10 Best Classic Rock Guitarists Of The '70s

The '70s was the decade where the guitar hero really came into their own. Although we may have gotten people like Jimi Hendrix back in the '60s, the idea of a guitar player leading the band was pioneered in this decade, as each band pretty much relied on the solo work of their six-string god. Whereas some guitar players got a lot more praise than they really deserve, Tom Scholz is everything you would want in a guitar hero.

Coming to prominence out of Boston, the greatest guitar sounds of the modern age were implanted in rock history by Scholz, with the first Boston record being one of the finest production jobs of the decade. Though any band would have killed to have a vocalist of Brad Delp's caliber among their ranks, Scholz was the real mastermind, producing, arranging and playing guitar, organ, and bass across classic hits like More Than a Feeling and Smokin'.

Above all else, Scholz's invention of the RockMan during this time made for some of the most cutting sounds ever put on a record, which would turn into a rallying cry for the next decade, as bands like Def Leppard picked up on the clean sound he had dialed in. Boston might not have gotten too far after their amazing debut, but Tom Scholz's musical mind is the reason why guitar sounds so good nowadays.