Top 10 Fastest Guitarists of All Time

Speed isn't everything in guitar playing, but when a guitarist can shred at blistering tempos while keeping their technique clean and their playing expressive, it's hard not to be impressed. Some guitarists have built their entire reputation on their ability to play at lightning speed, while others use their rapid-fire skills as just one tool in their arsenal.

No matter their approach, the fastest guitarists in the world push the boundaries of what seems humanly possible, making jaws drop with dizzying solos and machine-gun-like picking.

This list is dedicated to those players who have mastered the art of speed. From iconic shredders who helped define the genre to modern virtuosos who continue to push the limits, these musicians have taken technical ability to another level. Some are known for their neoclassical precision, others for their mind-bending sweep picking, and some for sheer, chaotic intensity. What they all have in common is an ability to make their fingers move at speeds most people could never dream of reaching.

The Top Ten

Synyster Gates

Brian Elwin Haner, Jr., better known by his stage name Synyster Gates or simply Syn, is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the band Avenged Sevenfold. He joined the band in 2001 and has since become recognized for his technical skill and melodic solos. Gates... read more

I strongly agree! Listen to Afterlife. It is so awesome, of course. I like the vocals too, and if you get to the solos while trying to play it... Ouch! (except for Syn). I can press the equal button on a calculator many times and I almost got to a thousand (but probably not as fast as him).
I say Afterlife is harder to play on Guitar Hero than Through the Fire and Flames on expert.

Synyster Gates is simply one of the best guitar players ever. The emotion he puts in his songs is just so great because they go so well together with the lyrics of the songs (of Avenged Sevenfold). It's great that his guitar notes can really touch you.
Buckethead

Brian Patrick Carroll, known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist who has released over 300 studio albums. He is recognized for his unique style and stage persona, which includes wearing a KFC bucket on his head and a white mask. Buckethead has worked across... read more

This is not a vote on who is best. This is a vote on who is fastest. Quantitative data has no place for preference. You can't change the results because you don't like them.
Buckethead is the fastest guitar player. There are faster pickers, but for overall speed in all aspects, nobody matches Buckethead. Some come close, but ultimately fall a little short of this title.

Buckethead is definitely the fastest guitarist. Just listen to Soothsayer and the Jordan solo. Plus, not only is he fast, but his melodies are amazing.
People argue that his music lacks soul and passion. Just listen to Leave the Light On and see how completely mistaken they are. This guy can take on Synyster Gates. Great guitarist.
Herman Li

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.

Not the best, okay, not the best, but surely the fastest. Listen to their new song, Dragonforce - Fallen World. I bet no one can cover it 100%, and don't tell me that they speed up their song in the studio because I have seen them live.
And they erupted the stage. Surely needs to be higher, or surely I think he is number one.

Herman Li should be the second fastest guitarist, and number one should be Michael Angelo Batio. Because both of them have greater skills than the others.
I cannot believe that Synyster Gates and Buckethead are on top. What? They are nothing! Guys who vote for them must be crazy.
Michael Angelo Batio

Michael Angelo Batio, also known as Mike Batio or MAB, is an American heavy metal guitarist and columnist from Chicago, Illinois. He is renowned for his technical skill and for inventing the double guitar. Batio has released several solo albums and has been featured in numerous guitar magazines.

I am a guitar player and have been shredding since I was a kid (almost 50 now). All these guitar players are outstanding and worthy of being on this list. But, to pick the top of all time (which I do not like doing, for I love and appreciate all players and styles), Michael Angelo Batio is the king of all shred and teaching shred. His speed, accuracy, and knowledge of theory, and teaching are unmatched.
If you review his career, its main focus is always raising the bar on ability and lifting up everyone else in the guitar community as well. He only gives everyone praise and always teaches everything he knows. He is a blessing to the guitar world. Period.
Eddie Van Halen

Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen (January 26, 1955 - October 6, 2020) was a Dutch-American musician, songwriter, producer, and inventor. He was best known as the lead guitarist, occasional keyboardist, and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen. He is widely recognized for pioneering guitar techniques... read more

I play guitar. Trust me when I say there is no one else. When you talk about speed, from a more professional standpoint, it's about how fast your fingers are moving, and Eddie takes the cake.
But all of you who don't play guitar may not understand that speed is not just about playing the same two chords repeatedly at 900 beats per minute, which is entirely possible. Fast is defined by movement, not note lengths or space between notes. As a result, 99 percent of these guitarists do not measure up. Eddie is the best out there.

Eddie deserves to be the first man. He popularized the two-hand tapping method on a six-string guitar with his song "Eruption" from the album Van Halen. He created a following trend of tapping guitarists like Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. He is the god.
Yngwie Malmsteen

Yngwie Johan Malmsteen is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter, and bandleader born June 30, 1963, in Stockholm, Sweden. He's renowned for his neoclassical metal playing style. Malmsteen gained prominence in the 1980s with virtuoso albums such as Rising Force (1984).

Yngwie is by far faster than all of those listed above him. He dominates in arpeggios, legato, sweep picking, and accuracy in being able to pick as fast as his legato. Nobody comes close.
Maybe Michael Angelo Batio (overrated because of his unique "over the neck technique" but nonetheless good), Rusty Cooley (a freak of nature and actually an Yngwie worshipper), or Shawn Lane should be at the top or in the same range. Shawn Lane is probably the best, followed by Yngwie Malmsteen and then Rusty Cooley.

Honestly, half of you kids probably know nothing about the art of playing the guitar. I agree with Buckethead, Herman Li, and Eddie Van Halen being in the top five. But Synyster Gates? Great guitarist, not nearly the fastest.
Yngwie is so fast and accurate when he plays it almost seems superhuman. Go watch 'Arpeggios From Hell' or 'Acoustic Solo' on YouTube. You'll see what I mean.
John Petrucci

John Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist, composer, and producer, best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He is widely recognized for his technical proficiency and complex compositions. Despite his acclaim among musicians and fans of progressive metal, he remains... read more

I really like Dream Theater because of their tempos and timings. They have great musicianship. I also like Synyster's playing, but John has got to be before him. He's just better and more technical.

John Petrucci is a god among men, and why he is only number 10, we shall never know. Synyster Gates has nothing on him. Just listen to the Stream Of Consciousness solo at about 3 minutes in. He reaches 38 notes per second.
Let's just let that sink in: 38 notes per second! Tell me that is not fast.

Alright, he may not be the fastest, but Synyster, Slash, and Herman don't even come close. And where is Rustey Cooley? He may not be that great melody-wise, but you cannot deny that his speed is unmatched.
Ilan Ashkenazi

I've known Ilan for 20 years now and he is indeed a great person. We met in Grover Beach, California one day and struck up a conversation about guitar virtuosos. When I asked him if he could play like Yngwie and all the greats, he said "ya".
I said I had to see it for myself. He invited me to tag along and what I witnessed that day was jaw-dropping. It was one of the most profound and surreal moments in my life. I couldn't believe what was happening in front of me as he blazed across that fretboard.
I knew I had discovered and met true greatness and genius that day and am honored to know you to this day, my friend "Ash" ol buddy. ~ Kasey

I have known Ilan for many years. His methodical and articulate playing is outstanding. He inspires the mind and music with his accomplished playing.
Slash

Saul Hudson, known professionally as Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He has also released solo work and collaborated with... read more

I have heard Slash play, and you can definitely tell he has skill by listening to his latest album, Apocalyptic Love. He might not sound fast when he's with Guns N' Roses, but in his solo career, he really shows his talent. Just listen to the song "Anastasia", and you will hear the speed.

I know, Slash has more melody than speed in his music. Still, Slash has evolved a lot since Guns N' Roses. For his speed samples, try the new "Godfather intro to Sweet Child O' Mine." It's Blitzkrieg.

No one can challenge Slash. He has all the talent of a guitarist. No one can challenge his solo melodies like November Rain, Sweet Child O' Mine, Don't Cry, Welcome to the Jungle. He should be number 1.
Jimmy Page

James Patrick Page is an English musician, songwriter, and record producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of Led Zeppelin. He's widely regarded for his innovative guitar techniques, production work, and influence across rock music genres. After Led Zeppelin disbanded... read more

What do you mean he's the tenth fastest guitarist ever? Go listen to something like Heartbreaker, Dazed and Confused, or even You Shook Me. He plays blazingly fast!
Few people know this, but Van Halen got his famous tapping technique that gives him his speed from watching Jimmy Page play Heartbreaker live. You people don't know true talent.

He's fast. Maybe not quite as fast as some of the others on this list, but keep in mind that many techniques hadn't yet been invented in the 70s.

Not as fast as some of the guitarists on here, but Jimmy Page is still a top three all-time guitarist.

The Newcomers

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Davide Lo Surdo

Davide Lo Surdo, born July 24, 1999, is an Italian guitarist and composer. He is known for ultra high-speed guitar performances and has attracted international attention for his technical approach to the instrument. His work has been featured by major music publications and online media outlets that focus on modern guitar technique.

Without a doubt, Davide Lo Surdo is the fastest guitarist in the history of guitar playing.

Davide Lo Surdo plays the guitar so fast that he almost sounds like an alien.

This dude needs to be in first place on this list!
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Johnny Ramone

John William Cummings, known by his stage name Johnny Ramone, was an American guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member of the influential punk rock band the Ramones. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, and Johnny Ramone remains recognized as one of punk's most... read more

All right, he is not much of a lead guitarist. But he has speed. A lot of good guitarists can't strum like him.

According to Ed Stasium, "Johnny makes it sound simple, but I can't do it, and I bet Eddie Van Halen can't. Not for an hour!"

The Contenders

Steve Vai

Steven Siro "Steve" Vai (born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, composer, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is known for his virtuosic guitar playing and has released numerous solo albums. Vai was born and raised on Long Island, New York.

This is horrible! Why is he down here? I can't believe Synyster Gates is number 1. I would put Vai up against Synyster on his worst day.
Sam Totman

Everybody disses the guy because he plays behind Herman Li, but he is a very fast and accurate rhythm guitar player. I saw Dragonforce live in Osaka in 2004, and he was very good in Valley of the Damned!

He is right behind Herman Li in speed, which means he is the second fastest, and Herman Li is first.

He should be in second place, right behind where Herman Li should be.
Jimi Hendrix

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

There are live versions that surpass the fastest jazz guitarists I have ever heard. Two examples: LA Forum I Don't Live Today 04-26-69 toward the end of the song, and about 60 percent of the way through Woodstock Instrumental Improvisation.
Many other examples exist, and he does almost every guitar style very well.

WHAT! Jimi Hendrix in 16th place? This man is so good he can play the guitar with his teeth and tongue.
Alexi Wildchild Laiho

Alexi "Wildchild" Laiho (April 8, 1979 - December 29, 2020) was a Finnish guitarist, composer, and vocalist. He was best known as the lead guitarist, lead vocalist, and founding member of the melodic death metal band Children of Bodom. Laiho also performed with Sinergy, The Local Band, and Kylähullut... read more

Synyster Gates shouldn't be at the top of this list. There are guitarists like Randy Rhoads who are better than him, and talking about Alexi Laiho, well, speed is his middle name.
What the hell is wrong with this list? Overrated guys like A7X top this list. I respect them, but they are overrated. Seriously.

He should be first, not Gates. Gates plays riffs like the slowest bike, but guitar god Alexi plays riffs like the fastest bike in the world. Gates sucks. Mark Morton should be second. He's great.

Saw him playing live some time ago... I do not know words that could describe what I felt. You have to experience it!
Randy Rhoads

Randall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. He was widely regarded for his innovative guitar work and neoclassical metal style. Rhoads was killed in a plane crash on March 19, 1982, at the age of 25.

He wasn't just blindingly fast, he was melodic too. His solos were just as much about speed as they were about emotion. He was simply the best at what he did. Along with Jason Becker, Dimebag Darrell, and SRV, one of the biggest losses in the history of rock/metal guitar.
And to those who compare him to Eddie Van Halen: look up his solo on Laughing Gas with Quiet Riot.

This dude's awesome and super fast, definitely not the fastest but should be up there a little more, at least numbers 12-10. I agree that Synyster is the fastest and should be, but this guy should be a little higher up.
Paul Gilbert

Paul Brandon Gilbert is an American hard rock and heavy metal guitarist. He is best known as the co-founder of the band Mr. Big. He was also a member of Racer X, with whom he released several albums, including Street Lethal and Second Heat.

Paul had an endorsement from Makita, who make battery-powered drills, back in the day for the song where he uses one with three picks stuck in a wooden dowel. Nobody can pick as fast as a drill, so he wins, in my opinion.

I don't know what some guys are doing at the top of this list, but this guy is surely the fastest! No one can beat PG.

You know, Paul Gilbert is fast, and he also can play with stretchy fingers quickly.
John 5

There's a huge difference when it comes to speed and technique. While I agree that Petrucci, Jimmy Page, and Steve Vai are guitarists way better than John 5, none of them can beat this man when talking about speed.
And please, Synyster Gates in first place? John 5 does what that guy does while he's sleeping. Just nonsense. Listen to Soul of a Robot and Black Widow of La Porte, then you'll see what speed really means.

John 5 should replace Slash because you just can't compare them. Compare Slash's fastest song with Black Widow of La Porte, or better yet, Soul Of a Robot, and you will see that Slash doesn't even come close.
Slash will destroy his hands trying to play Black Widow! Has the internet gone mad?
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

Not just fast, but ultra-fast and clean. He's a lot more unknown than the others here, and that's too bad because he, like his friend Buckethead, simply outmatches the instrument. He never liked to showcase his speed, preferring substance, tone, and expression.
But ever since I saw him bring down the house in Munich, Germany, one night with an awesome display of speed, I'd say Shawn belongs in the top 2. No disrespect to the other talented guitarists here. Shawn Lane may not be as well known, but I'd invite guitarists everywhere to listen to his unique style.

All you need is one video of Shawn Lane, and your mind will be blown. I have watched videos of many other fast guitar players, but as soon as I saw Lane, there really was no question. There has been no one else who has mastered the speed and technicality the same as him. The most impressive feature is that the solos are ridiculously clean.
John McLaughlin

John McLaughlin, also known as Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is an English guitarist, bandleader, and composer. He is known for pioneering jazz fusion and founding the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early 1970s. McLaughlin has collaborated with artists such as Miles Davis, Carlos Santana, and Zakir Hussain... read more

He can tell you exactly which notes he is playing or leaving out, and can play them backwards if he wants to.

Saw him live in the early '70s with the orchestra, and the accuracy was amazing!

McLaughlin, hands down. I mean, Jimmy Page and Slash? Seriously?
Kirk Hammett

Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. In addition to playing guitar, he contributes as a songwriter for the band.
Prior to joining Metallica, Hammett co-founded the thrash metal band Exodus... read more

Fact: Mr. Gates does 198 BPM in Battery, and in Master Of Puppets, Kirk does 220 BPM. One time, Kirk did 19.8 notes per second. Van Halen in Eruption does only 10 notes per second. In Afterlife, he does 16.4 notes per second.
Kirk is the guy who made the Master Of Puppets solos. Even Gates said Kirk could beat him in a contest.

Why is Kirk Hammett so underrated on fastest guitar lists? He may not be the fastest guitarist ever, but he's up there. For me, he is at least top five. I'm fine with Syn at 1, though.

Come on, Kirk might not be the most well-known (even though he should be "Metallica"?), but he should definitely be in the top ten though.
Joe Satriani

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, including Steve Vai, Larry LaLonde, Rick Hunolt, Kirk Hammett, Andy Timmons, Charlie... read more

He can play the fastest if he wants. He just has clarity and soul.

Teacher of all the masters mentioned above. He can play at any speed, but most of the time he prefers melody.

I would have voted for Buckethead or Batio, but Joe Satriani deserves to be higher. He's one of the best guitarists ever, and without him, there would be no Kirk Hammett, Steve Vai, or Tom Morello!
He also taught Kevin Cadogan, Larry Lalonde, and Charlie Hunter. In these cases, all these students, including Kirk himself, never surpassed the master.
Chris Impellitteri

Synyster Gates? Slash? Kirk Hammett? The fastest they've ever played is half the speed of Chris Impellitteri. Impellitteri is an absolute Speed Demon!

Chris is definitely the fastest. I have watched every guitarist mentioned here, and the clear answer is Chris Impellitteri.

The list says fastest. Without question, Chris is the fastest of the choices offered. Check out Empire Of Lies. Says it all!
Ritchie Blackmore

Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter best known for his work with the hard rock and heavy metal bands Deep Purple and Rainbow.
In 2004, Guitar World ranked him number 16 on its list of the "100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time," and in 2011, Rolling Stone... read more

The creator of speed on guitar. Most other guitarists after Ritchie's generation were influenced by what he did or was doing in his time, whether they want to admit it or not.
Back in the late sixties and early seventies, he was ahead of his time.

Ritchie Blackmore is the fastest guitarist of all time!
Guthrie Govan

Guthrie Govan is an English virtuoso guitarist and guitar teacher, known for his technical proficiency and improvisational skill. He has performed with bands including The Aristocrats, Asia, GPS, The Young Punx, and The Fellowship. Govan is also known for his solo album Erotic Cakes and his work as... read more
Dave Mustaine

David Scott "Dave" Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, actor, and author. He was the original lead guitarist of Metallica before being dismissed in 1983. Afterward, he formed the band Megadeth, where he became the lead vocalist and primary creative force.... read more

This guy is definitely ending up in the top 4. Just listen to This Day We Fight! and Holy Wars... The Punishment Due and see how great he is at just playing a guitar.
A true legend, this one.

I play guitar, and I have listened to his fastest solos. There's no way anyone can go faster than he can. It is impossible.

Gates can't even compare to Dave when it comes to speed. Listen to Hangar 18!