The 100 greatest guitarists of all time

The 100 greatest guitarists of all time
(Image credit: Ian Dickson/Redferns via Getty Images)

Here’s the thing. Choosing the 100 greatest guitarists of all time turned out to be just too darned tough for Total Guitar’s fanatical team of guitar nerds. So, armed with a ‘shortlist’ of over 250 players, we asked our lovely readers to have the casting vote in an online poll on Guitar World. Here’s how it works. 

We took 170 guitarists from our big list and grouped them into six categories: classic rock, blues, heavy metal, shred, indie/alternative and a ‘best right now’ contemporary poll. Six categories and six polls later, we had some results. The winning guitarists make up 80 of the 100 you’ll see here.

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