Top 5 guitarists

[kittybeast]

That's 7!!!!!!!!!!

J-Dubya - Proud product of the Illinois school system

such a lucky number

 

[raiderdeath1]

in no order
alex lifeson
mr. turrilli
yngwie malmsteen
akira takasaki
Angra dynamic duo of superhuman strength

 

[Kenneth R.]

Name your top 5 most inovative guitarists STILL alive and active musically.

Piotr Grundzinski (Riverside)
Steve Rothery (Marillion)
Alex Lifeson (Rush)
Jasun Tipton (Zero Hour)
Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth)

 

[Ascension]

EVH
YJM
John Petrucci
Jasun Tipton
Patrick Rondat

 

[metropolisimages]

Not in any order...
1. John Petrucci
2. Steve Vai
3. Paul Gilbert
4. Tony Macalpine
5. Satch

 

[monstershredder0003]

well im only 15 but here it goes...
Rusty Cooley
Mike Romeo
Kiko Loureiro
Paul Gilbert
Yngwie Malmsteen

 

[Matt Lee]

Not in any order, 'cause that crap hurts my brain...

1) John Petrucci
2) Mattias "IA" Eklundh (JayDub, I wanna see that footage!)
3) Steve Vai
4) Michael Romeo (though somewhat contingent on the next album)
5) A tie between Buckethead and Ron Jarzombek. I don't listen to either of them all that much but they're both very innovative.

That was a surprisingly hard list to pull together, 'cause I'm running out of people to steal guitar ideas from. Time to start listening to some jazz guys or something I guess.
Edit: I found IA @ NAMM 2006 on YouTube. HOT!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4nHuwlH860

 

[Taliwakker]

Allan Holdsworth (god)
IA
Bumblefoot (he has to be on the list)
EVH
Ron Jarzombek

 

[~blondie~]

Ritchie Blackmoore
Jeff Loomis
Alexi Laiho
Mikael Åkerfeldt
Joe Satriani

 

[Clark Griswold]

Innovative?

Malmsteen
Petrucci
Lifeson
Vai
Andy Summers (For his use with complex chords)

Favorite?

Adrian Smith
Andy LaRocque
Yngwie Malmsteen
Alexander Beyrodt
and yes....Joel Gregoire

 

[Cheiron]

I'm going to add Kirk Hammett to my list... and drop out Eddie. While he's alive, he really can't do much lately. So whatever. Either way, Kirk brought a lot of originality, and his solos are some of the most memorable.

 

[Angrafan]

Tore Ostby
David Gilmour
Jeff Beck
Robert Fripp

 

[Troy the nomad]

Steve Vai- he's way ahead
Al Di Meola- His picking is FLAWLESS
Steve Morse- if you've seen him you know he's probably the best all around guitarist on the planet.
Holdsworth- stretches like nobody else can.
Eric Johnson- OK , so I like tone.

 

[wayland smithers]

Doug Aldrich
Andy Laroque
Kai Hansen
Dave Murray and Adrian Smith(I consider that team existing as one whole being)
Jeff Loomis

 

[Clark Griswold]

Dave Murray and Adrian Smith(I consider that team existing as one whole being)

Especially since they put harmonizing on the map along with K.K. and Glenn.

 

[EvilGrit]

No order:
Steve Vai
George Lynch
Buckethead
Zakk Wylde
Alex Skolnick
and a ton more
www.myspace.com/evilgrit

 

[eboles]

Let's start by recognizing the dead:
Jimmi Hendrix
Stevie Ray Vaughn

Top 5 veterans that are alive in no particular order:
Eddie Van Halen
Ritchie Blackmore
Brian May
Robert Fripp
Jeff Beck
If could pick a 6th it would be a toss between Akira of Loudness and Yngwie..although both of them sort of borrowed their styles form Eddie(Akira) and Ritchie(Yngwie).

I have to say even though they are not part of the rock/metal genre but worth mentioning:
Al Di Meola
Mark Knopfler

New kids on the block:
John Petrucci
Michael Romeo
Tore Ostby
Marcel Coenen
Jeff Loomis

Some really new kids on the block I would like to give a nod to are:
Jorn Viggo Lofstad(Pagan's Mind)
Joel Gregoire(Stride)
Marco Sfogli (James Labrie solo album) - this kid is best I have heard in a long time!

 

[Wounded Land]

1. Richard Thompson
2. Jeff Beck
3. Bill Frisell
4. Mikael Akerfeldt
5. Michael Romeo

Some non-metal guys in there. Richard Thompson is my #1 guitarist as well as singer and songwriter. His stuff is simply phenomenal.

NP: IQ "Dark Matter"

 

[Bryant]

In no particular order...


5. Jorn Viggo Lofstad

Great pick. I stated "most innovative" as opposed to my favorites. Jorn Viggo would make my top five list of favorites easily.

What seperates JVL from most other guitarists of his abaility (much like my all-time fave Wolf Hoffmann) is the fact that he "composes" solos. Many guitarists of great technical ability simply find ways to join their best licks together to form a "solo." Though many might be technically amazing, they often lack something when it is done that way.
JVL puts as much work into phrasing a single note just so... as he would with a sweep or two-hand hammer-on/pull-off technique. JVL also hasn't forgot how important it is to dominate as a riffmeister/rythm player when not soloing. Last but not least, he has an unfair advantage over other guitarists..... namely Stian Kristoffersen. The way PM's guitar and drums compliment and accent each other, you would think SK and JVL were joined at the hip or were at least brothers. They compliment each other amazingly well.


Bryant

 

[Bryant]

David Gilmour

Great choice !! Gilmour can do more with three notes than 99.99% of professional guitatists can do with thirty. If I could make a guitar "sing" like he does, I would never even attempt the more "technically" difficult techniques of guitar. He has written some of the most memorable solos ever. Great, great guitarist.

Bryant