Your Top 10 Guitar Gods?

[Psycho Circus]

Seeing as there is a few top 10's on gauging everyone's musical preferences, I decided to go with top ten guitar players.
Now, for me this takes a lot of deliberation and time to think whether it's who made my jaw-drop or who's the best ever, judged on varying degrees of axe chops. Who just sounds cool and who writes great riffs???

I've probably missed someone, but here's mine:

1. Doug Aldrich - Lion/Hurricane/Dio/House Of Lords/Whitesnake
3. George Lynch - Dokken/Lynch Mob
3. Jake E. Lee - Ozzy/Badlands/Wicked Alliance
4. Reb Beach - Winger/Dokken/Whitesnake
5. Andy Larocque - King Diamond
6. Yngwie Malmsteen - Steeler/Alcatrazz/Rising Force
7. Glen Tipton - Judas Priest
8. Eddie Van Halen
9. Vinnie Vincent - Kiss/VVInvasion
10. Paul Gilbert - Racer X/Mr. Big

I would list more, but we'll keep it to ten, it's hard. I know alot of those guys are 80s shredders, but that's what I listen to 90% of the time. I really dig the old blues players such as; John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry and upto Jeff Healy - they really influence my own style of guitar playing, very bluesed based. Probably why Aldrich is my no.1 pick. He's incredible live.

[Torgo]

1) Jimmy Page  (Led Zeppelin)
2)  Tony Iommi  (Black Sabbath)
3) Jimi Hendrix
4) Eddie Van Halen   
5) Nuno Bettencourt   (Extreme)
6) Eric Clapton   (Cream, Blind Faith, Derek & the Dominos, solo)
7) Robert Fripp   (King Crimson)
8) K.K. Downing / Glen Tipton   (Judas Priest)
9) Alex Skolnick   (Testament)
10) Adrian Smith / Dave Murray   (Iron Maiden)

[zombie no.one]

good call on nuno battenberg.

havent thought it out too well but:

Eddie Van Halen
Hendrix
Jase Edwards (Wolfsbane)
Angus Young
Hanneman/King
Angus Young/Malcolm Young
Nick Drake (hardly 'guitar god' status but a unique player)
Kevin Shields (ditto)
Kurt Cobain (and again)
Bob Mould (early Husker Du solos are insane)

probably not exactly that list, but it'll have to do

[Derf]

I'll take this a slightly different direction. I would include a few that have been mentioned, but several who maybe wouldn't be mentioned otherwise:

1. Eddie Van Halen (given)
2. Yngwie Malmsteen (if he can say his own name, he should be able to do just about anything)
3. Jerry Reed
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni8KBhnebwE&feature=related


4. Roy Clark
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVjSmng7ris


5. Buddy Holly
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhgO8rZs1Fg


6. Les Paul
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4E8OrHAMa4&feature=related


7. Charo
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztBOl4leanQ&feature=related


8. Phil Keaggy
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3iSiij98VY


9 & 10. Santana & Eric Clapton
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAf3gqdCrDs

[zombie no.one]

those youtubes have reminded me of this guy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIrwCTXPTdc


WTF?

[Allhallowsday]

ERIC CLAPTON
JIMI HENDRIX
LES PAUL
JAMES BURTON
LAURINDO ALMEIDA 
SCOTTY MOORE
ALEX CHILTON 
PHIL MANZANERA
DAVE GILMOUR
JIMMY PAGE 

[AndyC]

In no particular order:

Angus Young
Jimi Hendrix
Joe Walsh
Slash
Jimmy Page
Brian May
Mick Mars
Randy Bachman
Alex Lifeson
K. K. Downing

And a bunch more, but that's ten.

[ghouck]

Jimi
Angus
Frank Zappa
Randy Rhodes
Mark Knopfler (Can't believe he hasn't been mentioned yet)
Mick Mars
Joe Walsh
Eddie Van Halen
C.C. DeVille (I expect to catch crap for this, but I stand by my choice)
Slowhand.

I put Jimi distinctly in first, and Angus, Frank, Mark Knopfler and Randy Rhoades tied for second, , If I had to choose between them I'd say Zappa is microscopically the best of those four, second only to Jimi. The rest are somewhat in order.

Elvis may be King, Bruce may be Boss, but Jimi is God.

[Allhallowsday]

Mark Knopfler (Can't believe he hasn't been mentioned yet)
I put Jimi distinctly in first, and Angus, Frank, Mark Knopfler and Randy Rhoades tied for second, , If I had to choose between them I'd say Zappa is microscopically the best of those four, second only to Jimi. The rest are somewhat in order.

Elvis may be King, Bruce may be Boss, but Jimi is God.

I thought CLAPTON was God... MARK KNOPFLER would by number 11 on my list, saw him live with CLAPTON back in the 80s...   

[RCMerchant]

No real order...

!. Jimi Hendrix! (Of...course....)
2.Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
3. Greg Ginn (Black Flag)
4.Jimmy Page
5.Dr. Know (Bad Brains)
6. Dick Dale
7.Joe Perry (Aerosmith)
8.Johnny Ramone
9.Posoin Ivy (the Cramps)
10.Carl Perkins

Here's DICK DALE doing Nitro....!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xymVxcLQVT8

[Mr. DS]

In no particular order...
Joe Perry- Aerosmith
J - White Zombie
Jerry Cantrell - Alice In Chains
Zakk Wylde - Ozzy, Black Label Society
Billy Duffy - The Cult
Slash - GnR, Velvet Revolver
Kirk Hammett - Metallica
Mick Mars - Motley Crue
Dimebag Darrell - Pantera
Warren DeMartini -RATT

[Cult Movie Mania]

1. The Edge (U2)
2. Stuart Adamson (Big Country)
3. Bruce Watson (Big Country)
4. Steve Howe (Yes)
5. Brian May (Queen)
6. Steve Stevens (Billy Idol)
7. Warren Cuccurullo (Missing Persons/Duran Duran)
8. Mark Knopfler
9. Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music)
10. Billy Duffy (The Cult)

[Rev. Powell]

Stanley Jordan

Whether you like jazz or his particular style or not, the man is a technical genius who can play things most can only dream about. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baDM3_6w8-E

The rest of the top 10:

Robert Johnson
John Lee Hooker
Jimi Hendrix
Pat Metheny
Frank Zappa
Norman Blake
Robert Fripp
Luiz Bonfa
Ali Farka Touré

Honorable mentions: Jimmy Page, Laurindo Almeida, John Fahey, Doc Watson, Nels Cline, Bola Sete, Lightnin' Hopkins, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Eddie Van Halen, Jerry Garcia, Al Di Meola, Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane), Duck Baker

[ghouck]

I thought CLAPTON was God... MARK KNOPFLER would by number 11 on my list, saw him live with CLAPTON back in the 80s...   

To me, Clapton is a VERY good guitarist, , but he just falls short of what I would consider GREAT. Top 10 for sure, , but others I mentioned just have some extra spark and Clapton appears as a mere mortal in comparison.  Also, somehow Carlos Santana got left off my list, I'd put him up near the top, probably in my now 5-way tie for second. I know that's a cheap way to do it, , but WTH.

[darthchicken]

1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Stevie Ray Vaughan
3. Eric Clapton
4. Jimmy Page
5. Pete Townshend
6. Tony Iommi
7. Tom Morello
8. Randy Rhoads
9. Kirk Hammett
10. Robby Krieger