Since the dawn of rock and roll, fans have been arguing about who deserves the title of "best" guitarist. And while the genre has produced quite a large number of outrageously talented musicians over the years, the same candidates inevitably come up in the "the greatest guitar player" conversation, every time: Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour...but it all depends on who you ask.
When Guitar World asked readers to vote for their favorite guitarist out of a list of 170 famous rockers, the above names all made it into the top 10...but none were at the very pinnacle. So who was ranked #1?
First, let's take a look at the almost-winners. Coming in 10th place was Slash of Guns N' Roses, deemed "arguably the last great rock guitar hero" by GW. (There's no mistaking Slash's style, to be sure, whether you're talking about the way he solos or his trademark hat and sunglasses look.) Next up, in ninth place, was Jeff Beck — "not just the guitar player’s guitar hero; he was the guitar hero’s guitar hero" — followed by the sometimes-overlooked Alex Lifeson of Rush at #8.
Related: This '70s Rocker Was Voted 'Most Underrated Guitarist of All Time'
In seventh place was Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore, credited with looking "beyond the Pentatonic shapes and towards classical music for inspiration, classing up the denim-and-leather demographic and expanding its horizons," while sixth place went to the aforementioned Gilmour, whose exquisite playing is just as transcendent now as it was when Pink Floyd was still making albums.
The top five kicked off with guitar "god" Eric Clapton, who's heading out on tour again this year, followed by hard rock virtuoso Eddie Van Halen at #4. Led Zeppelin's own Page (also an alumni of the Yardbirds, like Clapton and Beck) came in third, while "supernova of creativity" Hendrix took second place.
Related: 1975 Headbanger Ranked Among Top ‘Unforgettable Riffs’ of All Time
And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for...the title of "greatest guitarist of all time" went to Queen's Brian May. As GW put it, "There really is something texturally gourmand about May’s tone, a phalanx of Vox AC30s, with the Dallas Rangemaster in front, the phase shifting, the tape echo. As for his playing, it was sheer rock as theater, the fire to match the bombast, and the operatic splendor of a peerless band whose frontman must have been a dream to play alongside."
Whether any of these musical icons are truly better than the rest is debatable, of course, but one thing's for sure...they're all responsible for some of the greatest music ever.
Related: This 1975 Hit Voted 'Greatest Guitar Solo of All Time'
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