Top 10 Greatest Guitar Duos of All Time

I've listened to 75-80% of the bands on this list. I agree X Japan deserves to be number 1. Don't be blinded by favoritism. You must educate yourself by listening to their stuff to understand why they became top of the list.

I'll give you example songs for solos/harmonies stuff that demonstrate why they are at the top: Vanishing Love, Kurenai, Blue Blood, Weekend, Rose of Pain, Silent Jealousy, Art of Life (masterpiece 30-minute song), Dahlia.
Just note this: in every one of their ballad songs, they do double lead guitar on the main solos (I haven't heard other bands on this list doing it).

200 million records sold! Fans didn't buy them for an amazing vocalist (not that Bon and Brian are bad). They bought those records for Angus and Malcolm's guitar shredding.

Angus Young and Malcolm Young should be #1. I don't even know who Hide and Pata are! Angus and Malcolm are the perfect duo. They have never fought and have been doing it for almost 40 years!

Absolute tone monsters. Angus' lead work is second to none. Malcolm was the heartbeat. I don't think anyone ever hit the strings as hard. Man, they were just great.

This list is so disappointing. Sure, I agree Hide and Pata are good, but most of these are just wrong. A good guitar duo is two guitarists that complement each other, as in dual solos and guitar harmonies. Anything else is just lead and rhythm. Slash is an amazing soloist, very good by himself, but Izzy just doesn't add anything to him. Iron Maiden are excellent for this. You just don't say it's just Adrian or Dave, you always talk about both of them. Number Of The Beast solos, anyone?

Oh, and you know what? Thin Lizzy is WAY too low, they basically perfected the art of dual guitars, and don't forget Glenn Tipton and KK Downing of Judas Priest too.

Learn from your masters.

When you look at these other bands' guitarists, you think of them as two guitarists in the same band. That's not at all the case for Kirk and James - they are a living, breathing entity of perfect combination. They should be number 1. It is absolutely inappropriate (no offense intended) that X Japan and Avenged Sevenfold are above these gods.

Kirk Hammett has his fair share of great guitar tracks. He's a proven stud as the lead guitarist. However, James Hetfield is no slouch. In fact, he is better than a lot of lead guitarists for other bands. You like the song Nothing Else Matters? Hammett didn't play in that one. It's all Hetfield.

How the "F" is Glenn and K.K. number 23?!

I'll tell you how... Everyone that voted has no idea or concept of the history that is involved in the metal they listen to today! Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing are number 1 in the best ever in this category, based on two simple facts... Number 1... They put it together for all to follow, and after 30 years they can still hammer it out as good as they did before you were even born!

Priest's duo of guitarists is the most evolved of all metal guitarists ever. They change their style and upgrade their skills with every album, from basic blues style to a pseudo-technical neoclassical style. This duo surpasses other duos in terms of guitar skill by 90%. Especially Glenn, he's the complete total package.

Marty Friedman is one of the best lead guitarists, if not the best. Dave Mustaine is one of the best rhythm guitarists and can play better lead than most lead guitarists.

How the hell is this duo under Hammett and Hetfield? They should be number 1. No doubt. Just listen to Rust in Peace. That will clear all your doubts. Please.

For pure technical prowess (metal riffing and melodic soloing), Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman blow all the duos away.

Amazing duo from what I've heard from studio albums and their Live in the LBC show. Obviously, Syn is an amazing guitarist with great solos, and Zacky continues to learn from him, even though he is a really good guitarist in his own right. Well, it turns out that they work amazingly off of each other!

Simply the best. Do not speed their music up. Very inventive and creative. Harmonies are incredible. They work perfectly together in any instance. Once time goes on, I think people will realize they deserve the #1 spot.

Steve and Phil: a perfect guitar match. Steve with all his heart and soul and Phil with his technical skills. A perfect example of this would be the songs Hysteria, Love and Affection, Love Bites, and Gods of War off the Hysteria album, or any other song on the album.

Most underrated duo in rock. They sacrificed heavy guitar solos for unforgettable riffs and soul. Their sound has been taken for granted.

Slash and Izzy get my vote. I love their blend of different tones - Slash with the Les Paul into a dirty Marshall, and Izzy with a Gibson Hollow Body into a clean Fender amp. Also, love how they played off each other and complemented what the other guy was playing. Hardly ever were they playing the same thing at the same time. Their dual guitar sound was the driving force of Guns N' Roses. It was never the same after Izzy left the band.

They really blend well, though unfortunately, Slash gets more credit than Izzy. Try Sweet Child o' Mine and November Rain. You will really see how coordinated they are.

Don Felder is such an underrated guitarist. Joe Walsh was always the rock-influenced member of a particularly soft band. On comes Don Felder paired with Walsh, and the Eagles transformed into some of the most inspiring music of all time. The Hotel California album is a staple of two great guitarists working together and sharing equal brilliance. These two guys made the Eagles relevant.

In the rock world, the Eagles are nothing without these two playing. I don't care who founded the band. Listen to Hotel California... then listen to the acoustic version of Hotel California. The playing bond they have is unmatched.

These two aren't my favorite, but they damn sure deserve to be in the top 5. I mean, Keith knows all about the guitar, and Jones could play multiple instruments! My god, these two rock! And no, just because I'm a Brian Jones lunatic doesn't mean I hate Mick Taylor. I actually admire both of them!

Dumb teenagers nowadays need to start getting a clue about the history of rock music and what rock 'n' roll is all about, in the first place. Not having Richards/Mick Taylor or Richards/Jones and Page/Beck in the top 5 pretty much summarizes how musically uneducated kids are nowadays.

So much more than playing together. They swapped lead and rhythm seamlessly, like a well-oiled machine.

Ditto, what I said about Walsh and Felder. Many of these other duos have one guy who is clearly the lead.

These guys are the most underrated guitarists of all time. They're so damn good and yet don't get enough credit. They're so influential. Why are all those overrated jokers above them?

They should be number one. They're both lead guitarists.

They are the makers of metal, legends. Gods of guitar riffs, simply the best.

There have never been two simultaneous members of a band with this talent level. Only something like the short-time pairing of Eric Clapton and Duane Allman on Layla can compare.

Though they solo together on every song, sometimes they solo on their own in one song, but they know how to make their own guitar tone figure who plays who. Both can shred, do whammy bar stuff such as dive bombs and pinch dives, and many more. Each guitarist was influenced by their own guitar hero. For example, Gary is influenced by Ted Nugent, and Rick Hunolt was taught by Joe Satriani.

They solo just like Slayer and Megadeth sort of, but their aggression never slows them down. Gary can duo with any thrash metal guitar player: with Lee Atlus from Heathen and Kerry King from Slayer. Grind on. Rock on. Rock on.

The original lead/lead guitarist duo, and still the best. Most likely, the reason why they aren't number 1 is that the Allman Brothers Band is one of the most unfairly overlooked bands of the Classic Rock era. Prime examples of this duo's sheer power can be found in songs like "Blue Sky," "Whipping Post (Fillmore East)," "Mountain Jam," and "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (Fillmore East)."

These two are the creators, gentlemen! They only had a few years together, but they meshed immediately. Blue Sky is a masterpiece. Country music evolved into what it is today from them also. Who doesn't love those original songs and all of the live, awesome recordings? Number one, no doubt!

Next to Tipton and Downing, these guys are the poster boys for dual metal guitar playing.

Both guitarists are at least among the top 10 guitarists in the world. Just listen to their playing. Who can repeat their songs?

This duo can demolish with their guitars. Best thrash duo.

Legendary duo, both great guitarists and great singers!
R.I.P. Joe Strummer.