The Greatest Guitarist Of All Time

[davzdrummer]

Let's all vote for JP 

https://www.guitarworld.com/poll-greatest-guitarist-all-time-round-3-john-petrucci-vs-dave-mustaine

[Rattlehead]

Wow that's tough... Mustaine is one of the most well rounded guitarists of all time in my opinion... I'm leaning towards Petrucci but I will have to think about this one for a bit.

[BlobVanDam]

Already voted.

I have to say though, if/when he wins this round, he's up against Tony Iommi next, and as much as I love JP, it's Tony fucking Iommi.

[davzdrummer]

Already voted.

I have to say though, if/when he wins this round, he's up against Tony Iommi next, and as much as I love JP, it's Tony fucking Iommi.

Yup! I might be biased here, but I want JP to take it all the way! 

[Rattlehead]

But Mustaine practically invented a genre of music... his body of work is better if you're considering who wrote more "classic" albums, easily had more influence, he's probably more creative too since Megadeth is more original than DT. I hope all of you are familiar with Mustaine's work and not just voting for Petrucci because he plays guitar for your favorite band. I'm not trying to take anything away from JP because I do feel he's one of the best in the world right now but I feel like this is just going to turn into a "well I love DT and JP is awesome and I don't really like Megadeth so I'll go with JP" kind of thing.

[KevShmev]

There is almost no way that bracket doesn't come down to Hendrix and EVH. 

[AngelBack]

Voted JP, my picks, EVH, JP, Hendrix and Page in the quarters.

[davzdrummer]

But Mustaine practically invented a genre of music... his body of work is better if you're considering who wrote more "classic" albums, easily had more influence, he's probably more creative too since Megadeth is more original than DT. I hope all of you are familiar with Mustaine's work and not just voting for Petrucci because he plays guitar for your favorite band. I'm not trying to take anything away from JP because I do feel he's one of the best in the world right now but I feel like this is just going to turn into a "well I love DT and JP is awesome and I don't really like Megadeth so I'll go with JP" kind of thing.

I like both Megadeth and DT.  DM is a great guitarist no doubt, I just love JP's guitar playing though

[BlobVanDam]

There is almost no way that bracket doesn't come down to Hendrix and EVH. 

I don't really know the general user base voting on this, but I'd put Vai in with a decent chance for that side of the bracket, and I wouldn't rule out Jimmy Page either, for being in Zeppelin. That said, you're probably right.
Although I think both would be deserving choices anyway for how they've influenced guitar playing in general. Really depends on what criteria you want to use, I suppose.

[Rattlehead]

But Mustaine practically invented a genre of music... his body of work is better if you're considering who wrote more "classic" albums, easily had more influence, he's probably more creative too since Megadeth is more original than DT. I hope all of you are familiar with Mustaine's work and not just voting for Petrucci because he plays guitar for your favorite band. I'm not trying to take anything away from JP because I do feel he's one of the best in the world right now but I feel like this is just going to turn into a "well I love DT and JP is awesome and I don't really like Megadeth so I'll go with JP" kind of thing.

I like both Megadeth and DT.  DM is a great guitarist no doubt, I just love JP's guitar playing though

That's cool  my comment before wasn't directed at anyone in particular, it's just that every time a poll like this comes along I feel like few people actually take the time (  ) to consider who is the better option and just vote for who they like more. Like I said before, I'm still leaning towards JP and that's saying a lot because Mustaine was always my favorite guitarist by far until I discovered DT.

[namgalsipsclar]

JP gets my vote
Mustaine is underrated though IMO

[Scorpion]

I hope that EVH doesn't get that far - he's a good player, but massively overrated, imho. And how people always rave about how he invented tapping with Eruption - afaik, Hackett was tapping earlier and nobody remembers him.

[TheGreatPretender]

Mustaine is one of my favorites, but I think his main strength is riffs, which are amazing. But with JP, his riffs might not be quite as stellar as Mustaine's, but his solos are just majestic.

[davzdrummer]

Mustaine is one of my favorites, but I think his main strength is riffs, which are amazing. But with JP, his riffs might not be quite as stellar as Mustaine's, but his solos are just majestic.

This... 

[countoftuscany42]

Don't forget though, Mustaine is a goddamn idiot..

[DTFan0789]

Let's take Petrucci all the way in this. 

[ResultsMayVary]

For this specific round, I don't mind voting JP over Mustaine. That's an extremely easy vote for me.

[Rattlehead]

Don't forget though, Mustaine is a goddamn idiot..

True... but we're just rating the "Greatest Guitarist Of All Time" here  I've never met either of them but based off of what I have seen/read, they're not even comparable when judging character, Petrucci seems like a real genuine, stand up guy... and many of us know what kind of guy Dave seems to be... 

This is such a tough decision for me though because these guys are my two favorite guitarists. I think in the grand scheme of things they're both very underrated (Dave always being in the shadow of Metallica even though he's far more talented and creative than Hetfield and Hammet imo). My final verdict is to go with Dave, looking at the criteria provided in the link, it appears to me that Dave slightly has the edge on JP. You also have to take into account that he is also the singer/frontman of his band which makes what he does even more impressive to me.

[TheGreatPretender]

Of course, I can't vote for anyone because apparently, my browser sucks.

[davzdrummer]

Let's take Petrucci all the way in this. 

YEAH!!!

[MoraWintersoul]

I have to say though, if/when he wins this round, he's up against Tony Iommi next, and as much as I love JP, it's Tony fucking Iommi.

This.

[Sketchy]

Iommi is the riffmaster pursuivant.

[jsem]

JP out of all these guys, NO question at all.

[MondayMorningLunatic]

This is like Usain Bolt vs. a paraplegic

[Dark Castle]

But Mustaine practically invented a genre of music... his body of work is better if you're considering who wrote more "classic" albums, easily had more influence, he's probably more creative too since Megadeth is more original than DT. I hope all of you are familiar with Mustaine's work and not just voting for Petrucci because he plays guitar for your favorite band. I'm not trying to take anything away from JP because I do feel he's one of the best in the world right now but I feel like this is just going to turn into a "well I love DT and JP is awesome and I don't really like Megadeth so I'll go with JP" kind of thing.

Gary Holt > Dave Mustaine

So I'll vote for Petrucci.

[Dublagent66]

Mustaine?  Really?.....

[Scorpion]

Mustaine?  Really?.....

Mustaine is damn good at what he does. He doesn't hold a candle to Petrucci, but he's not lol-worthy in any shape or form, imo.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Angus Young beat Ace Frehley?  Wow.

[Rattlehead]

Mustaine?  Really?.....

Why is that funny? You do know Mustaine is one of the most innovative metal guitarists that had an enormous impact on the genre right?

[wolfking]

Neither JP or Mustaine should be considered the best guitarist in the world.

[Ħ]

JP is winning!

[Elite]

Angus Young beat Ace Frehley?  Wow.

I was even more astounded at Tom Morello beating Robert Fripp. What the fuck.

[Jay.Ess]

From a guitaring standpoint, Petrucci runs circles around Mustaine. No question.

[Dublagent66]

Mustaine?  Really?.....

Why is that funny? You do know Mustaine is one of the most innovative metal guitarists that had an enormous impact on the genre right?

Of course, but that's not what the thread title is asking and polled against JP is rather laughable.

[SeventhSon]

My initial gut reaction in terms of pure playing ability is definitely Petrucci. He can play faster, cleaner, smoother, and more varied stuff than Mustaine does (not to knock either Dave or his songwriting - I love Megadeth). However.....

"Aside from how good a player is at his or her given style, here are some things to take into consideration:

• Influence: Who inspired more kids to beg their parents for a guitar for Christmas? Who inspired a wave of copycats?
• Chops/Versatility: Is the guitarist in question a one-trick pony or a master of many styles?
• Body of Work: Who had the more consistent career? Who has played on more classic albums?
• Creativity: Who pioneered new techniques? Who sounds the most radically different from what came before them?"

Looking at it this way makes it a much more difficult task. I can't argue that Petrucci is a more influential guitarist than Mustaine is/was. As was mentioned before, Dave was among the pioneers of thrash metal back in the 80s, and without his work in Megadeth (and even his brief time in Metallica) the world of heavy metal guitar would be incredibly different.

Chops/Versatility, Petrucci by miles. No question asked. I love Dave's playing but he's got his own style that he excels at and doesn't really deviate a whole lot from there.

Body of Work: Mustaine's played on some of heavy metal's finest moments (Rust in Peace, Peace Sells, Countdown to Extinction, to name a few), but Megadeth's overall catalog is more inconsistent than Dream Theater's. There are a couple Megadeth albums I don't like very much (Risk, 13, The World Needs a Hero) but Dream Theater's material is more consistently good across their career.

Creativity: Mustaine was one of the forefathers of an entire genre of heavy metal, and not a lot of people were playing like him back in those days. Petrucci on the other hand has a great strength in his overall mastery of guitar, and while he does do some astonishing things with his playing, I think Mustaine's stature and influence in metal guitar dwarfs JP's, regardless of pure talent and ability.