The Best 1980s Guitarists Of All Time Ranked

In a band with two guitars, there can be a logical division between lead and rhythm guitars, although that division may be unclear. Two guitarists may perform as a guitar tandem, and trade off the lead guitar and rhythm guitar roles. Alternatively, two or more guitarists can share the lead and rhythm roles throughout the show, or both guitarists can play the same role (“dual lead guitars” or “dual rhythm guitars”). Often several guitarists playing individual notes may create chord patterns while mixing these “harmonies” with mixed unison passages creating unique sound effects with sound altering electronic special effects such as doublers or a “chorus” effect that over-pronounce the lead significantly sometimes to cut through to be heard in loud shows or throw its sound aesthetically both acoustically or electronically. Here are the best 19080’s Guitarists ranked.

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15. Joe Satriani

“If there’s only one thing you need to know about Joe Satriani, it’s that he used to teach guitar to Steve Vai, Larry LaLonde, and Kirk Hammett. Let that sink it for a bit. That’s why he’s called the “musician’s musician”. He’s influential and well-respected in the music industry. He has toured with Mick Jagger and Deep Purple, and is the guitarist of supergroup Chickenfoot.”

14. Dave Murray

“All the Maiden guitarists are seriously underrated. I think it’s partly down to keeping a lot profile and letting their music speak for them. They don’t try to show off or get a lot of media attention and rarely if ever get heard on the radio. With a few exceptions this list seems to be more about popular celebrities than actual guitar and musical skill.”

13. Ace Frehley

“Ace Frehley was the reason KISS made it. He turned ordinary songs into rock anthems with his scorching lead solos and gave KISS some musical talent credibility when other members of the band were still learning how to play. There has been numerous famous guitarists who have credited KISS and Ace Frehley as an influence and the reason why they started playing guitar”

12. Kirk Hammett

“Kirk Hammett has been a major influence on the generation of shredders who followed him. Having been taught by the legendary Joe Satriani, it was a no-brainer that Hammett would turn out to be his own unique guitar monster. Metallica took a unique approach to recording for many years, where James Hetfield would handle all the rhythm guitar parts and Hammett would deliver the killer solos.”

11. Slash

“Slash’s guitar playing has a certain “x-factor” to it. He isn’t someone who solely plays extremely fast solos or slow smooth solos. He is someone who can literally do it all. We hear his amazing acoustic work in “Patience.” We hear his fantastic smooth playing in “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” He plays extremely fast in many different guitar solos, but he manages to keep a certain level of clarity and smoothness where others fall apart. Maybe it is just me, but many of Eddie Van Halen’s solos just sounded ridiculous (not in a good way).”

10. Tony Iommi

“One of the true pioneers of heavy metal, a legendary riff-maker that deserves much more credit than what is given to him. His ability to make amazing riffs throughout his career as well as the legacy that he’s contributed to making should easily put him into the top guitarists.”

9. Mick Mars

“Amazingly underrated as a guitarist. Just because he’s in Motley Crue does not mean he can’t run the stings like the Guitar God he is. Think about this: almost all those guitar notes on the albums are from him. He covers double duty as both rhythm and lead. This is from a man who is being slowly mangled by a severe form of arthritis to the point he’s had hip replacement surgery, then got onstage and went to work on a massive tour. Show me another modern rock/metal guitarist with that kind of dedication.”

8. Brian May

“He’s very underrated. That probably has to do with the fact that MOST Queen classics don’t feature much guitar play. But if you listen to the guitar heavy Queen songs as well as his solo songs, you will be blown away with the things he could do with that guitar. There’s a reason Queen put on their early albums “No synthesizers”, because people wouldn’t realize that those sounds were actually from Brian’s guitar.”

7. Mark Knopfler

“The thing with Knopfler is, he plays in a certain way for the song to sound good, and most often his solos are very subtle, not to show off his skills which other guitarists like Satriani, Vai and Hammet sometimes do, but instead he does it to complement the song in a calm and seductive way.”

6. John Norum

“John Norum is a true guitar hero, but he is also an excellent songwriter and a good singer. Immediate favourite tracks on this excellent album include the riff-happy “Sail On”, “Voices of Silence” and “Norma” (perhaps the most Europe-sounding track on the album)”

5. Kee Marcello

“Kee Marcello is one of the most renowned guitarists out of Scandinavia with an amazing track record. He’s best known as the guitarist of the biggest rock exports out of Sweden to date, Europe. In the late ’80s and early ’90s Europe were one of the biggest rock bands in the World. They sold over 30 million albums. Kee is also the founding member of the sleeze rock band Easy Action.”

4. Phil Collen

“Philip Kenneth Collen is an English musician who is best known as the co-lead guitarist for the rock band Def Leppard, joining the band in 1982 during the recording of the Pyromania album. Prior to joining Def Leppard, Collen had performed with a number of bands in the burgeoning British glam metal scene.”

3. Angus Young

“Angus is literally the epitome of “rock”. There is no other guitarist that can play pure rock the way angus does. People knock him for the simple cords. That’s just a part of the songs they play and not an effect of angus’s true abilities. Let loose he is very close to Eddie Van Halen. I know why people always put Hendrix at top, but it would be for innovation rather than purely just being the best.”

2. Randy Rhoads

“Even though he was gone way too soon, Randy Rhoads left an indelible mark in rock that time cannot diminish. Being the guitarist of Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne, he incorporated classical music style with heavy metal. And while it might not seem like a good idea on paper, he absolutely delivered the goods. Even over three decades after his death, his playing and musicianship remains unrivaled.”

1. Eddie Van Halen

“He’s not everyone’s cup of tea but it’s hard to deny EVH’s impact and influence on generations of guitar players. Anyone who’s seen him perform live can attest to the fact that he’s an absolute beast on the guitar. He admitted to Guitar Player, “I wasn’t into rock in Holland at all, because there really wasn’t much of a scene going on there. When we came to the U.S. I heard Jimi Hendrix and Cream, and I said, ‘Forget the piano, I don’t want to sit down-I want to stand up and be crazy.’”“