Top 10 Most Versatile Guitarists

This list contains the most all-rounder guitarists who can play many styles, techniques, and varieties of guitar across many genres of music.

1. Lenny Breau

   

   Lenny Breau, though not recognized by the general public, was by far the most versatile guitarist on the planet, and his versatility has not been matched to this very day.

   Not only did he perform Country, Jazz, Classical, and Flamenco, he was able to perform those styles with equal authenticity. Unfortunately, like many musicians, drug abuse was a problem, and more than likely played a part in his untimely death. The music world has yet to see a guitarist with versatility of that magnitude.

   This guy can play like Chet Atkins one minute, then go one-on-one with jazz great Tal Farlow the next, then play a Sabicas-style flamenco piece the minute after that. Sometimes all of this happens in one song.

   The dude's versatility is off the charts. Jose Feliciano should be on this list too.

2. Eric Johnson

   

   Eric Johnson (born August 17, 1954) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist from Austin, Texas. He is best known for his exceptional electric guitar skills, but he is also highly proficient on acoustic guitar, lap steel, resonator, and bass. In addition to his guitar work, Johnson is an accomplished... read more

   Cliffs of Dover, To Dusty, and everything else in between. Very sophisticated style.

   Versatile? Extremely.

3. 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

   JP was really the first versatile guitarist among the guitar gods. His session career was invaluable when he formed Zeppelin. He's not only versatile in his playing, but also in what he is: guitarist, founding member, composer, producer. Who else can say that?

   He listened to all kinds of music, and he played all kinds of music in Zeppelin. Blues, rock and roll, country, classical, folk, punk, heavy metal, and reggae are just some of the genres Jimmy Page excelled in. Whole Lotta Love, Rock and Roll, Communication Breakdown, Heartbreaker, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway to Heaven, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains the Same, Over the Hills and Far Away, Houses of the Holy, Black Dog, The Rain Song, Kashmir, D'yer Mak'er, All My Love, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, Fool in the Rain, and Achilles Last Stand are prime examples. Jimmy Page should be #1. There's a reason why he's known as the most influential guitarist.

4. Steve Howe

   

   Stephen James Howe, known as Steve Howe, is an English musician and songwriter. He gained fame as the guitarist for the progressive rock group Yes. Throughout his career he has been praised for his technical skill, creativity, and versatility.

   Definitely one of the most versatile guitarists, don't you think?

   Most versatile? Steve Howe has to be at the top of this list!

   Listen to the long version of the "America" cover.

5. 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. Since 1994, Morse has also been the guitarist for the rock band Deep Purple.

6. 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

7. Pat Metheny

8. Richie Sambora

   

   Richard Stephen "Richie" Sambora is an American rock guitarist, producer, singer, and songwriter. He was the lead guitarist for Bon Jovi from 1983 until 2013, contributing significantly to the band's signature sound. He is known for his guitar solos on songs such as "Wanted Dead or Alive," "Dry County... read more

   Classical, Country, Pop, Latin, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Metal... You name it, he plays all of them! He's the greatest guitarist of all time.

   Just to get a rough idea of Richie Sambora's incomprehensibly incredible range of guitar playing: He was the lead guitarist of Bon Jovi for 30 years and counting. He was responsible for 12 studio albums, 3 compilation albums, 1 live album, 1 box set, 13 video releases, and over 50 singles. As a solo artist, he produced 3 solo albums. He has contributed to more than 500 songs with his divine guitar wizardry.

   Just give a listen to Stranger in This Town, Wanted Dead or Alive, Livin' on a Prayer, Keep the Faith, Dry County, You Give Love a Bad Name, Bed of Roses, Always, I'll Be There for You, Born to Be My Baby, Ballad of Youth, One Light Burning, Diamond Ring, Father Time, The Answer, In It for Love, Lay Your Hands on Me, (It's Hard) Letting You Go, My Guitar Lies Bleeding in My Arms, Thank You for Loving Me, Bad Medicine, Runaway, Never Say Goodbye, These Days, Everyday, One Wild Night, Two Story Town, Homebound Train, If I Was Your Mother, Love for Sale, Blaze of Glory, Dyin' Ain't Much of a Livin', Love for Sale, Tokyo Road, Bitter Wine, Next 100 Years, It's My Life, and I can go on and on for hours. And these are excluding dozens of acoustic, compilation, and alternate versions of the same songs. Richie Sambora is the greatest and deserves the #1 spot on this list.

9. Bill Frisell

10. Phil Keaggy

    

    Phil always seems to create great melodies in whatever he does. It's obvious that he has world-class technique, but it's always about the song and the melody.

    His acoustic work is stunning, but I really miss the Les Paul work. His early stuff was so creative and years beyond many of the great players at the time. I've never heard anyone with just a Les Paul and an amp create such a soundscape. Blistering runs, sweeps, volume swells, e-bow, weaving in jazz, rock, classical, etc. I often wonder what he could have been as a member of a band with a creative group of musicians to keep pushing him.

    His early work with the trio Glass Harp was really groundbreaking. No one came close to making a Les Paul produce the tones and sounds he could create. Volume swells, sweeps, shred, you name it, all while being incredibly melodic.

    And then there's the acoustic. Regularly considered one of the best in the world. He's all over the map and hard to pin down, but whatever he does, it ranks up there with the best.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Peter Lennodo

    

    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.

12. ?

    Roy Clark

    
The Contenders

13. 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

    Buckethead should be at the top of the list. Does anyone know of another guitarist who can play almost any string instrument equally well? Can anyone name a guitarist who has released more than 200 albums?

    Even God Himself would have been tired by now, but Bucky has already released a dozen albums in 2015.

    I keep listening to more and more of this guy's stuff. It's just incredible how many different genres he can play at an extremely high level - blues, shredding, neo-classical, rock.

    Buckethead does it all.

    From Padmasana to Soothsayer, from Baptism of Solitude to Final Wars, from Mrs. Beasley to Beaten With Sledges, from For Mom to The Treeman, Buckethead has them all!

14. John Scofield

15. 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.

    Sultans of Swing, Brothers in Arms, Private Investigations, Telegraph Road, Tunnel of Love, Money for Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, Your Latest Trick, Walk of Life, It Never Rains, On Every Street, Why Worry, Lady Writer, Once Upon a Time in the West, Love Over Gold, Twisting by the Pool, So Far Away, Heavy Fuel...

    I mentioned only 18 of Dire Straits' material here. See how differently beautiful they sound compared to each other!

16. George Harrison

    

    George Harrison (25 February 1943-29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle," Harrison embraced Indian culture and helped broaden the scope of popular music through his incorporation... read more

    Early rock, sitar, slide, modern rock, pop... any song you want. The tune is what matters.

    He was the best one to have in a band full of great tunes.

17. 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

    From heavy shredders to powerful melodies, to jazz, blues-like sounds, to classical-inspired parts, to emotional melodies - this guy can play it all.

    Just listen to Erotomania, The Best of Times, Lines in the Sand, Hollow Years (Live at Budokan), Stream of Consciousness, As I Am, When the Water Breaks, Universal Mind, Paradigm Shift, Biaxident, then listen to some of the songs on his solo album like Glasgow Kiss, Damage Control, Lost Without You, and Jaws of Life. Then you will understand all of his different sounds and know his versatility.

18. Don Felder

    

    First, let's take the masterpiece: Hotel California! Both the electric (1976) and acoustic (1994) versions are amazingly versatile, and Don Felder is the master behind it!

    There are plenty of Eagles songs with lots of diversity. He can play rock, blues, country, classical, and more.

    Check out the electric and acoustic versions of Hotel California.

    End of story.

19. Eric Clapton

    

    Eric Patrick Clapton is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is the only three-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and Cream. He was also a founding member of Derek and the Dominos, known for... read more

20. 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

    Guthrie has sheer mastery of almost every guitar technique and a fantastic grasp of the English language. He is a brilliant instructor and is truly modest.

    Unfortunately, not many people listen to jazz.

    I can't think of anyone who has such a grasp of various guitar styles.

    Ridiculously versatile. Just listen to the Aristocrats albums.

21. Glen Campbell

    

    Glen Travis Campbell was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, television host, and actor. He achieved major success in the 1960s and 1970s with hits like Rhinestone Cowboy and Wichita Lineman. Campbell also hosted The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS and released more than 70 albums during his... read more

    In my opinion, the most versatile. Glen played country, rock, blues, and even classical. He was one of the most sought-after studio musicians of the '60s.

    A one-man band who needs no backup. He played for all the greats, including Elvis, The Beach Boys, and Neil Diamond. He was also part of the famous Wrecking Crew session musician group.

22. Larry Carlton

    

    Larry Eugene Carlton is an American guitarist who built his career as a studio musician in the 1970s and 1980s for artists such as Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. He is known for his smooth jazz and blues style, as well as his work with the jazz fusion group The Crusaders. Carlton has won four Grammy... read more

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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.

26. Jeff Beck

    

    Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck was an English rock guitarist. He was one of the three notable guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds, alongside Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Beck also formed The Jeff Beck Group and the power trio Beck, Bogert and Appice.

27. Kiko Loureiro

    

    Pedro Henrique "Kiko" Loureiro is a Brazilian heavy metal guitarist best known as a member of the bands Angra and Megadeth. He joined Megadeth in 2015 and contributed to several of their recent albums. Loureiro is celebrated for his technical skill and fusion of classical, Brazilian, and metal guitar... read more