Top 3 favorite guitarists?

[Flappydoodle]

1. Michael Amott - written many of my favourite riffs and melodic solos

2. Synyster Gates - despite the douchey name and appearance, he's a hell of a guitarist with a unique style who write very memorable solos

3. Dave Mustaine - written many of my favourite riffs, and still going strong at his age. I can't listen to Tornado of Souls and just not start grinning.

 

[bostjan]

1. Michael Amott - written many of my favourite riffs and melodic solos

2. Synyster Gates - despite the douchey name and appearance, he's a hell of a guitarist with a unique style who write very memorable solos

3. Dave Mustaine - written many of my favourite riffs, and still going strong at his age. I can't listen to Tornado of Souls and just not start grinning.

A7x started out as a typical metalcore band with some little bits of neoclassical influences barely showing through at times, and people really dug them, then they very suddenly got really big, and then most people hated them. I know there were a few trainwrecks that happened live on stage, and that seemed to be the main fuel for the fire for hating them early on. Interestingly, the same dude who introduced me to A7x also introduced me to Arch Enemy, both were around the same time, summer of 2001. Both bands have changed very significantly after that.

 

[Flappydoodle]

A7x started out as a typical metalcore band with some little bits of neoclassical influences barely showing through at times, and people really dug them, then they very suddenly got really big, and then most people hated them. I know there were a few trainwrecks that happened live on stage, and that seemed to be the main fuel for the fire for hating them early on. Interestingly, the same dude who introduced me to A7x also introduced me to Arch Enemy, both were around the same time, summer of 2001. Both bands have changed very significantly after that.

I remember hearing their first album too and thinking "what the fuck. I didn't know music could do THAT". Same for Waking the Fallen. I listened to that pretty much continuously for a year when it came out.

IMO, the fuel for fire of hatred was seeing a metal band making it big, putting out a few ballads, introducing more clean singing, and actually getting some mainstream acceptance. I remember going to a concert and it was packed with teenage girls. However, I think it was obvious from day 1 that they were talented, and they continued to put out great stuff IMO.

Even the most bitter, hardened hater of the band needs to admit that "Synyster" is a fucking class guitarist.

And yeah, Arch Enemy is sadly pretty boring now. But Amott has written some crazy good stuff, and I love his style and tone.

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

Syn seems like a decent guy, just started an online guitar school of sorts, and his dad is super cool.

 

[wankerness]

I don't really give a f*** about technical ability, I go for whoever comes up with the coolest riffs or the most "expressive" solos. So, I'd probably go for classic Mikael Akerfeldt for the awesome riffing, classic Daniel Gildenlow for both riffing and the way his solos sounded within the songs/lyrics, and maybe bow to the technical side of things with Tobin Abasi, since he came up with a ton of really layered, cool compositions on the S/T and The Joy of Motion, and his shredding was secondary to me.

 

[gunch]

3 isn't fair let alone 9

 

[Strobe]

Randy Rhoads, Buckethead, Tosin Abasi

 

[Kovah]

In no particular order

Jon Nödtveidt
Anders Nyström
Dan Swanö (not only as a guitarist though)

 

[Sollipsist]

1. Robert Fripp
2. Me
3. You

 

[lurè]

In no particular order:

1. Michael Romeo
2. Guthrie Govan
3. Tosin Abasi

Honorable mentions:
- Holdsworth
- Shawn Lane
- Loomis

 

[nyxzz]

The more I think about it the more impossible this gets. Maybe not the best ever but my favorites right now.

Jimmy Page
Guthrie Govan
Thomas Erak (underrated imo)

 

[ExileMetal]

Per Nilsson
Paul Wardingham
John Browne

 

[BigViolin]

Way too many, so going recent.

Tom Quayle
Browne
Tosin

 

[NateFalcon]

Mixed bag....3. Buckethead 2. Shawn Lane and...1. Rocky George

Runners up: Merle Travis and Chet Atkins

 

[jwoods986]

Oh, this is easy:
Yngwie
George Lynch
Van Halen

 

[ArtHam]

In light of my complete and utter Alkaloid obsession these last few months this has gotten really easy:

1 Danny Tunker
2 Florian Maier
3 Christian Muenzner

(though there's a separate "life-time achievement" podium for Chuck Schuldiner next to that)

 

[Isurez]

1. Jimmy Herring
2. John McLaughlin
3. Robert Fripp

 

[sevenfoxes]

Steph Carpenter
Randy Rhoads
Matt Talbot/Tim Lash

 

[Ancestor]

1. Django Reinhardt - He defined an entire genre, made the instrument relevant, and it's seldom pointed out that he was one of the earliest electric guitar innovators.
2. Buckethead - Love him or hate him, he's developed the most distinctive sound, not to mention that he innovated a number of techniques that have since caught on.
3. Jan Akkerman - Also often overlooked, but dude was doing extreme shred metal in the 1960's...he also did a lot of stuff Blackmore and Santana did, before those guys did those things...and he was a master of exotic scales and modes long before it was cool.

Not to mention hundreds of others who are extremely innovative, but those three stand out as innovators of both techniques and styles.

Also:

*. Matthias IA Eklundh
*. Ron Jarzombek
*. Chuck Schuldiner
*. Dick Dale

Very interesting!