Favorite (not 'best') Guitarists

**Tom Karol** · 08-17-2009, 12:30 PM

Who are your favorite guitarists – not the ‘best’ – just your personal favorites?
Here’s my top ten, in alphabetical order by first name (HR is my personal all-time favorite):
Attila Zoller
Charlie Christian
Clarence White
Django Reinhardt
Eric Clapton
Howard Roberts
Joe Pass
Mark Knopfler
Tom Karol (I did say, “ … not the ‘best’!”)
Wes Montgomery

**JohnW400** · 08-17-2009, 12:53 PM

Harry Leahey
Vic Juris
Joe Pass
Pat Martino
Charlie Byrd
Danny Gatton
Roy Buchanan
Eric Clapton
Joe Beck
Vic Cenicola. (Great Guitar player and a nice guy)
John McLaughlin
Paco D

These are the guys that have influenced me the most.

Except Vic Juris and Vic Cenicola. They're just 2 MONSTER players from New Jersey. I do have quite a colleciton of Vic Juris stuff though, dating back to his Horizon Drive and Roadsong LP's (yes, vinyl)

**derek** · 08-17-2009, 01:10 PM

Joe Pass
Lenny Breu
Pat Martino
John Stowell
Grant Green
Stochelo Rosenberg
Larry Carlton
Robben Ford
Bruce Cockburn
Michael Hedges

**czgibson** · 08-17-2009, 01:10 PM

Jim Hall
Joe Pass
Charlie Christian
Django Reinhardt
Wes Montgomery
Johnny Smith
Kenny Burrell (for a while I didn't rate him - I just hadn't listened enough!)
Bireli Lagrene
Emily Remler
Jimi Hendrix
Eric Clapton (up until about 1971)
Jimmy Page
Jeff Beck
Frank Zappa
Eddie Hazel
Duane Allman
David Gilmour
Neil Young
John Renbourn
Bert Jansch

Every one of these players has made me think differently about how to approach guitar playing. There are lots of others but these are the ones I come back to again and again.

**Jake Hanlon** · 08-17-2009, 02:00 PM

Jim Hall, John Abercrombie, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Vic Juris, Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Bruce Foreman, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jonathan Kreisberg, Gilad Hekselman and Jesse Van Ruller.

**wizard3739** · 08-17-2009, 02:39 PM

These are the guitarists I listen to whenever possible.

Jimmy Raney
Doug Raney
Jim Hall
Howard Roberts
Ed Bickert
George Van Eps
Ted Greene
Lenny Breau
Ron Eschete
Joe Diorio
Les Wise

I listen more often to Bill Evans, Tommy flanagan, Bud Powell, Sonny Stitt, Sonny Rollins, Chet Baker, Charlie Parker, Paul Desmond, etc....

wiz

**randalljazz** · 08-17-2009, 04:38 PM

baden powell
romero lubambo
peter bernstein
joe pass
paulo bellinati
tal farlow
grant green
russell malone
etc...

**Slayertplsko** · 08-17-2009, 05:32 PM

John McLaughlin
Allan Holdsworth
Larry Coryell
John Scofield
Pat Metheny
Pat Martino
Frank Gambale
Jimi Hendrix
Jimmy Page
Eric Clapton
Jeff Beck
Eddie Van Halen
Randy Rhoads
Michael Schenker
Uli Jon Roth
Marty Friedman
Steve Lukather
Steve Hackett
Steve Howe
Stanley Jordan
Tal Farlow
Angus Young
Ritchie Blackmore
....goes on...

There's a whole bunch, but my two really really most favourite guitarists are the first two guys (gentlemen).

**skei** · 08-17-2009, 05:40 PM

Ulf Wakenius
Joe Pass
John Stowell

Peace
Skei (the nighttime surfer one)

**reventlov** · 08-17-2009, 08:04 PM

Hank Garland
Lenny Breau
Django Rheinhardt
Pat Martino
Richard Harding
Jerry Reed
Chet Atkins
Ollie Halsall
Tommy Emmanuel
Scotty Anderson
John Abercrombie

**perfischer** · 08-17-2009, 08:23 PM

At the moment I'm mostly digging Ulf Wakenius, Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery and forever John Scofield. Further back are Grant Green and Kenny Burrell, and that Benson guy is also not bad.

**NSJ** · 08-17-2009, 08:35 PM

Jack Cecchini
Mike Allemana
Johnny Smith
Jim Hall
Grant Green
Kenny Burrell
Baden Powell
Robert Fripp
Steve Howe
Kurt Rosenwinkel

**Metal Fingers** · 08-17-2009, 08:46 PM

Jerry Garcia
John Scofield
Pat Metheny
Wes Montgomery
Django Reinhardt
Jimmy Page
Jimi Hendrix
Duane Allman
Eric Clapton
Trey Anastasio
Peter Tosh
Warren Haynes
Frank Zappa
Jimmy Herring

those are the players who have had the most influence on me.in no particular order except no.1.held down by the ol' captain.

**mr. beaumont** · 08-17-2009, 09:13 PM

ed bickert
grant green
jim hall
jerry garcia
doug martsch
jeff parker
kevin shields
barry galbraith
wes
jim camplilongo

and my wild card pick: bob welch and danny kirwan. cyber beers to whover knows those cats!

**nomelite** · 08-17-2009, 09:44 PM

Frank Zappa
Richard Thompson
Joe Pass
Arlen Roth
Jim Hall
Grant Green
Kenny Burrell
John Scofield
Bill Frisell
Phil Manzanera
Joe Diorio
Mimi Fox
John Mc Laughlin
Steve Hunter

**Ulises** · 08-17-2009, 11:28 PM

Originally Posted by wizard3739

These are the guitarists I listen to whenever possible.

Jimmy Raney
Doug Raney
Jim Hall
Howard Roberts
Ed Bickert
George Van Eps
Ted Greene
Lenny Breau
Ron Eschete
Joe Diorio
Les Wise

I listen more often to Bill Evans, Tommy flanagan, Bud Powell, Sonny Stitt, Sonny Rollins, Chet Baker, Charlie Parker, Paul Desmond, etc....

wiz

Wow... this list brought back some nice memories. Back in 1979-80, while attending GIT, I took lessons from Roberts, Eschete, Diorio, Wise and attended seminars by Breau and Greene.
Among my personal favorites (not necesarily Jazz guitarists)
Chet Atkins
Tommy Emmanuel
Marcel Dadi
Nokie Edwards (I was a big Ventures fan back in my teens

)

**janepaints** · 08-18-2009, 03:01 AM

no particular order, and I've surely left some off via faulty memory:

Grant Green
Leni Stern
Charlie Christian
Bill Frisell
Robert Wilkins
Harry Leahey
Tom Gavornik
SOME John Mclaughlin (thinking of 'My Goals Beyond' and 'After The Rain.')
Jimmy Ponder
Tom Verlaine
Pat Metheny
Reverend Gary Davis
Steve Cropper
Guy who leads 'Southern Culture On The Skids'--forget his name
John Abercrombie
Freddy Green
Maybelle Carter
Roebuck 'Pop' Staples
Willie 'Beaver' Hale
Jim Weider
The guys on the 1960's Motown Session Crew
Barney Kessel
Wes Montgomery
George Benson
Willie Nelson
Mike Heron
Billy Gibbons
Merle Travis
John Abercrombie
John Scofield
Lee Underwood
Jerry Hahn
Lonnie Johnson
Ernie Isley
Phil Keaggy
John Williams
Sharon Isbin
Jim Hall

**nomelite** · 08-18-2009, 12:30 PM

Hiow could I forget Steve Cropper, Tom Verlaine and WES!

**msr13** · 08-18-2009, 01:08 PM

Jim Hall
Lionel Loueke
Jesse Van Ruller
Martin Taylor
Jonathan Kreisberg
Julio Fernandez
Ted Greene
Wolfgang Muthspiel

**hot ford coupe** · 08-18-2009, 01:37 PM

Johnny Smith
Freddie Green
Charlie Christian
Barney Kessel
Joe Pass
Early Wes Montgomery
John Pizzarelli
Mundell Lowe

There are others I like but these are the ones I like to listen to the most.

**Banksia** · 08-19-2009, 05:17 AM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

ed bickert
and my wild card pick: bob welch and danny kirwan. cyber beers to whover knows those cats!

http://www.youtube.com/v/pfhJQQr0KbM&hl=en&fs=1

I did this for a competition on another guitar site,the limit was 1min30sec so I left out the end. I won but mainly because I offered to give the prize away to a newbie.

I'm pretty sure Bob Welch was an early post-Peter Green Fleetwoodian.

**gravitas** · 08-19-2009, 08:25 AM

Gilad Heiskelman
Kurt Rosenwinkel
Tommy Emmanuel
Lenny Breau
Julian Lage
Jonathan Kreisberg
Jimmy Herring
Wayne Krantz
Bob Brozman
David Gilmour
Joe Pass
Shawn Lane
Steve Morse
Myself (hey everybody's the star of their own movie)

**mr. beaumont** · 08-19-2009, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by Banksia

http://www.youtube.com/v/pfhJQQr0KbM&hl=en&fs=1

I did this for a competition on another guitar site,the limit was 1min30sec so I left out the end. I won but mainly because I offered to give the prize away to a newbie.

I'm pretty sure Bob Welch was an early post-Peter Green Fleetwoodian.

yup! they both were...played on my favorite mac album, "future games"

**squeally dan** · 08-19-2009, 11:19 AM

I'm new to jazz and am discovering new guitarists every day thanks to you guys. I have to say I am loving George Benson's old stuff. Giblet Gravy is awesome! I think right now he is my favorite, and he might also be one of the best. Seems to me he can do it all. Very meloding, great phrasing, and he can burn when he wants too.

**Tom Karol** · 08-19-2009, 12:55 PM

Great! Lot's of fine players on these lists, and very importantly, a lot of new guys to track down and listen to! By the way, I hadn't noticed the, "Favourite Player Poll," thread when I posted this one. Oops!