Can you name the 100 best guitarists according to Rolling Stone Magazine (2003)?

Rank	Guitarist	Band/Act
1		The [self titled] Experience
2		The [self titled] Brothers Band
3		Solo
4		Cream
5		Solo
6		Solo
7		Solo
8		Solo
9		Led Zeppelin
10		The Rolling Stones
11		Metallica
12		Nirvana
13		The Grateful Dead
14		Solo
15		Solo
16		[self titled]
17		The White Stripes
18		Red Hot Chili Peppers
19		Solo
20		Solo
21		The Beatles
22		The Butterfield Band
23		Gov't Mule
24		U2
25		Solo
26		Rage Against the Machine
27		Dire Straits
28		Buffalo Springfield
29		The Stooges
30		Solo
31		Solo
32		Quicksilver Messenger Service
33		Sonic Youth
34		Sonic Youth

Rank	Guitarist	Band/Act
35		Solo
36		Booker T. & the M.G.'s
37		Solo
38		Fleetwood Mac
39		Queen
40		Creedence Clearwater Revival
41		The Byrds
42		King Crimson
43		Funkadelic
44		Elvis Presley
45		The Mothers of Invention
46		Solo
47		Solo
48		Aerosmith
49		Lifetime
50		The Who
51		Free
52		The Velvet Underground
53		Solo
54		Jefferson Airplane
55		Deep Purple
56		Television
57		Solo
58		The Allman Brothers Band
59		Radiohead
60		Radiohead
61		Tina Turner
62		Captain Beefheart
63		Solo
64		David Bowie
65		Muddy Waters
66		Living Colour
67		Solo
68		Solo

Rank	Guitarist	Band/Act
69		Yes
70		[Self Titled]
71		Solo
72		Solo
73		Phish
74		Solo
75		Tool
76		Solo
77		Canned Heat
78		The Band
79		Blue Caps
80		Solo
81		The Allman Brothers Band
82		Pink Floyd
83		Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
84		Solo
85		Ozzy Osbourne
86		Black Sabbath
87		Solo
88		The Kinks
89		Minutemen
90		Alice Cooper
91		The Doors
92		MC5
93		MC5
94		Pentangle
95		My Bloody Valentine
96		AC/DC
97		Solo
98		Blue Cheer
99		Black Flag
100		Soundgarden
	Soundgarden
	Soundgarden
	Soundgarden
	Soundgarden
	Soundgarden
	Soundgarden
	Soundgarden

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There are 284 comments for this game.
(Warning: comments may contain spoilers)

100 Greatest Guitarists Quiz

by Ben

Created Mar 12, 2009 in Music
Featured Mar 12, 2009
Game Plays 142,538

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	some_guy:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 19:39 GMT		21 points
	It's a shame Slash isn't on this list. He really should be here. I only got Angus and Neill Young, Jimmy Page, Harrison and Hendrix. Should have got more

	ElDavo:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 19:40 GMT		29 points
	What justifies Angus Young being at 96? That's crime against humanity. Slash should also be on here, and Joe Bonamassa, and Steve Vai. Proceed with the negative points.

	OhhYeah1:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 19:43 GMT		10 points
	try typing in ted nugent lol

	bringer of spice:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 19:45 GMT		21 points
	Rolling Stone doesn't know anything about anything. Jerry Garcia and Kurt Kobain in the top 15 but Eddie Van Halen at number 70? No steve vai no satch, horrible list, good sporcle.

	mattrd08:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 19:47 GMT		5 points
	Typed in Slash and got that... Shame...

	ElDavo:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 19:50 GMT		0 points
	I like these bonus answers. Let me explain Joe Bonamassa: He's the best blues guitarist two years in a row. When he was 12, he opened for B.B. King. How he isn't on this list at all is incredible.

	ElDavo:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 19:51 GMT		1 point
	Sorry for the triple comment... Sporcle should have some of their other lists: top 100 artists, vocalists, albums. Last I saw this list two months ago, I looked at those, too. Pretty interesting lists.

	johnlambeth:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 19:53 GMT		18 points
	Joe Satriani? Steve Vai? This list is a joke (I'm bashing Rolling Stone, not Sporcle :)

	Chris968:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 19:55 GMT		1 point
	How can Zack Wylde not be on this list?? I guess because it's Rolling Stone and they really don't know what they're talking about...

	Nuclear_Knuckles:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 19:55 GMT		5 points
	Van Halen is the last name, not just Halen. ... The name of the band was the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, not the Butterfield Band ... and that inspired Carlos to start the Santana Blues Band, which later became simply Santana. He should be listed as [self-titled band], not solo.

	peanut4:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 19:56 GMT		2 points
	How the hell did I forget to put Hendrix?

Comment below threshold: show it

	motrain24:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 19:57 GMT		15 points
	Redundant, but true... great quiz, awful list.

	greekmike:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:00 GMT		3 points
	I'm not big on Skynyrd, but I was fully expecting Gary Rossington to be on this list.

	HollywoodLeo:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:01 GMT		-2 points
	John Frusciante FTMFW

	Cuthbert_Twilley:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:03 GMT		0 points
	Nice bonuses. But check the spelling: "Sonic Yourh"?

	gopaladins:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:04 GMT		-1 points
	yeah "van halen" doesn't work. robert randloph is awesome, and he's not solo. he's in "robert randolph and the family band". funny bonuses.

	Kicking222:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:08 GMT		-1 points
	Got 43, which is in the top 3% according to the quiz results... but I'm still not happy with it. Call it being a perfectionist. I shouldn't have missed Santana, Paul, or Van Halen. Also, 97 should really read "[self-titled] and the Family Band" since he's almost never credited solo. Anyway, very funq uiz. Now that we've had this and songs, why not RS's greatest albums?

	Kicking222:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:10 GMT		1 point
	And Joni Mitchell! I wouldn't have thought she'd be on there, but I can't believe I didn't try her. She and Dylan were the first concert I ever saw, for god's sake.

	Wes_Mantooth:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:15 GMT		2 points
	If you don't know Jorma, you don't know Jack

	skellig:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:17 GMT		0 points
	Peter Buck?

	Havok3595:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:18 GMT		0 points
	Satriani was the only "bonus" I got. And while Radiohead and Sonic Youth are great, I really don't think putting two guitarists each is the way to say that. And don't get me started on the Allman Brothers Band.

	davidr:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:19 GMT		47 points
	I would just like to say that "The Self-Titled Experience" would be a great name for a band.

	GKW1982:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:30 GMT		18 points
	I've always hated this list. So many guitar legends were left off in favor of far less talented modern hippy bands. Not to mention how insane the placement is...Eddie Van Halen is #70 and Kurt Cobain is #12...Good list game but Rolling Stone is retarded.

	WVUIE97:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:31 GMT		1 point
	to El Davo: Not saying that I agree with this list, but it was created in 2003, perhaps before Bonamassa made his mark or at least was too new? And if Robert Johnson doesn't predate Rolling Stone, how in the world does Chet Atkins?(the comment doesn't make sense but I like the fact that he's a bonus though)

	BelowZero:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:33 GMT		-2 points
	Curious that Lenny Kravitz ain't on there. Isn't that all he is known for? And Keller Williams.

	Tank:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:40 GMT		3 points
	Yes, this quiz is great, hopefully greatest drummers/singers/bassists quizes on the way

	moegoldberg:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:40 GMT		5 points
	Should 16 be The [self titled]s ? Also - any list the has Nirvana's guitarist at 12 and [self titled] at 70 is absurd!!?!

	That_Guy:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:47 GMT		13 points
	so there's 2 Sonic Youth and Radiohead guitarists here.. and no Iron Maiden guitarists.. at least Dave Murray should be on there!

	MartinB:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:48 GMT		-1 points
	Mmm - I like to think I know a thing or two about music, but I've never heard of many of these (Gov't Mule??) which is a bit disappointing. #1 is certainly right even if the rest are somewhat doubtful.

	ChanandlerBong:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 20:55 GMT		23 points
	Yet another "top guitarists" article that fails to recognise the genius that is Django Reinhardt. Also, no Vai or Satch? Fail.

	RavenEleni:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 21:01 GMT		3 points
	I love the bonus answers, wel done sporcle for at least acknowledging these great guitarist, you do a better job than rolling stone clearly did!!

	CBW:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 21:02 GMT		6 points
	no buckethead?!

	RavenEleni:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 21:05 GMT		0 points
	@max power: ye not to diss the dude he had some good songs, but no 12 knew about 6 chords, lol also how can the white stripes anwer even be on the list, grr i hate rolling stone

	SammyG:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 21:08 GMT		8 points
	What an awful list. Would have been a great quiz if the list wasn't so terrible. Why is Kurt Cobain that high? How can Slash not be on this list? Where is John Petrucci? Does Rolling Stone hate shredders? Any reason why it seems like 95% of hard rock/metal guitarists are conspicuously absent? and ChanandlerBong, good job pointing out Django. He was amazing and he played everything with 2 fingers!

	TheQuiz:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 21:08 GMT		22 points
	No Alex Lifeson from Rush is a crime

	Tank:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 21:13 GMT		6 points
	@Millar1987: It is a crime, he is an amzing guitarist, and can outplay so many guys on here.

	johnlk:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 21:17 GMT		1 point
	God, Rolling Stone is terrible. They've got a bunch of kind of famous session musicians, suggesting this is about talent with the guitar, but then they have people like Cobain and White and Mitchell who are on their not because they're particularly excellent guitarists, but because their music more broadly is important (and Mitchell because she's a woman, obviously).

	Chiaprofessor:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 21:22 GMT		8 points
	I'm surprised Frampton didn't make it. I know a lot of people discount him due to his 70's big hair open shirt days, but if George Harrison had him play as a young teen, he must be good.

	swjm:	Mar 12th, 2009 at 21:28 GMT		14 points
	I started, typed in Alex Lifeson, and quickly didn't care about this quiz any longer.