Where is Brian May on the list of greatest guitarists of all time?

brian should be quite high up, but there are other guitarists we must think of. personally, i think that mark knopfler of dire straits is the best guitarist of all time, its just the unusual way he plays, not like many other guitarists we see before us. also i believe eric clapton is an extroainary guitar player, i love the high pitched solo on "layla". from guns n roses, slash with the brilliant sweet child o mine riff, i love it, it is very emotive and i really begin to feel the song and the rythm. i also love steve vai, keith richards, pete townsend (particularly my generation) toni iommi, jeff beck, francis rossi, joe perry, brian watson and vivian campbell. but alas i still have faith in brian, he puts his all into his playing, he gives off a certain energy when he is on stage, not in freddies way but in a rather mysterious light of guitar playing, his fingers look so soft and sensitive but yet he plays like a god, he is truly a great guitarist who deserves respect as this, not as a member of queen ect but as a well rounded experienced and excellent guitarist.

Hendrix unfortunately burned out and his playing deteriorated after 1968 due to drugs(namely LSD and heroin) and eventually drugs would kill him. Clapton is a legend and luckily got sobered up in 1973 or so after Townshend masterminded his return from drug addiction. Jimmy Page rocked but then after Presence, he started using heroin and his guitar work became somewhat sloppy in live performance and he barely was functional on the ITTOD album as Page and John Bonham were strung out and drunk respectively. Then, Page got sober in the early 1980s and his playing slowly came back to pre-drug abuse levels.
My favorite guitarists are the ones who got better and were not heavily or didn't take drugs and alcohol and got better with age.
1) (tie)David Gilmour and Brian May(both guitarists got better as they got older and Gilmour picked up the Strat mantle when Hendrix died IMHO and May goes without saying)
2) Jimmy Page(he is a genius and a killer player)
3) Alex Lifeson
4) Steve Hackett
5) Steve Howe
6) Eric Clapton
7) Ace Frehley
8) Rik Emmett
9) Stevie Ray Vaughan
10) Jimi Hendrix

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]NOTWMEDDLE wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Hendrix unfortunately burned out and his playing deteriorated after 1968 due to drugs(namely LSD and heroin) and eventually drugs would kill him. [/QUOTE]


Do you think it makes you sound smart to say such stupidity? Hendrix wasn't close to peaking when he died.

I think Brian is a guitar genius but I would just like to put a case for Mick Ronson as I think he deserves to be on any "great guitarists" discussion. I see people with their lists and no mension of Mick so i better had.

Considering how dificult it is to play their stuff i'd say...
Brian May is solid like Mark Knopfler, Richie Blackmore, The Edge, Angus Young (though very different style),
a little better than Slash, David Gilmour,
more better than Bruce Springsteen, Keith Richards, Kurt Cobain or Peter Buck
but not as good as Eric Clapton, Nuno Bettencourt, Phil Collen, Kirk Hammett, and maybe Eddie van Halen, Jimmy Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Steve Vai, Steve Morse,... (I cannot judge the last few well, 'cause I'm not familiar enough with their Music)

Considering how it sounds over all...
Brian May is top like David Gilmour, Keith Richards, Mark Knopfler, Angus Young, Richie Blackmore followed by Kirk Hammett, Phil Collen, Slash, Eric Clapton, then Edge, Bettencourt ...then Kurt Cobain and Peter Buck

C`mon people, to include the EDGE on the list is worst than including the solo of Nirvana`s "Smell like teen spirit" on the top 100.

Everyone has a right to an opinion, but can you really have a sober opinion without that fan criteria?
For the posts i read so far you don`t, because you can talk about whathever makes a guitar player great but to get Brian at number 1 you have to be a fan.

The question here is : Who`s the greatest, not Who`s your favourite.

OK, my favourite is Brian May, but i tend to be a guitar freak and i could never ever say that he`s number 1, because it is too disrespectfull for guitarplayers that have dedicated so much time in developing the instrument technique as a way of expression.

In no order, here it goes:

Eddie Van Halen
Satriani
Steve Vai (I saw this guy last week i even took a pic with him. He played for 3 hours).
Uli Jon Roth´
Yngwie Malmsteen
Allan Holdsworth
Michael Angelo Batio
Paul gilbert
Shawn Lane - Probably the most amazing guitar player ever.
Frank Gambale
Jason Becker
etc

And even though i don`t like the music i have to include John Petrucci.


Get the idea? You have to be a little literate on this matter, otherwise it`s just an opinion without basis at all!

Take care

Ok ...i have to apologize for overrating The Edge.
It was in my mind that the Tab for "Sunday Bloody Sunday" was quite tricky...but i haven't watched them for a long time now...

And to your list...
As I wrote before...
I m not very interested in Touch-Tapping Freaks...

Oh that fucking ranks again!
For me, this endless lists the most embracing thing in rock music. There CAN'T be best group or guitarist or vocalist or whatever. This is only matter of somebody's tastes. Tastes can't be objective. That's why I try to keep it to myself and not to make any statements...
...Or wait

Let's start another list.
What is the best fruit?
1. Apples
2. Oranges
3. Peaches
5. .......
6.........
..........
..........
..........
100. Avocado

Stop this endless bulshit.

Brian May is the greatest guitarist to me by far! He built his GODLIKE guitar, he is the master of solos, he uses wah pedals incredibly, he is a master song architect.

my list:

1. Brian May
2. Jimmy Page
3. Marco Pirroni
4. George Harrison
5. Jimi Hendrix
6. Edge
7. Steve Clark
8. Vernon Reid
9. Steve Vai
10. Eddie Van Halen

Didn't 'Q' magazine just put out something like this? And Brian was at #34, which is pretty damn good.

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Rompez wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Oh that fucking ranks again!
For me, this endless lists the most embracing thing in rock music. There CAN'T be best group or guitarist or vocalist or whatever. This is only matter of somebody's tastes. Tastes can't be objective. That's why I try to keep it to myself and not to make any statements...
...Or wait

Let's start another list.
What is the best fruit?
1. Apples
2. Oranges
3. Peaches
5. .......
6.........
..........
..........
..........
100. Avocado

Stop this endless bulshit.
[/QUOTE]
How can you sat Peaches at #3? I've seen peaches and I would say Peaches should be #2

Seriously though, ranking guitarists is a joke.

Yngwie Malmsteen is the best, but Brian- my favourite....

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]NOTWMEDDLE wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Hendrix unfortunately burned out and his playing deteriorated after 1968 due to drugs(namely LSD and heroin) and eventually drugs would kill him. Clapton is a legend and luckily got sobered up in 1973 or so after Townshend masterminded his return from drug addiction. Jimmy Page rocked but then after Presence, he started using heroin and his guitar work became somewhat sloppy in live performance and he barely was functional on the ITTOD album as Page and John Bonham were strung out and drunk respectively. Then, Page got sober in the early 1980s and his playing slowly came back to pre-drug abuse levels.
My favorite guitarists are the ones who got better and were not heavily or didn't take drugs and alcohol and got better with age.
1) (tie)David Gilmour and Brian May(both guitarists got better as they got older and Gilmour picked up the Strat mantle when Hendrix died IMHO and May goes without saying)
2) Jimmy Page(he is a genius and a killer player)
3) Alex Lifeson
4) Steve Hackett
5) Steve Howe
6) Eric Clapton
7) Ace Frehley
8) Rik Emmett
9) Stevie Ray Vaughan
10) Jimi Hendrix[/QUOTE]

Excellent post. Not only do I agree with your inclusion of Alex Lifeson but I share your admiration of both RUSH and The Red Sox. (although I would eliminate Ace F. and replace with Stevie Ray-Vaughn.