Best Instrumental Guitarists

If you are a player, you will love them all.
They can all do melodic, but, Joe is mesmerizing, especially live!
To say who is best is just plain silly. It's all very personal.
Bruce Sloan (Scotland)
Unexcelled master of musical electricity.
One of the greatest musical geniuses of all time, maybe the one on the very top. He doesn't even play the guitar, the guitar plays him.
Satriani is combination of every things, speed, skill, melody, soul, emotion, theory...
What can I say
The Best all rounder. Some of the others have a few good songs but mostly to weird to listen to.

Vai puts SO much of himself into what he does with the guitar...some would say too much if you've ever seen him live. That is whats so great though...he'd be selling himself and us short if he didn't. I'm a product of the 80's and my introduction to Vai happened at 2 times in same day...I saw the Yankee Rose and Going Crazy videos back to back and then that same night my dad took me to see Crossroads with Ralph Machio and I got to see him play Jack Butler...I've been hooked ever since. Vai is my Hendrix.
"Malmsteen, Satriani, Vai, Van Halen, Vinnie Moore, Steve Stevens, John Norum, MAB, Greg Howe, Andy Timmons, Marty Friedman." The reason I posted here is to correct the guy who said 'Steve Vai was Joe's teacher'. Joe Satriani taught Vai and Jeff Tyson - the only 2 who actually passed. Andy Timmons was a great student too.
The guitarist with the most soul. His guitar weeps with pain, screams with joy, and produces sonic eargasms that can only be rivaled by few.
Steve vai is a master of guitar he is so expressive and powerful in many of his songs

Buckethead is bucket and shoulders above all others. I've been a instrumental guitar fanatic for most of my 56 yrs and have never experienced a more diverse talent than the bucket-master. Bucket takes all guitar styles to another dimension like no other. Recently saw him in Detroit, king crab sized hands feverishly dancing on the fret board. Truly amazing artist.
The GOAT! a musical freek…. who else even could make 300 albums...not the popular vote because he is a little freaky...most don't listen to him because of his look, but those that do are amazed. I've heard them all, mostly because I'm old Eddie Van Halen, both Jimmys, Vai, Satch, SRV, Hell even Roy Clark...The greatest often is a popularity contest of egotistical internet idiots...Most can't afford tickets to go to the concerts...sorry. Not to be snobby but I've seen them all live so my vote counts more...your loving old guy
Buckethead for me is the most complete guitarrist. Amazing technique but most importantly amazing composition skills and sensibility. His work is so diverse that I've been hearing his songs for years and still don't know them all. Many of his songs are technically simple but his choice of notes and scales is godlike. Overall I consider him the best guitarrist alive.
Buckethead is absolutely brilliant. Satriani is pretty damn good, but Buck is a string wizard with infinite creativity. Sweet melodies and vicious attacks all contrast in his music.

Cliffs of Dover is a whole lot harder to play than Surfing with the Alien, because even though it's based around the same area of notes, the fluidity of Johnson's playing style is pretty damn near impossible to pull of with ease.
Eric Johnson took the melodic flow of Hendrix and turned the tempo up. Like way way up!
THE GUY WITH THE PREVIOUS COMMENT HAS HIS HEAD UP HIS ARSE,
This guy's much better than buckethead
I mean everyone says Eruption is impossible but try cliffs of dover

Great guitarist, but he isn't that much instrumental.
What can I say. number 1 is like Jesus. Greatest of All time. Respect Sir

My list is:
1. Paul Gilbert
2. Buckethead
3. Yngwie Malmsteen
VIKING KONG LIVE EDITION IS THE BEST!
Got to meet Paul in Centerville, Ohio at a guitar clinic and he was AWESOME! Humble and down to earth...NO EGO!

He is no less than satriani or others, he's just not that popular
I think he is the most skilled guitarist alive
Not the most skilled but one of the most known
Great shredder, he must be number 2 after joe satriani. He can play with 4 guitar in the same time
Best guitarist in the world in my opinion love his playing and style

Jason is a legendary composer. He hit all of the little nuances, from simple vibrato, to a variety of different tonal ranges. I can listen to Vai, Satriani, Malmsteen, and mostly understand what they are doing the first few listens, but with Jason it takes much more focus to get all of the subtle nuance. It is Becker number 1 for me and Guthrie Govan probably 2.
Listen altitudes, images, air, mables fatal fable, opus pocus... and then decide to whom you should vote!

His style for both rhythm and lead has inspired so many other masters. What he was doing in the mid 70s until the mid 80s was way ahead of its time.
La Villa, YYZ, Leave That Thing Alone,...
Also, his solos are amazing, and all different.
Also why is he not at least in the top 8

Jeff Beck is the god of Instrumental Classic Rock... He is No.5 on The Rolling Stones 100 Guitarists. Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Keith Richards are all not instrumental. So Jeff Beck should be Number 1.
I love Jeff becks music!
Jeff Beck is the Musician’s Musician. And he only gets better with age.

The absolute best.

Can't believe there is no Guthrie Govan! Like seriously I expected him to be in the top 10. He is a true maestro of guitar. haven't heard of him? Check him out
This guy is literally light years away from just your standard shredder!
Easily superior to all of these other guys.
16th place? How?
Hizaki put blues and gothic scales and other variated sounds into Symphonic Power Metal, real sense of music and techniques. Is a true master of guitar and put in oversight their unique style. Their guitar make me feel like I really like feel, is food to my soul... I Don't need anymore...
His technique is just awesome and his solos are epic, when you go to one of his lives you will be definitely impressed by his performance...
Highly under rated instrumentalist! Classy and inspirational melodic tunes. Also amazing Christmas music.
Got Zaza? If you want to be taken to another world listen to "Am Alright" thank me later at jackdealer123@gmail
Neil Zaza too deserves a spot on this list
Melody wise, he is the best! with less technical stuffs which makes his songs ''MELODIC''.
The greatest and most iconic lead guitarist to influence generations of budding guitarists.
Hank Marvin's interpretation of the melody makes him unique in the guitar world
An absolutely clinical exponent of the guitar using minimum of effects.
Inspiration to many of the great guitar players of all time
Phenomenal, Danger Danger was his fallback when Neal Schon (one of the greatest guitarists of all time) decided to support Bad English on tour after recording their first album hence Andy was the odd man out considering Bad English was 1/2 Journey. Although his DD material was fantastic he was lumped into the glam band genre and never got the credit he deserved. Pick up any Pawn Kings, ATB record and give a listen, pure genius. Moreover he is a great guy that is humble and more than willing to share his knowledge. Watch he and Satch have a duel on You Tube and you will know the truth about AT!
Underrated for sure. Got over looked because Danger Danger was not a great band. Fortunately, Andy was able to move on to a great solo career.
He makes guys like Vai and Satriani sound boring.
The best of the bests

Non-contemporary artists generally do not do well because younger audiences may have a fleeting awareness of the performer. Across time, West Montgomery has wowed and awed his audience, even beyond the jazz genre. A complete fan of his ability to communicate and reach common sensations that his music provides.

Just listen his I love you,thunder march,tibbet

So creative, so inspiring, he makes his guitar sing beautifully. Many guitar player on this list are actually from bands, not instrumental guitarists...
Discovered Plini this year. Incredibly creative and unique. One of my favorite new artists.
Not much technical bit intelligently musical! Best new guitarist

Surprised that he is so down below. He has more instrumental pieces that I can count. Angus Young is anything but instrumental what is he doing ahead of David Gilmour?
The &$#&$,^$^#&÷; $ is he doing at number 32
I mean
Marooned
Any colour you like
Terminal frost
One of these days
The narrow way parts 1&2

The best instrumental guitarist ever, listen to The Loner, the emotion that he portrays with his guitar is surreal, incredible guitarist

Just listen to 'Get You Back' or 'The Way it Has to Be' and you'll understand why he is the best. The amount of emotion the man put in his work was unreal. You'll be missed.R.I.P.
The best guitarist who has ever lived! Buckethead's hero. Seriously, listen to Get You Back or Gray Pianos Flying.