# Who's the cleanest electric guitar player you've heard



## sojourner (Aug 21, 2014)

I would love to see some examples of 'clean' guitar playing. Electric guitar players who can play fast and COMPLEX licks cleanly like a knife through butter.

Here are my top 15 so far (in no particular order):

-Rick Graham: Rick Graham Shredding - YouTube
-Allan Holdsworth
-Derek Taylor: Derek Taylor - YouTube
-Frank Gambale: Frank -Gambale playing the Rattletrap solo with VI. - YouTube
-Guthrie Govan
-Shawn Lane
-Paul Gilbert
-Marshall Harrison: Marshall Harrison 05 Lesson Part 1 - YouTube
-John McLaughlin
-George Bellas: Master Guitarist George Bellas Improvises Guitar Solos At HESSFEST - YouTube
-Jason Richardson: Lost Not Forgotten Crazy double up - YouTube
-Martin Miller: Monster Lick (Martin Miller) - YouTube
-Chris Impelliteri: 17th Century Chicken Pickin' - YouTube
-Al Di Meola: Al di Meola - Race with Devil on Spanish Highway - YouTube
-Andreas Oberg: Fast Guitar Solo (2005) Andreas Oberg - YouTube


----------



## Spectre 1 (Aug 21, 2014)

Eric Johnson


----------



## TIMEwaveXERO (Aug 21, 2014)

Mark Knopfler ? Maybe. Not the fastest but yeah


----------



## Speedos (Aug 21, 2014)

I'd say Andy James , amazing guitarist and amazing clean technique


----------



## MrPepperoniNipples (Aug 21, 2014)

Speedos said:


> I'd say Andy James , amazing guitarist and amazing clean technique



Super clean and impeccable micro-timing, every note is dead on

Andy James is like the real life Skwisgaar Skwigelf


----------



## Jogeta (Aug 21, 2014)

Emil Werstler.


----------



## slapnutz (Aug 21, 2014)

Andy James and George Bellas. (more people need to hear George Bellas)


----------



## Dana (Aug 21, 2014)

Vito bratta


----------



## shanejohnson02 (Aug 21, 2014)

Feodor Dosumov from Impact Fuze. Wow.


----------



## Kwirk (Aug 21, 2014)




----------



## canuck brian (Aug 21, 2014)

Easily Shawn Lane. 

Thanks for mentioning Derek Taylor! Love that guy's work in Crimeny!!


----------



## rapterr15 (Aug 21, 2014)

Marco Sfogli deserves a mention.


----------



## xwmucradiox (Aug 21, 2014)

Chris Arp from Psyopus is on point with all the crazy trem manipulation and tapping stuff he does.


----------



## Xiphos68 (Aug 21, 2014)

Just watch...


----------



## bouVIP (Aug 21, 2014)

Josh Middleton is butter smooth.


----------



## Andromalia (Aug 21, 2014)

I'm putting my vote on Dave Murray.


----------



## JouniK86 (Aug 21, 2014)

That Andy James really was something. :| Thanks for the tip! 

My vote goes divided to Frank Gambale, Allan Holdsworth, Guthrie Govan and Shawn Lane. Each of them dominate their respective styles when it comes to cleanliness and polished sound.


----------



## Mikebai (Aug 21, 2014)

When John McLaughlin was good he was far from clean.


----------



## VBCheeseGrater (Aug 21, 2014)

TIMEwaveXERO said:


> Mark Knopfler ? Maybe. Not the fastest but yeah




Was going to say that too. His playing just sounds clean to me. Sultans of Swing, etc...


----------



## cwhitey2 (Aug 21, 2014)

xwmucradiox said:


> Chris Arp from Psyopus is on point with all the crazy trem manipulation and tapping stuff he does.







He lives near me (like down the block) and played a show the other 10 min from house I can attest to his awesome clean playing. The time signatures he has going on and the stop and go...along with just random riffs thrown in blew me away, especially seeing it live....and with his amp making the most god awful squeal I have ever heard an amp make.


----------



## Stijnson (Aug 21, 2014)

Besides some of the usual suspects, my vote goes to Wes Hauch, insanely clean, and fast at that. He makes it seem so effortless.


----------



## gorthul (Aug 21, 2014)

My vote goes to Frank Gambale. Best sweeps I've heard.


----------



## Quiet Coil (Aug 21, 2014)

The fellas from The Safety Fire, though a lot of this has to do with the material, production and guitar tone in general. No, they don't really ever "rip up the fretboard", but theirs is some of my favorite progressive work as of late.


----------



## fps (Aug 21, 2014)

One of the cleanest I've seen live, who may not be a more obvious choice, is Josh Rand of Stone Sour. He effortless played everything perfectly, and his solos were completely flawless.


----------



## Speedos (Aug 21, 2014)

i'm not sure if people know about this guy ; and i also wanted to ask about it, is it fake ? i mean i tend to believe he does indeed play that fast ..even if it's hard for me to track his fingers he does seem to be playing the notes... is he or is he not legit ? ofc , the vid is recorded after without sound, but still. 
check it out 

if it is legit, this is just insane


----------



## jco5055 (Aug 21, 2014)

While being a clean player is obviously a good thing, I personally think it's possible to be "too clean" or at least to practice that way, unless you're a band like Rings of Saturn, Brain Drill or other tech death where 90% of its appeal seems to be how crazy the playing is.

What I mean is, I highly doubt that even players like Petrucci write out every single note in their massive speed runs, they probably just know the scales and arpeggios they're going to use and the general contour (direction) of the section and let it rip. But their unique muscle memory lets them play that part exactly the same over and over again, but if someone else were to play they'd naturally do it a little differently. 

Now I guess that's different from what is "clean", but that same attitude would affect my playing when I would try Michael Romeo esque tapping+string skipping stuff. I would REFUSE to use any dampeners or the neck pickup, forcing me to be 100% perfectly clean to learn stuff. Now I'm not saying it would be impossible to do it perfectly clean, I just think that the whole "return of investment" goes down the drain compared to how long it would take to be clean while dampening. Especially because being 100% clean is really only needed for recording, and even then a lot of people punch in and don't play it the whole way through.

I guess I kind of believe in Shawn Lane when he says sometimes you have to try to play a difficult piece faster than you can cleanly and then smooth it out instead of the traditional slowly increase the metronome way (even though I do the latter 99% of the time). It's just that I've found that I've increased a lot more as a guitarist when I don't try to get every little pick scrape etc 100%, especially when considering most professionals aren't picking the exact spot to pick scrape or slide to do it the same way every time. Sometimes the feel is more important. 

And hell, often if you were to for example use a dampener and after ~a month can play that hard part 100% with the dampener, if you take the dampener off you can probably still play it cleaner at full speed than you would have if you refused to increase the speed until you were 100% flawless without the dampener.

End rant


----------



## Khoi (Aug 21, 2014)

Wes Hauch for me


----------



## Mr_Metal_575 (Aug 21, 2014)

Khoi said:


> Wes Hauch for me




Totally agree sir, Wes is such a clean player. Also Andy James is very clean for me


----------



## Dcm81 (Aug 21, 2014)

Lucas Mann


----------



## IbanezDaemon (Aug 21, 2014)

Malmsteen, Becker, MacAlpine, Holdsworth, Di Meola.


----------



## source field (Aug 21, 2014)

1.Frank Gambale
No one in this earth can sweep and economy pick cleanly while playing through changes like him, Frank plays very complex lines, not formulaic patterns and sequences. Not to mention for his great sense of rhythm.

2.Allan Holdsworth
Dude got an alien brain and fingers attached to his body.

3.Guthrie Govan
He likes to combine hybrid picking, alternate picking and complex tapping stuff and he able to do those stuff cleanly and effortlessly, it's like he's just goofing around.

4.Shawn Lane
Shawn Lane - "How to Develop an Outside Sound" - YouTube

5.Scotty Anderson
Check out Scotty Anderson, He's like the Shawn Lane of country music:


6.Brett Garsed
His hybrid picking technique is INHUMAN. And he make it sound so fluid.

7.Marshall Harrison
Not a fan of his playing, phrasing and his music in general. But he's got to be one of the most inhuman (youtube) guitarists out there.

8.Scott Mishoe
Monstrous slap techniques:


----------



## gunch (Aug 21, 2014)

Jarzombek


----------



## Adamewf (Aug 21, 2014)

Mario Camarena of Chon

http://youtu.be/C7zlWP9EFMc


----------



## Korbain (Aug 22, 2014)

ive always loved jeff buckleys cleans. Also a fan of adam jones dirtier clean tone. I'm more of a fan of a dirtier clean though  thats just me. 

Some awsome ones posted up here though, ontop of being brilliant players *runs of and cries because im not as good*


----------



## Harry (Aug 22, 2014)

IbanezDaemon said:


> *Malmsteen*, Becker, MacAlpine, Holdsworth, Di Meola.



He actually has a fair bit of slop in his playing and is well noted as being fairly loose with his timing too. Jake E Lee, EVH (well, in his more sober, non addict periods ) and Gary Moore are in this category, phenomenal players that are very off the cuff, very loose and on the edge of a train wreck, but somehow they just rein it in every time.
Yngwie has sloppy bits all over the place in his fast runs and even in his rhythm playing if you check out many of his live performances and his timing is always pushing and pulling around the beat. 
But because his vibrato and bending technique is just superb and his overall command of the instrument is quite amazing, he never has that bad kind of sloppy in his playing.
Yngwie's slop just adds that much more character and liveliness to his playing.


----------



## groverj3 (Aug 22, 2014)

I might catch some flak for this, but Michael Angelo Batio is probably the cleanest I've ever heard. The dude is weird and only has written a few songs that are worth listening to (Rain Forest, China, Prog, and No Boundaries are actually pretty cool). His playing is absolutely clinical. He just doesn't make mistakes.

Probably a close second is John Petrucci, who writes infinitely more interesting stuff in Dream Theater (plus Suspended Animation is pretty badass).


----------



## Addison90 (Aug 22, 2014)

Jason Richardson (Chelsea Grin/Born of Osiris) not a fan of the music, but dude shreds like a cyborg.


----------



## mr_rainmaker (Aug 22, 2014)

page 2 and NO Vinnie Moore,I am disappointed in sso...


----------



## redstone (Aug 22, 2014)

Anton Oparin maybe.


----------



## FrancescoFiligoi (Aug 22, 2014)

Rick Graham above everyone, then Tom Quayle, Andy James, Wes Hauch, Josh Middleton, Martin Goulding, Emil Werstler.


----------



## thesnowdog (Aug 22, 2014)

Other than many already mentioned, I've always been impressed by Bryan Aspey.


----------



## Dawn of the Shred (Aug 22, 2014)

John petrucci, Jason richardson, Peter joseph, are just a few i can think of.


----------



## jco5055 (Aug 22, 2014)

groverj3 said:


> I might catch some flak for this, but Michael Angelo Batio is probably the cleanest I've ever heard. The dude is weird and only has written a few songs that are worth listening to (Rain Forest, China, Prog, and No Boundaries are actually pretty cool). His playing is absolutely clinical. He just doesn't make mistakes.
> 
> Probably a close second is John Petrucci, who writes infinitely more interesting stuff in Dream Theater (plus Suspended Animation is pretty badass).



Maybe it's just me but I always thought that MAB was fast but his playing was rather simple, like if you get his instructional dvds that his playing on actual songs pretty much uses the exact scale and arpeggio shapes on the dvds. Like there is NEVER a point where he has an interesting/weird fingering pattern. 

Or maybe it's possible to arrange every lead phrase ever to an "easy" and familiar shape, and he just does that? Like one could arrange the "Under a Glass Moon" solo to shapes that are found in the Speed Kills dvds, and if one has diligently practiced them could learn that (and any) solo a lot easier?


----------



## TheBloodstained (Aug 22, 2014)

I kinda wanna say David Gilmour, but it might just be the Gilmour fanboy talking though?
His playing has always been a very big inspiration for me.

And what about Jeff Loomis? He pulls of some insane sweep patterns without missing a note


----------



## porknchili (Aug 22, 2014)

In no particular order:

- Anton Svedin (Soreption)


- George Bellas


- Paul Waggoner (Between The Buried And Me)


- Richie Allan (Heavy Metal Ninjas)


- Mats Haugen (Circus Maximus)


- Christian Muenzner (Obscura/Alkaloid/Necrophagist)


Others I'm too lazy to link:
Paul Gilbert, Jeff Loomis, John Petrucci (not so much recently), Stephan Forte, Al Joseph, Rick Graham, Wes Hauch, Paul Wardington, Andy James, Shawn Lane, Vinnie Moore, Greg Howe, Nicholas Llerandi, Mikko Salovaara, and Alex Silkin.


----------



## will_shred (Aug 22, 2014)

Loomis, Gilbert, Becker, and Govan for me.


----------



## axxessdenied (Aug 22, 2014)

No mention of Malmsteen?



Funny, one of my buddies was recording lead for a track and doing some sweep stuff. HE wasn't happy with the takes because there was too much string/pick noise.
HIs producer is like... "nah man, even yngwie has noise when he plays"
The producer then plays back a track him and yngwie recorded that wasn't editted at all... "Never mind." LOL.


----------



## LeffJoomis (Aug 22, 2014)

Jeff Loomis, Jason Becker, Guthrie Govan. Gonna see Govan live in a couple weeks!


----------



## in-pursuit (Aug 22, 2014)

Super disappointed we got to page 2 before anyone mentioned Tom Quayle. Also super LOL at whoever said John McLaughlin! Don't get me wrong, he's in my top 10 musical influences but he's almost on the same level as Hendrix as far as being loose with his playing.


----------



## Addison90 (Aug 23, 2014)

in-pursuit said:


> Also super LOL at whoever said John McLaughlin! Don't get me wrong, he's in my top 10 musical influences but he's almost on the same level as Hendrix as far as being loose with his playing.



Except that McLaughlin play complex lines when he play fast, not fast sequences and symmetrical fingering patterns over static chord like Batio. He's not as clean as Gambale or Holdsworth, but he's doing a pretty 'clean' job for playing fast and complex lines over any type of changes, with alternate picking (not legato).


----------



## in-pursuit (Aug 23, 2014)

Not that anything you're saying isn't accurate or that I disagree, but .... me if Holdsworth doesn't satisfy the criteria of playing super clean over super complex chord and scale changes more so than McLaughlin.


----------



## djyngwie (Aug 23, 2014)

Lots of good suggestions so far.

I've never listened to Rage, but I remember somebody posting a Victor Smolski live solo video (which of course I can't find atm) and I remember thinking his playing was pretty damn clean. Maybe not absolute top of the list, but not a name I see thrown around a lot.


----------



## redstone (Aug 23, 2014)

Addison90 said:


> Except that McLaughlin play complex lines when he play fast, not fast sequences and symmetrical fingering patterns over static chord like Batio. He's not as clean as Gambale or Holdsworth, but he's doing a pretty 'clean' job for playing five minutes of fast and complex random lines that over any type of changes, with alternate picking (mostly) (not legato).



Fixed. Won't say McLaughlin is the cleanest alt picker, but it's important to take into account the concentration (amount/time) and preparation.


----------



## redstone (Aug 23, 2014)

in-pursuit said:


> Not that anything you're saying isn't accurate or that I disagree, but .... me if Holdsworth doesn't satisfy the criteria of playing super clean over super complex chord and scale changes more so than McLaughlin.



It's easier to clean things up when the only purpose of one's picking hand is to pick a few strings here and there and mute all the others.


----------



## in-pursuit (Aug 23, 2014)

well if you want to take that approach to the comparison then yes, McLaughlin IS a much cleaner player than anyone else in the world at doing EXACTLY what he does. but in a realistic and sensible discussion about "clean playing", taking into account that McLaughlin and Holdsworth are both from a fairly similar part of the musical spectrum (jazz/rock/fusion), notably of course both have a large improvisational component to their music, are also of a relatively similar vintage and have had a similarly lengthy career in music, you cannot deny that it is a pretty fair comparison if ever there was one and that Holdsworth is on another level of "clean" entirely. 

to say that you can't compare them because one employs gratuitous amounts of legato compared to the other is just a little bit silly isn't it?


----------



## OmegaSlayer (Aug 23, 2014)

I'm not informed on professional guitarists personal hygiene, but I would say Slash doesn't rank very high and even Steve Vai is a bit sick since he once suggested to wash hands very few times to preserve callouses.
Life on tour buses is also very hard to keep clean.

Jokes aside I would say Paul Gilbert is crazy clean.


----------



## redstone (Aug 23, 2014)

in-pursuit said:


> to say that you can't compare them because one employs gratuitous amounts of legato compared to the other is just a little bit silly isn't it?



It objectively needs more work to clean up Mclaughlin licks. Holdsworth might sound more sophisticated but his technical approach is less demanding.


----------



## pwsusi (Aug 23, 2014)

mr_rainmaker said:


> page 2 and NO Vinnie Moore,I am disappointed in sso...



I'm with you man... Vinnie gets my vote!


----------



## mr_rainmaker (Aug 23, 2014)

pwsusi said:


> I'm with you man... Vinnie gets my vote!




minds eye album and time odyssey album  smooth is the only words 
meltdown was cool but a big step in a different direction he needed to take at the time,but I`m still
holding and a slot of his fans are still waiting for a another album like his first 2.


----------



## pwsusi (Aug 23, 2014)

> minds eye album and time odyssey album smooth is the only words
> meltdown was cool but a big step in a different direction he needed to take at the time,but I`m still
> holding and a slot of his fans are still waiting for a another album like his first 2.


I couldn't agree more. First two albums were fantastic. Time Odyssey was especially killer. Not that his playing on Mindseye wasn't great, but the writing on Time Odyssey set it apart in my opinion. Mindseye sounded a little more like the other shred records of the day (although his playing IMO was a cut above most of the others).

He's still a great player and probably more well rounded now, but I got a little sad when I heard him talk in an interview about those early records and how he could probably never do anything like that again. He said the number of hours he was practicing back then was insane and he was at a different level. I do love how he's gotten more into hybrid picking and his technique with that stuff is great too. 

I also liked his tone and how it was very clean...not a lot of overdrive compared to a lot of the other shredders, but had a very fluid/creamy sound. You could tell his tone was very unforgiving and every imperfection would be heard if you were playing with that tone. But with his hands it sounded fantastic because he was so clean and every note was crystal clear.


----------



## Overtone (Aug 23, 2014)

Vinnie has some of the most control over his articulation and bends/vibrato. 

AH is an amazingly clean player but definitely more of a smooth guy, he's not ripping bends all over the place. Gets a vote for sure


Andy Timmons. Articulate but he also has great note choice and emphasis, which keeps you interested.


----------



## Esp Griffyn (Aug 23, 2014)

Xiphos68 said:


> Just watch...




I've heard Paul do a hundred different versions of the Technical Difficulties solo and none of them are as good as the one on the album. I wonder why he always deviates so much from the one he originally recorded, maybe he just doesn't like it now, what a shame as imo it's one of his best.


----------



## chopeth (Aug 23, 2014)

Cleanest? obviously you forgot someone


----------



## BucketheadRules (Aug 23, 2014)

Other than the many already mentioned that I agree with, two people called Ben:

Benjamin Ellis from Bloodshot Dawn.



Ben Tovey from Rise To Remain at 1:50 (I can attest that he is genuinely this much of a beast IRL)


----------



## TheHandOfStone (Aug 23, 2014)

in-pursuit said:


> Super disappointed we got to page 2 before anyone mentioned Tom Quayle. Also super LOL at whoever said John McLaughlin! Don't get me wrong, he's in my top 10 musical influences but he's almost on the same level as Hendrix as far as being loose with his playing.



I actually agree with you on McLaughlin. His playing is fairly "Black Swan;" imperfect but free, intuitive, passionate.



No one can mistake the solo in this video for clean playing.  Yet it works really well for this section of the song.


----------



## Vhyle (Aug 23, 2014)

To this day, I have yet to discover somebody's playing cleaner than Jarle H. Olsen. He's a madman on guitar, and his soloing and picking are so accurate and squeaky clean, it's frightening.

And I NEVER see his name mentioned anywhere on the forums, which perplexes me.


----------



## FrancescoFiligoi (Aug 24, 2014)

Vhyle said:


> To this day, I have yet to discover somebody's playing cleaner than Jarle H. Olsen. He's a madman on guitar, and his soloing and picking are so accurate and squeaky clean, it's frightening.
> 
> And I NEVER see his name mentioned anywhere on the forums, which perplexes me.



So underrated, I agree. STELLAR player!


----------



## Rylynn (Aug 24, 2014)

source field said:


> 5.Scotty Anderson
> Check out Scotty Anderson, He's like the Shawn Lane of country music:




YES. I also agree that he's the Shawn Lane of country/rockabilly guitar, 
Scotty is the best fingerpicker out there when it comes to electric guitar playing.


----------



## Tranquilliser (Aug 24, 2014)

Either Emil Werstler or Robben Ford. 

I saw Robben live a few months back, holy ....! Blew my mind. Absolute precision.


----------



## mr_rainmaker (Aug 24, 2014)

page 3 and no MAB???


----------



## MrPowers (Aug 24, 2014)

Al Pitrelli and JB Brubaker were hands down the two best live guitarists I've seen.


----------



## rastachild (Aug 24, 2014)

surprised no mention of per nilsson...lots of legato, but his leadwork is flawless nonetheless.


----------



## Dominoes282 (Aug 24, 2014)

Two people

*Marshall Harrison:*



*Why?*
If he can be that clean with 808's he can be that clean on anything

*Misha Mansoor:*



*Why?*
He makes that guitar his bitch


----------



## BEADGBE7 (Aug 24, 2014)

Dominoes282 said:


> *Misha Mansoor:*
> 
> 
> *Why?*
> He makes that guitar his bitch



this is pretty funny to me, misha is cool and all, but nolly's the best guitarist in the band, hell, he even plays the best lick in THIS video!

EDIT: also just realized watching it agian right now, @1:43 nolly is playing one of my all-time favorite Marty Friedman's solo from Lucretia by megadeth.

How About Marty friedman, guys? sometimes he's not the "cleanest", but damn.... great player, probably the only reason i ever go back and listen to megadeth haha


----------



## oneblackened (Aug 24, 2014)

Jason Becker was at the time one of the most ridiculous players in the world. 

Just listen to goddamn Altitudes, holy shit. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=613KF0YK9Uw


----------



## sawtoothscream (Aug 24, 2014)

Paul waggoner


----------



## Rawkmann (Aug 24, 2014)

Definitely a dude that not a lot of people have heard of I think but Olivier Lapauze absolutely blows me away. He's the guitar player for Heavenly.


----------



## starslight (Aug 24, 2014)




----------



## redstone (Aug 24, 2014)

Rylynn said:


> YES. I also agree that he's the Shawn Lane of country/rockabilly guitar,
> Scotty is the best fingerpicker out there when it comes to electric guitar playing.



Oh and by the way, here's the Shawn Lane of classical guitar (out of topic but he's such a beast)

[YOUTUBEVID]lvAUFJzmP6c[/YOUTUBEVID]

And like Shawn Lane : http://www.aux.tv/2013/02/siberian-...fter-falling-asleep-outside-after-stag-party/


----------



## darkinners (Aug 25, 2014)

Not a shredder but I think John Browne from Monuments has one of the cleanest playing out there.


----------



## beerandbeards (Aug 25, 2014)

Joe Motherf..... Pass!


----------



## Overtone (Aug 27, 2014)

Chris Letchford is pretty ridiculously clean. StS is one of the only bands I've seen that consistently sounds better live than studio. The only time they haven't is when they've had less great mix engineers than usual. A big part of that is how clean they all play. Travis is clean too, but takes less leads so it's harder to tout him in this thread. Honestly a lot of the stuff Chris plays since the Migration is a little too "shreddy" or mechanical for me, but pulling it off so cleanly at the shows is pretty badass! But think about it... riffs, tapping, soloing, melodic vs.fast, etc... a lot of diversity and he pulls it all off, very consistently.

Just don't show him this post... he already knows and doesn't need to be even more confident


----------



## Overtone (Aug 27, 2014)

Fredrik Akkeson... I have a feeling he holds back some. Very good live player as well. I just love that guy's bends.

And Brandon Ellis... anybody who knows that name knows what's up. I shudder to think of what he's going to put out given the chance.


----------



## Overtone (Aug 27, 2014)

Seriously WTF


I think he's 21 or barely 22. The guy learns sets for tours he gets asked to join at the last minute like it's nothing.


----------



## USMarine75 (Aug 27, 2014)

oneblackened said:


> Jason Becker was at the time one of the most ridiculous players in the world.
> 
> Just listen to goddamn Altitudes, holy shit.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=613KF0YK9Uw


 
Finally... I was beginning to wonder where all the JB love was at! There's a bunch of live vids of him and Marty playing through practice amps with very little distortion and he is playing some amazing stuff and quite clean. Most people sound clean with distortion and effects, but as soon as you remove the effects they sound like shit.

Unfortunately, I've heard/seen a lot of sloppy Marty vids on youtube, albeit he is an amazing guitarist (Megadeth - RIP is still one of my fav metal albums of all time). Maybe it's because he doesn't palm mute ever with his right hand? 

I'm glad that some people mentioned David Gilmour, too! 

Also, you youngins need to recognize...


----------



## DarthV (Aug 28, 2014)

mr_rainmaker said:


> page 2 and NO Vinnie Moore,I am disappointed in sso...



Bingo. Remember watching his instructional videos and not understanding how anyone could be that articulate and precise with that small amount of gain.


----------



## poopyalligator (Aug 28, 2014)

Frank Gambale. That man is so clean when he plays. His sweeping is so smooth. Eric Johnson plays super clean also.


----------



## Necris (Aug 30, 2014)

When I was first starting out Chris Impelitteri blew my mind, so kudos for reminding me of him, his playing is even more clean than I remembered.


----------



## heregoesnothing (Aug 30, 2014)

Guthrie Govan and Frank Gambale.

And in the modern metal/shred realm:



actual solo starts at 0:32


----------



## Floppystrings (Aug 30, 2014)

Hizaki

You would think he would mess up one of his bends just once but nope...always perfect. And when he sweeps you are like, "Here we go, he is human" and then he goes and plays them with "first take in the studio" level perfection. Ugg


----------



## Randy D (Aug 30, 2014)

I would have to say JP. Petrucci is so damn amazing and his technique equally awe inspiring. 



Cheers

-Randy D


----------



## sunung1188 (Sep 2, 2014)

John Frusciante!!!


----------



## TheWarAgainstTime (Sep 2, 2014)

Paul Gilbert
Wes Hauch
Guthrie Govan 
Allan Holdsworth 
Paul Waggoner
John Petrucci


----------



## Defi (Sep 2, 2014)

Not my usual cup of tea, but I find watching guthrie play very entertaining. There might be better technical guitarists out there, but shit, they sure don't need to be.


----------



## ihave27frets (Oct 21, 2014)

Dawn of the Shred said:


> John petrucci, Jason richardson, Peter joseph, are just a few i can think of.



I hope you don't mean clean as in personal hygiene! My hair is basically a junkyard.


----------



## Malkav (Oct 21, 2014)

Some great mentions all over this thread already, but just to add a little to the mix:

Joscho Stephan





Tears are shed at how horrific his right hand is 

Matt Palmer



This etude is a son of a bitch, and he plays it like a champion.

Alex Hutchings



Just wonderful playing, and insanely good phrasing!

Daniele Gottardo



I honestly just sat laughing at my screen the first time I saw this...

There are probably lots more I'm not thinking of right now, and I know it says electric and a bunch of these aren't but meh.

Also another mention deserves to go Brett Garsed:



Literally all of the solo in that is improvised, and he's playing changes like a boss, super clean, melodically and at speeds that most can only ever dream of. He is such a boss, words cannot do it justice, I have been studying his playing intensely for the last 2 months as I'm trying to become a hybrid picker and the more I learn the more I realise how monumental a player he truly is, one of the few in this world I would put in that untouchable category with Shawn Lane.



This is only recorded, but again improvised and just draw dropping, man plays a near infinite amount of notes and just never looses it, Garsed first then Lane, the whole album is just hilariously good.


----------



## starslight (Oct 21, 2014)




----------



## Zalbu (Oct 21, 2014)

Richie Allan from Heavy Metal Ninjas doesn't get nearly enough cred in my opinion. Every note, bend, vibrato and dive bomb is absolutely on point. Fun stuff starts at around 03:00.


----------



## Adam Of Angels (Oct 21, 2014)

Overtone said:


> And Brandon Ellis... anybody who knows that name knows what's up. I shudder to think of what he's going to put out given the chance.



This dude is my homie, and yes, people should go listen to him play (with Arsis, but I think he fills in for a number of other groups too). You don't really need to be any better than he is  To put it into context, Ryan Knight and the dude that replaced Chris Amott in Arch Enemy were once the 2nd guitar in Arsis, and when I spoke to James (frontman/guitarist) when they played in Pittsburgh a while ago, he said Brandon was the best guitarist he's had so far.


These are obvious answers, but Vai and Petrucci aren't being named often enough in this thread. I know everybody knows them, but they are absolute gods of guitar, even if a Dream Theater has been stagnant since 'Six Degrees..'


----------



## Jlang (Oct 21, 2014)

Al dimeola


----------



## -42- (Oct 21, 2014)




----------



## rapterr15 (Oct 21, 2014)

No Mattias IA Eklundh mentioned, yet? I am disappoint. Dude is ridiculously clean and the sounds he achieves are pretty unique to my ears.


----------



## Adam Of Angels (Oct 22, 2014)

^^^ holy crap, yes, Mattias is possibly king. Such perfect phrasing.. it's scary sometimes.


----------



## ghost_of_karelia (Oct 22, 2014)

Shit son.


----------



## MrPepperoniNipples (Oct 22, 2014)

Jarle H. Olsen man


----------



## craigny (Oct 22, 2014)

SRV, Gilbert, and Loomis...those dudes don't play a bad note...


----------



## Thorerges (Oct 22, 2014)

Rick Graham is another level of clean, considering how insane his runs are - he is almost flawless. 

Other contenders I have seen on YouTube:

1. Christian Muenzner (Obscura, Necrophagist): 

I am not sure how he is live with his injury, he quit Obscura because of it. But this tapping run is pretty incredible. 



2. John Petrucci(Dream Theater):


----------



## PyramidSmasher (Oct 23, 2014)

Michael Romeo from Symphony X is pretty good at playing cleanly. He does alot of lightning fast shredding and every note rings out with good tone


----------



## MrPepperoniNipples (Oct 23, 2014)

Andy James hands down

The guy doesn't make mistakes, and has impeccable micro-timing.


----------



## sytraxiplague (Oct 23, 2014)

I'm going to have to chime in and say "all of the guitarists who can play like they SOUND like they're making 'mistakes' but are purposely playing loose and can also take control when they need to." To me it seems that requires an alternate level of "cleanliness", it's not metronomic and one-sided, it's all encompassing, and I think that's what makes those players unique, as well.

A lot of the players mentioned here are amazing guitarists, but I wonder if they could really break off of the metronome and loosen up for a while, and then go back to playing technically. 

I really admire the players like Fripp and Howe (Steve) who can do both; convince you that they've only been playing guitar for a week, and then on the next track, or even a moment later in the same track, do things that don't even seem possible on a guitar, cleaner than seemingly possible (with no hair ties or "hands-over", either!). Holdsworth does it pretty excellently, too, especially on the older I.O.U., Velvet Darkness, Soft Machine, etc. stuff.


----------



## starslight (Oct 23, 2014)




----------



## ibanice (Oct 23, 2014)

My choice is without a doubt Ron Jarzombek



He's the cleanest sounding guitarist out there IMO.

AAAnd then there's this guy known as Alex hutchings. He's just amazing in general. He has some of the best sounding phrases and he just tames that guitar like a smooth butt!


----------



## Speedos (Mar 11, 2015)




----------



## kamello (Mar 11, 2015)

2:50 here. Gain is for pussies 







half-kidding aside 

Jason Richardson
Jakub Zytecki
Petrucci
Gilbert
John Browne (shred ain't everything)
Govan
Lane


----------



## TheWarAgainstTime (Mar 11, 2015)

Paul Gilbert
Wes Hauch
Paul and Dusty from BTBAM
Jeff Loomis
Chris Letchford
Nolly 
John Browne
John Petrucci

EDIT: man, didn't realize how old this thread was and that I gave an almost identical answer a page or so back


----------



## Thorerges (Mar 11, 2015)

TheWarAgainstTime said:


> Paul Gilbert
> Wes Hauch
> Paul and Dusty from BTBAM
> Jeff Loomis
> ...



Nolly? Ok I like the dude, but has he ever played live a lot with guitar?


----------



## Ed_Ibanez_Shred (Mar 11, 2015)

Jason Richardson's sweeps at 0:54 are intensely clean


----------



## NotLukasz (Mar 11, 2015)

Ed_Ibanez_Shred said:


> Jason Richardson's sweeps at 0:54 are intensely clean




Lol i was about to post that but you beat me to it, and hell yes Jason is definitely my pick, i'm hoping to get a lesson with him next time he's doing online lessons


----------



## CapnForsaggio (Jun 6, 2016)

How have you missed Muhammed Suiçmez?!

I was blown away by this guy's live playing. Everyone in the band at the time, really.....


----------



## FEcorvus (Jun 6, 2016)

A. J. Minette is pretty clean, worth an honorable mention at least


----------



## ArtHam (Jun 6, 2016)

Danny Tunker 
(just saying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT5QnlsMKk4 I've never seen or heard anything like that. And he looks like he's not even trying)
Christian Muenzner (Epitaph, or anything he's on really)
Joe Haley
John Petrucci
Emil Werstler


----------



## USMarine75 (Jun 6, 2016)

Michael Romeo:


Vinnie Moore:


Rick Graham:


Paul Gilbert:


Bonus... Tony MacAlpine and Jeff Loomis:


Of course... Petrucci.
(don't think I really need to post a video)

Double Bonus:


----------



## Unleash The Fury (Jun 6, 2016)

I second Shawn lane and I also second Emil werstler. also, no one could touch yngwie pre '86


----------



## Maybrick (Jun 7, 2016)

+1 for Rick Graham and Andy James.


----------



## haieb (Jun 7, 2016)

Rick Graham is one of the cleanest (legato) players imo. Another player worth mentioning is Guthrie Govan. His overall skills are unbeaten and his improvisations are mind blowing (hand. cannot. erase )


----------



## Reverend Chug (Jun 7, 2016)

I definitely have to go with Jeff Loomis...the man is an absolute BEAST on the guitar!


----------



## works0fheart (Jun 7, 2016)

For me, it's Mike Gilbert easily. Some of the best guitar tone ever and is extremely tight playing-wise.



Yes, I'm a fanboy, but there are worse people to idolize.

Anyways, other great players.



I used to take lessons from this guy a few years ago and while I'd always loved his songwriting, I really never appreciated things such as restraint as much as I thought I did. Tymon is a perfect example of a player that knows just what a song needs.

The dude from Inferi too. Been a fan since Warmachine since they were from Tennessee and I lived near them at the time. Malcolm's playing has only gotten tighter as the years have gone by. 

1:34 is super clean.

The rhythm behind the lead at 3:15 is super punchy as well too.



There are plenty of other players I could name but most of you have already mentioned them, ie - Yngwie, Paul Gilbert, etc.


----------



## gunch (Jun 7, 2016)

Malcom Pugh's playing on A Loathing Requiem is monstrous too, giving off huge Necrophagist vibes


----------



## Ebart (Jun 8, 2016)

Paul Waggoner. BTBAM


----------



## Fathand (Jun 8, 2016)

There's too many to list, but these would be in my top "Clean" -player list (which can be debated what it even means..)
- Shawn Lane
- Guthrie Govan
- John Petrucci
- Al Di Meola
- Joe Bonamassa
- Frank Gambale

Haven't really seen any bad live clips from any of these guys. And let's face it, that's when you really see who's got a firm grip on their technique and instrument. And I'm surprised no one listed Bonamassa before, his alternate picking is like a frigging machine gun (similar to Di Meola IMO).


----------



## EmaDaCuz (Jun 8, 2016)

Sometimes I take five showers a day, so I think I am one of the cleanest electric guitarists.


----------



## works0fheart (Jun 8, 2016)

EmaDaCuz said:


> Sometimes I take five showers a day, so I think I am one of the cleanest electric guitarists.



Close the thread, this guy is the winner.


----------

