10 Best Hard Rock Guitarists Of All Time
6. Slash - Guns N' Roses
Every so often, a guitarist comes along that was just born to play. For as much as some rock acolytes might want to try to make a name for themselves on the scene, these guys are able to make rock and roll gold without so much as batting an eye. While many people have to take time to settle into their rock and roll boots, Slash makes the guitar-slinging troubadour role look easy.
Arriving on the Sunset Strip scene in the late '80s, Slash led Guns N Roses to the top of the rock charts off the strength of Appetite for Destruction. Though the rest of the rock scene at the time was still in glam mode, these guys were a lot more gritty, almost feeling like an update of the classic bands of the '70s like Aerosmith or the later period of the Rolling Stones.
Despite the antics of Axl Rose, Slash's leads were unlike anything anyone had ever heard before, with licks that were filled to the brim with emotion.
Ever since, Slash's look and sound has practically become a synonym for 'cool,' from the crazy freakouts he does onstage to the 'I-could-care-less' attitude he brings across every time he straps on his guitar. At a time when rock was concerned with looking pretty and playing fast, Slash just played from the heart...and that was more than enough.