The Guitar Plugged
Guitarist
Index
The players. The instruments. The tones. The records that changed guitar forever.
Featured guitarists
The definitive names
Explore the archive
Every profile in the Index
51 players
Jimi Hendrix
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
1963–1970 · Rock
Eddie Van Halen
Van Halen
1972–2020 · Rock
Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin
1962–present · Rock
Jeff Beck
The Yardbirds / Jeff Beck Group / solo
1965–2023 · Rock
B.B. King
Solo
1949–2015 · Blues
Tony Iommi
Black Sabbath
1966–present · Metal
Eric Clapton
Cream / Derek and the Dominos / solo
1963–present · Blues
David Gilmour
Pink Floyd
1967–present · Rock
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Double Trouble
1975–1990 · Blues
Chuck Berry
Solo
1953–2017 · Rock
Brian May
Queen
1968–present · Rock
Django Reinhardt
Quintette du Hot Club de France
1928–1953 · Jazz
Carlos Santana
Santana
1966–present · Rock
Duane Allman
The Allman Brothers Band
1965–1971 · Blues
James Hetfield
Metallica
1981–present · Metal
Ritchie Blackmore
Deep Purple / Rainbow
1962–present · Rock
Mark Knopfler
Dire Straits / solo
1977–present · Rock
Steve Vai
Solo / David Lee Roth / Frank Zappa
1979–present · Rock
Prince
Solo / The Revolution
1978–2016 · Funk/R&B
Albert King
Solo
1953–1992 · Blues
Pete Townshend
The Who
1962–present · Rock
Randy Rhoads
Ozzy Osbourne / Quiet Riot
1975–1982 · Metal
Dimebag Darrell
Pantera / Damageplan
1981–2004 · Metal
Wes Montgomery
Solo
1948–1968 · Jazz
Derek Trucks
Tedeschi Trucks Band / The Allman Brothers Band
1990–present · Blues
Angus Young
AC/DC
1973–present · Rock
Gary Moore
Thin Lizzy / solo
1969–2011 · Blues
Joe Satriani
Solo / Chickenfoot
1978–present · Rock
Slash
Guns N' Roses
1983–present · Rock
Pat Metheny
Pat Metheny Group
1974–present · Jazz
Peter Green
Fleetwood Mac / John Mayall's Bluesbreakers
1965–2020 · Blues
John Petrucci
Dream Theater
1985–present · Progressive
Alex Lifeson
Rush
1968–present · Progressive
Guthrie Govan
The Aristocrats / Solo
1993–present · Fusion
Yngwie Malmsteen
Rising Force / Alcatrazz
1978–present · Metal
Allan Holdsworth
Solo / UK / Soft Machine
1969–2017 · Fusion
Johnny Marr
The Smiths / solo
1982–present · Alternative
Ace Frehley
KISS / Frehley's Comet
1964–2025 · Rock
Nuno Bettencourt
Extreme
1985–present · Rock
Frank Zappa
The Mothers of Invention / solo
1962–1993 · Rock
The Edge
U2
1976–present · Rock
Tosin Abasi
Animals as Leaders
2007–present · Progressive
Rory Gallagher
Taste / solo
1965–1995 · Blues
Joe Bonamassa
Solo
1989–present · Blues
Dickey Betts
The Allman Brothers Band
1963–2024 · Rock
Zakk Wylde
Ozzy Osbourne / Black Label Society
1987–present · Metal
Robert Fripp
King Crimson
1967–present · Progressive
John Mayer
Solo / John Mayer Trio / Dead & Company
1998–present · Blues
Kirk Hammett
Metallica
1980–present · Metal
Warren Haynes
Gov't Mule / The Allman Brothers Band
1980–present · Blues
Tim Henson
Polyphia
2010–present · Progressive
Curated
Collections
The Founding Fathers
The players who wrote the rulebook everyone else has been arguing with ever since.
Blues Titans
Six strings, twelve bars, and more feel than any amount of technique can buy.
The '80s Virtuosos
The decade when technique became the headline and the bar moved every six months.
Metal Architects
The riff writers and tone builders who designed heavy music from the ground up.
Tone Icons
Players you can identify inside two notes, entirely because of how they sound.
Progressive Visionaries
Odd meters, long forms, and a refusal to treat the guitar as a background instrument.
Modern Masters
The current generation redrawing what the instrument can do.