Guitarists 2024

 

My Squier Stratocaster in 2017 when it was brand new with the protective packaging. I have since upgraded the bridge block, which I hated. If I ever become a good enough guitarist I'll buy something better.

Every guitarist on the internet makes lists of guitarists, so why not me? I won't try to rank them by skill but they've been selected by my own tastes, so don't send me hate.

And I'm not firm about the order here. It's difficult to rank art, in my opinion. It's just a list of players I enjoy listening to and the recording act they are most associated with in parentheses.

Eric Johnson (Christopher Cross, also a solo artist)

Edward Van Halen (Van Halen)

Keith Scott (Bryan Adams)

Jimi Hendrix

Slash (Guns N' Roses)

Edge (U2)

Steve Lukather (Toto, also a session player for many other artists: Michael Jackson, Boz Scaggs, Cory Hart, Lionel Richie, the Miami Vice theme song, etc)

David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)

Tim Henson (Polyphia)

Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits)

Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)

Brad Paisley 

Most of these guys are old or dead now. I could write that off to the fact that I'm old but I also think the music industry has changed and it's rare to hear a guitar solo on pop radio nowadays. There are a multitude of shredders out there but mostly they are running small YouTube channels and social media accounts. The only young player on the list is Tim Henson. I don't think I've ever heard anyone that plays like him. If there is a twenty-first century style of lead guitarist, it would be Henson.