Eddie Van Halen has been named as the ‘greatest guitarist of all time’ by readers of Guitar World magazine.
The new list has the co-founder of Van Halen top of the rundown, with Queen axeman Brian May, who this week revealed the biopic of his band’s late frontman Freddie Mercury will now be released in 2014, one place back at #2. The regular leader of polls such as these, Jimi Hendrix, is on this occasion at #4, with Alex Lifeson of Rush at number three.
The Top 5 is completed by the Grammy Award winner Joe Satriani, while the likes of Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi and Steve Vai are also included in the Top 10.
The list was compiled through a ‘knock-out tournament’ in the magazine when musicians went head-to-head with one another on a round-by-round basis.
Top 10:
1/ Eddie Van Halen
2/ Brian May
3/ Alex Lifeson
4/ Jimi Hendrix
5/ Joe Satriani
6/ Jimmy Page
7/ Tony Iommi
8/ Steve Ray Vaughan
9/ Dimebag Darrell Abbott
10/ Steve Vai
