22 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time

There is some snobbery over Van Halen - probably because of what he apparently represents to the music industry - but there is absolutely no contesting his technical ability.

The master guitarist is the king of riffs, making even the simplest licks and lines sound rich and deep and complex and he pioneered a massive number of innovations, pulling sounds out of his guitar that are almost not guitar-like. His style is impregnated with so much personality that copying him note for note would never capture the same tone or sound.

Key Track: "Hot For Teacher"