(in no order) 1. Eric Clapton 2. Jimi Hendrix 3. Tony Iommi 4. Jimmy Page 5. Ritchie Blackmore 6. David Gilmour 7. Billy Gibbons 8. BB King 9. Albert King 10. Freddie King Many more but these are at the top of my head
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPFMHSY3_Mk&list=PLQ29zhTKbK9_yLAAvT5GsOcujExPdJx92&index=3 This is SERIOUS guitar!!!
I haven't checked the whole thread but went back 10 pages and saw no one mentioned Eddie Hazel. He's in my top 5 favorite guitar players but can understand how some people may not put him there. He died way too early and never had the popularity of someone like Hendrix. If you've never heard of him, check out some of his stuff with Parliament-Funkadelic or his solo stuff. One of my favorites by him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOKn33-q4Ao
Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page are my two favourite guitarists. But honourable mentions to Eric Clapton, Santana, Jay Donellan, Johnnie Echols, Jorma Kaukonen, John Cippolina, Tony Iommi, Steve Howe.
Dave Navarro, just sick! This song is basically a 7 minute solo, just ridiculous. If you've never heard it you know not what you're missing. http://youtu.be/1CpRCc4Jre8 http://youtu.be/p537WHCL18w http://youtu.be/_PMGabbWM5s
The late, great, one-of-a-kind Chet Atkins. I bought one of his albums 40 years ago and am still listening to him. A classic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-c66SJPuUI And Mark Knopfler of The Dire Straits, along with Chet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wTVLIZaxMk And Frank Vignola with Mark O'Connor on fiddle, who is also a first-class guitarist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELXtZmFpvPk
He's the only one that comes close to Stevie Ray Vaughan for me, then Jimi Hendrix in a distant third place.