Well, it depends what you mean. For technical skill, Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Slash, Tom Morello, Joe Satriani. But, I'll be honest, I don't generally like to listen to their music unless I'm in a specific mood. Kurt Cobain, while being far, FAR from the level of any of these other guys in terms of technical skill still appeals to me the most.
Tough call. Hendrix Stevie Ray Ritchie Blackmore Jimmie Page Rik Emmett Dave Murray Django Reinhardt There’s a Brazilian guy. I’ll find his name. I could name a bunch of great ones. Depends on the style I want.
Myself. ETA: Then Hendrix. He's in his own tier. All guitarist discussions should include a "besides Hendrix" caveat.
Well, I spend a lot of time listening to classical guitar and jazz guitar. I love Michael Chapdelaine for classical and spanish guitar. And Oscar Aleman for jazz guitar. And when I'm in the mood, I LOVE Johnny Winter!
There are some so good guitarist already named in this thread! Some of my favourite "big" players would have to include Django Reinhardt, Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van H, and, of course, little Jimi, but I will have to throw a couple of jazz players into the mix - BB King (the king) and John Etheridge who I suspect few will have heard of but I was fortunate enough to see playing with the incredible Chris Garrick in a small venue early this year. Great big hands like a butcher; delicate touch of an angel!
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Kirk Hammett or James Hetfield of Metallica yet. "Metallica are ****in' awesome!" I believe, Metallica's music, will be played hundreds of years from now, it's that good. Great guitar stuff there.
Leo Kottke Dave Bromberg Mark Knopfler Jorma Kaukonen Laurindo Almeida Mississippi John Hurt Carlos Montoya Tommy Emmanuel jeez, the list is endless. That's because the guitar itself is so versatile, it lends itself to a galaxy of musical styles. There are a lot of amazing guitarists you've never heard of simply because you aren't acquainted with their genre. But all of the people I've listed have either directly or indirectly had huge influences in their respective genres. (For what it's worth, all of them are most prominent for their work on acoustic guitars, although the first five are equally at home with electric guitars.)
I don't have a favorite, but Guthrie Govan needs to be included in any conversation discussing superb guitarists. His technical ability, phrasing, and dynamic playing is second to none.
Also, no one has mentioned Steve Lukather. The founding member of Toto and the musician behind th awesome, and in my opinion, best guitar solo in music in the song hold the line. I would include a video of his performance and solo in hold the line, but sadly my work policy prevents me from going to YouTube (blocked).
David Gilmour of Pink Floyd hasn't been mentioned yet, and in a similar skill set, seconding Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits.
Mark Knopfler David Gilmour Tommy Emmanuel Carlos Santana Jon Gomm (If you haven't heard, seen, or yet been amazed by Jon Gomm, check this out: ) And others too many to name. I don't much like "shredder" guitarists - they all seem to be about showing off speed. There's more to music than how many notes per second you can play.
The following guitarists are technically gifted musicians who might not even be human: John Petrucci Omar Rodriguez Lopez Brent Hinds Adam Jones Eric Gilette Guthrie Govans Tosin Abasi