Since we’ve been doing this a few months now, I thought I’d crunch some numbers and give you an update on the figures and see if you agree. Here’s the rankings so far, click on the names for more info or if you want to vote.
| 1. Brian May | 81.38% |
| 2. Alex Lifeson | 81.28% |
| 3. Jimi Hendrix | 80.44 % |
| 4. Eddie Van Halen | 79.94% |
| 5. Jimmy Page | 79.91% |
| 6. Gary Moore | 78.81% |
| 7. Angus Young | 77.97% |
| 8. Jeff Beck | 76.93% |
| 9. Ritchie Blackmore | 75.66% |
| 10. Pete Townshend | 74.71% |
| 11. David Gilmour | 72.97% |
| 12. Michael Schenker | 71.93% |
| 13. Slash | 71.15% |
| 14. Tony Iommi | 70.04% |
| 15. Eric Clapton | 69.40% |
| 16. Mark Knopfler | 68.08% |
| 17. Keith Richards | 61.11% |
And here’s a breakdown of the categories:
| Top 3 Soloists : | |
| 1. Eddie Van Halen | 23.44/25 |
| 2. David Gilmour | 22.65/25 |
| 3. Brian May | 22.55/25 |
| Last Place: Keith Richards | 14.89/25 |
| Top 3 Chords/Rhythm: | |
| 1. Alex Lifeson | 21.96/25 |
| 2. Brian May | 21.68/25 |
| 3. Tony Iommi | 21.25/25 |
| Last Place: Keith Richards | 17.89/25 |
| Top 3 Most Innovative | |
| 1. Eddie Van Halen | 9.06/10 |
| 2. Jimi Hendrix | 9.00/10 |
| 3. Alex Lifeson | 8.87/10 |
| Last Place: Keith Richards | 5.11/10 |
| Top 3 Most Versatile | |
| 1. Jeff Beck | 9.33/10 |
| 2. Brian May | 8.74/10 |
| 3. Alex Lifeson | 8.60/10 |
| Last Place: Keith Richards | 6.11/10 |
| Top 3 On Stage Charisma | |
| 1. Angus Young | 8.91/10 |
| 2. Jimi Hendrix | 8.67/10 |
| 3. Pete Townshend | 8.50/10 |
| Last Place: David Gilmour | 5.35/10 |
| Top 3 Off Stage Shinanigans | |
| 1. Pete Townshend | 8.29/10 |
| 2. Keith Richards | 7.78/10 |
| 3. Michael Schenker | 7.57/10 |
| Last Place: David Gilmour | 3.76/10 |
| Top 3 Skwiggles Popularity | |
| 1. Angus Young | 9.00/10 |
| 2. Brian May | 7.00/10 |
| 3. Gary Moore | 7.00/10 |
| Last Place: Keith Richards | 3.00/10 |
All I’ve got to say about this is – sorry Keith Richards.
Let me know in the comments below what you think of the rankings and if you think they’re accurate. Or if you haven’t voted yet, feel free to click on whoever you want to vote for in the table at the top.
If your favourite isn’t on there, they’ll be coming soon.
Have a great weekend.
Take care and all the best,
Ian
Best Guitarists Update – 1 Nov 2024
You missed of the best guitarist off Steve rothery
I will put him on the list Peter 🙂
Tbh Brian May being in any top ten is absolutely rubbish and at best is mediocre
Totally agree with that comment. I’m not a big fan of Queen, there are much better guitarists out there than Brian May.