Best Instrumental Guitarists
Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956) is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. Early in his career, Satriani worked as a guitar instructor, with many of his former students achieving fame, such as Steve Vai, Larry LaLonde, Rick Hunolt, Kirk Hammett, Andy Timmons, Charlie... read more I have listened to Satriani and Vai for a couple of decades, and in my opinion, Joe Satriani is the best that has ever lived. He is so versatile, and his skill and knowledge are unmatched. He inspired me to want to learn. Twenty years later, I am still playing. Thanks, Joe. I'm sure my neighbors wouldn't thank him, though. LOL.
An unexcelled master of musical electricity.
One of the greatest musical geniuses of all time, possibly the greatest. He doesn't just play the guitar - the guitar plays him.
If you are a player, you will love them all. They can all do melodic work, but Joe is mesmerizing, especially live!
To say who is best is just plain silly. It's all very personal.
Bruce Sloan (Scotland)
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is an American guitarist, composer, singer, songwriter, and producer, born and raised on Long Island, New York. 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. But that's what's so great about him. He'd be selling himself and us short if he didn't.
I'm a product of the '80s, and my introduction to Vai happened twice on the same day. I saw the Yankee Rose and Going Crazy videos back-to-back, and that same night my dad took me to see Crossroads with Ralph Macchio, where I got to see Vai play Jack Butler. I've been hooked ever since. Vai is my Hendrix.
"Malmsteen, Satriani, Vai, Van Halen, Vinnie Moore, Steve Stevens, John Norum, Michael Angelo Batio, 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 two who actually passed. Andy Timmons was a great student too.
Brian Patrick Carroll, known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist who has worked within many genres of music. Buckethead is head and shoulders above all others. I've been an instrumental guitar fanatic for most of my 56 years and have never experienced a more diverse talent than the Bucket-master. He takes all guitar styles to another dimension like no other.
I recently saw him in Detroit, where his king-crab-sized hands feverishly danced on the fretboard. Truly an amazing artist.
Buckethead, for me, is the most complete guitarist. His technique is amazing, but more importantly, his composition skills and sensibility are exceptional. His work is so diverse that I've been listening to 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 guitarist alive.
Eric Johnson (born August 17, 1954) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist from Austin, Texas. Best known for his electric guitar skills, Johnson is also a highly proficient acoustic, lap steel, resonator, and bass guitarist as well as an accomplished pianist and vocalist. Cliffs of Dover is much 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 almost impossible to pull off with ease.
Eric Johnson took the melodic flow of Hendrix and turned the tempo way, way up!
John Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist, composer and producer. He is best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Compared to his level of skill, John Petrucci is relatively unknown in the modern music industry. What can I say? Number 1 is like Jesus. Greatest of all time. Respect, Sir.
Paul Brandon Gilbert is an American hard rock/heavy metal guitarist. He is best known for being the co-founder of the band Mr. Big. He was also a member of Racer X, with whom he released several albums.
Yngwie Johan Malmsteen is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter and bandleader who was born on June 30th, 1963, in Stockholm, Sweden. He was known for his neoclassical metal playing style back in the 1980s. He is no less than Satriani or others. He's just not that popular.
Peter Lennodo is a British musician. He is also a composer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the vocalist, lead guitarist and main songwriter of the rock band The Arcana. Listen to Flying High, We in the Moonlight, Time Is on the River, and Coming in the Motion.
A great shredder. He must be number 2 after Joe Satriani. He can even play with four guitars at the same time!
Best guitarist in the world, in my opinion. I love his playing and style.
Jason Eli Becker (born July 22, 1969) is an American neoclassical metal guitarist and composer. At the age of 16, he became part of the Shrapnel Records-produced duo Cacophony with his friend Marty Friedman. They released the albums Speed Metal Symphony in 1987 and Go Off! in 1988. Cacophony broke up... read more Jason is a legendary composer. He hit all the little nuances, from simple vibrato to a variety of tonal ranges. I can listen to Vai, Satriani, and Malmsteen and mostly understand what they are doing after a few listens, but with Jason, it takes much more focus to grasp all the subtle nuances.
For me, Becker is number one, and Guthrie Govan is probably number two.
Listen to Altitudes, Images, Air, Mabel's Fatal Fable, and Opus Pocus... and then decide whom you should vote for!
The Newcomers
So creative, so inspiring - he makes his guitar sing beautifully. Many guitar players on this list are actually from bands, not true instrumental guitarists.
Discovered Plini this year. Incredibly creative and unique. One of my favorite new artists.
Not much technical, but intelligently musical! Best new guitarist.
Carlos Santana is a Mexican and American musician who first became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered a fusion of rock and Latin American jazz. Carlos Santana is a Mexican-American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana. The band pioneered a fusion of rock and roll with Latin American jazz.
Having Carlos Santana at 50 or 51 is criminal. He is one of the most influential guitarists of his generation. What a shame.
Aleksandar Živojinović, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. His style, both rhythm and lead, has inspired so many other masters. What he was doing from the mid-70s to the mid-80s was way ahead of its time.
La Villa, YYZ, Leave That Thing Alone. His solos are amazing and all different.
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" was an English rock guitarist. He was one of the three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds (the other two being Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page). Beck also formed The Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. Jeff Beck is the god of instrumental classic rock. He is No. 5 on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists. Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Keith Richards are not instrumental guitarists, so Jeff Beck should be Number 1.
Jeff Beck is the Musician's Musician, and he only gets better with age.
William Thomas "Tommy" Emmanuel is an Australian guitarist, songwriter, and singer, best known for his complex fingerstyle technique, energetic performances, and the use of percussive effects on the guitar.
Guthrie Govan is an English virtuoso guitarist and guitar teacher, known for his work with the bands The Aristocrats, Asia, GPS, The Young Punx and The Fellowship, as well as his solo project Erotic Cakes. Can't believe there is no Guthrie Govan! Seriously, I expected him to be in the top 10. He is a true maestro of the 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.
Hizaki blends blues, gothic scales, and other varied sounds into symphonic power metal, bringing a true sense of music and technique. He is a true master of the guitar, and his unique style deserves more recognition.
His guitar playing makes me feel exactly the way I want to feel - it is food for my soul. I don't need anything more.
His technique is just awesome, and his solos are epic. When you go to one of his live shows, you will definitely be impressed by his performance.
A highly underrated instrumentalist! Classy and inspirational melodic tunes. He also makes amazing Christmas music.
Melody-wise, he is the best! With fewer technical elements, his songs are truly melodic.
The greatest and most iconic lead guitarist who has influenced generations of budding guitarists.
The maestro. His joy in music is as infectious as his nimble-fingered artistry.
An absolutely clinical exponent of the guitar, using a minimum of effects.
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 half of Journey.
Although his Danger Danger material was fantastic, he was lumped into the glam band genre and never got the credit he deserved. Pick up any Pawn Kings or Andy Timmons Band record and give it a listen - pure genius.
Moreover, he is a great guy who is humble and more than willing to share his knowledge. Watch him and Satch have a duel on YouTube, and you will know the truth about Andy Timmons!
Martin Adam "Marty" Friedman is an American guitarist, known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for heavy metal band Megadeth which spanned nearly the full decade of the 1990s, as well as Cacophony alongside Jason Becker until 1989. Friedman has resided in Tokyo, Japan since 2003, where he has hosted... read more One of the most melodic guitarists on the list. His use of exotic scales and the way every lead guitar solo he plays feels like "a song within a song" is something we've rarely heard from most Western guitarists.
He knew when to play fast and when not to. He could play circles around Yngwie and Jason Becker, but he prioritized musicality over technique. Even when he plays super fast, his melodies are still beautiful to listen to.
He also has a badass rhythm guitar style. Just watch his Megadeth audition or their live performances during the Rust in Peace tour. He even pushed the rhythm parts harder than Dave Mustaine.
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others. Non-contemporary artists generally do not do well because younger audiences may have only a fleeting awareness of them. Across time, Wes Montgomery has wowed and awed his audience, even beyond the jazz genre.
I am a complete fan of his ability to communicate and evoke common sensations through his music.
Robert William Gary Moore was a Northern Irish musician, most widely recognised as a singer, songwriter, and virtuoso rock and blues guitarist. The best instrumental guitarist ever. Listen to The Loner - the emotion he portrays with his guitar is surreal. An incredible guitarist.
David Jon Gilmour is an English singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He joined the progressive rock band Pink Floyd as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1968. I'm surprised that he is ranked so low. He has more instrumental pieces than I can count. Angus Young is anything but an instrumental guitarist - what is he doing ahead of David Gilmour?
Oluwatosin Ayoyinka Olumide "Tosin" Abasi (born January 7, 1983), is a Nigerian American musician, best known as the founder and lead guitarist of the instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders. Before founding Animals as Leaders, he was the guitarist for the technical metalcore band Reflux... read more
Shawn Lane was an American musician who released two studio albums and collaborated with a variety of musicians including Ringo Starr, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Reggie Young, Joe Walsh, Jonas Hellborg and many others. 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 into 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.