10 Best Guitarists You've Never Heard Of

10. Eric Johnson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiRn3Zlw3Rw Eric Johnson has been doing the rounds since the mid-70s and is incredibly well known in musician circles. The Grammy nominated guitarist has released a slew of albums since 1978, guested on hundreds of songs and played with some of the best musicians in the world. In fact, he was the third act on the inaugural G3 Tour, alongside Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. Eric's style is hard to pin down because he is so damn versatile. His songs can vary wildly from blues to jazz, hitting almost every style in between. He is an accomplished pianist and has been known to take up the bass guitar, among other instruments. He also happens to be one of the most exacting musicians in the world. He is anal to a fault about his sound. He only plays with gear he knows and rarely changes his core setup unless there's a specific reason to. Legend has it that when Fender were building his signature Stratocaster guitar he specifically asked for the tremolo cavity to remain paint and lacquer free, because that milligram of paint would colour the sound of the guitar. That level of care goes all the way down to the kind of cables and even the make of plectrum he uses. One of the reasons Eric remains out of the limelight (despite being one of the most respected guitarists in the world) is that a lot of his work is instrumental. He can sing, but he doesn't appear to sing for himself all that much. The fact that his music is primarily vocal-free shouldn't stop you experiencing what he can do as a musician. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL8aeeSTthQ