10 Best Guitarists Of The 2000s

The biggest difference between rock in the 2000's when compared to other decades was the fleeting nature of its star power. Rock bands would be successful, but very few would ever reach the level of success that a lot of pop stars were achieving at the time. Amid that landscape, John Mayer came to fruition and became the unofficial pop rock troubadour.

Let's get one thing right off the bat: can Mayer's songs be a bit conventional? Absolutely. If you listen to just one song, Mayer may seem like just another pretty face, but you must look beneath the surface. Outside of the man's charting hits are impressive feats of musical brilliance coming from his bluesy six-string fireworks. From his ballads to his more straightforward tunes, each of Mayer's tunes has a certain level of finesse that was a breath of fresh air for radio at the time. Any guitarist who can cover Hendrix's "Bold as Love" and pull it off has to be doing something right.

Guitarists can slag John off for being another mindless pop star, but the ones who try to learn Mayer's breaks realize the massive amount of chops this guy possesses.