top ten non metal guitarists

mine would be


1. Andy Summers (The Police, Andy Summers)
2. Billy Duffy (The Cult)
3. Vernon Reid (Living Colour)
4. the guitarist from Dire Straits
5. BB King
6. Robert Fripp (King Crimson)
7. Hillel Slovak (Red Hot Chilli peppers back when they were good)
8. David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
9. Chuck Berry
10. Alex Lifeson (Rush)

Jimi Hendrix
Jimmy Page
Johnny Greenwood
Carlos Santana
Bernard Butler
Eric Clapton (particularly with Cream)
Ron Asheton
Joey Santiago
Gary Moore
Ritchie Blackmore
Dave Gilmour

Not based on technical ability because I'm not qualified to judge and not in any order because it isn't a competition. But all of the guys on my list have at one time made me go wow! And there's 11 because I forgot Santana originally!!

Boris2008 wrote:

Jimi Hendrix
Jimmy Page
Johnny Greenwood
Carlos Santana
Bernard Butler
Eric Clapton (particularly with Cream)
Ron Asheton
Joey Santiago
Gary Moore
Ritchie Blackmore
Dave Gilmour

Not based on technical ability because I'm not qualified to judge and not in any order because it isn't a competition. But all of the guys on my list have at one time made me go wow! And there's 11 because I forgot Santana originally!!

Just cross the heavy metal guitarists off your list, and you're still short.

Lari wrote:

Boris2008 wrote:

Jimi Hendrix
Jimmy Page
Johnny Greenwood
Carlos Santana
Bernard Butler
Eric Clapton (particularly with Cream)
Ron Asheton
Joey Santiago
Gary Moore
Ritchie Blackmore
Dave Gilmour

Not based on technical ability because I'm not qualified to judge and not in any order because it isn't a competition. But all of the guys on my list have at one time made me go wow! And there's 11 because I forgot Santana originally!!

Just cross the heavy metal guitarists off your list, and you're still short.

There are no heavy metal guitarists on my list (I nearly put Iommi on there too )

Well, if Blackmore and Page count, the whole thread is a bit silly. I guess Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and Mick Box qualify as well because they've also balanced the line between metal and other stuff, and also recorded music beyond heavy metal. And Alex Skolnick.

Lari wrote:

Well, if Blackmore and Page count, the whole thread is a bit silly. I guess Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and Mick Box qualify as well because they've also balanced the line between metal and other stuff, and also recorded music beyond heavy metal. And Alex Skolnick.

They count on my list. If you feel that strongly about it, leave them off yours

Deja vu:

http://www.heartofmetal.net/t11929-who-are-your-favorite-non-metal-guitarists

My fav by leaps and bounds:

Micheal Hedges
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Robert Cray
Andres Segovia
John McLaughlin
Al Di Meola
Steve Howe
Steve Hackett
Andrew Latimer
Steve Lukather

Boris2008 wrote:

Lari wrote:

Well, if Blackmore and Page count, the whole thread is a bit silly. I guess Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and Mick Box qualify as well because they've also balanced the line between metal and other stuff, and also recorded music beyond heavy metal. And Alex Skolnick.

They count on my list. If you feel that strongly about it, leave them off yours

Well, Blackmore is already on my top ten heavy metal guitarists list. I think having him on a top ten non-metal guitarist list is just confusing, unless you love him for his work in Blackmore's Night, as opposed to Purple or Rainbow.

But I don't care, I'll just make a list.

Lari's top ten non-metal guitarists:

1. Criss Oliva
2. Ritchie Blackmore
3. Michael Schenker
4. Eddie Van Halen
5. Steve Vai
6. Alex Skolnick
7. Nuno Bettencourt
8. Mick Box
9. Doug Aldrich
10. Axel Rudi Pell

They all have a little bit of non-metal in them...

I think Prince deserves a mention on any non-metal list of guitarists.

Lari wrote:

Boris2008 wrote:

Lari wrote:

Well, if Blackmore and Page count, the whole thread is a bit silly. I guess Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and Mick Box qualify as well because they've also balanced the line between metal and other stuff, and also recorded music beyond heavy metal. And Alex Skolnick.

They count on my list. If you feel that strongly about it, leave them off yours

Well, Blackmore is already on my top ten heavy metal guitarists list. I think having him on a top ten non-metal guitarist list is just confusing, unless you love him for his work in Blackmore's Night, as opposed to Purple or Rainbow.

But I don't care, I'll just make a list.

Lari's top ten non-metal guitarists:

1. Criss Oliva
2. Ritchie Blackmore
3. Michael Schenker
4. Eddie Van Halen
5. Steve Vai
6. Alex Skolnick
7. Nuno Bettencourt
8. Mick Box
9. Doug Aldrich
10. Axel Rudi Pell

They all have a little bit of non-metal in them...

I'm not quite sure why you find a different opinion to your own so insulting that you have to make this much of a deal about it but as you have I'll tell you why they are not on my list.

DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW & LED ZEPPELIN ARE NOT METAL BANDS!! NEVER WERE, NEVER WILL BE!!

Hope this helps

I don't find it insulting at all. I am quite open-minded. I just made a personal list of non-metal guitarists that I felt fit what the thread was about.

I think everything hard and heavy can be considered metal, especially if the artists involved were the ones pioneering the whole name and genre. But I can also go with the other side, and appreciate the fact that not all heavy metal is ONLY heavy metal, and that a lot of these great musicians went beyond simple genre definitions. A 70's lad like Jimmy Page was definitely not just heavy metal. Led Zep is a tremendous heavy metal band, but they are an even greater ROCK band.

Lari wrote:

I don't find it insulting at all. I am quite open-minded. I just made a personal list of non-metal guitarists that I felt fit what the thread was about.

I think everything hard and heavy can be considered metal, especially if the artists involved were the ones pioneering the whole name and genre. But I can also go with the other side, and appreciate the fact that not all heavy metal is ONLY heavy metal, and that a lot of these great musicians went beyond simple genre definitions. A 70's lad like Jimmy Page was definitely not just heavy metal. Led Zep is a tremendous heavy metal band, but they are an even greater ROCK band.

Now that statement I completely agree with. At the end of the day all of these guys are musicians, with a wide range of influences and personal tastes, even guys like Tony Iommi had a ton of blues, prog and jazz influences. Similarly you can look at a definitely not metal guitarist like George Harrison and recognise the contribution that he made to the genre that we love.



Should have had George on my list

IMO Ritchie Blackmore is a metal guitarist, and I would throw Jimmy Page in as well.

1-Jimi Hendrix
2- David Gilmour
3- Keith Richards
4- and list goes on

I'm not sure who else would be on it, but my top 10 would include Steve Rothery and Brian May.

Rik Emmett. The end.

10. SRV
9. Les Paul
8. Jeff Beck
8. Dickie Betts/Duane Allman
7. Larry Carlton
6. Lee Ritenour
5. Robbie Robertson
4. David Gilmour
3. Mike Campbell
2. Allan Holdsworth
1. Neil Young

EDIT: just realized Robin Trower belongs somewhere on that list.

corplhicks wrote:

10. SRV
9. Les Paul
8. Jeff Beck
8. Dickie Betts/Duane Allman
7. Larry Carlton
6. Lee Ritenour
5. Robbie Robertson
4. David Gilmour
3. Mike Campbell
2. Allan Holdsworth
1. Neil Young

EDIT: just realized Robin Trower belongs somewhere on that list.

I realized that I left out a few(Rothery, love that early sound he used to have), but I was really moving away from even the rock arena........... Lukather made it on my list anyway.

Ten guitarists I like, who are not thought of as metal - but could probably do some seriously metallic shredding if they had the urge...!

Steve Stevens (Billy Idol)
Andy Summers (the Police)
Steve Howe (Yes)
Craig Chaquico (Jefferson Starship)
Ronnie Montrose (Montrose and Gamma)
Stevie Ray Vaughn (duh)
Eric Clapton (Cream, D & the Dominos)
Jimi Hendrix (duh)
Dave Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
Brian May (Queen)


and in about ten minutes I'll be thinking I should have put xxx in instead of yyy.

I don't think I could put together a top 10 list, bit I'm a huge Bob Mould fan and he is an excellent guitarist. Since he hasn't made any list yet, I'll throw in his name.

Mike Roe of The 77's and Lost Dogs. A classy guitarist, a cross between Mark Knofler, Lindsay Buckingham, and Keith Richards. One of the best that nobody's ever heard of and a great songwriter.

Stevie ray Vaughn
Johnny Winter
Billy Gibbons
Chuck Berry
Scotty Moore
Jerry Reed
Junior Brown
Dick Dale
Robin Trower
The Edge (U2)

Great picks. Nice to see Chuck Berry mentioned too, as he really defined the style of 50's R&R.

Also, why we're on the subject, is there any consensus on who is the King of the Acoustic?

I doubt there would ever be a consensus, but Gordon Giltrap is quite highly regarded as an acoustic guitarist.