Guitar World's 50 Fastest Guitarists of All Time...yeah


magentalane's avatar
Okay, before you all slaughter me for posting this, let me actually try to make this thread discussion-worthy.

I don't like Guitar World magazine too much, but I actually willingly shelled out the money for this particular issue, partly out of curiosity, and partly out of interest in possibly discovering new guitar players worth listening to. I'm a guitarist, and I like to listen to listen to my share of (gasp) so-called "shred" music--that doesn't mean you'll catch me listening to DragonForce anytime soon. So it made sense to me.

Honestly, the list didn't include too many surprises, and some choices would most likely appear blasphemous to listeners who would value technique and expression over speed any given day--it doesn't help that DragonForce, Children of Bodom, and Avenged Sevenfold are included. But hey, it is a list based around speed, although I would like believe the magazine actually took ability into consideration--at least to an extent. And thankfully (right?), the 50 fastest players are not exclusively rock and metal musicians. So here it is (mostly in alphabetical order):

Trey Azagthoth (Morbid Angel)
Mick Barr
Michael Angelo Batio
Jason Becker
Buckethead
Dimebag Darrell (Pantera)
Paco de Lucia
Allan Holdsworth
Al di Meola
Frank Gambale
Marty Friedman (Megadeth)
Synyster Gates (Avenged Sevenfold)
Danny Gatton
Paul Gilbert
John 5
The Great Kat
Richie Kotzen
Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom)
Johnny Hiland
Cary and Larry Parks (Boy Howdy)
Jimmy Olander
Jimmy Bryant
Cliff Gallup
Larry Collins and Joe Maphis
Shawn Lane (Black Oak Arkansas)
Albert Lee
Alvin Lee (Ten Years After)
Jeff Loomis (Nevermore)
Yngwie Malmsteen
John McLaughlin (Mahavishnu Orchestra)
Steve Morse
John Petrucci (Dream Theater)
Chris Impellitteri
Guy Mann-Dude
Maestro Alex Gregory
Vinnie Moore
Uli Jon Roth (Scorpions)
Les Paul
Django Reinhardt
Randy Rhoads
Joe Satriani
Chuck Schuldiner (Death)
Alex Skolnick (Testament)
Timo Tolkki (Stratovarius)
Herman Li and Sam Totman (DragonForce)
Steve Vai
Eddie Van Halen
Ben Weiman (Dillinger Escape Plan)
Johnny Winter

Interesting? Disgusting? Laughable? tl;dr?
Comments66
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FixMeKnow's avatar
6ft2plus's avatar
remove Synyster ans Sam Totman and put in cris broderick and eric johnson. at least they included jason becker and richie kotzen (they never get enough recognition).
AvSkyggene's avatar
Guitar World/Hero/Wanker magazine are all loaded with shit. Never read them.
alcholocaust's avatar
Needs more Santana.
nocturnwinter's avatar
Dunno who necro'd this thread, but I just wanted to say that Trey Azagthoth is one fucking awesome guitarist.
mmxivrip's avatar
why is guitar playing so focused on speed :iconohnoseplz:
but hey a7x is a quite ok band live.
Kylma's avatar
Janick Gers? [link]
And if you know his solo on the song "Dance Of Death"..
EnvyMachinery's avatar
synyster gates? were they high???
bearjazzplz's avatar
More Fripp, Hackett, Zappa
CouldBeJesus's avatar
Not at all a surprising list. I was expecting Ben Weiman a little bit but not really counting on it. Pretty much every time I'm listening to Dillinger with people, there has to always be someone that says Ben Weiman is a dick. We don't mean like, O and btw, that Ben Weiman isn't a very nice guy. It's more like fuck his existence because it makes ours look like shit.
trinket's avatar
Watch herman Li videos on YouTube... they're a hoot.
I hate that I've seen him live before!
Arkayem's avatar
Shredding sucks.....lol2 at gates being on this list....I mean its like a given he'd be on here and he sounds like methed up kittens fighting over a high E string.
CorruptedBrilliance's avatar
tha regularz hear 'shred' and they be hatin'... lol *facepalm*

Well, here's how I define a guitarist.
Practice=get better
get good enough=solos
moar practice=moar speed+skill at soloing
speed=lotsa practice
lotsa practice=lotsa skill

Now, I will have to make a distinction between the more creative guitarists and the ones that just cram as many pentatonic/harmonic runs (I'm no genius with technical terms:P) as they can into 45 secs and those that CONSTRUCT their solos. I respect both, and both serve certain moods, as both are fun to play if you have the tabs. I cant touch what either extreme does, so you cant fault me for thinking that simple.

Or maybe you can.
Blue-toxic's avatar
well Mark Knopfler ???!!!
kourinthellama's avatar
Mark Knopfler is as fast as Heinz ketchup.
morte-abreviada's avatar
Billy Sheehan must be one of them, I don't really like him though
beavisandbutthead123's avatar
speed does not equal skill.
Criptonix's avatar
You forgot one, (No.7) Mick Tompson from SLIPKNOT.
Criptonix's avatar
I think the Heretic song speaks for its self!!!