Van Halen Named Guitar Mag’s Top Axeman
Eddie Van Halen has been named the greatest guitarist of all time by the readers of Guitar World magazine.
He polled more votes than runners-up Brian May of Queen, Alex Lifeson of Rush, Jimi Hendrix and Joe Satriani.
The top 50 below includes many of the names usually expected to appear in such a survey, but the unusual order is likely to provoke reaction from rock fans.
Guitar World says: “Overall it was a fun, engaging way to get you all talking, sharing opinions and maybe even checking out some guitarists you weren’t all that familiar with.
“Eddie Van Halen stood alone as the victor, defeating Brian May in a matchup that saw fan clubs, forums and Facebook pages getting involved to support their candidates.”
The top 50 is filtered down from a top 100. Instead of a straight popularity contest the magazine decided on a knock-out round format – so Van Halen landed the top spot after outvoting Jake E Lee in round one, Michael Schenker in round two then Slash, Randy Rhoads, Satriani and Lifeson.
The six-month poll started out with 132 names and attracted almost half a million votes on conclusion. READ MORE
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Guitar World’s 50 greatest guitarists of all time
50. Dave Murray (Iron Maiden)
49. Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom)
48. Joe Bonamassa
47. Eric Johnson
46. Jason Becker
45. John Frusciante
44. Chuck Berry
43. Yngwie Malmsteen
42. Carlos Santana
41. Michael Schenker
40. Keith Richards (Rolling Stones)
39. Jeff Beck
38. Buckethead
37. Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains)
36. Kirk Hammett (Metallica)
35. Warren Haynes (Allman Bros Band / Gov’t Mule)
34. Mark Tremonti (Creed / Alter Bridge)
33. Mark Morton (Lamb of God)
32. Django Reinhardt
31. Dickey Betts (Allman Bros Band)
30. Chet Atkins
29. Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)
28. Eric Clapton
27. Frank Zappa
26. Vernon Reid (Living Color)
25. George Harrison
24. Buddy Guy
23. Paul Gilbert
22. Slash
21. Angus Young (AC/DC)
20. Ritchie Blackmore
19. James Hetfield (Metallica)
18. Zakk Wylde
17. John Petrucci (Dream Theater)
16. Robert Johnson
15. Duane Allman (Allman Bros Band)
14. Les Paul
15. David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
12. Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)
11. Randy Rhoads
10. Steve Vai
9. Dimebag Darrell Abbott (Pantera / Damageplan)
8. Steve Ray Vaughan
7. Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
6. Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
5. Joe Satriani
4. Jimi Hendrix
3. Alex Lifeson (Rush)
2. Brian May (Queen)
1. Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen)
Van Halen Named Guitar Mag’s Top Axeman was originally published on mycolumbusjack.com