I can't believe i forgot to add Eddie Van Halen =(Hash said:I think there is no best guitarist personally, so many people bring different things to the table, i'll list my favourite ones though, no particular order.
Eric Johnson (No one's mentioned him yet?)
Steve Vai
Joe Satriani
Jimmy Page (He hasn't showed up either!)
Eddie Van Halen (oh em gee! not even him!)
John Petrucci (from Dream Theatre)
Joe Perry (Aerosmith)
Yngwie Malmsteen
If I absolutely had to choose a best guitarist though, I guess I would lean towards Steve Vai. He can rip up the fretboard at blazing speeds, but he can also inject a heavy dose of feeling and passion into his playing (Whispering a Prayer anyone?). He has experimented out of the box, as well as played everything there is to play within it. So if I had to choose, it would be him.
Perhaps my favorite guitarist. I listen to Dream Theater (theyre American) all the time, but put Petrucci on stage next to Vai and Satriani (G3 ftw), and the difference in ability is profound.John Petrucci (from Dream Theatre)
That was my thinking, but then Kazaa and I had a dissagreement over the spelling of Theater.i'd spell it flavor, because that's how i type it and pronounce it