Settings

Best stringed instrument players (all time)

A ranking of stringed instrument players, such as guitarists or pianists.

Person:
Gender:
Loc:
Age:
Izzy Stradlin
47

Izzy Stradlin

Jeffrey Dean Isbell (born April 8, 1962), better known by his stage name Izzy Stradlin, is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-founder and former rhythm guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N'...
7
7
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
James Hetfield
47

James Hetfield

James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, main songwriter, and lyricist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield is mainly known for rhythm playing, but has also per...
7
7
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Dizzy Reed
47

Dizzy Reed

Darren Arthur Reed (born June 18, 1963), known by his stage name Dizzy Reed, is an American contemporary rock musician, and occasional actor. He is best known for his tenure as the keyboardist, pianist and percussionist for the ro...
7
7
as pianist
from 1 vote
Discuss [-]
Wolfgang Van Halen
47

Wolfgang Van Halen

(1991)
Wolfgang William Van Halen (born March 16, 1991) is an American musician. He is the bassist for Van Halen, having replaced Michael Anthony in 2006. He is also the bassist for the heavy metal band Tremonti...
7
7
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Billy Joel
47

Billy Joel

William Martin "Billy" Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American pianist, singer-songwriter, and composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth-best-selling recording artist and the thir...
7
7
as pianist
from 1 vote
Discuss [-]
Jeff Bridges
47

Jeff Bridges

Jeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor, singer and producer. He comes from a prominent acting family, and appeared on the television series Sea Hunt (1958–60), with his father, Lloyd Bridges and b...
7
7
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Duff McKagan
47

Duff McKagan

Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan (born February 5, 1964) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and author. He is best known for his twelve-year tenure as the bassist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved wo...
7
7
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Prince
47

Prince

Prince Roger Nelson (born June 7, 1958), known by his mononym Prince, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actor.
7
7
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Malcolm Young
47

Malcolm Young

Malcolm Mitchell Young (born 6 January 1953 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a retired Australian guitarist best known as a founder, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter for the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. Except for a b...
7
7
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Johnny Cash
47

Johnny Cash

Johnny "J.R." Cash (February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and author. Although primarily remembered as a country music icon, his genre-spanning songs and sound embraced rock...
7
7
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Jeff Ament
47

Jeff Ament

Jeffrey Allen Ament (born March 10, 1963) is an American musician and songwriter who serves as the bassist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding...
7
7
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Ben Harper
47

Ben Harper

Ben Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
7
7
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Michael Anthony
47

Michael Anthony

Michael Anthony Sobolewski (born June 20, 1954), known professionally as Michael Anthony, is an American musician who is currently the bass player in the rock supergroup Chickenfoot. Anthony is best known as the former bass player...
7
7
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Lou Reed
47

Lou Reed

Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed (March 2, 1942 – October 27, 2013) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was the guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of the Velvet Underground, and his solo career spanned several de...
7
7
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Stone Gossard
47

Stone Gossard

Stone Carpenter Gossard (born on July 20, 1966) is an American musician who serves as the rhythm and additional lead guitarist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one...
7
7
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Tom Waits
47

Tom Waits

Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. He has worked as a composer for movies and musicals and has acted in supporting roles in films, including Paradise Alley and Br...
7
7
as pianist
from 1 vote
Discuss [-]
Alicia Keys
67

Alicia Keys

Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known by the pseudonym Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Keys released her debut album with J Records, having had previous record deals first...
6.5
6.5
as pianist
from 2 votes
Discuss [-]
Tom Petty
68

Tom Petty

Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty (born October 20, 1950) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is best known as the lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, but is also known as a...
6
6
as guitarist
from 2 votes
Discuss [multi]
Jonny Buckland
68

Jonny Buckland

Jonathan Mark "Jonny" Buckland (born 11 September 1977) is an English musician and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the band Coldplay.
6
6
as guitarist
from 2 votes
Discuss [multi]
Norah Jones
70

Norah Jones

Norah Jones (born Geetali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Throughout her career, Jones has won numerous awards and has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. Billboard named...
6
6
as pianist
from 1 vote
Discuss [-]
David Bowie
70

David Bowie

David Bowie (born David Robert Jones, 8 January 1947) was an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, arranger, painter, and actor.
6
6
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Gilby Clarke
70

Gilby Clarke

Gilbert "Gilby" Clarke (born August 17, 1962, in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American guitarist and record producer best known for a 3-year tenure as the rhythm guitarist of Guns N' Roses, replacing Izzy Stradlin in 1991 during the Use...
6
6
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Dave Grohl
70

Dave Grohl

David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and producer who is best known as the former drummer for the grunge band Nirvana and the founder and frontman of the rock band Foo Fig...
6
6
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Garth Brooks
70

Garth Brooks

Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962), best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country pop singer-songwriter. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climb...
6
6
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Sixto Rodriguez
70

Sixto Rodriguez

Sixto Diaz Rodriguez, also known as Rodríguez or Jesús Rodríguez (born July 10, 1942), is an American folk musician from Detroit, Michigan. His career initially proved short lived, with two little-sold albums in the early 1970s an...
6
6
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Leonard Cohen
70

Leonard Cohen

Leonard Norman Cohen (born 21 September 1934) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, painter, poet, and novelist. His work has explored religion, politics, isolation, sexuality, and personal relationships. Cohen has been indu...
6
6
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Syd Barrett
70

Syd Barrett

Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English musician, composer, singer, songwriter, and painter. Best known as a founder member of the band Pink Floyd, Barrett was the lead singer, guitarist and princip...
6
6
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Roger Waters
70

Roger Waters

George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd with drummer Nick Mason, keyboardist Richard Wright and...
6
6
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Amos Lee
70

Amos Lee

Amos Lee (born Ryan Anthony Massaro, June 22, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter whose musical style encompasses folk, rock and soul. He was born in Philadelphia and graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degre...
6
6
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Bruce Springsteen
70

Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and humanitarian. He is best known for his work with his E Street Band. He is nicknamed "The Boss".
6
6
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Chris Martin
70

Chris Martin

Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer-songwriter, pianist, guitarist, and is the lead vocalist and co-founder of the band Coldplay.
6
6
as pianist
from 1 vote
Discuss [-]
Jack White
70

Jack White

Jack White (born John Anthony Gillis; July 9, 1975) is an American musician, record producer, and occasional actor.
6
6
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Sammy Hagar
70

Sammy Hagar

Samuel Roy "Sammy" Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock vocalist, guitarist, songwriter and musician. Hagar came to prominence in the 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose. He afterward...
6
6
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Guy Berryman
70

Guy Berryman

Guy Rupert Berryman (born 12 April 1978) is a Scottish musician, multi-instrumentalist and producer, best known as the bassist for the groups Coldplay and Apparatjik. Berryman is left-handed but plays the bass right-handed...
6
6
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Kurt Cobain
85

Kurt Cobain

Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Cobain formed Nirvana with Krist Novoselic in Aberd...
4
4
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Justin Bieber
85

Justin Bieber

Justin Drew Bieber born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Bieber released his debut EP, My World, in late 2009. It has been certified platinum in the United States. He became the first artist to have seven songs...
4
4
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Krist Novoselic
85

Krist Novoselic

Krist Anthony Novoselic is an American rock musician. He was the bassist and co-founder of the grunge band Nirvana. After Nirvana disbanded following the death of the lead singer Kurt Cobain, Novoselic formed Sweet 75 and Eyes Adr...
4
4
as guitarist
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Info: The persons listed below are officially not in the ranking; they're candidates that don't have the minimum number of votes (1) to officially be in yet. They're listed by the number of votes, not by the rating. Click any item to cast your vote.
Vic Vogel
candidate

Vic Vogel

Victor "Vic" Stefan Vogel, (born August 3, 1935) is a jazz pianist, composer, arranger, trombonist and conductor in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
0
0
as pianist
from 0 votes
Discuss [-]
Ray Charles
candidate

Ray Charles

Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004), professionally known as Ray Charles, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and composer. He was sometimes referred to as "The Genius", and was also nicknamed "The H...
0
0
as pianist
from 0 votes
Discuss [-]
Boom Gaspar
candidate

Boom Gaspar

Kenneth E. Gaspar (born February 3, 1953), more commonly known as Boom Gaspar, is an American musician who has performed with the American rock band Pearl Jam as a piano/keyboard/organ player since 2002...
0
0
as pianist
from 0 votes
Discuss [-]
John Paul Jones
candidate

John Paul Jones

John Baldwin (born 3 January 1946), better known by his stage name John Paul Jones, is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, keyboardist, and co-songwriter...
0
0
as guitarist
from 0 votes
Discuss [multi]
Keanu Reeves
candidate

Keanu Reeves

Keanu Charles Reeves (born September 2, 1964) is a Lebanese-born Canadian actor, producer, director and musician. Reeves is most well known for his acting career, beginning in 1985 and spanning for more than three decades. He gain...
0
0
as guitarist
from 0 votes
Discuss [multi]
Items 51-92 of 92