Name↕ | Era↕ | Genre↕ | Band↕ | Signature Guitar↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jimi Hendrix | 1960s | Psychedelic Rock | The Jimi Hendrix Experience | Fender Stratocaster | Revolutionary use of feedback and distortion |
Eric Clapton | 1960s-present | Blues Rock | Cream / Derek and the Dominos | Fender Stratocaster | Earned the nickname 'Slowhand' for fluid blues phrasing |
Jimmy Page | 1960s-1980s | Hard Rock | Led Zeppelin | Gibson Les Paul | Composed Stairway to Heaven, pioneered studio techniques |
B.B. King | 1940s-2010s | Blues | Solo | Gibson ES-355 'Lucille' | Vibrato and string bending style that defined modern blues |
Chuck Berry | 1950s-2010s | Rock and Roll | Solo | Gibson ES-350T | Invented rock and roll guitar, signature duck walk |
Eddie Van Halen | 1970s-2020 | Hard Rock | Van Halen | Frankenstrat | Popularized two-handed tapping technique |
David Gilmour | 1960s-present | Progressive Rock | Pink Floyd | Fender Stratocaster | Melodic, atmospheric solos on Comfortably Numb |
Jeff Beck | 1960s-2023 | Rock/Fusion | The Yardbirds / Solo | Fender Stratocaster | Finger-picking technique and genre-spanning innovation |
Stevie Ray Vaughan | 1970s-1990 | Blues Rock | Double Trouble | Fender Stratocaster | Revived Texas blues in the 1980s |
Carlos Santana | 1960s-present | Latin Rock | Santana | PRS Santana | Fused Latin rhythms with rock guitar at Woodstock |
Keith Richards | 1960s-present | Rock | The Rolling Stones | Fender Telecaster | Open-G tuning riffs that defined rock rhythm guitar |
Pete Townshend | 1960s-present | Rock | The Who | Gibson SG | Invented the power chord windmill strumming style |
Django Reinhardt | 1930s-1950s | Gypsy Jazz | Quintette du Hot Club de France | Selmer-Maccaferri | Played virtuoso jazz with only two functioning fingers |
Robert Johnson | 1930s | Delta Blues | Solo | Gibson L-1 | Mythical blues pioneer, 'sold his soul at the crossroads' |
Slash | 1980s-present | Hard Rock | Guns N' Roses | Gibson Les Paul | Iconic top hat and Sweet Child O' Mine riff |
Mark Knopfler | 1970s-present | Rock | Dire Straits | Fender Stratocaster | Fingerpicking style and sultry tone on Sultans of Swing |
Duane Allman | 1960s-1971 | Southern Rock | The Allman Brothers Band | Gibson Les Paul | Slide guitar on Layla and live improvisational jams |
Tony Iommi | 1960s-present | Heavy Metal | Black Sabbath | Gibson SG | Invented heavy metal riffs, played with prosthetic fingertips |
John Frusciante | 1980s-present | Funk Rock | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Fender Stratocaster | Melodic funk-rock style and emotional solos |
Albert King | 1950s-1992 | Blues | Solo | Gibson Flying V | Left-handed, upside-down playing with powerful string bends |
Angus Young | 1970s-present | Hard Rock | AC/DC | Gibson SG | High-energy stage persona in schoolboy uniform |
Brian May | 1970s-present | Rock | Queen | Red Special (homemade) | Built his own guitar, layered harmony guitar sound |
Jack White | 1990s-present | Garage Rock | The White Stripes | Various vintage models | Raw, lo-fi blues-punk revival style |
Tom Morello | 1990s-present | Rap Rock | Rage Against the Machine | Fender Telecaster | Unorthodox effects and turntable-like scratching sounds |
Prince | 1970s-2016 | Pop/Funk/Rock | Solo / The Revolution | Cloud Guitar | Multi-instrumental genius, shredded on While My Guitar Gently Weeps |
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The Greatest Guitarists of All Time list is currently sorted by the source data's default ordering. Community voting is not enabled on this dataset.
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This dataset contains 25 entries, each with multiple sortable, filterable columns. The full table is visible on this page and can be downloaded as a CSV, JSON, or Excel file.
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