Top 10 Best Left-Handed Guitarists

Jimi Hendrix (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)

Jimi Hendrix was an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Though his mainstream career lasted only about four years from 1966 to 1970, he's widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in popular music.... read more

How is he not number one, exactly? The guitarist of A7X over a guy who could play with his teeth, over his back, and play a guitar upside down to match his play style? Idiots.

Who the hell is Zacky Vengeance, and why is he above Jimi?

Why isn't he first again? Is there an actual reason?

Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)

Anthony Frank Iommi, known as Tony Iommi, is an English guitarist, songwriter, and producer. He's best known as the lead guitarist and a founding member of the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath. At age 17, he lost the tips of the middle and ring fingers of his right hand in an industrial accident... read more

The more I listen to Tony Iommi, the better he gets. This has been going on for 40 years. Great guitarist and yet still underrated.

He invented the sound that is still used in metal. How can he not be the best?

Elliot Easton (The Cars)

Oh, come on, for God's sake. This guy is number two on this list, period. A true left-handed guitarist who contributed to a sound revolution in the 1970s that extended into the 1980s. The Cars' music still sounds fresh as ever. If you listen to his playing, you will hear elements of what inspired him, for example, The Beatles. The guy is amazing and is still making lots of music.

Truly the most underrated and underappreciated guitarist in rock and roll today. I personally think he should be in the top three.

Elliot's rhythmic tightness, his melodic structure in his solos, and his selection of tones makes him tops in my book.

Zacky Vengeance (Avenged Sevenfold)

Zachary James Baker, better known by his stage name Zacky Vengeance, is an American musician best known as the rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist, and a founding member of the American metal band Avenged Sevenfold. He has been active with the band since its formation in 1999. Zacky Vengeance also owns... read more

He's the best left-handed guitarist I've ever seen! It's very cool when he played Unholy Confession. I called him 'the new' James Hetfield in this era. With some harmonic melody like Second Heartbeat, it makes him the best! And one thing, I was very impressed when I knew that he is a shredder guitarist.

Paul McCartney (The Beatles)

Sir James Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942) is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. With John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, he gained worldwide fame as a member of the rock band The Beatles, one of the most popular and influential groups in the history of pop... read more

Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)

Kurt Cobain (February 20, 1967 - April 5, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician, best known as the frontman of the grunge band Nirvana. Founded in 1987, Nirvana achieved global success in the early 1990s, reshaping rock music with albums like Bleach, Nevermind, and In Utero. Cobain died... read more

He should be first. He is the greatest guitarist of all time. He, and Nirvana, single-handedly brought alternative rock and grunge into the mainstream. His playing was so technically superior, so awesome, so raw, and so emotional that it made him a legend. Deserves to be number one.

No offense to anyone, but Kurt Cobain wasn't that good. He only ever used power chords really. However, the fact that he was so musically artistic with those power chords earns my vote. Rest in Peace, Kurt.

Albert King

Albert King Nelson, known professionally as Albert King, was an American blues guitarist and singer. He was considered one of the Three Kings of the Blues Guitar, along with B.B. King and Freddie King. His left-handed, upside-down guitar playing style influenced generations of musicians, including Jimi... read more

Joe Perry (Aerosmith)

Anthony Joseph "Joe" Perry, born September 10, 1950, is the lead guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocalist, and a songwriting contributor for the American rock band Aerosmith. He is known for his distinctive guitar solos. Perry has also served as the band's co-leader alongside Steven Tyler since... read more

Joe Perry is left-handed but plays right-handed...

Dick Dale

Richard Anthony Monsour, better known by his stage name Dick Dale, was an American rock guitarist known as the King of the Surf Guitar. He pioneered the surf music style in the 1960s with his rapid alternate picking and reverb-heavy sound. Dale's most famous track is Misirlou.

Number 11? Seriously? Dick Dale was awesome. He plays a left-handed guitar strung like a right-handed guitar with his left hand. It blows my mind just watching it.

Iggy Pop (The Stooges)

James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He is widely regarded as a pioneer of punk rock and earned the nickname The Godfather of Punk. Iggy Pop is best known as the lead vocalist of the band The Stooges... read more

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Shawn Lane

Shawn Lane was an American musician known for his exceptional guitar skills and genre-crossing collaborations. He released two solo studio albums and worked with a diverse array of artists, including Ringo Starr, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Reggie Young, Joe Walsh, and Jonas Hellborg... read more

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Omar Rodríguez-López

Otis Rush

Noel Gallagher (Oasis)

Noel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and principal songwriter of the rock band Oasis. After leaving Oasis in 2009, he formed Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, with whom he has released four studio... read more

Kiko Loureiro

Pedro Henrique "Kiko" Loureiro is a Brazilian heavy metal guitarist best known for his work with Angra and Megadeth. He joined Megadeth in 2015 and contributed to the albums Dystopia and The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! Loureiro is celebrated for his technical skill and fusion of classical, Brazilian... read more

John Flansburgh (They Might Be Giants)

Tim Armstrong

Herman Li (DragonForce)

Herman Li is a Hong Kong-born British musician, producer, and lead guitarist for the power metal band DragonForce. He was born on October 3, 1976, in British Hong Kong. Li is widely recognized for his fast guitar playing and use of advanced techniques such as sweep picking and whammy bar tricks.

Mark Knopfler

Mark Freuder Knopfler is a British singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and film score composer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Dire Straits. Knopfler is also noted for his fingerstyle guitar playing and storytelling lyrics.

Just like Joe Perry, another lefty who taught himself to play left-handed. Makes you wonder if we all actually play guitar the wrong way around.

Janick Gers (Iron Maiden)

Janick Robert Gers is an English musician best known as one of the three guitarists in Iron Maiden, alongside Dave Murray and Adrian Smith. He joined the band in 1990 and has appeared on every Iron Maiden studio album since No Prayer for the Dying. Gers also played with Gillan and co-founded White Spirit... read more

Gary Moore

Robert William Gary Moore was a Northern Irish musician, celebrated as a singer, songwriter, and virtuoso rock/blues guitarist. His solo career included the hit album Still Got the Blues (1990). Before cementing his legacy as a solo artist, he played in acclaimed rock bands such as Thin Lizzy and Skid... read more

Duane Allman (Allman Brothers Band)

Howard Duane Allman was an American guitarist, session musician, and co-founder of the Allman Brothers Band. He was known for his slide guitar work and contributions to Southern rock. He died in a motorcycle crash in 1971 at the age of 24.

Marc Bonilla

Better than all of these talented musicians with the possible exception of Jimi.

Steve Morse

Steven J. "Steve" Morse is an American guitarist and composer. He is best known as the founder of the Dixie Dregs, a band known for its fusion of rock and jazz. Morse joined the rock band Deep Purple in 1994 and remained its guitarist until his departure in 2022.