Hit Parader Magazine's Top 5 Guitarist of all time are:
5. Tony Iommi - Black Sabbath
4. Angus Young - AC/DC
3. Jimmy Page - Led Zeppelin
2. Jimi Hendrix
1. Eddie Van Halen
Who are your favorite guitar players???????
****Dimebag Darrell (the dude in the Avatar was #12)
Alphabetically, Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp, Bill Frisell, Thurston Moore, Vini Reilly.
5. Thurston Moore/Lee Renaldo
4. Jimmy Page
3. David Gilmour
2. Stevie Ray Vaughn
1. Pat Metheny
"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love."
Jimi Hendrix
Jimmy Page
Jeff Beck
Carlos Santana
Eric Clapton is pretty decent. Keith Richards too.
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”
Ben Franklin
george harrison
peter frampton
alex lifeson
rick nielsen
THE EDGE - dave evans
pete townshend
joe strummer
johnny ramone
bob wootton
joe pennington
great list of very cool guitarists everyone!
Without a doubt, Gary Moore
Tied for second: SRV, David Gilmour, Jimi, Jeff Healey, Yngwie Malmsteen, Jeff Beck, Nigel and David (Spinal Tap) Alex Lifeson, Tom Scholz, John Lee Hooker . . ..
I'm sure I could add a few more. 
Edit: I forgot Joe Satriani, But I'll add Eric Johnson, Dave Mustaine, and Ritchie Blackmore.
Oooh, Jeff Beck, Albert Collins, Steve Cropper, Ry Cooder, Phil Manzanera, Richard Thompson, Lowell George, Bonnie Raitt, Danny Gatton, Link Wray, Brinsley Schwarz, Marc Ribot, Mick Jones (Clash), Robert Quine, Tom Verlaine, Leo Nocentelli, Brian Jones, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor, Ron Wood, John Martyn, Prince, Billy Zoom, Ike Turner... that's a decent start. Yes, that'll do.
george kooymans
barry hay too, woo!
Oh, & Robbie Robertson (dig the way he smokes Clapton in The Last Waltz)
Some of my Favorites not mentioned (so far)
Chris DeGarmo - Queensryche
Brian May - Queen
Randy Rhodes - Ozzy
Slash - Guns and Roses, Velvet Revolver
Ace Frehley - KISS
George Lynch - Dokken
John Petrucci - Dream Theater
Scott Ian - Anthrax
Kim Thayil - Soundgarden
Alvin Lee
Robin Trower
Mike McCready - Pearl Jam
Joe Satriani
Dave Edmunds, James Honeyman-Scott, James Burton, Wilko Johnson, Poison Ivy Rorshach, Roger McGuinn, Todd Rundgren....
pete willis
I have to say Joe Satriani is pretty amazing...good call on Alex Lifeson, E-man, he doesn't get enough credit....and the Sauve one pulls out James Honeyman-Scott, nice! He was quite the ax-man in his day and I've always liked Richard Thompson. When I bought the first Animal Logic CD (Stanley Clarke and Stewart Copeland's project)I was thinking who do they have on guitar...."whoah! Richard f-ing Thompson" was my reaction.
"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love."
Gary Moore
John Sykes
Al DiMeola
Steve Vai
Female department :
The chick from White Stripes
Hope you're being ironic here, Ray. Meg White is the drummer...Female department :
The chick from White Stripes
Oops wrong thread for Meg !
Thanks. Man, back on topic when you listed Link Ray i was impressed- haven't thought of him in years -but you're right- original, seminal source. Chuck Berry is not a virtuoso, but he too is a seminal influence on guitarists and deserves a mention.
Also breaking ground on guitar breaks is , help me out here, the guitarist of the Kinks. Oh yeah, Dave Davies.
Ahhh, virtuosity is relative. Chuck IS a virtuoso in my book (you beat me to adding him!!!). He sings, writes some of the greatest rock songs of all time & oozes style, passion & humor. Most of the string stranglers on this list are technically adept perhaps, but bankrupt in the soul or originality department. Guitar pickin' isn't a race. To quote Amadeus: "Too many notes." Oh, lemme add: Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Johnny Thunders, Syl Sylvain, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren & Al Anderson.Oops wrong thread for Meg !
Thanks. Man, back on topic when you listed Link Ray i was impressed- haven't thought of him in years -but you're right- original, seminal source. Chuck Berry is not a virtuoso, but he too is a seminal influence on guitarists and deserves a mention.
Also breaking ground on guitar breaks is , help me out here, the guitarist of the Kinks. Oh yeah, Dave Davies.
Oh yes Chuck Berry forever ! And the Delta Blues, and Robert Johnson progenitors too.
That " too many notes" quote hits home. Hit Parade rates E Van Halen as no 1, but I felt his speed was great, notes per millisecond , but somehow he didn't break through that and really cut loose. That's just me. Just a constructive criticism of a fine guitarist.
E.V.H. does nothing for me. He's all flash & though he does have an identifiable style (he's great on Beat It, actually), it's mostly "tricks" (hammer-ons, jack-offs, whatever). I DO love Jeff Beck. But he has roots, soul, humor, imagination... it's not all just a big bag of tricks. So, does anyone really think this proposed Van Halen reunion will really fly? Or will it be an embarassing train wreck ala the recent Hall of Fame Awards?Oh yes Chuck Berry forever ! And the Delta Blues, and Robert Johnson progenitors too.
That " too many notes" quote hits home. Hit Parade rates E Van Halen as no 1, but I felt his speed was great, notes per millisecond , but somehow he didn't break through that and really cut loose. That's just me. Just a constructive criticism of a fine guitarist.
I hear you. Not really concerned with a Van H reunion one way or the other. 
may as well jump.
Si habla Jeff Beck as a top 3 choice.
Eric Clapton is pretty decent.
Is he ? he is a pretty good player but he made that most anoying 'lady in red' tune didn't he ? lowest pitts of hell with him!
Although he is cheeky, I do like the earlier work of Steve Vay (Zappa, PIL)
Bill Nelson's work on David Sylvian's Gone To Earth is some of my favorite recorded guitar playing.