My Favorite Guitarists

Here are some of my favorite guitarists. Being fast is not something I care about… I’ve always liked guitarists who play with feel more than finger tapping.

 

Roger McGuinn, Byrds – He will not rip off lightning licks but he plays the Rickenbacker 12 string like no one else. I like the tone and his understated style.

Image result for roger mcguinn playing guitar byrds

Neil Young – This may seem like an odd choice but when Neil plays the electric guitar…anything that can happen will. He plays by feel and feedback and God bless him for that.

Related image

Brian May, Queen– You can hum his solos. One of the most melodic lead guitar players I’ve ever heard.

Image result for brian may playing guitar young

Pete Townsend, Who – The king of the power chord. Pete does not have blinding speed but every note he plays is for a purpose.

Related image

Keith Richards, Stones – The Human Riff… When Keith found G tuning the Stones sound changed forever and it may have been the key to their longevity.

Related image

George Harrison, Beatles – After the Beatles, he reinvented himself into a great slide guitar player. Guitar players are still trying to find that tone. He had a great touch and taste in whatever he played.

Related image

Buddy Guy – For electric blues and the tone he gets Buddy Guy is the man. Below is a picture of Buddy at the Festival Express playing a great version of Money.

Image result for buddy guy festival express

Jimi Hendrix – Like Keith Moon…many musicians have tried to copy him but none have. It is controlled chaos but I like it.

Image result for jimi hendrix 1970

Chuck Berry – Rock and roll owes a lot to him…he has been copied more than anyone.

Related image

Scotty Moore, Elvis – The guitar player backing Elvis on his great 50s hits. Keith Richards said of Moore… Everyone else wanted to be Elvis, I wanted to be Scotty.

Image result for scotty moore 1955

Also

Robert Johnson, Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, Peter Green, Lindsey Buckingham, BB King, Joe Walsh, Jimmy Page

 

 

 

 

 

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

45 thoughts on “My Favorite Guitarists”

      1. He experiments so much with sound…I do agree. He really studies the guitar and the sounds it can make.

        Like

      2. Yea the one mistake I made was not placing a certain number…I could have made this post 3 pages long. So many I missed …I thought about doing drummers next

        Liked by 2 people

      5. Yes and then singers…so it’s coming in the next few days… I’m looking forward to seeing if you agree or what you have to add.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Pretty solid list!! My personal list would perhaps add in Mark Knopfler and maybe Phil Manzanera, but can’t disagree with any of your choices although I will admit, I have never been a fan of Jimi… I know that puts me in a distinct minority but while he could do some crazy things with the guitar, it never really sounded very musical to me. Clapton’s supposedly picked Prince as the best and the Purple One could play pretty well too!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  5. I know you couldn’t list them all. I like all of your choices. Some of my favorites are Prince, Mike McCready (Prince), Jack White, and the guitarist for Midnight Oil (don’t know his name, but he’s awesome).

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    2. Yep I should have put a cap on it…I could have carried on forever…doing drummers tomorrow with a cap lol. All the ones you mentioned are great… One thing the post did was make me realize that Neil Young is one of my favorites…he is awesome.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  8. Love your list! Every musician will have different names of course, delighted to share many of yours. I’ve started to think about my own!! Now if can only finish the greatest songs ever written post…i’ll start on a best guitarists post…might take some time

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I’ll be looking forward to your post. Thanks for reading it… You know it’s hard not to leave some off…there are so many guitar players…tomorrow I’ll put the drummers more in order.

      Like

      Reply

    1. I grew up in the 80s but I never got into his style of playing with the finger tapping. That doesn’t mean he’s not great of course…Just not one of my favorites.

      Like

      Reply

      2. I like Slash…I don’t like that little sh** Axl Rose but I really like Slash. He is a great guitar player. He is raw and does play with feel.
        I’m compiling my favorite bass players right now…

        Like

      4. It’s too bad they broke up…or most of the members left when they did. They were at their peak probably.

        Like

  11. Hendrix, Richards and Berry are on my short list as well. Possibly, Neil Young if only for the solo in “Down by the River.” How brilliant is that solo? Fantastic. To that list I would add Meredith Brooks, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Ron Isley, Prince, Mike Campbell and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Now as for the last spot…it’s between Neil Young and Mick Ronson. I would lean toward Ronson, if only for the intro into Rebel, Rebel, but guess what? He didn’t write or originally perform that lick…That was David Bowie that came up with that perfectly clear diamond, so I’m going with Neil Young.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. You know I thought I would get bad feedback on Young being there. He is not a technical guitar player…but I love his feel. He is so exciting…agree with the Neil’s solo on Down By The River…breathtaking…he is always on the brinking of messing up but he doesnt…he pulls it back from ruin. All the ones you mentioned I agree….great guitar players…. I’m just glad you didn’t mention…Van Halen…I know he is good but he bores me.
      I know McGuinn is like a…WHAT? choice but as far as me…I was heavily influenced by him….I wanted to be Roger…his solo in Eight Miles High on the 12 string is something else.
      Love Campbell and Prince….and Ronson…his tone was great.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. No. I don’t think Roger McGuinn is out of his depth here at all. When I think jingle, jangle guitars I think of The Byrds, THEN The Beatles. Ask me which band I like more and…well, it’s a no brainer, but this is just me, I think McGuinn may be a better guitarist than George Harrison.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. His mastery on the 12 string is something. I’ve only got to see him once and I stayed around hoping to meet him…I never do that…didn’t get to though. It was at the fairgrounds in the late 80s. Roger was the king of jangly.
        George reinvented himself as a slide player…he didn’t play slide with the Beatles and that is about all he played solo.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Yeah…Now I’m going to tell you something that’s going to freak you out…My husband and I met Rodger McGuinn at that very same concert. 1989, I believe. He was a very decent guy. Not super friendly , but just classy. Well mannered.
        My husband was the promotion crew chief at The Fox radio station. It was his responsibility to get the stage assembled and struck for that concert-I think J.J Jackson was there and Steppenwolf, maybe? Yeah, I think so.
        Anyway, I had to go get Roger McGuinn’s beer. Shiner Bock, it was.
        My husband had to assemble a crew to set up the stage and tear it down. That was brutal work. I watched them do it. They got paid jack you know what. I was surprised that 90% of them stayed and saw the job through. Me? I’d be out of there. Just sayin’…

        Liked by 1 person

      4. That is crazy! I just looked up the ticket… I wonder if it was postponed from an earlier date? It was 8-21-88… I thought it was 89 also… Atlantic Rhythm Section with Roger opening.
        I don’t ever remember him coming any other time. The price was… 1.05

        I know that had to be a hard job.
        That is really cool that you got to meet him. I walked near the stage waiting but lost my nerve.

        Pam it’s a small world.

        Liked by 1 person

      6. I can’t remember the others… it very well could have been.. I was hot though I do remember that.
        The only time I think I saw Steppenwolf was at a Carl P Mayfield carload concert… but that day I’m not sure.
        It does seem like someone else was there

        Liked by 1 person

  12. Oh, Hendrix and Peter Green are something else – out of this world, really. Brilliant!

    Have you heard Stevie Ray Vaughan? He’s gone now, but he was great. Listen to him covering Voodoo Chile (slight return):

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yes I am covering one of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s songs this weekend…Willy The Wimp… His guitar playing was out of this world. He was so aggressive but spot on in his approach.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a comment