[slow_down]

p.s. I can't bring myself to be ashamed for not mentioning Richard Thompson.  So I'll just be ashamed for not knowing who he is.  Is he one of the Thompson Twins?

OK, I'll just pretend you didn't write that last sentence

He's known primarily as a folk legend and is a bit of a sleeper as far as guitar gods go.  He's also known somewhat as a "guitarist's guitarist" which along with his emphasis on folk music explains the gap between his skills/musical genius and fame in the popular culture.  Like I said the guy plays mostly folk music with acoustic, but has done some phenomonal electric work as well.  Here are two youtube clips that I found very quickly - there are probably lots of better "first listens" out there but this was the best I could do for now.

Acoustic - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF61W7SGNxU

Electric - Shoot Out The Lights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfVEHjhnsEc

[caddisgeek]

I'm surprised that it took 3 pages for Django to come up, and that Hendrix barely rates a mention (or is calling hendrix just stating the bleeding obvious). A very subjective topic tho, IMO technical brilliiance is impressive, but without soul (or good tunes) its on a similar level to syncronised swimming. For me you cant go past J Mascis, he's got the whole enchilada, technical abillity, soul and can write a damn fine tune also

[Jim N.]

Let's add ......

Leo Kottke

Peter Green (listen to the "Madge Sessions" duel between PG and Danny Kirwan)

Bert Jansch & John Renbourn

John Fahey

John Martyn

Clarence White

some guy named Beck

Steven Wilson

Martin Barre

and a second for the great, unjustly overlooked Richard Thompson.....

[chadh]

p.s. I can't bring myself to be ashamed for not mentioning Richard Thompson.  So I'll just be ashamed for not knowing who he is.  Is he one of the Thompson Twins?

OK, I'll just pretend you didn't write that last sentence

He's known primarily as a folk legend and is a bit of a sleeper as far as guitar gods go.  He's also known somewhat as a "guitarist's guitarist" which along with his emphasis on folk music explains the gap between his skills/musical genius and fame in the popular culture.  Like I said the guy plays mostly folk music with acoustic, but has done some phenomonal electric work as well.  Here are two youtube clips that I found very quickly - there are probably lots of better "first listens" out there but this was the best I could do for now.

Acoustic - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF61W7SGNxU

Electric - Shoot Out The Lights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfVEHjhnsEc

Thanks.  I really hate remaining so ignorant.  I'll check out the clips after I've got the kids into bed.

Chad

[chadh]

Actually, I listened with my sons before bed.  My eldest (a guitar fiend at 5) liked it a lot.  Thanks.

Chad

[martinr]

Best Technical Jazz - Pat Metheny, Best technical blues - Stevie Ray Vaughn, Best technical rock - dunno, most innovative rock 35 years ago maybe Eddie Van Halen.

I've got to agree with Martin on Pat Metheny and SRV all the way.

Rock is really tough. there are so many great guitarists to pick from. Ones nobody has mentioned yet that would get my nod would be Jeff Beck who after you see him play understand why he is held in such high regard by other musicians. Another would be Derek Trucks. While not the speed demon of Steve Vai or Yingwei (or how ever you spell it), that boy has got some serious licks. I've seen him a number of times and I am more and more impressed each time I see and hear him. When it comes to pure tone, Eric Johnson is pretty darned good too.

Classical is another tough one. While we always have Segovia and Williams, Angel Romero (for a modern day artist) is really, really good.

On the country side, Vince Gill is one helluva picker believe it or not. Albert Lee gets it done pretty well too.

Agree with Derek trucks and Jeff Beck also,
Best pickers - Chet Atkins
best hammer pull - michael hedges for one
favorite slide - Lowell George
Agree with Django, Schofield and Pat Martino
Another innovator - Stanley Jordan

[Daygloworange]

On the country side, Vince Gill is one helluva picker believe it or not. Albert Lee gets it done pretty well too.

A lot of country guys are total monsters on guitar. 

Check out Ricky Skaggs. Even Keith Urban can pick a mean gittar. He played in a power trio called The Ranch. They did some pretty trick stuff.

One real bad*#s dude is John Jorgenson. He played in a band with some other monster guitar players called the Hellecasters. If you like over the top players with taste, you got to check these guys out.

http://www.hellecasters.com/

Cheers

[lonewolfny42]

  hey Chris,what's new in NY???? still kinda warm down there.??

Yep....Pat....its still like summer....hit almost 90 degrees today...crazy for this time of year....but I'm not complaining.

Rory Gallagher

Mick Taylor

Johnny Winter

Pat Travers

Tommy Bolin

Paul Kossoff

Leslie West

Luther Allison

Jim McCarty

Wayne Kramer

Mick Ronson

Ted Nugent

See....there's a whole bunch of good guitar players....

[Marbles]

Chris (Becker) Harlot   

[Lyndon]

All good musicians.
My vote goes with Richard Thompson, and David Lindley, who plays a very wicked slide.

If you have not heard him live, you have missed something special.

http://www.davidlindley.com/discography.html

He does my favorite version of 'Mercury Blues', and his version of the Warren Zevon tribute song to Lynyrd Skynyrd, called "Play It All Night Long" is amazing.  I believe it is on his 'Live in Tokyo, Playing Really Good'
1994 cd

[lonewolfny42]

Ah...Rob....I can always count on you to bring up that photo....

By the way....how's your son doing with his guitar ? Its great to learn an instrument....guitar or other....its all good !

[Marbles]

Chris, thanks for asking.

Andy practices a lot, but he's not that good.  Still, with practice and enough time, he might end up pretty good.  I keep telling him that chicks dig a lead guitarist...so the motivation's there 

[lonewolfny42]

Chris, thanks for asking.

Andy practices a lot, but he's not that good.  Still, with practice and enough time, he might end up pretty good.  I keep telling him that chicks dig a lead guitarist...so the motivation's there 

Takes time....glad he's still at it...rock on... 

[Daygloworange]

Another player worth noting is Michael Hedges. He played mostly acoustic steel string and Harp Guitar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Hedges

Some other harp guitarists.

http://www.harpguitarmusic.com/artists.htm

Cheers

[Nels Ferre]

I don't believe anyone has mentioned Johnny Winter or Martin Barre (guitarist for Jethro Tull.)

While I'm thinking about it, Jan Ackermann (Focus) deserves a mention as well.

[Hantra]

Tony Rice
Eric Clapton
Steve Kimock

[jimdgoulding]

Earlier, Lyndon gave a shout out to David Lindley.  Like to amen that and Jeff Beck, Richard Thompson, and Peter Greene.  Lindley is a virtuoso player whose is mighty good with a microphone, too.  He traveled half way around the world in the early 90's to Madagascar with Henry Kaiser and a 20 bit Yamaha recorder for the Shanachie label and recorded a completely self taught guitar player named D'Gary.  Lindley said he had never scene fingering like this but this belongs in the World Music circle.  Just thought I'd mention it.  It's phenomenally good.

[ooheadsoo]

Tommy Emmanuel is pretty good, as the Wolf mentioned.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-7wAEMIAhFs
http://youtube.com/watch?v=AhR04kmcSXU&mode=related&search=
http://youtube.com/watch?v=J5qakFIecBU&mode=related&search= (w/ jake shimabukuro)

[Russell Dawkins]

Lindley is a virtuoso player whose is mighty good with a microphone, too.  He traveled half way around the world in the early 90's to Madagascar with Henry Kaiser and a 20 bit Yamaha recorder for the Shanachie label and recorded a completely self taught guitar player named D'Gary.  Lindley said he had never scene fingering like this but this belongs in the World Music circle.  Just thought I'd mention it.  It's phenomenally good.

Hmmm... I recorded D'Gary just last February here near Victoria, along with Clive Carroll I mentioned earlier and a couple of other exceptional guitarists - Miguel de la Bastide, who I describe as the Miles Davis of Flamenco guitar if you can possibly imagine that, and Brian Gore of San Francisco who organizes the annual event called International Guitar Night.

It's a cleverly designed process. The guitarists, different every year except for Brian, fly here in February, rehearse with each other for 3-4 days then put on a concert. The first half of the concert consists of each of them doing solo material. For the second half they do various duos and trios, and finally a quartet.

I record a run-through of the concert earlier on the day of the concert, then record the concert. The day after, I record whatever we need for patches to the concert performance, most of which we try to use. A couple of days later they fly home to England, Madagascar, San Francisco and Toronto.

When they return late October for their 17 city tour, I have mixed and mastered the CDs and they are ready to sell at the concerts.

These guys were all great. D'Gary is totally unique and a very self-effacing, friendly guy.
Clive has technique to burn and is in the Celtic vein, but strays from it as much as Miguel does from the Flamenco. In each case these styles are just springboards for them.

As you can imagine, the recording quality is pretty dang good, too, thanks to knowing exactly "what I've got" thanks to the monitor system chosen partly with information found on AudioCircle. I'm using Nuforce ref 9SE V2 amplifiers and SP Technologies Timepiece 2.1 speakers with Hsu 10" subs crossed at about 35Hz and going down clean and flat to 15 Hz. Timepieces have yet to have the Mundorf upgrades, yet an engineer friend who had the best studio in town until recently feels this is easily the best sound he has ever heard, and he is unequivocal about that.

[AdamM]

I'm using Nuforce ref 9SE V2 amplifiers and SP Technologies Timepiece 2.1 speakers with Hsu 10" subs crossed at about 35Hz and going down clean and flat to 15 Hz. Timepieces have yet to have the Mundorf upgrades, yet an engineer friend who had the best studio in town until recently feels this is easily the best sound he has ever heard, and he is unequivocal about that.

I've never typically been a fan of metallic cones on midrange drivers (ring, fatigue)... but if these things sing like you say, they're a fantastic value.  Those Timepieces do get fantastic reviews.  1000 watts handling!?!   Madness.