Guitar World made a GOOD Top 100 Guitarists list | Mike The Music Snob 

Become The Knight I’ll have you know I am a proud member of the John Frusciante subreddit. On behalf of me and the John Frusciante fanbase we would like an apology. If an apology is not received within 48 hours we will wage war. YOU DO NOT WANT THE SMOKE!!! 😤😤😤

Polyphonic did a fantastic video about Sister Rosetta Tharpe I think it's worth watching, maybe even a reaction video

I'm surprised Tony McAlpine wasn't on the list!?!? John Frushante blew his load on blood sex sugar magic & then it was downhill from there!

I'm surprised but also not surprised that there was no mention of Mike Stern in the Jazz Fusion section. Granted... Pat Metheny, John Mcloughlin, and Wes Montgomery deserve to be up there, but seriously??? No mention of MIKE STERN???

theDank Savage it’s funny cuz Johns best work with the Chili Peppers wasn’t until 2002 and he only got better in 2006 on Stadium Arcadium. I really suggest you listen to Stadium Arcadium. Phenomenal album and John is imo, and in most chili peppers fans, at his peak in 2006.

I'd be down for that lol 😂

@Yenneffer the list we all want from the internet’s greatest music snob

I support this idea or something similar 😂

WHO RUINED THE 69 LIKES!!!!

Well fuck.......I think I need to read more lists now....

He also sorta focused his energy on learning sitar and then realized he wasn't good enough to devote his live to playing the instrument. He should've instead focused on guitar because learning sitar was a waste of time

@@aryavart296 Sorry but that's bullshit. That has ''being the best guitarist you can be'' as a pre-assumed objective. Why though? Sitar and Indian music brought much to Harrison. He didn't waste what he acquired from Indian music and sitar. So saying he shouldn't have done that just to be a better guitarist is honestly dumb.

@@bilbobaggins3464 especially since it made Harrison more artistic and spiritual which only bettered his music and the eastern spiritualism stuck with him for his entire life.

I’ll agree

This list is more a popularity ranking than a best guitarist list.

Wow I allways see you in the comments of slot of RU-vid videos your everywhere !

Heyyyy tigerstar

@@conormurphy4328 these lists always are.

I love Brian May but this i feel is a case of fans on social media getting word out for people to vote. Saying that he usually gets overlooked.

I agree

The Lil Wayne joke is hella tired by now. It's been like 5 years, find a new one

To accurate

Lil Wayne influenced a hell of a lot of artists just not with guitar😂😂

HAHAHAHAHA LIL WAYNE BEST GUTAR HEHEHEHEHWHEOHOHOABAHA SO FUNNNNNNIIIIIIIII

Yeah!!!!!! He is as melodic as gilmour,as bluesy as guys like buddy guy and Clapton and he can shred on pentatonic,why no one talk about him?

Gary Moore was the guy that inspired me to start playing.

I came here to point this out as well.

Andy larouqe

You are so righttt

I feel you man

I prefer Dave Navarro to John Frusciante.

smithfan22 I’m more of a Frusciante man just cuz he’s more melodic but to each his own

CreamyCrumpets17 love it, that’s the thing tho, Mike is definitely more into “shreddy” guitarists than melodic and more thoughtful guitarist like John. For me John is in my top 5 with Hendrix, Page, Van Halen, and Clapton

nichbuns 37 John Frusciante’s philosophy on guitar is super songwriting-driven. Plays whatever he wants but also has a desire to suit the song. It’s like Gilmore. People like Gilmore cause they like Pink Floyd.

true

Definitely because of the movie.

He's also incredibly talented

@@jamieleitch6966 he's definitely talented but if you compare his work against other artists from his era, he was average

Voters were regular users. Besides, Brian May wrote some very influential solos that got many people into guitar. People take writing skills over playing skills. Brian is my favourite & I get it but I wouldn't say no. 1

Very Exotic Sound And When It Came To Shredding They Came Together Really Well, Easily Top 5 Metal Guitarists Just Cause Of 5 Magics and Take No Prisoners lol

He has a lot of great solo material as well!🤘

And he could play better than 98% on this list

Literally look at the other people who came before him... Iommi, Rhoads, Murray, they're all melodic guys who have had much more influence than he has

BleachMaster15 but none of them are modern and appeal to this generation like synyster gates does. He’s also not just a metal player I believe he has a whole master class on jazz and soul guitar

Check out Between the buried and me

True ,his solos are very melodic not just technical solos without any soul...Not saying he is the best.But he deserves his spot here...

@@bleachmaster1545 Iomi was above him on the list so bringing him up is the dumbest fucking argument I've ever heard

A man of culture

Ah, yes.

and Mike skipped him

Buckethead is so underrated: everybody knows him but nobody actually listen to him, probably intimidated by his discography.

​@@davidem759 Well he was on number 6, but Mike skipped him and went straight to number 7

They were #10 on the metal list.

TheHeadBangGuy They were on the list

@@corbinm5237 well I guess mike just skipped over them 😀😀

These guys are the main reason I started playing.

Glenn incorporated the Hendrix and EVH stuff into metal before anyone else did, very overlooked. Just listen to sin after sin and sad wings of destiny and you’ll see what I mean

Yeah honestly, I can understand if Black Sabbath just isn’t his thing but the fact they were doing this in the late 60s and early 70s just shows how way ahead of his time he was and how much he influenced the genre he practically made

He did just create a genre, he also created about three subgenres all at once.

Ong

Very influential for the extreme metal scene, much more important to metal than Syn or Tremonti IMO.

Chuck was fucking insane man. Dimebag too. Gone way too soon

I do wonder about his opinion on Chuck, he doesn't seem that interested in Death despite the maturity, progressiveness and complexity (not extremely entirely) of the band on the last 4 albums. Is such a highly praised band, and so is Chuck, but I don't know how he hasn't listened to them or even if he has, he really hasn't said anything about it.

Chuck is influential as a creator of music but he wasn’t even the best player on some of their albums. Number one example ITP, Andy Larocque is far superior a player, also not a difficult personality to deal with.

@@twowheeledchaos4902 Well, Chuck ain't a virtuoso like Andy, but he obviously wrote every single riff of Death and song lyrics as well, asides, he was a great shredder, he grew as a great musician throughout the years and didn't make a single bad or same album. And yeah, in SP you could say that Murphy was the best and perhaps (this one is more subjective) in Symbolic Koebble may've been the better one, but Chuck truly wasn't the worst, just the lesser one, but as I say, it's subjective. If you like Chuck's style more, then great. You could even compare it with Hetfield and Hammett, Hammett was the best at soloing for me, but Hetfield wrote the majority of stuff.

He also wrote some beautiful melodies. Just because it's not technically awesome doesn't disqualify it

Pay for my Liver surgery

Every time Mike says “Shocked” take a shot

*dies of alcohol poisoning

Only winner? Ozzy.

@@nonserviam4813 Grunge is Metal and Tool is Progressive Metal. So i think you're wrong

I can't even make it to that point myself, I'm still stuck at the 'Surprised Pikachu Face' denial phase of grief

I'll be honest then only gilmour I've heard is comfortably numb. While I can see why someone might dig that it really felt really long and boring for a guitar solo. If his playing style is like that for much of his career its pretty easy to see how someone would respect him but not enjoy his work much at all.

Isaiah Mc Intosh if the only pink floyd song you’ve listened to is comfortably numb then please god listen to more pink floyd.

​@@Isaiah_McIntosh Some of the best songs that show off his work are: Dogs, Fat Old Sun, Echoes, Time, Shine On You Crazy Diamond (all parts), Comfortably Numb, and High Hopes--of course, I'm very partial and think he's incredible and enjoy him on every PF song he's on (including his voice--it's so much lighter than Rogers). Please, I encourage you to listen to all of these, his playing is truly powerful and emotional (at least for me).

@@Andrea-ul7cm Nobody ever mentions Sorrow! As far as I'm concerned, the solo (outro solo, that is) in Sorrow is his best, especially the live one in the Pulse video. Anyhow, all this goes to show is that Gilmour's playing is far more varied than some would have you believe (and thanks for mentioning High Hopes by the way -- another incredible solo that is also unique sounding)

Thank you

oh but he did! he's #9, mike just skipped over him (check the entirety of the lists, many people were skipped like Becker, and Shawn Lane in the fusion category!)

It's kinda weird because when you think about Eric Johnson you don't really think about his shredding. He's so melodic and so musical that you forget he can melt your face in a nanosecond.

Exactly, you could fill an entire list with phenomenal classical and flamenco guitarists. Jazz and fusion should've also been separate lists, lots of ridicuously good and influential guys are missing.

Heck yes, he singlehandedly made me ditch the electric guitar

@@vainbow4632 flamenco is awesome. Could never get my alzapua fast enough for some of paco’s stuff

@@nikolaisid8481 Heh, for me it's my picado that just won't get up to speed. Playing flamenco is basically 2 years of technique work before you can actually start to play stuff you like lol

yea this dude has no idea what he's talking about lmao at least when it comes to the indie/alt list. how could someone who wants to look at the lists "objectively" say that kevin shields, thurston moore, and j mascis don't know how to play their instruments when they had a massive influence in their genres and contributed innovations to their instrument.

I can understand not liking Dinosaur Jr and MBV. Like, you either like it or don't... Or you grow to like it. But when you just go "nah, hes shit, he was in _that_ band"...it almost just comes across like you're actively dismissing the music as "for people with shitter taste than me". There are loads on that list that I don't enjoy listening to... But I know what they all sound like at least... And can at least rationalise why people would rate them so highly.

Literally nobody else can play like Mascis. He has the most idiosyncratic, fluid, noodly, effusive and emotive style. It's instantly identifiable. Now is he super versatile? Idk, probably not. I bet he has limited chops in genres he doesn't mess with. But his own steez is towering and inimitable.

And an astrophysicist to boot

And I’m guessing you’re a child between the ages of 16-20 who has only heard of queen, and no other band. Cut the shit, Brian was average at best. Just another guitarist, and that’s about it

Support16s You are cringe

@@support16s45 Brian is much better than average. At first when I heard this a couple of weeks ago I disagreed with him being at the top. However, I thought about it and the composition of his stuff along with everyone else in Queen is phenomenal. Steve Vai literally said this about Brian May: "I don't think enough is really said about the brilliance of Brian May's guitar playing, in the sense that it's overshadowed by the music itself. The Queen II album was one of those pivotal moments that just nailed me to the wall. "He's probably one of the top identifiable guitar players, even more so than Beck, Page, and Clapton. They're all so identifiable, but Brian May has such a tone in his head and in his fingers. It speaks volumes. His contribution to orchestrated guitars is unprecedented. There was nothing like it before him. To me, it was like when Edward Van Halen came along and reshaped the sound of electric guitar. That's what I heard in Brian May's playing. It's something that's inherent in the brain of the guitar player. "I remember working with Frank Zappa for the first time. I had just moved out to Los Angeles, and nobody knew me. I was 21. I went out to the Rainbow Bar and Grill, and Brian May was there. I couldn't believe it. I mustered up every little bit of courage and went up to him and said, 'Thank you so much for everything you've done. I play guitar. I'm here in town with Frank Zappa.' He said 'Oh really? Why don't you come down to our rehearsal?' "I went down and he brought me up on the stage, and he let me play the guitar-the guitar that he built with his dad [the "Red Special"]. I couldn't even believe that I was touching this instrument! He was so kind and so warm, and for who? This kid, you know? And I played his guitar, and it sounded like Steve Vai. Then when he played it, it sounded just like Brian May. It was very apparent to me that his tone is in his fingers and his head. "He's a class act from head to toe, and it shows in his playing. I can listen to any player and pantomime their sound, but I can't do Brian May. He's just walking on higher ground." To say Brian is just another guitarist shows your ignorance to true talent and influence.

@@andjustjizzforall he’s good but compared to others even at the time he isn’t the best at all really, Eddie whoops his ass.

Keep in mind I like a lot of RHCP, so definitely not hate. Just don't understand what I perceive to be an overstated reverence.

Fruscuante's love jams with Flea and Chad are why he's as highly regarded as he is. The dude is a very capable studio guitarist who can play any genre (he even did the guitar for Johnny Cssh's cover of Personal Jesus). He plays minimalistic guitar which gives him room to build songs up. He understands musical context so well that every note he plays sounds perfect, whether he's building layers (Dosed) or when he's playing one note riffs (Don't Forget Me). He's very broad and very accessible.

Nope, Ed Sheeran brah lol

@@hawk1093 LMAO

we not gonna talk about how he said “jaysics

I fint it weird that Robert Smith is rarely mentioned (I know he's mentioned at the bottom of the list, just saying in general), because as you say The Cure has inspired TONS of bands/guitarists not only british but also americans such as Billy Corgan, John Frusciante (he said that Californication is inspired by The Cures first two albums), Nine Inch Nails, even Blink 182 lol etc.

Cure > smiths

Marr, Smith, and Robin Guthrie from cocteaus. Super influential. Guthrie's guitar work inspired dozens of important bands. But it's all texture, feel and process. Most "guitarists" don't know or care who he is.

Guitar hero and epic pranker

Definitely not a guitar hero. Though he is amazing. There is much more to a guitar hero then skill.

I agree. Syn is what inspired me and a lot of other kids in the 2010’s to play guitar. He definitely is a shredder but also rights very melodic songs and solos. He definitely helped inspire the “new generation” of guitarists imo.

Dude! I see you in like every metal video on youtube!

Allot of it popularity! Atleast Lil Wayne wasn't on the list!🎅🎸

I mean, I might be a bit biased towards May, but I'd argue he's in the top five, maybe top 3. But Zappa being so low ain't great.

Zappa was the first technical guitar virtuoso. Without zappa you wouldn't have people like vai around

Faboolean and vai agreed that May its one of the greatest.. so..

He was the first current player that came to mind for acoustic. Ed Sheeran, seriously?

@@kitoyobeni1 At least he's acknowledged in the trailblazers.

Yeah. He’s a beast.

Fun Fact, Emmanuel's daughter was in the grade above Sheeran at the same high school

He was like 15 or something on the rock section, guess they didn't realize he was that huge for blues fans... To be fair though, lots of rock and metal guys do consider him an influence...

what kinda pisses me off on greatest guitarist lists is that it's typically based off how good of a lead/solo guitarist one is, no rythm playing or song writing is ever taken into consideration. and Elliott was a particular master of these two.

I just listened to Miss Misery in the movie Good Will Hunting and I fell in love with it. I m starting to listening to him

@@duckface524 Exactly. He was a goddamn genius. It blows my mind he's never on any lists.

Yeah. His chord progressions are very complicated and unique. Another guitarist that is in the same vein would be Nick Drake.

@@rafterman5072 Nick Drake is a genius too

Even Brian May has publicly stated that he isnt the best. He even says he isnt technically proficient.

well all these are different interpretations of best guitarist definitely not technique wise hes not but his writting is great and has some of the most melodic solos

Maybe not in technique but if you think about how iconic his stuff is I can see how it can be argued

@Kamyar Queen were also very underrated for years, especially in America they are the second best selling band of all time, behind The Beatles. Even before the Bohemian Rhapsody movie Queen was the most steamed legacy artists, they were streamed more then The Beatles. A lot of people don’t realize how popular they are. I also would not rate Brian May first, but he was a lot more creative then some people realize. Queen played in many different styles, and they wrote complex music as well. Brian could replicate whole jazz bands with his guitar. He always played for the music.

**Zenobia** Led zeppelin are the second best selling band behind the Beatles in America not Queen. Queen didn’t sell 100 million records in the USA like Beatles and Led Zeppelin

Here's an interesting question. If Jimi survives and is still active today, does SRV get as famous?

@@kitoyobeni1 yes. He would.

@@kitoyobeni1 No question. His talent is undeniable

His combo of past greats in his style wouldn't draw as much attention if those past greats were still around (Jimi) or had reached that level of success themselves (Albert King). Just a theory, and regardless he would be loved within the guitar community.

@@kitoyobeni1 SRV was a God compared to Hendrix. Hendrix always reminded of the kid that tried to play his favorite licks but never got them right. Dude always sounded sloppy and amateurish to me.

He was on number 6, but Mike skipped him

@dexter19 but number 6 was David Gilmour..

@@soundslikescape Yes, in the best ROCK guitarists of all time, but on the best shred guitarists of all time list Buckedhead is on 6 place. It's on 5th page : www.guitarworld.com/features/the-100-greatest-guitarists-of-all-time/5

I've listened to some of The Strokes, I don't hate them. Just not usually my cup of tea. The alt/indie world doesn't make sense to me, but I'm pretty sure I addressed that in the video.

Become The Knight that makes total sense. We all have different ears and tastes when it comes to music and I get that.

I am shocked with this too man!! If Michael Schenker didn't exists, we wouldn't have Iron Maiden, Metallica, Randy Rhoads...

he just doesnt like The Smiths. He has said it many times lol. John Squire of The Stone Roses for sure

Agree

He's right between Petrucci and Govan, though this video does gloss over it. Still, I'm glad he gets some recognition, great shredder, musician and entertainer.

@@RosencrantzxGuildenstern still don’t know why George Lynch and Neal Schon don’t get the credit they deserve

I don't get why alice in chains or tool made that list when there were many more guitarists that actually fit the bill of indie/alternative that got snubbed

@@ethanbarney3883 agreed. Tool is my favourite band, and I think Adam is a solid guitar player for sure, but idk if he should be in the top 100... maybe in the bottom half of it 😂😂😂 but yes other guitar players got snubbed If we were talking drummers on the other hand... it would be a sin to not have Danny Carey mentioned

Agreed, how is Chuck not at least an honorable mention ?

Cole Powledge Gary Moore was 14 on the rock list.

My thought exactly. One of Mike's browser tabs while checking this list was a search for Gary Moore - not accidentally I'm pretty sure.

Hendrix love is such a meme that the majority of people who praise him don't even know why he's seen as the GOAT. His blending of lead and rhythm playing is what made his guitar work stand out. He used all the features of the electric guitar to make interesting sounds. People didn't know how expressive rock guitar could be. Listen to Hendrix jamming with John Mclaughlin, you'll hear interesting bluesy rhythm (Hendrix) and decades ahead of its time shredding (McGlaughlin). Hendrix came from a time before guitar wanking.

@@The_ScapeGoat Yeah, exactly. I guess it's hard for me to appreciate what he did sometimes, because I'm looking back from the lens of modern music, where a lot of the stuff I listen to is built upon the stuff he did, so in comparison it often seems somewhat uninteresting or basic. I wasn't around when he was changing things; I'm just reaping the benefits of the work he did. He's a great player, who I definitely enjoy, just not my GOAT :)

​@@The_ScapeGoatSo many people have an opinion on Hendrix without understanding his greatness.

Should've spun around in his chair 😂

yeah i agree, i understand hes not a technically great player but his skill comes with using simple concepts and creating solos linking these together that work perfectly plus his influence is absolutely huge literally millions of people have started playing guitar because of him far more than some of the people on the list, the fact he isn't on it is insane

@@dominicdefonseka3647 it shouldn't be based on pure technique, but rather effectiveness, kirk hammet's lead playing has a lot of feeling and is very effective at transferring that to the listener and causing an emotional response (whatever that may be), it captures the sould of the song rather than trying to just be technical or fast, and i think this is exactly the thing that completed metallica and made them what they are, without that they would not have achieved this level of success.

I’d love a huge, gaping Kirk Hammet shaped hole.

@@UndisputedGH05T i completely agree with you in every way but i just meant he doesn't shred like crazy say like steve vai which is in terms of "technical skill" better since you are playing a ridiculous amount of notes, I prefer kirk's solos over crazy shred ones any day of the week, they fit the music perfectly, his diversity in solo type across the albums shows how skilled he is one of the best solo writers ever. oh and im not saying he can't shred he can like crazy but he chooses not to since it doenst fit the music all the time and yeah without him metallica would not be as successful as they are

kirks solos dont even sound good on majority of mettalicas song imo

Swap Corgan with Kevin Shields and I'd agree. Also, Ranaldo and Moore are way too fucking low.

@@NahuNarutoKyubi nah u tripping technique wise Billy Corgan is superior

​@@georgefantano4396I agree, but Kevin Shields was one of Billy's influences

I didn't consider that Dinosaur Jr. was an influence on Cobain. And I'll be the last one to compliment Cobain on his precision, which doesn't seem to be a highly valued skill in the alt seen. But there's more to Cobain than his early death worship (it does exist).

As a massive Queen and May fan, I have to agree with you.

Not even in the top 100 😂😂

Well if you think about how iconic his stuff and queen is you could argue he is tbh

May is #1

Neither May nor Vai would've put themselves as number one on their respective lists. I remember reading this interview with him in the early 2000s where he states he doesn't understand why so many people talk about him as this crazy virtuoso when he personally knows a lot of guitarists that can easily outshred him. Still one helluva unique guitarist, truly one-of-a-kind.

Could not agree more

Hell yea he’s a goat for sure !!

Relationships can be hard

This is why we hate-fuck, Ben.

Become The Knight And hot damn is beautiful lol

Meh. Not even an honorable mention for Larry Coryell, Joe Pass, Charlie Christian, John Scofield, Stanley Jordan, Lee Ritenour... Pretty lazy jazz/fusion list actually. Yeah, I don't think Ed Sheeran and a bunch of punk rock guys justify those abscences...

Good to see appreciation for Mick🤘

I don't like shoegaze, for the most part.

@@BecomeTheKnight And that is totally fine. Was just giving you context as to why he was on the list at all.

Same. Like, what the hell, man, no need to be SOOO disrespectful!

Cause Trivium ain't all that tbh

But heafy himself is pretty good

Azaryah Pope To each his own, but I’d say that their duo is a hell of a lot better than some other guys Guitar World listed for metal. IMO, they’re far better than the Slayer, Slipknot, and Korn guitarists that the editors listed in both technicality and songwriting.

Poop Poop, thank you for your insight, Poop Poop

Yeah, but there are better duos out there (BTBAM, Protest The Hero, etc). Trivium doesn't really have any unique selling point, they're just really solid but middle of the road. So they end up lumped in with equally skilled guitarists on bands like Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, and August Burns Red.

I'll definitely give it to Angus for bend accuracy and taste. Dude does know to "feel" a good solo.

No

Overall I don't think Brian may is that great but he can play for sure

Or Synyster Gates IMO.

@@jaidynheadford4092 Nah, I love Syn but he's not on the level of the others.

after years of playing guitar, i still fail to see why some people put jimi on such a high pedestal

@@retronax4346 play a couple more years then you'll understand

Led Zeppelin has 14 milion monthly listners kn Spotify, Beatles have 23 and Rolling Stones have 19...

Giova_03 and Queen have 33 million

@@conormurphy4328 yeah, but they re still very popular. And Queen became way more popular after the movie

The Queen movie and the Internet was responsible for a frick ton of queen posers, like seriously I've listened to their entire discography yet I don't go and write " If Freddie was still alive... "

Giova_03 I didn’t say they weren’t still popular, just not as popular as Queen in the last decade, even before the movie as I think they were ranked the most streamed classic rock band on Spotify the year before the film came out.