Who's the best guitar player of all times?

Who's the best guitar player of all times?

Guitar is an enticing instrument. And the quest for the best guitar player of all times is something that - probably - will never have an answer... but this is what makes it so funny! Yes, because every famous guitarist has a special "something"; moreover there's a great difference if you think about guitarists playing acoustic guitar or electric guitar... and - may the Gods of Guitar forgive us - we're not talking about bass, the four-string instrument many think is simply a guitar with less strings and a heavier body!!!

A good place to start to figure out a list of the most influential guitarists of all times is a poll curated by Rolling Stone; here is the result:
10 Keith Richards
9 Jimmy Page
8 Ry Cooder
7 Stevie Ray Vaughan
6 Chuck Berry
5 Robert Johnson
4 Eric Clapton
3 B.B. King
2 Duane Allman
1 Jimi Hendrix

To tell the truth this list is filled with names of great players from the past... but what about Eddie Van Halen, for instance?
So, another list - this time compiled by the influential and iconic guitar brand Gibson - can be more useful:
10. Pete Townshend (The Who)
9. Robert Johnson
8. Chet Atkins
7. Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen)
6. Jeff Beck (The Yardbirds, The Jeff Beck Group)
5. Chuck Berry
4. Eric Clapton (Cream, Derek and the Dominos)
3. Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones)
2. Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
1. Jimi Hendrix

Well... that was a list! But we're not satisfied yet. And we found out that Guitar World, in 2012, launched a readers' poll to find the best 100 guitarists in the world. The first ten positions were as follows:

10 Steve Vai
9 Dimebag Darrell
8 Stevie Ray Vaughan
7 Tony Iommi
6 Jimmy Page
5 Joe Satriani
4 Jimi Hendrix
3 Alex Lifeson
2 Brian May
1 Eddie Van Halen

Wait a moment! But where's indie rock and other forms of music not directly linked to classic rock? Don't worry: because SPIN compiled a list of the best guitarists that features pretty unusual names... from punk to rap, from funk to post punk, from grunge to shoegaze!

10 Jam Master Jay (Run-DMC)   
9 Eddie Hazel (Funkadelic)   
8 Johnny Ramone   
7 Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd (Television)   
6 Prince   
5 J Mascis   
4 Kurt Cobain   
3 John Fahey   
2 Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine)   
1 Lee Ranaldo & Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)