Top 100 Rock Guitarists of All Time

[Willmark]

This isn’t another “Rolling Stone told me what to think” list.

I built this from the ground up with one goal: to separate actual guitar ability and musical impact from myth, nostalgia, and hype. Those three matter very much for certain guitar players.

A few things I care about that most lists don’t:

Completeness matters more than any one trait
If you can only do one thing—shred, riff, or vibe—you’re not cracking the top tier. The guys at the top can do *everything*: lead, rhythm, acoustic, electric, structure, and tone.

Context matters "Aka the Joe Satriani rule"
It’s one thing to sound great when the guitar *is* the song. It’s another to fit into a band, build a track, and elevate everything around you.

Real-world execution matters "Aka the Rory Gallagher rule"
Strip away the studio tricks. One guitar, one amp, live setting—who do you trust? That’s a huge separator.

Memorability matters "Aka the Ace Frehley rule"
If people can hum your solo, you did something right. If they can’t remember it five minutes later, that tells us something too.

Identity matters "Aka the CC DeVille rule"
Some players aren’t the most technical, but the second you hear them, you know who it is. That counts.

Foundation matters—but it’s not everything. "Aka the Duanne Eddy/Les Paul rule"
Early pioneers are on the list because they made it possible. But they don’t get ranked over players who took the instrument further.

Improvisation matters—but it’s a lane, not the whole highway. "Aka the Jerry Garcia rule"

So when you see rankings you disagree with—Hendrix not #1, Santana not top 10, Rory where he is—that’s why. This isn’t about who’s most famous or who gets the most magazine covers.

It’s about: Who can do the most, across the most situations, at the highest level.

Argue it all you want, that’s half the fun. But my list is consistent with itself all the way through, and that’s what I was aiming for.

Top 100 Guitarists
1 Jimmy Page
2 Eddie Van Halen
3 Eric Clapton
4 Jeff Beck
5 Eric Johnson
6 Ry Cooder
7 Steve Vai
8 Jimi Hendrix
9 Brian May
10 Duane Allman
11 Mark Knopfler
12 Randy Rhoads
13 Buckethead
14 Yngwie Malmsteen
15 David Gilmour
16 Stevie Ray Vaughan
17 Tony Iommi
18 Ritchie Blackmore
19 Tom Scholz
20 Lindsey Buckingham
21 Slash
22 Gary Moore
23 Prince
24 Pete Townshend
25 Rory Gallagher*
26 Vito Bratta
27 Warren DeMartini
28 Neal Schon
29 Gary Richrath
30 Ace Frehley
31 Mike McCready
32 Jerry Cantrell
33 Allan Holdsworth
34 Nuno Bettencourt
35 Joe Satriani
36 Angus Young
37 K. K. Downing & Glenn Tipton
38 Phil Collen
39 Ted Nugent
40 Kenny Wayne Shepherd
41 Dimebag Darrell
42 Kirk Hammett
43 Tom Morello
44 Joe Walsh
45 Derek Trucks
46 Shawn Lane
47 Adrian Smith & Dave Murray
48 Matt Bellamy
49 Vinnie Vincent
50 Billy Gibbons
51 Alex Lifeson
52 Zakk Wylde
53 Mick Mars
54 Mick Jones
55 Mick Taylor
56 Rick Nielsen
57 George Harrison
58 Frank Hannon
59 Jeff Healey
60 Duane Eddy
61 Eddie Cochran
62 C.C. DeVille
63 Robby Krieger
64 Steve Howe
65 Keith Richards
66 Carlos Santana
67 Jake E. Lee
68 Dickey Betts
69 Nancy Wilson
70 Joe Perry
71 Tommy Shaw & James Young
72 Mick Ronson
73 Peter Green
74 The Edge
75 Dick Wagner
76 Les Paul
77 Bo Diddley
78 Jack White
79 Brian Robertson & Scott Gorham
80 Mike Campbell
81 PJ Harvey
82 Chuck Berry
83 Martin Barre
84 Allen Collins
85 Buddy Guy
86 Johnny Marr
87 Jonny Greenwood & Ed O’Brien
88 John Fogerty
89 Nile Rodgers
90 Dave Navarro
91 Kim Thayil
92 Dave Davies
93 Dave Mustaine
94 George Lynch
95 Trey Anastasio
96 Andy Summers
97 Robert Fripp
98 Jerry Garcia
99 Kerry King & Jeff Hanneman
100 Kurt Cobain

* if we go by pure ability? Rory Gallagher could arguably be at #10. And doing it live? Him again.

[Sold My Soul]

[raider_kin]

You can always list the greatest rock guitarist...

You just can't rank them. It's all subjective and what type of cheddar you are consuming.

And what kind of amps they play (MARSHALL MARSHALL MARSHALL)

[raider_kin]

He is #88

THanks

[raidersince63]

For me, Jeff Beck, with David Gilmore 2nd, and Frank Zappa 3rd.

[Dr Death]

For me, Jeff Beck, with David Gilmore 2nd, and Frank Zappa 3rd.

Yea... Zappa flies under the raidar too often.

[raidersince63]

Yea... Zappa flies under the raidar too often.

For me, "Apostrophe", "Overnight Sensation", and "One Size Fits All" were his best albums.

"Zoot Allures" (French for "Oh Shit")...was pretty good too.

[raidersince63]

"So I pulled on her hair
Got her legs up in the air
And asked if she had any cooties in there"

[Willmark]

Zappa was on my list for a while around #95. After a while he got bumped out.

Part of Zappa is he is very much an acquired taste. While the list avoids popularity and myth, it doesn’t discount either and that’s a two-way street.

[Attyla]

Tommy Shaw at 71 makes some sense, but JY is not even on my list coupled with Shaw

[Attyla]

Also, where is Robbie Robertson?

[raider_kin]

Also, where is Robbie Robertson?

Yep, watch 'The Last Waltz.' The man could play.

[Attyla]

Yep, watch 'The Last Waltz.' The man could play.

great guitarist, great song writer. If Bob Dylan wanted him in his band, he had talent. Every member of the Band were great musicians.

[Hellbound]

Hendrix being that low is insane and no mention of Link Wray is absolutely even more insane not to mention no Dick Dale. Jim Heath should be on a list and Brian Setzer is always underrated

[Xramfan]

I’ll toss in Hughie Thommason for kicks as well.

[Willmark]

Hendrix being that low is insane

Except its not based on the criteria I’m using.