If you’re a serious guitarist, then you know that it takes more than passion and hard work to master the instrument. The gear you choose makes an equally big difference in your journey as a budding musician – both ergonomically and sound-wise. To help make this decision easier, we have compiled an extensive list of the top 100 guitarists of all time and their signature guitars. From Eric Clapton’s Fender Stratocaster to Eddie Van Halen’s instantly recognizable custom made model by Luthiers Kramer, here are the iconic guitars connected with history’s most acclaimed voices on six strings. So sit down and check out the instruments that made some of the rock royalty past (and present) great as we rank our epic picks from 1 to 100!
1. Jimmi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix was an iconic guitarist whose influence on the world of music is unrivaled. His incredible mastery of the electric guitar is evidenced by his memorable riffs and solos. Hendrix was known for playing a Fender Stratocaster and made it his guitar of choice. He famously used the instrument to create a unique sound that has been emulated by generations of guitarists since. Hendrix revolutionized the way musicians think about guitar playing, and his legacy continues to live on in the world of music today.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
2. Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) –
Jimmy Page, OBE, is an English musician who achieved international success as the founder and guitarist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He is known for his skillful guitar playing and his preference for Fender Telecaster and Gibson Les Paul guitars. Page’s ability to bring together elements of blues, rock and folk music has been a huge influence on the modern rock sound. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
3. Eric Clapton (the Yardbirds, Cream)
The legendary Eric Clapton has been an iconic figure in the rock and blues music scene for decades. His signature sound is due in part to his favored instruments – Fender electric and Martin acoustic guitars. His skill and expertise on these instruments has earned him a place as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender (Electric) & Martin (Acoustic)
4. Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen)
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen was a legendary musician and songwriter. He was the lead guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and chief songwriter for the world-famous rock band Van Halen, which he helped to create in 1972. His guitar of choice was a combination of his own EVH guitars, Les Pauls, and Kramers, which he used to craft his iconic sound.
Guitar Maker of Choice: EVH, Les Paul & Kramer
5. David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
David Jon Gilmour CBE is one of the most acclaimed guitarists in the world and an iconic member of the legendary rock band Pink Floyd. Joining the group in 1967, just before the departure of their founding member Syd Barrett, Gilmour is renowned for his mastery of Fender guitars. His sound is often described as a mix of blues, psychedelic and progressive rock, and his use of Fender guitars contributes to his signature sound.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender Guitars
6. Stevie Ray Vaughan
Renowned for his mastery of the Fender Stratocaster, Stephen Ray Vaughan was a pioneer of the blues rock genre. As the frontman of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Vaughan’s skillful playing of the Stratocaster allowed him to create dynamic and unique sounds that would shape the genre for years to come. His innovative use of the Fender Stratocaster in combination with his distinct style of play allowed Vaughan to craft a legendary career, making him one of the greatest guitar players of all time.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
7. B.B. King
B.B. King’s iconic guitar of choice was a 1958 Gibson ES-355. He nicknamed it “Lucille,” after an incident in a dance hall where two men started a fight over a woman named Lucille. King saved his beloved guitar from the fire they caused, and so named the instrument in honor of the woman who inspired the fight.
8. Les Paul
Les Paul was a true innovator in the world of electric guitar, and his greatest legacy is the Gibson Les Paul. As a luthier and inventor, Les Paul had the vision to create a revolutionary instrument, and the Gibson Les Paul was the result. With its solid-body construction and two humbucking pickups, the Gibson Les Paul has become one of the most iconic electric guitars in history. Les Paul’s influence in the guitar world is still felt to this day, and his choice of the Gibson Les Paul is a testament to his commitment to quality craftsmanship and innovation.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
9. Carlos Santana –
Carlos Santana is a legendary American guitarist who has been dazzling audiences since the late 1960s and early 1970s with his unique blend of rock and Latin American jazz. He is renowned for his signature sound, which is made possible thanks to his guitar of choice – Paul Reed Smith Guitars. The iconic musician has been playing PRS guitars for many years and has been a loyal advocate of the instrument maker ever since.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Paul Reed Smith Guitars
10. Jeff Beck (the Yardbirds, the Jeff Beck Group)
Geoffrey Arnold Beck is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. He has also released several solo albums and has won multiple awards for his technical innovation and mastery of the electric guitar. His guitar of choice? A Fender Stratocaster. Beck is a master of the Stratocaster, using it to create and express musical ideas that have influenced generations of guitarists. He has been praised for his incredible technique and his amazing ability to make the Stratocaster sing.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender Guitars
11. Chuck Berry
Legendary musician Chuck Berry was a pioneer of rock and roll. His signature guitar of choice was the Gibson ES-350T, an archtop electric guitar that has become a classic instrument in the rock and roll world. With its large hollow body and three-pickup design, the ES-350T was the perfect choice for Berry to create his unique sound. His influence on modern music can still be felt to this day, and the Gibson ES-350T will always be associated with the legendary artist.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
12. Duane Allman (the Allman Brothers Band)
Howard Duane Allman was an iconic American rock guitarist and founding member of the Allman Brothers Band. Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Allman started playing guitar at the young age of 14. The instrument of choice for Allman was a 1959 Gibson Les Paul dubbed “The Big House”, and he is renowned for his utilization of reverberation and slide guitar techniques. Allman’s influence on rock guitar still resonates today and he is fondly remembered as one of the most talented guitarists ever.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
13. Brian May (Queen)
Brian Harold May CBE is a renowned English musician, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist who rose to fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. Along with Queen’s lead singer Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor, May was a founding member of the iconic band. When it came to guitars, Brian May had a few favorites, including the Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, and Gibson Flying V. Each of these guitars had their own distinct sound and style, and were used by May to create some of the most memorable music in history.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson, Fender, Red Special
i. Fender Stratocaster
ii. Fender Telecaster:
iii. Gibson Les Paul Deluxe:
iv. Gibson Flying V:
14. Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple)
Richie Blackmore is a legendary English guitarist and songwriter, having been a founding member of the iconic Deep Purple in 1968. With his unique style of guitar playing, he has created a sound that is a blend of riffs and organ sounds that have become synonymous with the band. His influence has been felt far and wide, as evidenced by his iconic guitar riffs and classical-inspired solos. He continues to be an inspiration to generations of guitar players and music fans alike.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
15. Randy Rhoads (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne)
Randy Rhoads was an iconic figure of heavy metal, renowned for his influential style of playing and composition. He is best known for his work with Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne, and his guitar of choice was Jackson Guitars. Rhoads’ Jackson guitars were a significant part of his sound, and their bright and tight tone was integral to his iconic playing style. His work with Ozzy Osbourne helped to rocket Jackson Guitars to stardom, and they remain one of the most popular guitar choices among metal musicians today.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Jackson
16. Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield, known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an essential figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the “father of modern Chicago blues”. His style of playing has been described as “raining down Delta beatitude”.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
16. Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters revolutionized modern blues music with his unique sound, drawing influence from Delta blues and traditional electric blues. His preferred instrument was the Fender Telecaster, which he used to create a sound that has become iconic in the blues genre. With its bright, twangy sound and punchy attack, the Fender Telecaster was the perfect tool for Waters to express his passionate and soulful playing.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
18. Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits)
Mark Knopfler, the iconic British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, is widely renowned for his work with the rock band Dire Straits. After the band’s first dissolution in 1988, Mark began a successful solo career. His guitar of choice is a combination of Fender and Gibson models, reflecting his eclectic taste in music and his admiration for classic rock and blues.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender & Gibson
19. Alex Lifeson (Rush)
Aleksandar Živojinović, OC, known professionally as Alex Lifeson, is a Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist and backing vocalist of the progressive rock band Rush. In 1968, Lifeson co-founded the band that would later become Rush, with drummer John Rutsey and bassist and lead vocalist Jeff Jones. Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson Les Paul
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
20. Steve Vai
Steve Vai is an iconic American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer who has won three Grammy Awards and been nominated fifteen times. Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a transcriptionist for Frank Zappa and played in Zappa’s band from 1980 to 1983. He is a master of his craft and his guitar of choice is an Ibanez. Vai has used Ibanez guitars for decades, and it has become a staple of his sound. He has even collaborated with Ibanez on signature series guitars that are crafted to his exacting specifications.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Ibanez
21. Prince
Prince Rogers Nelson was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation, he was known for his flamboyant, androgynous persona and wide vocal range, which included a far-reaching falsetto and high-pitched screams.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender, Gibson, Hohner, Cloud
22. Buddy Guy
George “Buddy” Guy is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Gary Clark Jr. and John Mayer.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
23. Joe Satriani
Joseph Satriani is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and guitar teacher. Early in his career, Satriani worked as a guitar instructor, with many of his former students achieving fame, including …
Guitar Maker of Choice: Ibanez
24. Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)
a. William Frederick Gibbons is an American rock musician who is the guitarist and primary vocalist of ZZ Top. He began his career in the Moving Sidewalks, who recorded Flash and opened four dates for the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Gibbons formed ZZ Top in late 1969 and released ZZ Top’s First Album in early 1971
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
25. Pete Townshend (the Who) –
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townshend has written more than 100 songs for 12 of the Who’s studio albums.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
26. Slash (Guns N’ Roses)
a. Saul Hudson, better known as Slash, is a British-American guitarist from Stoke-on-Trent, England. He is best known as the lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N’ Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
27. Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generations of musicians. He is now recognized as a master of the blues, particularly the Delta blues style.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
28. Harrison (the Beatles)
George Harrison MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender, Gretsch, Rickenbacker
29. Joe Walsh (Eagles, James Gang, Barnstorm, the Party Boys, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band)
Joseph Fidler Walsh is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, the Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. He was also part of the New Zealand band Herbs.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson, Fender, Carvin, Duesenberg, PRS
29. Joe Walsh (Eagles, James Gang, Barnstorm, the Party Boys, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band)
Joseph Fidler Walsh is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, the Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. He was also part of the New Zealand band Herbs.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson, Fender, Carvin, Duesenberg, PRS
30. Chet Atkins
Chester Burton “Chet” Atkins, known as “Mr. Guitar” and “The Country Gentleman”, was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music style which expanded its appeal to adult pop music fans.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gretsch
31. Angus Young (AC/DC)
Angus McKinnon Young is an Australian musician and the co-founder of the hard rock band AC/DC. He is best known for his energetic performances, schoolboy-uniform stage outfits, and his own version of Chuck Berry’s duckwalk.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
32. Django Reinhardt
Jean Reinhardt, known by his Romani nickname Django, was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most significant exponents.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Selmer, Epiphone
33. Steve Howe (Yes)
Stephen James Howe is an English musician, songwriter and producer, best known as the guitarist in the progressive rock band Yes across three stints since 1970. Born in Holloway, North London, Howe developed an interest in the guitar and began to learn the instrument himself at age
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
34. Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of American culture.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
35. John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often incorporated other elements, including talking blues and early North Mississippi Hill country blues.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Epiphone, Gibson
36. Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones)
Keith Richards, often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as Keith Richard, is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of the Rolling Stones
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
37. Gary Moore (Skid Row, Thin Lizzy, Colosseum II)
Robert William Gary Moore was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and jazz fusion. Wikipedia
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
38. Albert King
Albert Nelson, known by his stage name Albert King, was an American blues guitarist and singer whose playing influenced many other blues guitarists. He is perhaps best known for the popular and influential album Born Under a Bad Sign and its title track.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
39. Bo Diddley
Ellas McDaniel, known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter and music producer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gretsch
40. Johnny Winter
John Dawson Winter III was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for blues singer and guitarist Muddy Waters.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
41. John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
John Cameron Fogerty is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. Together with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and his brother Tom Fogerty, he founded the band Creedence Clearwater Revival, for which he was the lead singer, lead guitarist, and principal songwriter.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
42. Peter Frampton –
Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English and American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and producer. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and the Herd
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
43. Robin Trower (Procol Harum, Robin Trower)
Robin Leonard Trower is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum throughout 1967–1971, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio known as the Robin Trower Band.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
43. Robin Trower (Procol Harum, Robin Trower)
Robin Leonard Trower is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum throughout 1967–1971, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio known as the Robin Trower Band.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
45. Rory Gallagher
William Rory Gallagher was an Irish guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. Due to his virtuosic playing, but relative lack of fame compared to some others, he has been referred to as “the greatest guitarist you’ve never heard of”, and strongly influenced other guitarists such as Brian May and Eric Clapton.
b. Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
45. Rory Gallagher
William Rory Gallagher was an Irish guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. Due to his virtuosic playing, but relative lack of fame compared to some others, he has been referred to as “the greatest guitarist you’ve never heard of”, and strongly influenced other guitarists such as Brian May and Eric Clapton.
b. Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
47. Alvin Lee (Ten Years After)
Alvin Lee was an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lead guitarist of the blues rock band Ten Years After.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
48. Joe Perry (Aerosmith)
Joseph Anthony Pereira professionally known as Joe Perry, is an American musician best known as the founding member, lead guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocalist of the rock band Aerosmith.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
49. Mick Taylor (Bluesbreakers, The Rolling Stones)
Michael Kevin Taylor is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and the Rolling Stones. As a member of the Stones, he appeared on: Let It Bleed, Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! The Rolling Stones in Concert, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St., Goats Head Soup and It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
50. Joe Bonamassa
Joseph Leonard Bonamassa is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He started his career at age twelve, when he opened for B.B. King.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
51. Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac)
Lindsey Adams Buckingham is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and male lead singer of the music group Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has released seven solo albums and three live albums.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson, Rick Turner
52. Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson is an American guitarist, vocalist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. His 1990 album Ah Via Musicom was certified platinum by the RIAA, and the single “Cliffs of Dover” won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender, Gibson
53. Al Di Meola (Return to Forever)
Albert Laurence Di Meola is an American guitarist. Known for his works in jazz fusion and world music, he began his career as a guitarist of the group Return to Forever in 1974. Between the 1970s and 1980s, albums such as Elegant Gypsy and Friday Night in San Francisco earned him both critical and commercial success.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
100. Michael Schenker (UFO, the Michael Schenker Group, Scorpions)
German rock guitarist Michael Schenker founded and led the Michael Schenker Group in addition to performing with UFO. He joined Scorpions early on; his older brother Rudolf Schenker co-founded the band with him. Playing lead and rhythm guitar, Schenker joined UFO in the mid 1970s.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Ernie Ball Music Man
55. Roy Clark (Hee Haw Television Show)
Roy Linwood Clark was an American singer and musician. He is best known for having hosted Hee Haw, a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969 to 1997. Clark was an important and influential figure in country music, both as a performer and in helping to popularize the genre.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
56. Nancy Wilson (Heart)
Nancy Lamoureux Wilson is an American musician. She rose to fame alongside her older sister Ann as a guitarist and backing vocalist in the rock band Heart. Raised in Bellevue, Washington, Wilson began playing music as a teenager. During college, she joined her sister who had recently become the singer of Heart.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
57. Dimebag Darrell (Pantera)
Darrell Lance Abbott, best known by his stage name Dimebag Darrell, was an American musician. He was the guitarist of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan, both of which he co-founded alongside his brother Vinnie Paul. He is often regarded as one of the greatest heavy metal guitarists of all time.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Dean
58. John McLaughlin –
John McLaughlin is an English guitarist, bandleader, and composer. A pioneer of jazz fusion, his music combines elements of jazz with rock, world music, Indian classical music, Western classical music, flamenco, and blues.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Paul Reed Smith, Gibson, Fender
59. Tom Petty (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
Thomas Earl Petty was an American musician and actor who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the late 1980s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys, and had success as a solo artist. Petty had many hit records.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Rickenbacker, Fender, Gibson
60. Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
61. Yngwie Malmsteen
Swedish guitarist Yngwie Johan Malmsteen plays guitar. He first gained popularity in the 1980s for his neoclassical heavy metal skills, and over the course of a career spanning more than 40 years, he has recorded 22 studio albums. Malmsteen was ranked ninth among the top electric guitar players in history by Time magazine in 2009.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
62. Kirk Hammett (Metallica)
Since 1983, American musician Kirk Lee Hammett has played lead guitar and written songs with the heavy metal band Metallica. He founded the band Exodus and gave it the name before joining Metallica. On Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time in 2003, Hammett came in at number 11.
Guitar Maker of Choice: ESP LTD
63. Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter Cooder is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and writer. He also composes music for movies. Although he is a multi-instrumentalist, his slide guitar work, interest in traditional music, and partnerships with traditional musicians from many nations are what make him most well-known.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender, Gretsch
64. John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
American musician John Anthony Frusciante is most known for his three stints as the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ guitarist. He has 11 solo albums and 7 EPs under his own name, with genres spanning from electronic music to acoustic guitar.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
65. Pat Metheny (Pat Metheny Group)
https://quotepark.com/media/authors/20538_pat-metheny.jpeg
American jazz guitarist and composer Patrick Bruce Metheny is from America. In addition to leading the Pat Metheny Group, he takes part in duets, solo ventures, and various side projects. His music combines aspects of latin jazz, jazz fusion, and modern and progressive jazz.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
65. Pat Metheny (Pat Metheny Group)
https://quotepark.com/media/authors/20538_pat-metheny.jpeg
American jazz guitarist and composer Patrick Bruce Metheny is from America. In addition to leading the Pat Metheny Group, he takes part in duets, solo ventures, and various side projects. His music combines aspects of latin jazz, jazz fusion, and modern and progressive jazz.
66. Robert Fripp (King Crimson)
In addition to being a musician, songwriter, and record producer from the United Kingdom, Robert Fripp is most known for being the guitarist, founding member, and longest-serving member of the progressive rock group King Crimson.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
67. Terry Kath (Chicago)
American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Terry Alan Kath is best known for being a founding member of the rock group Chicago. On many of the band’s early smash tunes, he both played guitar and sang lead vocals.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
68. Dick Dale
Dick Dale, a stage name for Richard Anthony Monsour, was an American rock guitarist. He was a forerunner of surf music, integrating Middle Eastern music and reverb into his compositions. As the title of his second studio album indicates, Dale was referred to as “The King of the Surf Guitar.”
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
69. George Benson
An American guitarist, singer, and songwriter by the name of George Washington Benson. He started out as a jazz guitarist when he was 19 years old. Benson, a former child prodigy, originally rose to fame performing soul jazz with Jack McDuff and others in the 1960s.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Ibanez
70. Robby Krieger (The Doors)
An American guitarist by the name of Robert Alan Krieger. He was the Doors’ first guitarist, making him eligible for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Many of the Doors’ songs, including the classics “Light My Fire,” “Love Me Two Times,” “Touch Me,” and “Love Her Madly,” were written by Krieger or with whom he collaborated.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
71. Derek Trucks (The Derek Trucks Band)
The Derek Trucks Band was started by American guitarist and songwriter Derek Trucks. In 1999, he joined The Allman Brothers Band as a legitimate member. In 2010, he and his wife, blues guitarist and singer Susan Tedeschi, founded the Tedeschi Trucks Band.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
72. Buddy Holly
American singer-songwriter Charles Hardin Holley, better known by his stage name Buddy Holly, was a key and innovative character in mid-1950s rock & roll. During the Great Depression, he was raised in a musical household and learnt to play the guitar and sing with his siblings in Lubbock, Texas.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender, Gibson
73. Wes Montgomery
Jazz guitarist John Leslie “Wes” Montgomery was from the United States. Montgomery’s particular sound came from his odd method of picking the strings with the side of his thumb and from his wide use of octaves. Montgomery frequently collaborated with the organist Melvin Rhyne as well as his brothers Buddy and Monk.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
74. Bonnie Raitt
American blues guitarist and singer Bonnie Lynn Raitt. Raitt released her debut record under her own name in 1971. After that, she put out a string of albums with rootsy influences that were well received, including blues, rock, folk, and country.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
75. Malcolm Young (AC/DC)
Malcolm Mitchell Young, an Australian musician, co-founded AC/DC and served as the band’s rhythm guitarist, backup singer, and composer. He remained with the band from its founding in 1973 until his retirement in 2014 owing to health issues, with the exception of a brief hiatus in 1988.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gretsch
75. Malcolm Young (AC/DC)
Malcolm Mitchell Young, an Australian musician, co-founded AC/DC and served as the band’s rhythm guitarist, backup singer, and composer. He remained with the band from its founding in 1973 until his retirement in 2014 owing to health issues, with the exception of a brief hiatus in 1988.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gretsch
77. Neal Schon (Journey)
Neal George Joseph Schon is best known for his work with the bands Journey and Bad English, he is an American rock guitarist, composer, and vocalist. Before starting Journey, he played in the rock group Santana and was a founding member of Hardline.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Paul Reed Smith, Fender, Gibson
78. Robert Cray
Five time Grammy Award winning Robert William Cray is a classic American blues guitarist and singer.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
79. Carl Perkins
Carl Lee Perkins was a man with an excellent understanding of music who could belt out hits like no one else. He recorded at the Sun Studio, in Memphis – and among some other well known songs are “Blue Suede Shoes”, ‘Honey Don’t”, Matchbox” or Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby”.
Guitar Maker of Choice: G&L
80. Paco de Lucía
Paco de Lucía (Francisco Sánchez Gómez) is the famous Spanish flamenco guitarist, composer and record producer. A leading proponent of the new flamenco style, he was one of the first flamenco guitarists to branch into classical and jazz.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Conde
1. Jeff Healey
Norman Jeffrey Healey was a Canadian blues, rock and jazz singer, guitarist, and songwriter who attained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson, Squier, Jackson
82. Johnny Cash
John R. Cash was an American country music singer-songwriter. Much of Cash’s music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his career.
Johnny Cash played Martin acoustic guitars
83. John Petrucci (Dream Theater)
John Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Ernie Ball Music Man
84. Stephen Stills (Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)
American musician, singer, and songwriter Stephen Arthur Stills is most known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. Stills has sold over 35 million albums as a solo artist and as a member of two popular bands.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Fender
85. Warren Haynes (the Allman Brothers Band)
American musician, singer, and songwriter Warren Haynes. The Allman Brothers Band guitarist and founding member of the jam band Gov’t Mule are what made him most famous. He began his career playing guitar for The Dickey Betts Band and David Allan Coe.
Warren Haynes played: Gibson
86. Freddie King
American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter Freddie King. One of the “Three Kings of the Blues Guitar,” he is respected. King, who is best recognized for his deep, strong voice and distinctive guitar style, had a significant impact on electric blues music and many subsequent blues guitarists.
Freddie King loved playing: Gibson
87. Don Felder (the Eagles)
American musician Donald William Felder served as the Eagles’ lead guitarist from 1974 until his departure from the group in 2001. In 1998, he and the Eagles were both inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2016 saw Felder get his induction into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.
Don Felder’s Guitars of Choice: Gibson Single Neck and Doubleneck
88. Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society) –
American musician Zachary Phillip Wylde plays guitar. The heavy metal band Black Label Society’s founder, lead guitarist, lead singer, songwriter, and producer, he is best known for his work as Ozzy Osbourne’s lead guitarist. Many of his guitars include his recognizable bulls-eye design, which is widely known.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Gibson
89. J.J. Cale
John Weldon “J. J.” Cale was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and sound engineer.
JJ Cale’s guitars of choice: Danelectro, Fender
90. Steve Miller (the Steve Miller Band)
American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Steven Haworth Miller is best known as the frontman of the Steve Miller Band. He started out playing blues and blues rock, but as his career progressed in the middle of the 1970s and early 1980s, he shifted to a more pop-oriented arena rock style, spawning hit songs and albums.
Steve Miller’s Guitars of choice: Gibson, Fender
91. Steve Lukather (Toto)
American guitarist, singer, composer, arranger, and record producer Steven Lee Lukather is most known for being the only constant founding member of the rock group Toto.
Steve Lukather plays: Ernie Ball Music Man Luke III HSS
92. Tom Scholz (Boston)
American musician Donald Thomas Scholz is the only surviving founding member of the rock band Boston as well as its primary guitarist, chief songwriter, and founder. He has been a part of every record by Boston.
Tom Scholz: Gibson Les Paul
93. Brian Setzer (the Brian Setzer Orchestra)
An American guitarist, singer, and songwriter by the name of Brian Robert Setzer. With the 1950s rockabilly band Stray Cats, he had global success in the early 1980s. With his swing revival band, the Brian Setzer Orchestra, he made a comeback to the music scene in the early 1990s.
Brian Setzer plays a Gretch Hollow Body and a Fender. Gretsch / Fender
94. Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple, Flying Colors)
American musician Steve J. Morse is well known for founding the Dixie Dregs and serving as Deep Purple’s lead guitarist from 1994 until 2022. In addition to his successful solo career, Morse spent a brief period of time with the band Kansas in the middle of the 1980s.
Steve Morse plays an Ernie Ball Music Man
5. Roy Buchanan
Leroy “Roy” Buchanan was an American blues guitarist from the United States. In his early career, Buchanan, a forerunner of the Telecaster sound, released two gold albums. Later in his career, he released two solo albums that reached the Billboard chart.
Roy Buchanan played: Fender
96. Gary Rossington (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
American guitarist Gary Robert Rossington plays the guitar. He plays lead and rhythm guitar for the southern rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd, of which he is the sole surviving original member. He joined the group as the final original member left standing in 2009, and in 2019 he passed away.
Gary Rossington plays a Gibson Solid Body
97. Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains)
Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is most known for being the band Alice in Chains’ founder, primary songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist.
Jerry Cantrell plays a G&L Tribute Rampage Jerry Cantrell Signature Electric Guitar and a Gibson Solidbody G&L / Gibson
98. George Thorogood
American musician, singer, and composer George Lawrence Thorogood hails from Wilmington, Delaware. With hits like his original songs “Bad to the Bone” and “I Drink Alone,” he helped establish the “high-energy boogie-blues” sound that dominated 1980s rock radio.
George Thorogood plays an Epiphone Hollowbody
99. T-Bone Walker
American blues musician, composer, songwriter, and bandleader Aaron Thibeaux “T-Bone” Walker is credited with inventing the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues genres. He was listed among “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” by Rolling Stone magazine in 2018.
T-Bone Walker played a lot of different Gibsons but Gibson guitars were his guitar of choice.
100. Michael Schenker (UFO, the Michael Schenker Group, Scorpions)
German rock guitarist Michael Schenker founded and led the Michael Schenker Group in addition to performing with UFO. He joined Scorpions early on; his older brother Rudolf Schenker co-founded the band with him. Playing lead and rhythm guitar, Schenker joined UFO in the mid 1970s.
Guitar Maker of Choice: Ernie Ball Music Man
