The first thing I think when I see the title is who was the best at simply picking up a guitar and making it do wickedly cool things.

That title, hands down, from this vantage point, belongs to one Stephen Ray Vaughan (see video below - please).

But alas, on Rolling Stone's recently released 100 Greatest Guitarist of All Time list (updated from 2003), the late Stevie Ray lands outside the top 10, coming in at #12.

Don't get me wrong, I don't see a name on here that doesn't belong one way or another. And it's open to everyone's interpretation.

But do we really believe Eddie Van Halen isn't as good as Keith Richards, Jeff Beck (well maybe they got that one right) or Chuck Berry?

David Gilmour over Carlos Santana?

Buddy Guy and Angus not cracking the top twenty?

I'll stop now.

Well, one more: Kurt Cobain tops Dimebag Darrell???

Really?

The list was determined by a panel of music experts and top guitar players that included Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello, Metallica's Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains, the Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan, Pearl Jam's Mike McCready, Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, Blink-182's Tom DeLonge and others.

Top 100 Guitarists of All Time (2011 version):
1.Jimi Hendrix
2.Eric Clapton
3.Jimmy Page
4.Keith Richards
5.Jeff Beck
6.B.B. King
7.Chuck Berry
8.Eddie Van Halen
9.Duane Allman
10.Pete Townshend
11.George Harrison
12.Stevie Ray Vaughan
13.Albert King
14.David Gilmour
15.Freddy King
16.Derek Trucks
17.Neil Young
18.Les Paul
19.James Burton
20.Carlos Santana
21.Chet Atkins
22.Frank Zappa
23.Buddy Guy
24.Angus Young
25.Tony Iommi
26.Brian May
27.Bo Diddley
28.Johnny Ramone
29.Scotty Moore
30.Elmore James
31.Ry Cooder
32.Billy Gibbons
33.Prince
34.Curtis Mayfield
35.John Lee Hooker
36.Randy Rhoads
37.Mick Taylor
38.The Edge
39.Steve Cropper
40.Tom Morello
41.Mick Ronson
42.Mike Bloomfield
43.Hubert Sumlin
44.Mark Knopfler
45.Link Wray
46.Jerry Garcia
47.Stephen Stills
48.Jonny Greenwood
49.Muddy Waters
50.Ritchie Blackmore
51.Johnny Marr
52.Clarence White
53.Otis Rush
54.Joe Walsh
55.John Lennon
56.Albert Collins
57.Rory Gallagher
58.Peter Green
59.Robbie Robertson
60.Ron Asheton
61.Dickey Betts
62.Robert Fripp
63.Johnny Winter
64.Duane Eddy
65.Slash
66.Leslie West
67.T-Bone Walker
68.John McLoughlin
69.Richard Thompson
70.Jack White
71.Robert Johnson
72.John Frusciante
73.Kurt Cobain
74.Dick Dale
75.Joni Mitchell
76.Robby Krieger
77.Willie Nelson
78.John Fahey
79.Mike Campbell
80.Buddy Holly
81.Lou Reed
82.Nels Cline
83.Eddie Hazel
84.Joe Perry
85.Andy Summers
86.J Mascis
87.James Hetfield
88.Carl Perkins
89.Bonnie Raitt
90.Tom Verlaine
91.Dave Davies
92.Dimebag Darrell
93.Paul Simon
94.Peter Buck
95.Roger McGuinn
96.Bruce Springsteen
97.Steve Jones
98.Alex Lifeson
99.Thurston Moore
100. Lindsey Buckingham

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