So why another Top 10 Guitarists list, you ask? Well, here's the deal. This is a list for the guitarists of today (and yesterday) that are still alive and rocking, or changing the music scene and the way things work from within the heart of music today. So please, if you're going to be offended that Jimi Hendrix is NOT going to be on this list, you should probably turn away now. But if you can get past that fact (and realize that half of these guitarists would contribute their largest influence to Jimi), then come along for the ride. Enjoy these guitarists and videographic evidence that they are indeed more manly than you.
Honorable Mention: Kaki King
Granted, it's a little weird to begin a Top Ten list that I just stated was full of men who are manlier than you with a woman. But rest assured, amigo, Kaki King will beat you down just as easily with her (wo)manly guitar skills. Sure, she may only come up to David Letterman's belly button, but I can guarantee that you will only underestimate a broken guitar string to the achille's once. All Hail Kaki.
10. Gary Hoey
Even with decidedly tool-ish tattoos, a pension for flair (not always in a good way) and hair that occasionally looks like a Rorschach ink-blot test, Gary Hoey can still play better than you while downing a pint. I mean, come on, he just made the Grinch song into a regular on my ipod, not to mention most other Christmas favorites. Hoping to be like Gary? Well, you'll need to be 14 or under, and start hanging out every day outside of Berklee College of Music asking every passing guitar player for lessons and dropping out of high school to keep the dream alive. But hey, if you're a pre-pubescent teenager surfing the world of the internet and found this, you've still got hope. So do it, but don't tell your parents where you got the idea.
9. Slash (Saul Hudson)
- Do you have a guitar like that, and can you pull of playing in without being a complete tool? No.
- Do you have hair like that, and can you pull off wearing a top hat and cut off tee without looking like white trash? Didn't think so.
- Can you go through a pack of cigarettes at every show, playing a solo with one hand while simultaneously lighting one up to keep the nicotine flowing? Of course not.
8. Zakk Wylde
Sorry kids, here's another guy that started his shred-tastic career at the age of 14, so if you're a 30-something hoping to jump start that dating life with some sweet licks, there's no hope. But ole' Zakk wasn't just your regular take-lessons-from-a-Berklee-grad guitar player. No, Zakk would practice guitar from the time he got home from school, through the night, until he had to leave for school again in the morning, catching up on some valuable Z's during those pointless classes. THAT, my friend, is sticking it to the man. But that's the dedication it takes to play a polka-dotted guitar and still look tough enough to make me wet myself slightly. In awe.
7. Eric Johnson
Rule #1 - Do not, under any circumstances, mess with the jacket. If you can play like Dr. Johnson does, you can dress like whatever you want (Ex. Yngwie Malmsteem, more to come later!), including the nutcracker soldiers. Not to mention he invented half of the licks you use if you've ever tried to jack a solo from one of the greats. If you've played it, he's played it 100 times, with at least 42 of them happening while he's hitting on your mom.
6. Yngwie Malmsteen
Extreme hair? Check. Extreme bracelets, necklaces and rings? Check and check. Extreme personality? Definite check. You know those asian kids on Youtube that play your favorite classical tunes on electric guitar, redone in a new and fantastic way? Yeah, Yngwie invented that. Not to mention he plays on scalloped frets. If you know what that is, you know it's ridiculous, and if you don't, go ahead and realize that he's earned every eccentricity that he has. Also, when Jimi Hendrix died, Yngwie was 10. At that point he bestowed upon himself the title of most extreme shredder of the universe.
5. Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley is the Van Halen of country music. He plays all of his own solos, his songs are actually fairly challenging to play, and he does all of it while singing and dancing around stage. By the age of 13 he was opening for headline bands at the Capital Music Hall in West Virginia, and the numbers 6, 22 and 13 are particularly important. They are, respectively, the number of albums he has, singles on the Billboard charts and songs that have reached the number 1 spot. Props to Brad Paisley.
4. Eric Clapton
No top 10 guitarists list would ever be complete without Eric Clapton. As one of the most influential guitarists of all time, he either invented, influenced or introduced 90% of what guitarists use today, and is an influence for nearly every guitarist on this list. FYI, check out his solo from 2:56-4:08. If some of the licks sound cliche or overused, it's because all of the guitarists that made it that way were copying him. Sure, during the chorus he had his backup guitarist play the lead line for him. But last time I checked, no one else could pay another guy to play their solo and still call it theirs. He was probably just up late the night before. Doing what? Oh, that's right...being a freaking legend.
3. Tommy Emmanuel
Sure, Tommy may not be as widely known as Eric Clapton, or as influential during the developmental stages of American Rock, but he's definitely still on the scene today. Starting as a professional musician at the age of 9, he had to take a break for a few years because the Australian government insisted he go to school instead of tour with the family band. Fool me once, shame on you. He then used his schooling to get involved and win countless talent shows, gain national fame, and then drop out of school to play in bands, do session work and write jingles. Fool me twice, you're Tommy Emmanuel, and you win.
2. Justin King
You know the whole craze on youtube of acoustic guitarists playing their guitars in new and exciting ways, tapping on the neck, using crazy capos, having more than one set of strings, etc? Yeah, Justin King started all of that. From his ridiculous two-handed tapping in Phunkdified, to his use of a double necked acoustic guitar in Knock On Wood, to his two-handed tapping solo in Change, Justin King is just about the most ridiculous acoustic guitar player of all time. I'm pretty sure that if he had another hand, he'd just add another neck to his acoustic and go to town. So remember, if you see a guitarist playing in a way that your Pappy wouldn't have, the King is the reason Pappy wishes he could still knock on wood like that.
1. John Mayer
And for the title of Most Influential Guitar Player of our Day, the crown goes to none other than John Mayer. The guy is a modern day Hendrix, Van Halen and Eric Clapton all rolled into one. From his guest solo in Fall Out Boy's remake of Beat It, to his acoustic prowess in Neon, to the fact that he throws out ridiculous solos in every freaking song he plays, even to the lighter side where he often picks up gigs at comedy clubs and adds that into his shows as well, John Mayer is one of the best and most sought after guitarist today. Sure, he's got the double popped collar in this video, but that's symbolic of the billions of women who are literally throwing themselves at his feet (where one popped collar represents one billion). When you learn to play guitar, sing and write songs like him, you can be a little douchey as well (just kidding if you're reading this, John. I freaking love you man). He went to and dropped out of Berklee because he could do better on his own, dated Jennifer freakin' Aniston, and in general is the manliest of the manly guitar players listed here. So here it is, the reigning King John.
Long live the King(s).
