The Best Guitarists 2000s Of All Time Ranked

A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar by singing or playing the harmonica, or both. The guitarist may employ any of several methods for sounding the guitar, including finger picking, depending on the type of strings used (either nylon or steel), and including strumming with the fingers, or a guitar pick made of bone, horn, plastic, metal, felt, leather, or paper, and melodic flatpicking and finger-picking. The guitarist may also employ various methods for selecting notes and chords, including fingering, thumbing, the barre (a finger lying across many or all strings at a particular fret), and guitar slides, usually made of glass or metal. These left- and right-hand techniques may be intermixed in performance. Here are the best 2000s Guitarists ranked.

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20. Tosin Abasi

“For anyone who has watched his Prog-Gnosis videos will know that he holds an immense knowledge of music theory as well as being able to master complicated time signatures that are not even parallel with the backing drums. The fact that this man has such adversity with his musical knowledge as well as being able to play faster than I can respire means that he deserves recognition as the most accomplished technical guitarist of all time.”

19. Nick Valensi

“Nick velensi can really bring rock music to a whole other level. Really talented with clean and hard rock when he wants to. Listen to Reptilia, Modern Age and Under Cover of Darkness solos and you’ll know he is the most rock n roll influenced guitarist of the last decade and a half.”

18. Ed O’Brien

“Edward John “Ed” O’Brien is an English guitarist and member of the alternative rock band Radiohead. He makes extensive use of effects units to create atmospheric sounds and textures, and also provides backing vocals. One of the most inovative guitarists in modern rock music!”

17. Ray Toro

“Not many people give him a lot of credit, mostly because he was part of My Chem (in my opinoin, a great and the best (creatively speaking) band of the 2000s. Along with Frank Iero, Ray is an excellent guitarist. If you want to hear him shred, check out songs like Dead! (which Toro has a amazing guitar solo on). I would suggest you listen to the albums the Black Parade and Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, where Toro really shines!”

16. Mark Morton

“He’s one of the greatest guitarists of 2000s decade… If you don’t belive, listen to his work in laid to rest, walk with me in hell, omerta, now you’ve got something to die for, black label, etc… Hell I can’t name of all of them…”

15. Omar Rodriguez Lopez

“At The Drive In started this young lads career in the mid 1990’s and paved the guitar sounds of The Mars Volta. Omar was great long before the year of 2000. All great players on this list though.”

14. Daron Malakian

“Daron Malakian is a master-mind when it comes to the craation of fantastic, original, smart and fascinating music, particularly with the guitar. Not only that he’s able to combine many different cultural influences concentrated in one song, but he also has the ability and skill to create rhythms that blow your mind and get really understood by people who feel fastidiously music in the same way he does.”

13. Mark Tremonti

“Mark Thomas Tremonti is an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge. His solos in Blackbird(2007), One Day Remains(2004), and Full Circle(2009) are amazing! His shredding power and amazing music-making Ability with Creed and Alter Bridge”

12. Josh Homme

“is solos are experimental and unique and he writes amazing riffs. His work with Kyuss was influential and innovative, but his best stuff has been with QOTSA. Just listen to 3’s and 7’s or little sister and see for yourself”

11. Joe Bonamassa

“Fantastic riff writer and blues guitarist. He is a little too self promoting with the pins and mugs and such, but I love his music. Joe Bonamassa is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. When he was only 12 years old, Bonamassa opened for B.B. King.”

10. Chris Shiflett

“Chris is a good guitar player, not a guitar god but he still plays good guitar! He’s amazing guitar playing in best of you, stacked actors, bridge every song theve written! Just so amazing, I don’t know another guitarist that does everything that well!”

9. Billie Joe Armstrong

“I would say Billie Joe’s hay day as a guitarist was early 90s with Kerplunk and 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (The Judge’s Daughter is the best punk guitar solo of all time). Most people who dog on Billie Joe, particularly his guitar skills have never listened to pre Dookie material, or even pre American idiot. He’s focused a lot more on lyrics and message within his songs within the new millennium, but he still can turn the most simple chord progressions into the most memorable pieces of punk. And can still kick out a machine-gun powered solo. Listen to Restless Heart Syndrome, Let Yourself Go, and Amanda.”

8. Jonny Buckland

“Maybe the most tasteful guitarist of the last decade. Really knows how to use restraint, but then sometimes wail. He plays exactly what any given Coldplay song needs to be perfect. His guitar riffs are melodic and digs deep into the soul. Perfect.”

7. Jonny Greenwood

“He has a unique style of playing in strange and alternative climates and difficult chords and his style has given a big part of Radiohead’s music identity. I’m a guitarist myself and in Jonny Greenwood’s face (I’d rather say his fingers) I recognise a guitar master.”

6. John Frusciante

“The man has the best improvisations I have ever seen, and his playing is so pure to his soul. Each note he plays, means something. I’ve seen many other guitar players live and the only other person who comes close to Frusciante live, is either Eddie Van Halen or Jimi himself, but other than that, I have never seen anyone come close to being what Frusciante is. Not saying he’s the best, but he was definitely the best in the 2000’s.”

5. Jack White

“he guy is an unbridled genius. One of the few artists today that you know really gets consumed by what they do. Go watch him play the solo of ‘blue veins’ live, and I guarantee that he wont stick to his scales and he wont be crisp with his notes, but what he will do every time is leave his heart on that fretboard.”

4. Matthew Bellamy

“Matthew James “Matt” Bellamy is an English musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. He is most famous for being the main vocalist in alternative rock band “Muse”. Plug in baby and unnatural selection are amazing.”

3. John Mayer

“One of the best guitarists I’ve ever seen hands down. I mean the guy plays at the Clapton crossroads festival every year and is always one of the feature acts. Don’t believe me. Check out his solo for “Wait Until Tomorrow” by Hendrix off of Where the Light is live in los angeles or from the same concert the song “Neon” which is one of the most impressive acoustic sets I’ve had he pleasure of seeing. If those don’t do it for you check out his version of “Voodoo Child” live at the Red Rocks amphitheater.”

2. Synyster Gates

“Synyster gates is a legend… Synyster G has the fastest solos and best riffs of this generation.. No one can compare to the skills of synyster gates all they can do is wish that they were as good as he is. Synyster gates all the way”

1. Buckethead

“Buckethead’s quirky character and style very much appealed to me when I first discovered him but when I first heard “Jordan” I was absolutely blown away. I had never heard anything like it. And after hearing “Soothsayer” I was hooked! I find his music to be really hypnotic but in a good way. I’ve never heard so much emotion in shredding and ever since he’s been a massive inspiration to me”