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Who Voters Are Backing Right Now
The guitarists getting the most votes from the community. Add your vote to move the standings.
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Rankings update live from community votes. Cast your vote to influence the standings.
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This Week’s Featured Guitarist
Steve Howe
★ Profile
Steve Howe, born in London in 1947, is one of the most eclectic and accomplished guitarists in the history of rock, the virtuoso whose dazzling, genre-spanning playing helped make the progressive rock band Yes…
Read More ›▼ Legendary Performance
The Close to the Edge tour of 1972 presented Steve Howe at the peak of the musical ambition that had driven Yes from progressive rock newcomers to one of the most commercially successful bands in Britain. The…
Read More ›⚙ Gear of the Greats
Steve Howe's primary electric guitar is the 1964 Gibson ES-175, a fully hollow archtop jazz guitar whose warm, complex tone and responsive dynamics suit his technically varied approach. The ES-175 is not a…
Read More ›♫ Signature Technique
Steve Howe's guitar technique is the most genuinely multi-disciplinary of any player associated with progressive rock, not a rock guitarist who has studied classical or jazz, but a musician trained across…
Read More ›🎂 This Month
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Greatest Guitar Player Fan Index
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the greatest guitar player of all time?
On the Greatest Guitar Player Fan Index, Jimmy Page currently holds the top spot, followed by Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen. The ranking covers 167 guitarists and updates live as fans vote at greatestguitarplayer.com/vote.
How does Greatest Guitar Player rank guitarists?
Fans rate each guitarist from 0 to 10 on eight attributes: innovation, performance, speed, soul, rhythm, lead guitar, songwriting and coolness. The order uses a weighted score that balances each guitarist's average rating with the number of votes, so a single perfect vote cannot jump the line. Guitarists without fan votes yet are placed by an editorial score.
Can I vote for my favorite guitarist?
Yes. Anyone can rate any of the 167 guitarists on eight attributes at greatestguitarplayer.com/vote. Every vote counts toward the overall Fan Index and the genre leaderboards.
Who are the greatest guitarists in each genre?
Greatest Guitar Player keeps separate fan leaderboards for blues, classic rock, hard rock, heavy metal, shred, jazz, country, punk and alternative, and rock and roll. The current leaders include Eric Clapton in blues, Dimebag Darrell in heavy metal, Django Reinhardt in jazz and fusion and Albert Lee in country and roots. See every list at greatestguitarplayer.com/greatest-guitarists-by-genre.
What does Greatest Guitar Player cover for each guitarist?
Every guitarist has a profile with a biography, a legendary live performance, the gear behind their sound and their signature techniques, along with their live fan ranking.