Welcome to our first-ever Greatest Guitarist poll, where 128 132 guitarists go head to head, round by round, in a bracketed format, all to crown your choice for the Greatest Guitarist of All Time.
We filled all but four of the slots with the names of a host of incredible guitarists (dead and living) — players chosen for their technical ability as well as their importance and creativity, not to mention how influential they've been. We asked you to vote in the final four names, which you did, selecting Nuno Bettencourt, Chet Atkins, Malcolm Young and Jake E. Lee to take the last four slots. Now all of the slots are filled, and we're finally into the Sweet 16, which is being brought to you by Sweetwater Sound.
You might come across one or two interesting style matchups in this poll, which may lead some of you to wonder, "How do you compare a shred guitarist to a blues guitarist?" Aside from how good a player is at his or her given style, here are some things to take into consideration:
• Influence: Who inspired more kids to beg their parents for a guitar for Christmas? Who inspired a wave of copycats?
• Chops/Versatility: Is the guitarist in question a one-trick pony or a master of many styles?
• Body of Work: Who had the more consistent career? Who has played on more classic albums?
• Creativity: Who pioneered new techniques? Who sounds the most radically different from what came before them?
You can check out full results via our regularly updated bracket here.
Our first matchup of Round 4 could very accurately be called a Clash of the Titans, with two of the most revered guitarists — as well as the top two vote-getters in the tournament so far — going head-to-head for a spot in the Elite 8. Who will move on? Vote now!
Readers Poll: The Greatest Guitarist of All Time — Van Halen Vs. Rhoads
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New DVD: A Step-by-Step Breakdown of Randy Rhoads' Guitar Styles and Techniques (4/19/2013) Check out the new 2DVD set, Ozzy Osbourne: The Randy Rhoads Years, and learn the guitar styles and techniques Randy Rhoads made famous with Ozzy Osbourne. Each part is played up to speed, then broken down note-by-note in this set, which provides... |
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Charity Auction to Feature Guitars Signed — or Owned — by Steve Vai, Van Halen, Slash, Rush and More (4/18/2013) More than 40 autographed guitars will be up for grabs this weekend at the 2013 Stars Guitars charity auction in Dearborn, Michigan. Proceeds from the annual event will benefit the Charles A. Main, MD Pediatric Cancer Survivor Scholarship Fund o... |
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Eddie Van Halen Teams Up With LL Cool J (4/2/2013) Eddie Van Halen and LL Cool J have teamed up for two songs on LL's upcoming new album Authentic, set to release on April 30. The rock icon joined the legendary rapper in the studio for two genre-defying songs on LL's new album. The first track,... |
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Video: Randy Rhoads' 'After Hours' Soundstage Performance (3/19/2013) Legendary Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads died 31 years ago today on March 19, 1982. In honor of one of metal's greatest and most influential guitarists, we present this heavily edited YouTube clip of Rhoads performing with Osbourne on the... |
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Exclusive Videos: Adrenaline Mob's John Moyer and Russell Allen Discuss Covering Van Halen's "Romeo Delight" (3/11/2013) Adrenaline Mob have released two more videos of the band in the studio recording Van Halen's "Romeo Delight." The song is from the band's upcoming release, Coverta, an eight-track EP featuring covers of some of the band’s favorite songs. The vi... |
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Exclusive Video: Mike Orlando of Adrenaline Mob Discusses Recording Van Halen's "Romeo Delight" (3/4/2013) Adrenaline Mob have released a second video of the band in the studio covering Van Halen's "Romeo Delight." The song is on the band's upcoming release, Coverta, an eight-track EP featuring covers of some of the band’s favorite songs. Longtime Po... |
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Randy Rhoads Guitar Clinic (2/7/2013) Few musicians in the history of rock have been as beloved — revered, really — as Ozzy Osbourne’s late guitarist and musical soul mate, Randy Rhoads. Only 25 when he was killed in an airplane accident in 1982, Rhoads managed in a few short years... |
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From the Archive: Billy Corgan Interviews Eddie Van Halen in 1996 (11/2/2012) Here's a feature from the April 1996 issue of Guitar World, for which Billy Corgan interviewed Eddie Van Halen. To see the complete cover, and all the GW covers from 1996, click here. Make no mistake. Eddie Van Halen can still kick your a--. The... |
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Wolfgang Van Halen Has Run-In with Boy Band One Direction (10/18/2012) By all accounts, Wolfgang Van Halen has been having a ball on the road with Tremonti in recent weeks, filling in while his father recovers from emergency surgery following a severe bout of diverticulitis. But it would appear that Wolfgang and h... |
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Poll: The Greatest Guitarist of All Time, The Finals — Eddie Van Halen Vs. Brian May (10/8/2012) Welcome to the Finals of our first-ever Greatest Guitarist poll! It all started a few months back, when 128 132 guitarists went head to head, round by round, in a bracketed format. We filled all but four of the slots with the names of incredible... |
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Poll: The Greatest Guitarist of All Time, Round 6 — Eddie Van Halen Vs. Alex Lifeson (10/3/2012) Welcome to the Final Four portion of our first-ever Greatest Guitarist poll! It all started a few months back, when 128 132 guitarists went head to head, round by round, in a bracketed format. We filled all but four of the slots with the names o... |
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Poll: The Greatest Guitarist of All Time, Round 5 — Eddie Van Halen Vs. Joe Satriani (9/26/2012) Welcome to the Elite 8 portion of our first-ever Greatest Guitarist poll! It all started a few months back, when 128 132 guitarists went head to head, round by round, in a bracketed format. We filled all but four of the slots with the names of i... |
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GJ2 Release New “Concorde” Model At Randy Rhoads Book Launch (9/13/2012) Laguna Hills, CA (September 14, 2012) – GJ2, the new guitar brand founded by Grover Jackson and Jon Gold released a new model at the prestigious Hollywood launch of a new book honoring the life of guitar icon Randy Rhoads. As many people know, t... |
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Wolfgang Van Halen Assumes Bass Duties for Tremonti Tour (9/13/2012) This week, Alter Bridge/Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti kicked off his first-ever solo tour in support of his solo debut, All I Was. As an added treat for fans, Tremonti will be joined by friend and Van Halen bassist Wolfgang Van Halen for the to... |
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'Crazy Train: The High Life and Tragic Death of Randy Rhoads' (9/6/2012) Randall Rhoads, born in California in 1956 and cut down in his prime at age 26, has been an immense influence on a generation of musicians in rock and metal. He first came to prominence in 1979, when he was recruited from the cult metal band Qu... |
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