The 20 Greatest Guitarists of All Time

There are many ways to judge a guitar player. You can consider rhythm playing, soloing, and songwriting. More importantly, consider how they’ve innovated and inspired others. Here are the 20 greatest guitarists of all time.

20. Slash

More than anyone else, Slash was influential in steering a new generation of guitarists back toward a blues and classic rock approach to guitar. While humbucker-equipped Strats with vibrato bars were all the rage in the 80s, Slash made the Les Paul cool again. He traded finger tapping for rapid-fire pentatonic licks and swapped neoclassical shredding for blues swagger.

19. Carlos Santana

The 1960s were a time of experimentation and Carlos Santana innovated guitar playing by introducing Latin elements. While Santana worked the blues scale and minor pentatonic like most rock guitarists of the area, he deviated by introducing chromatic tones, the natural and melodic minor scales. However, his sound came most prominently from the Dorian mode.

18. Gary Moore

A master of the blues, Gary Moore plays with feel, flare, and fury. He also incorporates hard rock, heavy metal, and jazz fusion. His playing on Thin Lizzy’s Black Rose: A Rock Legend is highly respected. Moore’s masterpiece is his solo album Still Got the Blues. Many call the title track one of the greatest blues solos of all time.

17. Billy Gibbons

Jimi Hendrix once called Billy Gibbons his favorite guitarist. Nothing else needs to be said. The ZZ Top guitarist stands alone for his unique and biting blues tone. Before ZZ Top got poppy in the 80s, Gibbons laid down some mean solos. One signature technique was his pinch harmonics. He also plays some of the best slide this side of Duane Allman.

16. Ritchie Blackmore

The Deep Purple guitarist worked as a session musician from 1960 until 1968 when he formed Deep Purple. In 1970, the band changed their style as Blackmore helped pioneer hard rock and heavy metal. He is one of the first hard rock guitarists to infuse classical music influences into his songwriting and lead guitar soloing.

15. Eric Clapton

In guitar circles, some argue Eric Clapton is overrated. However, his influence on numerous great guitarists who followed is indisputable. Eddie Van Halen described his own playing as Clapton sped up. This Yardbirds alumnus played alongside Beck and Page, OK? Clapton’s tone gave his playing soul. “Slowhand” delivered the goods with feeling rather than speed.

14. Brent Mason

If you listen to country music, Brent Mason is a guitarist you’ve heard but probably never heard of. He’s laid down virtuoso chicken-pickin’ and jazz-influenced solos on hundreds of hit songs. He’s one of the most recorded guitarists in history. Chet Atkins discovered and mentored him. He’s heavily influenced by Jerry Reed. He has a signature Telecaster model named after him.

13. Jerry Reed

Most people know Jerry Reed as the wisecracking truck driver in Smokey and the Bandit. But musicians know Reed as a virtuoso guitarist. His signature chicken-pickin’ technique is displayed in full force in his composition “The Claw.” Although primarily a country guitarist, Reed incorporated jazz and even had pop hits with “Amos Moses” and “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot.”

12. Jeff Beck

A former member of the Yardbirds, Jeff Beck is one of the most influential guitarists of all time. He’s called s guitarist’s guitarist. And he only got better over time. He progressed from blues and rock into jazz fusion and electronica. Beck could make the guitar talk. He received Grammy awards for Best Instrumental Performance six times.

11. Stevie Ray Vaughn

Stevie Ray Vaughn brought a feel and virtuosity to blues that hadn’t been seen prior. His soulful voice and pallet of perfect guitar tones married authenticity with the fire of conviction. When he played rock, such as Jimi Hendrix tunes, he managed to play them better without losing any of the original.

10. Randy Rhoads

Only recording two studio albums before his tragic death in a plane crash, guitarist Randy Rhoads put Ozzy Osbourne’s solo career on the map. His classical-influenced songwriting was more intrinsic than his virtuoso soloing. He was a bigger guitar hero to many kids than Eddie Van Halen in the early 80s. His influence on 80s metal is inextricable.

9. Keith Richards

Keith Richards stands out as one of the best and most influential songwriters of all time. With the Rolling Stones, Richards has written some of the catchiest grooves ever. Primarily a rhythm guitarist, Richards drew heavily from Chuck Berry. A frequent technique Richards uses is to play in an open G tuning whereby he removes the “unnecessary” sixth string.

8. Duane Allman

Many slide guitarists are unknowingly influenced by Duane Allman. Allman’s songwriting laid the template for the genre of Southern rock. He established himself as the world’s foremost slide guitarist. He died at only 24. In addition to four Allman Brothers albums, he can be heard on Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs on tracks 4-14, including the hit Layla.

7. Tony Iommi

Heavy metal as we know it would not exist without Tony Iommi. He is the master of creating hooky grooves and monstrously heavy riffs. He created an even heavier sound by detuning on the band’s third album Master of Reality (1971). This technique is now a mainstay of heavy metal. Iommi inspired the genre of doom metal.

6. Chet Atkins

Primarily a guitarist, Chet Atkins was an instrumentalist who earned the nicknames “Mister Guitar” and “The Country Gentleman.” His mastery of fingerpicking and musicianship earned him admirers worldwide. As a producer and musician, Atkins invented the “Countrypolitan Nashville sound.” Atkins’ approach incorporated pop structures and slick production that reinvigorated country music.

5. B.B. King

No one can say as much with so few notes as B. B. King. Blues is about feel and King poured it out in buckets. His smooth, fluid playing and shimmering vibrato are legendary. King’s approach to the blues was more sophisticated than most. Due to his influence on the genre, he earned the nickname “The King of the Blues.”

4. Chuck Berry

There would be no such thing as guitar-driven rock ‘n’ roll without Chuck Berry. He inspired countless guitarists and bands. You can hear his influence in everything from AC/DC to The Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin. His chunky blues-influenced rhythm playing and double-stop lead soloing riffs and bends set the standard for all rock guitarists who followed.

3. Eddie Van Halen

Eddie Van Halen was the biggest seismic shift in guitar playing since Jimi Hendrix. Guitar playing changed overnight. Eddie played guitar with athletic fury, churning out 64th notes with ease. His most famous technique is two-handed tapping as heard on Eruption. Because of his virtuoso soloing, his equally impressive rhythm playing and songwriting are often overlooked.

2. Jimmy Page

Formally a session guitarist and member of the Yardbirds, Jimmy Page had a hand in creating the template for hard rock and heavy metal when he formed Led Zeppelin in 1968. Page stands out for his versatility and mastery of various acoustic and electric styles, alternate tunings, and songwriting prowess.

1. Jimi Hendrix

How the guitar was played forever changed when Jimi Hendrix emerged. No one had ever heard anything like his innovative use of distortion, feedback, and electronic effects. His virtuosity at lead and rhythm playing — and his blues, R&B, and soul influences combined with electronics — defined the psychedelic era. He only recorded three studio albums in his short life.