Picpak's Top 50 Guitarists of All-Time

[Pipa]

I've looked and looked, and I've never been able to find a list of top guitarists I agree with. So without further ado, I present to you, my top 50 guitarists of all time, along with a link to "their finest moment" (which BTW, is not necessarily their most well-known song). If you're looking for the Claptons and Hendrixs and Van Halens of the world, you won't see them here; I find them overrated. Starting with #50-41:

50. Mark Knopfler
Their finest moment: Dire Straits - Money for Nothing


49. Jim McCulloch
Their finest moment: Sweeney Todd - Roxy Roller


48. Keith Richards
Their finest moment: The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up


47. Dan Auerbach
Their finest moment: The Black Keys - 10 A.M. Automatic


46. Gordie Johnson
Their finest moment: Big Sugar - Girl Watcher


45. Andy Scott
Their finest moment: Sweet - Sweet F.A.


44. Lindsay Mitchell
Their finest moment: Prism - Take Me To The Kaptin


43. Paul Dean
Their finest moment: Streetheart - Just For You


42. Joe Satriani
Their finest moment: Joe Satriani - Big Bad Moon


41. Yngwie Malmsteen
Yngwie Malmsteen - Baroque and Roll

[Billy Uranus]

This is off to a controversial start, to say the very least.

[Pipa]

May 7, 2012 22:34:59 GMT -5 Billy Uranus said:

This is off to a controversial start, to say the very least.

I hope The Black Keys ahead of Keith Richards pisses the hell off out of you.

[Billy Uranus]

Yeah, I couldn't believe that you actually did that. I'm not even a Stones kind of guy and that jarred at my soul a little bit.

[Gravity Happens]

Wow, Mark Knopfler and Keith Richards are low!

[Pipa]

May 8, 2012 0:46:58 GMT -5 Gravity Happens said:

Wow, Mark Knopfler and Keith Richards are low! #13#

They almost didn't make the cut. The real reason I started this was because I saw a list of greatest guitarists with Skrillex on it. So when you complain about everything, remember that.

[Pipa]

#40-31:

40. Johnny Ramone
Their finest moment: The Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop


39. Carlos Santana
Their finest moment: Santana feat. Rob Thomas - Smooth


38. James Iha
Their finest moment: The Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock


37. Rich Dodson
Their finest moment: The Stampeders - Wild Eyes


36. Joel Kosche
Their finest moment: Collective Soul - Heavy


35. Billy Duffy
Their finest moment: The Cult - Love Removal Machine


34. Alex Lifeson
Their finest moment: Rush - Working Man


33. Phil Collen
Their finest moment: Def Leppard - Rock of Ages


32. Rudolf Schenker
Their finest moment: Scorpions - The Zoo


31. Jeff Healey
Their finest moment: The Jeff Healey Band - See the Light

[Pipa]

#30-21:

30. Buddy Holly
Their finest moment: Buddy Holly - Not Fade Away


29. Tom Petty
Their finest moment: Tom Petty - Runnin' Down a Dream


28. Malcolm Young
Their finest moment: AC/DC - Can't Stand Still


27. John Brewster
Their finest moment: The Angels - Ivory Stairs


26. Manny Charlton
Their finest moment: Nazareth - Woke Up This Morning


25. Adam Jones
Their finest moment: Tool - Jambi


24. Dave Murray
Their finest moment: Iron Maiden - Fear Of The Dark


23. George Thorogood
Their finest moment: George Thorogood and the Destroyers - Bad to the Bone


22. Paul Hackman
Their finest moment: Helix - No Rest for the Wicked


21. Zakk Wylde
Their finest moment: Ozzy Osbourne - Fire in the Sky

[Billy Uranus]

I never, ever thought I'd see you ranking Adam Jones ahead of Malcolm Young. I'm aos surprised by your choices of their best moments as well.

And I'll be honest, there are a few on here (such as Jeff Healy and John Brewster) that I don't even know.

[Pipa]

May 9, 2012 11:03:00 GMT -5 Billy Uranus said:

And I'll be honest, there are a few on here (such as Jeff Healy and John Brewster) that I don't even know.

Jeff Healey was a blind guitarist who scored a few big hits in the 80s and 90s. He died recently.

John Brewster is from the criminally underrated band The Angels (or if you're in the US, they're known as Angel City). Very reminiscent of AC/DC, and they're Australian, too.

Also, don't forget, Malcolm Young is just the rhythm guitar player.

[JessiePie]

How did I miss this?

Awesome list! Love seeing Yngwie, Phil C., Rudolf, and Dave M. on there and I'm surprised Keith is so low

Alex Lifeson should be higher tbh

[Pipa]

May 9, 2012 21:40:03 GMT -5 JessiePie said:

Awesome list! Love seeing Yngwie, Phil C., Rudolf, and Dave M. on there and I'm surprised Keith is so low #13#

Honestly, it felt more like "well, he has to be there" more than anything. I like the Stones and all, but I'm not crazy for them.

[Pipa]

#20-11:

20. Tom Morello
Their finest moment: Rage Against the Machine - Bulls on Parade


19. Chuck Berry
Their finest moment: Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode


18. Joe Perry
Their finest moment: Aerosmith - Mama Kin


17. Stevie Ray Vaughan
Their finest moment: Stevie Ray Vaughan - Pride and Joy


16. Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton - Do You Feel Like We Do


15. Colin James
Their finest moment: Colin James - Just Came Back


14. Flea
Their finest moment: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Can't Stop


13. Synyster Gates
Their finest moment: Avenged Sevenfold - Afterlife


12. Jimmy Page
Their finest moment: Led Zeppelin - The Immigrant Song


11. Dimebag Darrel
Their finest moment: Pantera - Cowboys From Hell

[Gravity Happens]

Good to see Joe Perry, Flea and Jimmy Page there

[Robbie]

I don't see Prince in this list. I'm gonna assume he's in your Top 10 or we gonna have an issue.

[Pipa]

Here they are...#10-1!

10. Tony Iommi
Their finest moment: Black Sabbath - Sweet Leaf


9. George Harrison
Their finest moment: The Beatles - I Want You (She's So Heavy)


8. Glenn Tipton
Their finest moment: Judas Priest - Breaking the Law


7. Slash
Their finest moment: Guns N' Roses - Paradise City


6. Brian May
Their finest moment: Queen - Tie Your Mother Down


5. Kirk Hammett
Their finest moment: Metallica - Master of Puppets


4. Tom Scholz
Their finest moment: Boston - Don't Look Back


3. David Gilmour
Their finest moment: Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb


2. Angus Young
Their finest moment: AC/DC - Whole Lotta Rosie


1. Randy Rhoads
Their finest moment: Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman

[Billy Uranus]

Great top 10, man! Your top 5 is what I thought it would be, minus Tom Scholz. I was surprised that Jerry Cantrell and Ryan Peake were nowhere to be found.

[XFER]

No Adrian Belew?