SRV may be the greatest ever.

I've always liked Robert Smith's style. I second Johnny Marr.

[whisper]ahem...I think he said guitar player[/whisper]

My personal #1 is Will Sergeant.

27 replies and no mention of DICK DALE ?!?!

Duane Allman....

Well, I'm more of a new wave fan, so my tastes tend to reflect that. I just really appreciated the way a lot of new wave guitarists cut down on the unneccesary solos and put more focus on reinforcing the overall vibe of the band and the songs.

*Edge (U2)--a true visionary with one of the most unique and distinctive sounds ever.

*Will Sergeant (Echo and the Bunnymen)--just listen to all those fantastic, strange and wonderful songs!

*Andy Summers (Police)--OK, maybe Sting told him what to play, but I still hold that Message in a Bottle is the greatest guitar riff ever recorded.

*Stuart Adamson (God rest his soul) and Bruce Watson ( both in Big Country)--I loved the way these guys threw on everything but the kitchen sink---chorus, echoes, distortion, tremolo, and ya gotta love those E-Bows!

*Charlie Burchill (Simple Minds)--nice big, echo-ey sound

*Johnny Marr (Smiths)--great, varied, distinctive, subtle playing

*Brian Setzer--man, can this guy play Guitar!

Mike Scott (Waterboys)---great songwriter, and I love his simple but SOARING solos.

Mick Jones (the Clash)---punk, reggae, rock, pop, ska, folk, techno, rockabilly----this is rock and roll.

Peter Buck (REM)----Wow, just so many great American songs.

Bob Mould (Husker Du)---He could crank it up to 1000 miles an hour, or he could slow it down to a subtle acoustic number---very influential guitar sound.

And of course Townshend, Richards, etc.

And a few great songwriters that really knew how to get the best songs out of their guitars:


Joe Strummer (The Clash)
Bob Dylan
Bob Marley
John and George (Beatles)
Paul Weller (The Jam)
Ric Ocasek (The Cars)
Robert Smith (The Cure)
Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)

I'm glad I ain't the only guitar player in the boards. I'm glad to see more here.

Great lists everyone.

Yes I love Brian Sezter's guitar playing a lot. His album "Ignition: 69 Special" kicks total ass.

I also like Pete Townsend from the Who. I don't think no one has mentioned him yet.

I mentioned him, and even kissed his ass. My biggest influence as a guitar player...

My Four Favorite:
Warren Haynes (Gov't Mule/Allman Brothers)
Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
Slash (Guns 'n' Roses)
Mike Mcready (Pearl Jam)

What about us bass players??

Come on kids..."Gary Moore" does that ring a bell with anbody here.

Joco Pastorius=greatest bass player ever
Les Claypool
Jeff Ament
Flea

Yes, I can accept bass players in this topic since guitar and bass are pretty much the same thing. So if anyone wants to name bass players, please feel free to do that.

OK, for bass players, my number one by far is Peter Hook of Joy Division/New Order. I just LOVE the way his bass lines are so melodic, they're almost the central riff of a lot of the songs. Awesome.

Victor Wooten
Oteil Burbidge
Stanley Clarke
Steve Bailey
Charlie Haden
Dave Holland
Charles Mingus
John Patitucci
Ray Brown (greatest bass player ever...period)
Jaco Pastorius

I'm from Austin so I might be a little biased, but I have to say SRV! Get the DVD of him at Austin City Limits and check out Riviera Paradise. Also, I can't believe no one mentioned Buddy Guy! He was a influence on Clapton. Also, Al di Meola is great as well as some local Austin favorites like Eric Johnson.

My personal favorites/influences are Stevie Ray Vaughn, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, and Phil Keaggy. All these guys are amazing in their own right. Of course for me no one comes close to SRV and I can't imagine how much more amazing he would have been had he had not died at his prime.

My fav bass players...

John Entwistle (The Who)
Larry Graham (Sly Stone, Graham Central Station)
James Jamerson (Motown sessions)
Paul McCartney

I'm the only person to say warren haynes...

Go see a Gov't Mule show please......

A great local guitarist here in Phoenix is Carvin Jones. He's amazing.

There's this guy who goes by the name of Adam Jones and does some decent guitar work for a little band called Tool.

All the above are worth mentioning and also...
K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest
James Byrd
Chris Impellitteri
Adrian Smith and Dave Murray of Iron Maiden

Favorite bass players:

Jeff Berlin (maybe the greatest bassist most have not heard of)
Chris Squire
Stuart Hamm
Stanley Clarke
John Entwistle
Lemmy (underrated)
Tony Levin
Bunny Brunel
Randy Coven
Paul McCartney
Andy West

Though its bass, I'd like to mention Matt Freeman of Rancid is an awesome bass player. He's all over the place.

Ray Brown has been around a long time and has been on a lot of records and accomplished a lot. But better than Joco... Umm, No.