My favourite too. I also prefer:
Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Frank Zappa, Pete Townshend, Uli Jon Roth, Ritchie Blackmore, Robert Fripp, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Winter, Nokie Edwards, Link Wray, Bill Harkleroad, Jeff Cotton, Jeff Moris Tepper, Gary Lucas, Marc Ribot, Rowland S Howard, Blixa Bargeld, John Parish, Jukka Orma and of course Lee and Thurston.

Bryan Gregory
Ron Asheton
Johnny Thunders
Rory Gallagher
Matt Pike

new top 20 (same old names)

Jimmy Page
Jimi Hendrix
Paul McCartney
Mick Taylor
Robert Johnson
Peter Buck
Mick Ronson
Robert Fripp
John Fahey
Charlie Patton
Carlos Alomar
Kurt Cobain
Charlie Christian
George Harrison
Neil Young
Mark Knopfler
Robbie Krieger
Prince
Marc Ribot
John Lennon

2006 list
Jimi Hendrix
Neil Young
Mick Taylor
Keith Richards
Jimmy Page
Mick Ronson
Lou Reed
Sterling Morrison
Thurston Moore
Lee Ranaldo
Robert Fripp
George Harrison
John Lennon
Frank Zappa
Prince
Robert Johnson
Joe Pass
Bo Diddley
Nick Drake
Syd Barrett
Peter Buck
Johnny Thunders
Robbie Krieger
Eddie Van Halen
Django Reinhardt
Jeff Beck
Kurt Cobain
Eugene Chadbourne
Steve Jones
Eric Clapton
Lenny Kaye
Mike Bloomfield
Chuck Berry
Jerry Garcia
Bob Dylan
Dave Davies
Andy Summers
Kevin Shields
Wes Montgomery
Greg Ginn
J Mascis
Ron Asheton
Joe Walsh
Paul McCartney
Stevie Ray Vaughan
George Benson
Danny Gatton
Billy Corgan
Adrian Belew
Ian MacKaye
Pete Townshend
Elliot Easton
Greg Lisher
Tom Verlaine
David Byrne
David Gilmour
John Fogerty
Duane Allman
Duane Denison
Son House
John Fahey
Glenn Branca
Robert Smith
Marc Ribot
Brian May
Ry Cooder
Randy Rhoads
Muddy Waters
Curt Kirkwood
Tommy Stinson
d boon
Bruce Springsteen
Mike Campbell
Stephen Malkmus
Johnny Marr
Lightnin' Hopkins
Charlie Christian
Fred "Sonic" Smith
Wayne Kramer
Daniel Ash
Angus Young
Tony Iommi
Buddy Guy
Ritchie Blackmore
Link Wray
Carlos Santana
Charlie Byrd
R.L. Burnside
Johnny Ramone
Bob Stinson
Robert Quine
Bob Mould
Joey Santiago
Scott Kannenberg
Jerry Harrison
Thor Eisentrager
Bill Frisell
William Tonks
Richard Lloyd
Kim Gordon
Buren Fowler

 

These are all great choices. Obviously you play yourself (right?).

Thank you for mentioning Adrian Belew. Incredible, incredible talent. His solo on "Ruiner" haunts me for life.

Here are some of my personal favourites:

Andy Gill - Gang Of Four
Julian Swales - Kitchens Of Distinction
Robin Guthrie - Cocteau Twins
Ray Hanson - Thee Hypnotics
Terry Bickers - The House Of Love
Kevin "Geordie" Walker - Killing Joke

thanks for the feedback, Severian

yep, play

all kinds of stuff

was jamming out "Station to Station" and a bunch of other stuff last night after that 500th Simpsons ep.

had fun too with Prince's piano ballad "Condition of the Heart" from Around the World in a Day
- cool arrangement for guitar (with handy chord definitions) here:
http://www.azchords.com/p/prince-311...rt-233800.html

great Bowie songs tab site:
http://www.lovebolts.co.uk/david_bowie/
(guy's also apparently a big Springsteen and Billy Joel fan)

Belew is great on Lodger and as one of Bowie's many outstanding touring guitarists.
He's also fine on Laurie Anderson's Mister Heartbreak. And of course on a lot of the King Crimson stuff with Fripp too.

How about that guitarist Andy Gill? Without him Albini wouldn't play guitar for shit. There probably wouldn't be any post new wave funk/punk breeds like Franz Ferdinand either.

Keeping it simple beat me to it, haha!

So HE'S the guy playing on "Look back in anger"? I love that song so much after hearing it in a movie. Great song. Great solo. Great drumming too. Great great. Great.

Great minds think alike. :)

Think that's actually Carlos Alomar's 16-bar solo on "Look Back in Anger" but Belew is on it too.

And then per the Bowie/Eno "Oblique Strategies" card-dealing production methods on the so-called "Berlin Trilogy," it's actually Alomar on drums on "Boys Keep Swingin'," but that one does feature an incredible Belew outro solo for the last minute and a half or so.

Keiji Haino
Phill Todd
Lee Ranaldo
Robert Hampson
Keizo Myanishi
Kurt Cobain
Otomo Yoshihide
Johnny Marr
Blixa Bargeld
Freddie Stone
Tony Iommi
Kelly Deal
Martin Bramah
Lou Reed
Arthur Lee
Renee Scroggins
Bill Orcutt
Derek Bailey
John Fahey
Ned Hayden


They tend to change just like my taste in noodle flavours. I've posted this list on FB a while ago and it still stands for the time being.

Curious but nice choice.

Ian Mackaye (completely underrated)

Still can't think of any.

Isaac Brock always seemed like he had unacknowledged skill. Is he "good good" from a musician's perspective?

I am neither a musician nor a particular Modest Mouse fan, but there are a couple of songs where theres some proper good guitar work such as this

Grant Green of Blue Note label fame was pretty good.

anyway

Phil Todd
Lee
Thurston
Marc Ribot
John Fahey
James Dean Bradfield (listen to The Holy Bible, fitting anything around those lyrics was a superhuman feat)
Mark Mcguire
Ash Bowie
Michael Karoli
Tony Iommi
Jonny Greenwood
Paul Leary
Zoot Horn Rollo
Cedric out of At The Drive In

Pretty much every guitar player who contributed in some way to making a record that sold well or later became a cult favorite between 1965 and 2011 is my favorite guitar player, in a way.

I realize that covers a lot of ground, but I believe that's some very fertile ground that I've covered very concisely.

one of mine is E#

I've been digging the three guitar interplay in Built To Spill's Live Album. http://youtu.be/_axEmgDoX0E

I have almost always made a point not to comment on what I consider to be inaccuracies about my music in public forums or articles etc., however in this instance the issue is too important to me to refrain.

The idea that the guitar is, for me, merely a sound source or a means to an end, and that I do not consider myself a guitarist is a fundamental misperception of my attitude and approach to music. The guitar has been my actively chosen instrument for the past 20 some odd years: one that I have developed my own way of playing on. Yes, a technique, or techniques.

Although I have never been interested in developing a way of playing that enables me to replicate others' style, songs, or enables me to freely drop into more conventional playing situations, I consider the guitar to be singular to my expression. And, I have been dedicated to developing my 'craft' as a guitarist. I think the body of my work with Charalambides, and especially solo, bears this out.

I'm not offended by this misperception. I just think it should be corrected.

I apologize if my reply gets posted twice and also if this is not as eloquent or succinct as the first, which has not been published as of now. (I don't know if I did not reply correctly before.)

Although I am not offended by this misperception of my attitude or approach to music, I feel it is a fundamental misunderstanding of the same. And although I have generally refrained from making comments on misunderstandings about what I do, in this case it is too important to me.

I do not consider guitar to be a means to and end or merely a sound source. Quite the contrary. Guitar has been my actively chosen instrument for the past 20 plus years. I consider it a singular instrument and irreplaceable in what I do.

It's true that I haven't had any interest in developing the ability to jump into absolutely any music situation with a codified set of techniques and skills. At the same time, I have continued to develop my own way of playing. Yes, techniques: internal translated to the external. I have worked on developing my 'Craft' and dexterity as dictated by my own judgement, mind, physical strength, emotion, ear, etc.

I do consider myself a guitarist. And, I think my work in Charalambides and (especially) my solo work bears this out.

A guitar is not something I simply hold in my hands. It is the extension of particular and dedicated living expression. Chosen and honored.

Li Jianhong

damn. C Carter done dropped some science on the Clone

Simply put, even beyond all cliche, Jerry Bear
is the best guitar player ever. Innovative,
technologically advanced, a master of just
about every style, superb use of even the
most obscure chord progressions and scale
patterns. This guy is the gold standard if only
because not only was he one of the most
technically proficient guitarists, but the guy
could simply jam with anybody, and play
anything, no matter how unimaginably complex
or slap-stick simple.

I appreciate hearing your words and take them to heart, Christina.
I was probably feeling particularly crabby when I made that remark and I will say that your set at Pasture Fest was very, very good. I am not a big Charalambides fan but I thoroughly enjoyed that set and I was not expecting to be into it going in.
In any case, a response such as that to an ineloquent and potentially incendiary post on my part is to be commended and I thank you for that.

no disrespect, but we know thats legit because?

Lil Wayne is my favourite guitar player. He's better than Thurston Moore

unadulterated fucking genius, this is. congrats, kind sir/siress.

I'm willing to believe it is her.

If so, I trust she will become an active member of this board.

Welcome, Mrs. Carter!

It was definitely her. I have met her on a few occasions and have seen her "writer's voice" in the past as well. Christina, this is Erik, formerly of Salamander. I made those remarks some great while ago, but you were always very kind to me in the limited interactions we have had with one another and I really do appreciate having any misconceptions being set straight in such an even-tempered way. I shoot my mouth off a lot and sometimes (OK, more than sometimes) I miss the bullseye by a mile and don't really add much to the conversation.
I am very opinionated and enjoy opinionated people in conversation, but I can do better in my rhetorical style and I appreciate being spoken to in a way that actually makes me re-examine things I have said. Thanks for that.

I've always been a huge fan of Duane Denison's playing

Karoli out of Can was excellent as part of a third-mind symbiotic thing but as he's done nothing outside of the band it's hard to tell if he is/was/could be great in a different context.
Keith Levene is a bad ass. Levene, Andy Gill and John McGreogh (Magazine, Banshees) are responsible for a huge swathe of interesting guitar music (in the UK in particular) this side of punk.
Robin Guthrie doesn't seem to get as much dues as he should.
Kawabata Makoto's solo work is vastly underrated - he jams out the kicks with AMT but does incredibly patient, beautiful work under his own name, he's a lot more nuanced than he seems to be perceived to be.
Hendrix is apart from the rest of the blues rock guys because of the jazz, funk and free elements to his playing, and had is set apart from the jazz and free guys by his melodic sensibility.
Tony McPhee is the best blues-based player to come out of the UK, everyone should listen to the Groundhogs.
The older I get, the more I prefer Lee to Thurston.
Carrie Brownstein is one of the best riff writers of her generation.

You know, the more I think about it, this is absolutely correct!

I dunno.

Listening to "Get Up" right now.

Is Carrie's jangly thing better than Corin's tough rhythm thing?

I dunno. All's I know is Corin's so under-rated.

that is also true.

I don't have anything more to add, except just wanting to affirm that, yes, it is me. And, of course, to thank Erik for his replies.

I won't be becoming an active member of the board. (No disparagement intended to those who are active members.)

What I'd like to know is:

(a) How did you find this obscure post from several years ago which only tangentially mentioned you

(b) Really, why go through all this trouble?

Again, no disrespect at all, but its just honestly a bit weird.