Being a guitarist myself, and talking to various music fans on Vent, I think the time has come for a poll on BFM to find who the best guitarist of all time is. Bass players are allowed, as are acoustic and flamenco guitarists. Now....let it begin!
I personally have no real view on who's the best guitarist - there are so many candidates!
You have Jon Gomm: and acoustic virtuoso who sings, does percussion, strums, solos, changes tuning and generally plays incredible music all one one guitar. Suggested listening: Wait in Vain; Hey Child.
Then there's Steve Vai: an electric guitar virtuoso and soloist who's pushed the boundaries of electric guitar and guitar music further than anyone before. Suggested listening: Building The Church; For the Love of God; Sisters.
There's Jimi Hendrix: universally acknowledged as one of the great all-time guitarists, who heavily inspired and influenced just about every modern guitarist. Hendrix crammed funk, blues, rock and soul into his own psychedelic music. Suggested listening: Voodoo Chile (Sometimes misspelt as Voodoo Child); Purple Have; Fire.
There's Eric Clapton: roughly a white Jimi Hendrix, Clapton also drew on blues and rock to create bluesy-rock, also inspiring some of the world's great guitarists: Eddie Van Halen and Gary Moore among them. Suggested listening: Layla; Sunshine of your Love.
There's Les Paul: an unjustly little-known jazz guitarist whom Hendrix got most of his tricks from. Also the inventor of the electric guitar. Suggested listening: It's Been a Long, Long Time.
And that's all the guitarists who get a mention here. Tell us YOUR opinions on who's the greatest guitarist of all time. Let us know!
