The
results of the Greatest Guitarist Poll 2006 held here at GodofGuitar.com have been announced. Turnout for the 2006
poll was over 79,500 first and second preference vote cast. Once
again the players receiving over 1% of the total vote are shown
below.
The headline news is that Ritchie
Blackmore has won for the 3rd year running. This stunning performance
comes on the back of a difficult year for Ritchie as some of his fanbase have
been disappointed with the new album, one fan commenting it "makes Abba sound
like Slayer", however typically Ritchie has reacted to this and promises that
the next offering will be "decidedly MOR" (which we understand means More of
Rock). Fans will also be disappointed that the rumours of Ritchie's return
to Deep Purple are unlikely now that Rod Evans is touring as Whitesnake in
Bolivia. Also the current Deep Purple are likely to be joining Bob Dylan
on his never-ending-tour sometime next year, making Ritchie's entry appear
unlikely.
In second place is
Derek Trucks who is currently touring with the Eddie Stobart Blues band.
Derek was once put forward as a contender for the guitarist in Deep Purple in
the 70's after his fantastic performances with the Allman brothers, however the
management decided against it when they learnt he wasn't potty trained yet.
At the other end of the list, Just scraping in by
his nose to our 1%, is Jan Cyrka. It looked like most of his fans are
still based in Halifax or enjoy his current work with guitar magazines, well
done Jan.
We'll be posting
more comments and feedback shortly, but for the time being here are is a random
selection of a few of the comments from people who have voted, followed by the
percentage results of the poll.
Gurt Winkel from Heilbron Germany on Gary
Moore:"Gary's playing is a mix of Finesse, Speed, Feel, Emotion,
Improvisation, Technique, Intensity and, above all, Taste. His playing this year
with Oscar Peterson was amazing, I've never seen him sweat so much. This why he
gets my vote"
Eamon Ross in Chicago, USA
comments on The Edge:"Intensity, Emotion, Feel, Improvisation, Technique,
Speed, Taste and, above all, Finesse sets The Edge apart from most players"
Hector in Bogota, Colombia on Randy
Rhodes:"Randy gets my vote because of his Feel, Emotion, Improvisation,
Taste, Technique, Intensity, Finesse and, above all, Speed. Keep up the good
work"
Astel Konk in St Gallen, Switzerland
choses Ritchie Blackmore:"When I think of Ritchie I think of Emotion,
Finesse, Speed, Taste, Feel, Improvisation, Intensity and, above all, Technique.
Who cares how thick his tights are"
Miles Grantham in Boston, Lincolnshire, UK goes wild about Derek Trucks:"I'm
not that keen on his linkup with the Eddie Stobart blues band but I love Derek
Trucks. Improvisation, Taste, Finesse, Speed, Feel, Intensity, Technique and,
above all, Emotion places Derek in a different league to most other players"
Adrian Ols in Malmo Sweden on Brian May:"Some
people are so stupid they talk only of his great head of hair. When I listen to
Brian May all I can think of is Technique, Finesse, Emotion, Speed, Taste,
Intensity, Feel, and, above all, Improvisation"
Dim Kok of Busan, South Korea discusses
Jimi Hendrix:"The finest neo-classist guitarist of all time. His Speed,
Finesse, Technique, Emotion, Taste, Improvisation, Intensity and, above all,
Feel has been an inspiration to all players"
Ritchie Morse Nassau Bahamas on Eric
Clapton:"The greatest guitarist never to have played in the Yardbirds.
The most underrated player of his generation. Eric posseses everything: Finesse,
Speed, Intensity, Feel, Emotion, Improvisation, Technique and, above all, Taste.
Keep spreading the word."
Fergus Wifebeater in Glasgow, Scotland on
Duane Allman:"Did he play in the Eagles? Did he play in the Allman Bros?
Well, who cares either way. Think of Duane and it's clear for all to see:
Emotion, Taste, Finesse, Speed, Improvisation, Intensity, Technique, and, above
all, Feel. Unbeatable, in my opinion"
Thor Arth in Oslo, Norway goes wild for
David Gilmour:"Of all the players in the Who over the last 40 years, you
were the finest. Please come back. We cannot cope without your Improvisation,
Feel, Finesse, Speed, Emotion, Intensity, Taste and, above all, Technique"
Joe Vai in Vancouver, Canada on Eddie van
Halen:"A twiddle here and a twiddle there. I haven't heard so much
tapping since Fred Astaire met up with Ginger Rodgers. Feel, Taste, Emotion,
Intensity, Improvisation, Technique, Speed, and, above all, Finesse gives Eddie
the edge over every other player, including The Edge (ho,ho)"
Zak Urine in Savannah, Georgia, US praises
his all time hero, Slash:"Your name may remind me of a urinery tract
function, however your playing has everything: Improvisation, Speed, Emotion,
Taste, Technique, Finesse, Intensity and, above all, Feel"
Ritchie Blackmore 11.76%
Derek Trucks 11.55%
Jimi Hendrix 11.10%
Stevie Ray Vaughan 11.02%
Steve Morse 7.2%
Jimmy Page 5.3%
Duane Allman 4.14%
Brian May 2.55%
Gary Moore 2.45%
Eric Clapton 2.31%
Randy Rhoads 2.26%
Zoot Horn Rollo 2.18%
Yangwie Maelstreem 2.11%
David Gilmour 2.10%
Pete Townshend 2.04%
Joe Satriani 1.96%
Angus Young 1.40%
Carlos Santana 1.38%
Eddie van Halen 1.33%
Stephen Stills 1.29%
The Edge 1.24%
Steve Vai 1.23%
Bernie Marsden 1.20%
Ricky Medlocke 1.15%
Pete Kershaw 1.10%
Jan Cyrka 1.03%
