Top 10 Guitarists of All Time

Jimi Hendrix

He just oozes 'cool' (case in point - renowned for playing a right-handed Fender Strat upside-down), and was named by Rolling Stone magazine in 2003 as the #1 greatest guitarist of all time.

Slash

AKA Saul Hudson, was ranked #2 by Time Magazine's "10 Best Electric Guitar Players of All-Time" list (2009). He apparently dropped out of school to give him more time to practice playing the guitar (a seldom positive advert for giving up on compulsory education, if there ever was one), and over his career has performed with over 40 bands/ acts. I was absolutely gutted to miss his set at Glastonbury last year - this is one live act not to be missed! (perhaps next time)...

Jimmy Page

As a guitarist, Jimmy Page can do practically anything—blues, Beatles-style pop, folk rock, jazz, heavy metal, and so on. With his considerable talent, he could have made any kind of music, so it’s interesting that he left all the traditional forms behind and pioneered the signature Led Zeppelin sound that would prove so influential to all heavy metal and hard rock acts to come. Like all great guitar players, Page thought of his music in terms of songcraft and refrained from the type of self-indulgence that can kill a good song. With Zeppelin, he also grew into a formidable songwriter and producer.

Tom Morello

His approach is machine-like and basic, but my goodness his riffs are so big and SO FUNKY. This man drives Rage from the riff up and everyone else has to keep up. An absolute genius.

Tony Iommi

Black Sabbath's legendary guitarist has been bashing away at guitar licks since 1970 for Ozzy's metal greats. He's a super-reliable riff monster 24/7.

Daron Malakian

The man in charge of licks for System Of A Down is an astonishing metal guitarist with enviable techniques for riffery.

John Squire

The Stone Roses guitar man is a superlative wielder of guitar. See solos on "I am The Resurrection" and a host of others off their debut album for proof.

Graham Coxon

The guitarst for UK Britpop stalwarts Blur is an incredibly inventive axe wielder who works a range of pedals set to "quirky". He never fails to impress and adds endless depth to otherwise basic songs.

Kirk Hammett

Metallica's key axeman always comes up with the goods on a feast of tracks.