Gibson.com Top 50 Guitarists of All Time – John came in 42nd

Here’s one more proof that all possible polls are a matter of taste and it’s also meant to make both extreme sides relax: those who are crazy when someone doesn’t win because they’re much better and those who are crazy when someone wins because they don’t like something they endorsed to be liked by masses.

Gibson, legendary guitar makers, have organised a poll titled Top 50 Guitarists Of All Time. Just like most of the time when “all time” is concerned, Jimi Hendrix topped the list, followed by Jimmy Page. However, the rest of the list differs a lot from, for example, Rolling Stone’s Top 100 Guitarists Of All Time and, naturally, even more from The Axe Factor which was taking in account only the guitarists of the last 30 years (dunno who won, but he must be amazing…).

On this very list, John is sharing the 42nd place with Richard Thompson, Rory Gallagher, Clarence White and Hubert Sumlin. Journalist/columnist Aidin Vaziri writes:

He was just 18 when he was drafted to replace his personal idol Hillel Slovak, who died of a drug overdose, in the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But Frusciante didn’t come onboard just to recreate the stuttering punk-funk riffs of the past. He brought melody and depth to the band’s defining multi-platinum releases, 1989’s Mother’s Milk and 1991’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik. And each time he circled back to the group between his various solo flights, the results were always inspirational. As singer Anthony Kiedis once said, “John is always deeply disciplined and committed to living and breathing his music at all hours of the day and night. That’s pretty infectious.”

*Apologises for not having linked to the actual list on Rolling Stone website when I used it for comparison. Their new website is absolutely not user-friendly and there actually isn’t a page for the entire list.

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