Best Lead Guitarists of All Time
Slash's god-like guitar skills and Axl Roses's energetic vocals were a match made in rock and roll heaven. Slash was the driving punch in the matter, showing his technique's and skills in songs such as Welcome To The Jungle, November Rain, Paradise City, and my personal favorite Sweet Child O' Mine.
That first comment is a lie slash is where he deserves to be jimmy page 1st I can see why Jimmy Page And Slash Are riff machines and slash knows how to play a guitar and where is Angus young 8th is where he should be. Eddie Van Halen slash jimmy page Jimi Hendrix and Angus young changed rock n roll. come on Thunderstruck is a monster riff and sweet child o mine
I love all kinds of guitar work. But nobody puts their heart into their playing like Slash. You know exactly how he feels by his solos. I felt the meaning of november rain more in his solo then Axl using his words.
This guy is the king of all guitarists. He has such passion towards music. His fingers move like lightning all over the guitar.
The definitive guitarist of heavy metal, he was the art behind the masterpiece for this amazing band. With tracks like Master Of Puppets, Enter Sandman, Nothing Else Matters, and One, he is just in simpler words, a great guitarist.
Kirk is the best guitarist. His speed is awesome. If you don't believe it see him playing master of puppets it was great
No. He is overrated. Alright, I admit Jimmy Page is overrated. But not more than him. At least his solos sound different.
This should be richie sambora... Kirk maybe still great but no one can beat how sambora melodized the guitar
Eddie Van Halen is jimmies second evolution. More technical and advanced but jimmy pages songwriting skills and guitar skills as a 1 man guitar army remains the most distinctive in classic rock. I understand eddie being 1 but jimmy is 1
Jimmy Page literally defined the definition of a lead guitarist. Showing his guitar skills perfectly alongside Robert Plant's vocals in songs such as Stairway To Heaven, Dazed and Confused, Whole Lotta Love, and Kashmir.
Slash's great, but he's no Jimmy Page. As for Eddie, he's just technical and sucks as a songwriter.
Page may not be the finest technical player, but he wrote dozens of rock classics that everybody would recognize.
Zeppelni might not be as mainstream as Guns N' Roses or Metallica, but if you know them you will see that Jimmy Page is better than Slash and the Metallica guy combined. Up to Presence, Zeppelin didn't have 1 bad song. And his riffs are simply mind blowing.
Who in the Hell thinks Slash is #1? OH... I am sure Rolling Stone magazine has something to do with it. They don't know crap about music, and obviously, neither do the voters here.
Eddie defined Guitar Hero. In a time of Disco, he brought Van Halen to the forefront with his magic on the frets. Sure he hasn't had anything magical in like... ever... but that doesn't take away from what he has done.
Arguably the greatest guitarist in hard rock history, Eddie Van Halen was the force that drove Van Halen into decade - defining success with songs such as Panama, Jump, Eruption, and Hot for Teacher.
Why would anybody in their right mind put Synyster Gates over Eddie Van Halen?! This is coming from an Avenged sevenfold fan too!
Listen to Eruption and basically any other song by Van Halen and you will feel compelled to vote for Eddie Van Halen.
Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as "arguably... read more
Hendrix wrote the book on how to play the rock guitar. Just listen to the song "Machine Gun". It's a ten minute long song in which he goes entirely improvised and makes some of the greatest fills ever heard. Don't get me wrong, the whole page here is full of legendary guitarists. But Hendrix laid the foundation everyone else built upon.
Hendrix was the best guitarist on earth ever. There is no question about it. He could make a guitar talk and come alive. The sounds that he could get from a guitar was unbelievable - more so at the time when he used to play. We must judge him in comparison with others of his time. The greatest guitarist ever. That's it.
What the hell? Is this a list or comedy. If Jimi Hendrix could be on top of best guitarist list then why he is low in this list. So, what was he? Wasn't he a lead guitarist? Lead guitar has rhythm parts in it. So, all lead guitarists are rhythm guitarists.
The guy that can play guitar while lying on the floor with spasms
Angus is the best... Love that duck walk!
Monster riffs...Changed the world.
Greatest riffs ever written.
Brian is an exceptional guitarist. His skill only matched by the likes of Hendrix but has also got great songwriting ability (we will rock you, hammer to fall, now I'm here, Brighton rock, who wants to live forever, I want it all, the show must go on). Solos on bohemian rhapsody, somebody to love, Brighton rock, we will rock you to name a few have to put him up there as an innovative, creative and downright amazing musician, scientist AND engineer ( he built his amazing red special guitar with his dad). Quite underrated in my view.
Brian May is greatly under appreciated. He wrote many #1 hit songs, topping the music charts. He was also very creative using a six-pence coin instead of guitar picks using the rough side for special noises. He was also a member of the best band ever (Queen) and is a very famous astrophysicist. How many famous lead guitarists can say that. Or people in general.
Brian May played solos that you actually wanted to listen to, unlike some other guitarists of the day who were considered better guitarists, but their solos were just endless noodling that went nowhere. His tone, his chops, his stage persona -- Brian sets the bar for what a rock guitarist should be.
Even tough Freddie Mercury was the literal power of the band, Brian May was a force to be reckoned with, creating some of the greatest guitar symphonies ever. This is showcased in songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen, Somebody To Love, and We Will Rock You.
David Gilmour down at #7 on a best LEAD guitarists. I'm laughing ! This has to be a joke !
Lead = solos. No one, I mean NO ONE is on David's solos level
Packed a punch with his psychedelic rock guitar flavor in songs such as Comfortably Numb, Another Brick In The Wall Part II, Money, and Wish You Were Here, he transformed Pink Floyd into one of the greatest bands of all time.
David Gilmour is probably the most soulful guitarist alive today. Kirk Hammett is very good, but no one can beat the soulful, inerrant style of David Gilmour.
Laughing at the list. He's on top 7 of "Best Guitarists Ever" list. And he's on 22 of best lead guitarist list.
He is by far the best rounded of any living guitarist. He continued to improve through the decades. He can play accoustic or electric equally well. He is the most respected by the best guitar players of every genre. He is probably the best developed guitarist alive.
Was also the lead guitarist in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Yardbirds, Blind Faith, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, and Derek & The Dominos. He is the ONLY three-time inductee into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame.
Clapton's abilities far and away exceeds any of the top ten listed here. What moron put this list together?
Just checking; which other of the fine guitarists listed here are also nicknamed "God"?
Syn's skill is amazing! Sweep picking, dive bombs, hammer ons and pull offs, sliding. He's a master of it all. Most of his solos are superfast and clean at the same time. The solo from afterlife is what you should listen to. Jimi hendrix set his guitar on fire. Syn can do the same. ALL HE HAS TO DO IS PLAY IT! HE PLAYS SO FAST HE MAKES SLASH SEEM LIKE A ROOKIE!
FoREVer
You must be kidding me! He's the best lead guitarist ever born. Slash is nowhere even close to him.
I never hear for him and the band he play but after hear one random their song I like his solo's
He's just...amazingly talented. he plays clean and fast and I don't understand why he isn't on the list
Amazing guitar talent is what Richie Sambora is all about. With songs such as Livin' On A Prayer, Bad Medicine, You Give Love A Bad Name, and Bed Of Roses, no wonder he is on this list.
This man is a guitar god. Listen to Dry County or Lay Your Hands on Me.
Can't believe he isn't higher. He is one of the greatest ever!
Too bad he left
What is he doing at 54? He's possibly one of the greatest guitarists of all time, and the inventor of Neo-classical metal.
Angus Young is a great guitar player in his style, Jimi Hendrix was great in his style, they are all great! Some are more technical than others, some are more soulfull than others...Dime was the greatest, period.
Way better than any body here!
In a wrong list I think
Uh, he’s rhythm
Tony in #23 and Kirk on top? Kirk wrote wonderful solos and he's a great player, but I think he's overrated. Tony is so underrated as a lead guitarist. People say that there are guitarists that can solo better than Tony, but actually there are people that can solo better than Kirk and Tony is one of them. Kirk has made great choices of notes and phrasing and he's done some good bending, but there are guitarists including Tony that not only can do that, but they use more control whenever they use vibrato and they don't overuse wah pedals while soloing. Just listen to "War Pigs", "Black Sabbath", "NIB", "Planet Caravan", "Children Of The Grave", "Symptoms Of The Universe", "Neon Knights" "Heaven and Hell", "Lonely Is The Word", etc.
Tony Iommi created a sound that would effect heavy metal greatly(in a good way). With songs such as Paranoid, Iron Man, War Pigs, and The Wizard he made Black Sabbath a staple in heavy metal.
He's kind of low in the ranking
Lonely is the word said all
Rainbow - A Light In the Black, Stargazer, Death Alley Driver, Gates of Babylon
Deep Purple - Highway Star, Child In Time (live Made In Japan), Child In Time, Pictures of Home (2 solos), Burn
Ritchie has more memorable solos than any other guitarist and on that alone makes him #1!
Carlos Santana is great and all...but who in the world put him above THE Richie Blackmore?!
Blackmore is so underrated. Deep Purple have never been the same wihtout him. He is the greatest guitarist ever!
Great guitarist. Love his style. I think he is totally underrated, Just listen to the guitars on She Said She Said, I Feel Fine, I Want You... Amazing!
His minimalist technique is misunderstood to this day. His singular job was to play the phenomenal Lennon/McCartney compositions [the greatest in pop/rock history], and let the songs speak for themselves. After exposure to that genius, he began his own HOF composing career, but had learned well from the greatest.
Like everything else he did, George's playing style was understated. His solos are melodic and quick.
He is the greatest, his solos was for the music, not for the ego.
He was not on this list, really a shame, he beat Kirk Hammett on all fronts.
dude, maybe Slipknot is you favorite band; but you're going to receive many bad comments in this list because you put Mick Thompson in first place... mainly because it is so wrong that he is before Jimi and Dimebag, and you forgot many great guitarists like Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman, Alexi Liaho, Zakk Wylde, John Petrucci, Rhandy Rhoads, Michael Angelo Batio, Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert, Eric Clapton, Glenn Tipton...
Don't get me wrong... Hammet is one fine gutarist, but he doesn't belong in the number one slot or even the top five (and Metallica is one of my favorite bands) I'm sorry to say that, but it's true! And Dimebag should be in the top three, he blows.. Or should I say.. Could have blown Hammet out of the water.
Dimebag Darrell is the greatest of all time! Kirk? There must be some crazy dope going around.
Greatest ever! The entire package and then some.!
This man is a bomb of guitar talent and energy, defining the genre of Latin rock with his crazy guitar solo's from the old day's too the early 2000's. With examples including Smooth, Black Magic Women, Maria, Maria, and Just Feel Better.
Always brought it
Has both skill and class with the guitar. Was a virtual tie with Steve Vai. Also surprised Frank Zappa was not on the list...
Joe can sling it
I even was shock he is not in top 3
If you not vote for him probably you're deaf
There has never been one like him!
Black Star is a masterpiece.
Damn he is fast
Annihilator - Alison Hell. He wrote the song and played the riffs and solo.
Of course Mick Thompson's #1. His guitar powers are controlled by the power of his mask. My inspiration.
OF course he is. He created his own tuning. Kirk is good but just any regular guitarist