May on there? :X
Idiots…even kurts own band members said he was a horrible guitar player… If u hate emo music you can thank Nirvana for starting the Grunge era which ultimately started the faggot emo’s. I saw kurt in concert, i could have blown his ass a away on the guitar. Steve Vai is ONE, but Jimi has his deserved slot, if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have a vai, pettruci or beck…Hell… Kurt sucks, he was a low life cocaine head scum bag…i hope he rots in helll….he ruined music as we know it!
in mexico theres a guitarplayer the best he plays steve vais satriani and petrucci songs at the age of 12 hes name is pene mexicano
Ben Bosco is right about a lot in what he said. Where IS Billie Joe Armstrong? I’m a big Green Day fan (maybe I shouldn’t say that because that gives all you jackasses reasons to stereotype me) but I’m a fan for good reason. Yeah, MANY people think he’s just a 3-chord guitarist but I bet NONE of you have seen the live videos and concerts of him playing solos like I have. If you did I think you would agree he should be somewhere on that countdown. I’m not saying #1 at all, or even really close but above 60 would be respective. In concert he does some Jimi Hendrix moves on his guitar, and for good reason considering Hendrix IS the greatest guitarist to ever grace the Earth despite what people say that all he does is distortion. Once you can play something like “Little Wing” on a BACKWARDS right-handed guitar then you can dispute the matter of him not being the best. Rolling Stone was right about Hendrix being #1, I’ll give them that. But anyway, back to Armstrong – I just had to say that about Hendrix so you would really see why Billie Joe emulates his moves in concert. I’ve seen Billie Joe play long solos behind his head, with his teeth, and grinding on the speakers/mic in concert and in many live videos so all you people who doubt him being great can go shove that in your pipe and smoke it. And his voice and recent songwriting is something to be reckonded with also. I just hate all these people that think he’s some shitty young pop-punk 3-chord guitarist when you have nothing but your opinion to back it up and have not seen him perform. And I agree with what Tom said about Kurt, minus the rotting in hell part ’cause that’s a little extreme for me. Anyway, that’s what I have to say and I had to set the record straight about some things. If you disagree with something then just TRY to give me some facts (not your crappy opinions) as to why I would be wrong.
And I wanna add one more thing – Where’s Slash? He’s made one of the most memorable guitar solos ever from Sweet Child O’ Mine and PLENTY more and he’s still not on there? That’s sad.
God that list didn’t make any sense. some of the best guitarists in the world were ignored completely (Satriani, Vai, Malmsteen etc.).
ya know what… i’m an actual guitarist (quite obviously unlike many of you here). anyone who says kurt cobain is even talented as a guitarist, in the least, is a complete and utter moron. i mean, come on. by my 2nd month of guitar i had already mastered his style. not to talk down to non-soloists or power chord over-users, but thats just a load of shit. Rolling Stone totally fucked up that list. I agree with RY… where the hell is yngwie malmsteen (godfather of neoclassical shredding and early metal god), steve vai (prolly one of the most technically talented guitarist on the planet), joe satriani (who taught vai and is amazing himself), michael angelo (just check out ‘No Boundaries’… if you say he plays with no emtion youre full of shit). I can understand Rusty Cooley not being on there… he’s just that underrated… but come on Eddie van Halen and Randy Rhoads so low? It’s is just dispicable; makes me sick thinking about how mind bogglingly wrong those dipshits made this list!
also mentioned by many: joe petrucci and slash should be (on/higher on) that list. I was surprised that the bluesmen like Buddy Guy actually even got recognition… but they were still WAAY too low (Buddy Guy at like 30).
also to all you page fans out there, the man isnt that great. jeff beck whoops his ass hands down. its not even a matter of technical playing (which age has a total lack of). jeff beck plays some really great solos and used the tremelo arm in new exciting ways. can’t anyone hear page trying to play something fast and muting all the notes and, in effect, making it sound like dookey? come on, theres far better out there than that turd-monger. seriously… he must stick the guitar up his ass to get that sound…
i’d like to thank everyone who agrees *or partially so* with me, cause the rest of you guys are a bunch of neanderthal cave-apes who don’t know the difference between a guitar and goddamn stick up your ass.
Eddie Van Halen is # 70? Are you freakin kidding me?
Eddie should be much higher. His sound is so unique—he invented his own sound and rejuvinated rock when things were getting stagnant.
Kurt Cobain?????!!! Sure, he created a great sound–but I don’t think his guitar ability is that great. The band as a whole was awesome–but is he really that good of a guitarist? No.
Also, I didn’t see anything that said greatest “rock guitarists”. Chet Atkins was an EXTRAORDINARY player—he played mostly country and rockabilly—but an excellent shredder nonetheless
This list is just retarded.
that list is absolute BULL SHIT!!! page is definatly second, Gilmour is top ten. Cobain is not even top 20 and where the hell is Slash?
kurt cobain doesnt suck,you suck!! NIRVANA RULES!! if you dont like the way he play. then don`t listen to nirvana`s records. ok.
heres one for you all…dave davies of the kinks is on the list…and heres the punch line….jimmy page played all the guitar solo’s on the kinks albums….whats that tell you…and what in Gods name is that fuckin idiot from the white stripes doin on the list at all….and No slash? au probably one of the biggest selling most important guitar albums in the last 20 years (appetite for destruction) and he doesnt get on the list? what a bunch of serious morons the imbosiles at rolling boulder are..
I don’t care about the Cobain debate. Just can’t believe that Hetfield isn’t in the top 25. Metal playing aside, he is a wicked blues guitarist and improving all the time. Also, why wasn’t Michael Hampton in there!? Or Allen Collins??!
u ass Jimi Hendrix coul play a guitar with strings upside down but he played Little wing with stringing for Left Handed I saw the gutitar
Brian May & Steve Howe should be #3 and #4 on the list, Cobain shouldn’t even be on the list. A great song writer, but couldn’t hold Howe or May’s jocks!
fuck cobain.
Anyone who says that Kurt Kobain is a better guitar player the Jeff beck or greg Howe or carlos santana or EVH or Joe stump heend to get off the dope kurt was a greatsong writer thats it Dave was the Talent in that band he more then proved that. kurt was a drug induced looser who couldnt handle it any more he coped out and killed himself .HE GAVE UP !!!!!!!!!!! GET IT he should have never been on that list it just shows you how fucking thick in the head the commercial music buiss is now as for all the other guitar players mentioned all the ones on shrapnel and relitivity. ECT have still got great fan bases in japan as well as euroupe. just not in the us. instead we get Britney and people who like to lip sink and have shitty bands. thats why satch and vai and malmsteen and I have toured more overther then in our own country and the one who said nervana rules get a life DORK .
where is the rock master steve morse apparantly these people have’nt ever picked up a guitar
NO MENTION OF THE GREAT STEVE MORSE…quite dissapointing. Ask any talented guitar to vote, and you will hear his name mentiond with the greats.
Cobain couldn’d walk 3 steps in his shoes
Listen up all of you.
Just listen to Atom Heart mother, Fat old sun, Echoes, time, money, Shine on you crazy diamond, wish you were here, dogs, sheep, another brick in the wall-II, comfortably numb, poles apart, high hopes…did i miss anything???
Even after listening to all these songs if you think of voting for any other person as the worlds greatest guitarist, then obviously you have absolutely no concept of music and the soul & sound of music.
BTW for those of you who dont know who I’m talking about, its the lead guitarist of PINK FLOYD….my man DAVID GILMOUR
Ok, i think Slash and jimmy page are the 2 best guitarits EVER. gilmour and waters should be in the top 10, with, izzy stradlin, Joe perry should be there with santanna, vai, and as far as kurt cobain goes, ok, i am 13 and have been playing guitar for 5 years. Kurt cobain is no guitarist. he should be on the top ten songwriters list. and i just also wanna say fuck you 2 him for straing this emo shit
Segovia. Parkening. Montgomery. Breau. Martino. Eliot Fisk. Pass. Farlow. Bruno. McLaughlin. Benson. Hundreds more, none of whom are mentioned here (except John M.), all of whom could play large loping circles around your various idols. Rock is sociology, not music – the fact that “GREATEST EVER” lists exist is ludicrous, anyway. How do you score music? (Pun inteneded, betcha most of you don’t get it.) Points for this, lose for that? Get a grip.
Top 10 Best Guitarists
(1.) Todd Rundgren
Nothing tops Rundgren’s Guitar Solos in the songs ‘Utopia’, ‘The Ikon’, ‘Black Maria’, ‘Just One Victory’ (from his Somewhere Anywhere cd), ‘The Last Ride’, ‘Style’, ‘Caravan’, ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ and now his new cover of ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ from (Best Of Todd Rundgren Live)! and many too numerous here!
Todd is still the Best!
(2.) Jeff Beck…..’Freeway Jam’, ‘People Get Ready’ etc.
(3.) John McLaughlin….’all his solos on ‘Birds Of Fire’ etc.
(4.) Duane Allman…..’In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed’ etc.
(5.) Eric Clapton….’Sunshine Of Your Love’, ‘Layla’ etc.
(6.) Jimi Hendrix….’If Six Was Nine’ etc. etc.
(7.) Frank Zappa……his deepest cuts (The Gumbo Variations) etc.
(8.) Carlos Santana….’Jingo’, ‘Europa’ etc.
(9.) Stevie Ray Vaughan…’Crossfire’, ‘Pride and Joy’ etc.
(10.)Robin Trower…….’Bridge Of Sighs’ etc.
Bonus: (11.) Eddie Van Halen…’Running With the Devil”…..’Eruption’
Jeff Beck is superb, but what of Steve Howe from Yes, Steve Hackett from Genesis, Walter Trout, Danny Bryant, and countless more great players????
And…
Syu, Jani Liimatainen, Walter Giardiano, Timmo Tolkki, me… XD
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It’s been a while since I’ve done this. I get e-mailed whenever a published comment goes on my site so I see some pretty fascinating conversations on some of my…
Any attempt to “rank” art is just silly. Most talented guitar players will tell you that they will never master the guitar. You learn every time you pick it up. All the players on this list can learn something from a kid that just got his first guitar yesterday. Play what the song calls for, not more. Flash for the sake of flash shows a players lack of understanding of the guitar and more importantly, the music.
The names being tossed around in this thread are all super talented, or they wouldn’t even come up in the discussion. How about just enjoying the music? If you don’t understand why a player is on the list, how about revisiting them to see what’s up?
For the players…..strap it on, tune it up, and make some noise. Feel it.
I agree with jimi at #1 but i think there are other guitar players who should have been on the list. Petrucci, Malmsteen, Slash. These three should hav been there. but who would you take???
I agree with stratboy for the most part. It is hard to rank an “artist”. Those lists that are created s/b more specific as to the rankings. As far as god given talent and skill Jimi is always top 2, satriani, vai, and vaughan in the mix too. Enough with the ranks, LOL!
T
kurt cobain was a good guiturist i have heard he played grunge wich does not take that much guitar skill
kurt=a gay and a bad guitarist
hendrix=a god
s.r.v.=a second god
beck=a third god
b.b.king=shit!
Todd Rundgren is a Better guitarist than all these guys. All you have to do is Listen to his songs ‘Utopia’ & :
‘THE IKON’
at http://bobcerm.podomatic.com
to “…” (the anon last post): Thanks for reminding us all what happens when you mix immaturity, bigotry and a keyboard.
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Steve Howe
3. Stevie Ray Vaughan
4. Brian May
5. Steve Vai
6. Eddie Van Halen
7. Dave Mustaine
8. Kirk Hammett
9. Ritchie Blackmore
10. Chuck Berry
OH YEAH!
Yeah , motherf–kers , he was good and Kurt brought to life the 3-4 chords that he played , he made great guitar music that is instantly recognizable…I don’t give a f–k about Steve Gay or Satriani, those guys bore the shit out of me , they have never written a good hook in their entire lives…They can make light-speed scales but that’s just for circus parade , that’s not art ,they lack expression and miss the point of making good music…Stay the f–k away from Kurt Cobain ! I bet you heavy metal wankers , are biting your nails because Johnny Ramone is at number 16 and Malmsteen did not made the list …I wish Noel Gallagher was somwhere in there…I agree with the list and Kurt Cobain , shits on you hair metal pussies
Well i think that Kurdt was a master. He may not have been the most talented men when it came to playing guitar, but he sure made a lot of peolpe think he was. It wasn’t about the guitar playing or the singing it was about the feeling. how many of you can say that when you were a teen in the era of Nirvana, you listened to his music and felt a connection. Come on….you know you did. Ya the lirics were f–ked up and to be honest kinda stupid, but didn’t it make sense when you needed it to. HELL YES!!!! Just remember that, it is not about who is best but about who touches you the most!!!!! Nirvana RULZ!!!! PEACE