Where does John Petrucci rank among your favorite guitar players?

[?]

I can't really rank guitarists and I have no particular favorite, so it's hard to say, but I'd say JP is at least in my top 10.

[Siddhartha]

Not in top positions  but he is in my list of the greatests ever.

[Zydar]

Top 5 guitarist for me.

[puppyonacid]

He's also in my top 100 drummers

[Prog Snob]

He's definitely my favorite.  If I were to rank a Top 5 for myself it would be:

1. Petrucci
2. Vai
3. Satch
4. DiMeola
5. Steve Morse/Steve Howe

Yeah, I have the Italian guitarist itch (except for the two Steves obviously).   

[Sycsa]

All things considered (and the fact that I'm not really a guitar guy), Petrucci is easily my favorite. Other than him, I have a thing for Paul Gilbert and classic live Ritchie Blackmore.

[ZirconBlue]

He's my absolute favorite. He's crafted my favorite music, and there isn't anything that he can't do.

Basically, this.

[emtee]

JP would probably be in my top 20.

Gilmour
Schon
Iommi
Lynch
Page

[mikeyd23]

JP is definitely my favorite guitar player... What a fantastic player and songwriter! 

[erwinrafael]

JP for me is around number 4.

1. Brian May - grandiose playing with heart. Last Horizon is my favorite guitar piece ever specially the live version.
2. Steve Vai - he sometimes goes overboard but Whispering a Prayer and Touching Tongues are divine.
3. Nuno Bettencourt - As good as Pornograffitti is, Extreme III has got to be the best "guitar" album for a full band.
4. John Petrucci - what sealed his spot for me is his amazing outros. JP does the best outros. Octavarium. Illumination Theory. The Spirit Carries On. TSCO's outro gets me every time. EVERY FREAKING TIME and it is not even a complicated solo.

[Captain Reddot]

He was once my favourite player, but is currently probably my 4th favourite, behind Guthrie Govan, Marty Friedman and Al Di Meola.

[FracturedMirror]

Petrucci is one of my top 3 favorite players.  SRV, Buckethead, then JP. 

[Accelerando]

In my top 5 for sure, and the most technical

1. Mark Tremonti
2. Brian May
3. Jimmy Page
4. John Petrucci
5. Jimi Hendrix
6. David Gilmour
7. Myles Kennedy
8. Eddie Hazel
9. Dave Mustaine
10. Robert Johnson

[kirksnosehair]

3. Gurley
4. Tanna

Who?



I've always stated that my two favorite guitarists are Gary Moore and Michael Schenker. But I'm not sure I can deny JP much longer.

I don't even know how to answer this because he is in that odd category.  I don't think his style is particularly memorable and while that may sound like I am slamming him, it is simply that when I hear a Tony Iommi riff, I know it is Tony Iommi.  If I hear Randy Rhoads, I know it is Randy. 

When I hear JP, I usually love it but not for his guitar playing.  I think he is a great writer and obviously a great guitarist but with DT I guess I look at the whole picture....fuck, I mean The Bigger Picture (almost fucked up that reference).

When I think of my favorite guitarists it is usually because they a so incredibly unique and distinct but for JP, he is a chameleon and is amazing at whatever style he is playing at that moment so he almost blends in amongst all of the other guitarists. 

I completely agree, and this has always been my issue with how to view JP. Most of the icons had something distinct about them. They all excelled at something. JP excels at everything!

Gary Moore was a fantastic player.  I never really connected with very much of his music, though.


Petrucci is definitely in my top 5.  I always have a difficult time giving exact spots to specific players.  They move around quite a bit depending on my mood.   One day John Petrucci is my favorite, then it's Dave Murray, then Roine Stolt, then Brick Williams or Karl Groom....

[wolfking]

7. Myles Kennedy

Bro, that's the worst case of fanboyism I've seen. 

[The Stray Seed]

Number one at least!!!

[mikeyd23]

7. Myles Kennedy

Bro, that's the worst case of fanboyism I've seen. 

Haha it may be a little fanboyism... He wouldn't be in my top 10, but he actually is extremely talented on guitar, super underrated guitar player due to his recognition as a vocalist.

[lonestar]

I'd put him behind Steve Howe but tied for second with Pete Townsend.

[dvargas]

Option 3 for me.  I love atmospheric guitarists the most.

1. Lifeson
2. Gilmour
3. Gurley
4. Tanna
5. Brian May

Then Mr. Pertrucci

I don't know if I would put JP below Tanna, but I gotta give it to you dude, Jag is one of my absolute favorite guitar players -- he has one of the most unique styles, it's such a shame that asides We Got the Love they haven't recorded anything new. His work on BGO is phenomenal.

[Cable]

My top. Obviously others mentioned versatility, which he's not the most versatile guitarist switching genres and styles of playing. But in the scope of the prog rock and metal template, he hits a lot of it.

It's not the best comparison, but I feel he is the EVH of prog, or EVH taken up a notch. I mean this in that at EVHs peak, he was well rounded; lead playing, rhythm playing, tone and so on. JP has all of that, and many have taken up their playing due to JP.

I feel riffs don't get better than JPs. I have seem some odd people above him in the prog field... I don't know if the riffs he does is what I want to hear exactly or what. But I could make a top 100 list of his riffs probably easily.

[King Postwhore]

Option 3 for me.  I love atmospheric guitarists the most.

1. Lifeson
2. Gilmour
3. Gurley
4. Tanna
5. Brian May

Then Mr. Pertrucci

I don't know if I would put JP below Tanna, but I gotta give it to you dude, Jag is one of my absolute favorite guitar players -- he has one of the most unique styles, it's such a shame that asides We Got the Love they haven't recorded anything new. His work on BGO is phenomenal.

Thanks man.  Guitarist that stand out so different than others is who I gravitate too.  So unique no matter the genre or decade.

[Nearmyth]

Top 10 for me. He can pretty much play and do anything,  he can shred yet play with feeling, but overall I enjoy style over skill, and Petrucci is 99% skill in that case.

Guthrie Govan, David Gilmour, Alex Lifeson, Steve Howe, Mikael Akerfeldt, Steven Wilson, are all somewhere in my top 10 for either skill, originality, style, songwriting capability or innovation of their instrument. Petrucci may be somewhere in there, not top 3 though.

Edit: How could I forget Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew...

[wolven74]

Hmmm..... this really is a tough one for me. I'm more a drummer than a guitar player, so over all, I know more drummers than guitarists. So, if I were to rank my favorite guitar players it'd likely go something like this.

1. John Petrucci
2. Tony Macalpine
3. Steve Vai
4. Marty Friedman
5. Richie Kotzen
6. Andy James
7. Stevie Ray Vaughn
8. Joe Satriani
9. Joe Stump
10. Billy McLaughlin
11. Eric Tingstad

[tnphelps]

I don't know if he is number 1 but JP is definitely in my Top Five along with Gary Moore, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Van Halen or Rhoads. Gary Moore would probably be number 1. Not really into blues but the way he plays will soul and feel and the way he bends a note just floors me.

[Juular]

Probably #4.

In no particular order:

Randy Rhoads
Steve Lukather
Trey Anastasio
John Petrucci
Robert Fripp
Mike Keneally
Paul Gilbert
John Scofield
Guthrie Govan
Mattias IA Eklundh
Alex Skolnick
Michael Akerfeldt
Andy Timmons
Frank Zappa
Steve Vai
Devin Townsend
Adrian Belew
Al Di Meola
Alex Lifeson
Roine Stolt

[AngelBack]

Probably #4.

In no particular order:

Randy Rhoads
Steve Lukather
Trey Anastasio
John Petrucci
Robert Fripp
Mike Keneally
Paul Gilbert
John Scofield
Guthrie Govan
Mattias IA Eklundh
Alex Skolnick
Michael Akerfeldt
Andy Timmons
Frank Zappa
Steve Vai
Devin Townsend
Adrian Belew
Al Di Meola
Alex Lifeson
Roine Stolt

Forgot about Steve Lukather, Toto Hydra one of my all time favorite albums.

[King Postwhore]

His solo in "A Thousand Years" is killer.

[AngelBack]

His solo in "A Thousand Years" is killer.

Yep, and "White Sister"  OMG 

[moof]

He's my favourite. I don't think he's the best around in regards to his technique or inventiveness, but as the complete package he is by far the best because he's written my favourite guitar lines, and music in general.

Guthrie Govan is the best I've ever heard.

[rumborak]

Favorite, yeah.

[Tis BOOLsheet]

used to be 3 of the top 3, but is now #1.

[Lowdz]

I don't even know how to answer this because he is in that odd category.  I don't think his style is particularly memorable and while that may sound like I am slamming him, it is simply that when I hear a Tony Iommi riff, I know it is Tony Iommi.  If I hear Randy Rhoads, I know it is Randy. 

When I hear JP, I usually love it but not for his guitar playing.  I think he is a great writer and obviously a great guitarist but with DT I guess I look at the whole picture....fuck, I mean The Bigger Picture (almost fucked up that reference).

When I think of my favorite guitarists it is usually because they a so incredibly unique and distinct but for JP, he is a chameleon and is amazing at whatever style he is playing at that moment so he almost blends in amongst all of the other guitarists.

This pretty much. I am a big guitar shredder fan, and this is one of the reasons I was attracted to DT initially when WDADU came out. However, I don't really associate JP in the same category as Satch, Vai, Malmsteen, Moore, Becker etc. I see him more as a band guy. He's certainly a great guitarist but I don't really separate him from the rest of the band.

[Ruba]

David Gilmour is my favourite, but JP is the second best.

[donniekak]

He's in my top 10. But, I cannot list them in order if I had to. I'm a guitar player and all my favorites are like phases in my development.
Page
Hendrix
Satch
Vai
Yngwie
Petrucci, but like some mention, it was more of a total dream theater thing.
Freidman
Holdsworth
Romeo
Jason Becker, the biggest influence on my technique building. That kid was amazing, and it's ashamed what happened to him. I really believe he would have tired of the shred fest,  and continued making amazing music.

[Marion Crane]

Petrucci is my personal favorite for sure, but I don't think he's the "best" all around