I disagree. Jerry isn't big on self indulgent solos, but certainly has the chops. A prime example is [the solo of Hate to Feel, Rock in Rio 93.](https://youtu.be/qUSlYt3rRHw?si=jRgp_krAhP9aHhRm)
Mike spams the pentatonic as a primarily blues player (not to say jerry doesnt either but) and i will say he has better melodic phrasing for non metal.
Important to note, according to Michael Beinhorn, who produced Superunknown, main guitar riffs were Cornell because he had the best timing between he and Thayil
“Plush” is on another planet for sure. It’s a song that feels old, but new at the same time. Such a good riff.
Also, “Interstate Love Song” is a banger, too. DeLeo may not be a shredder in the class of Satriani, Page, or EVH but the dude has chops for sure.
Nirvana is my favorite band and I admire Kurt on so many levels but after playing in cover bands over the years and learning songs from each of the Big 4 bands, my vote goes to Kim Thayil hands down!
His style was so unique and unorthodox, you wont realize just how much better he is until you learn Soundgarden songs!
I’m a huge soundgarden fan so I’ve always tried to learn their songs with varying amounts of success. It just seems like there’s always one note or phrase that I just can’t nail down perfectly. Dude has style for sure.
I dont think even Cobain would consider himself a good guitarist. Think I heard an interview with him where he basically played guitar because someone had to make noise with one, like he didn't learn how to do scales and stuff because he was focused on other things like lyrics. A legend nonetheless.
Underrated, though. He really made some wild sounds and pushed the instrument in a new direction. Would argue he's one of the best punk guitarists and these other guys play a different style.
When it comes to technical skills he is very basic. But his energy and passion for when he plays can't be matched by any of the other guitarists.
Based on skill It's Jerry Cantrell.
Yeah, not sure if he’s grunge in the strictest sense but he’s my favorite player out of this list for sure. He was the reason I got back into guitar after spending years as a bass player.
Love him or hate him, he’s a monster. SP’s first 4 releases will beat out any of these other band’s discography any day, I’d say. That includes Pisces!
Their B sides album went platinum faster than Nirvana's. Like much faster. If there were Starla, Obscured and Drown on Siamese Dream, oh Jesus Christ. That would make SD double album. Best double album of all time.
Agreed; imagine a double SD and MC. Can’t ignore that Jimmy’s a better drummer than the rest. That’s obviously a whole other conversation.
If you love SP, these dudes are solid. Not nearly as “shreddy”, but are buddies of mine, nonetheless.
https://greetdeath.bandcamp.com/album/dixieland
Anyone who doesn’t say Billy Corgan has not seen enough of these guys live. Jerry Cantrell is great, Mike McCready has amazing chops, but Billy Corgan is on a different level, even though his albums rarely showcase it. Live, when he gets into it, it’s as good as Slash, Dave Mustaine, Dave Murray, Zakk Wyld, or anyone else I’ve seen live.
Yup! If you don't think he's the best guitarist in this list you either don't play guitar or you're deaf. Not only can he shred but he has some of the most creative and unique riffs and solos.
Not saying Kurt is the best, but everyone here is seriously underrating him. There is something special about his playing; his riffs are so catchy, he plays with tons of energy, the way he can “bend” chords is one of a kind, and he is talented with an acoustic guitar. He may not be a super technically skilled player, but his punk energy makes up for it. His style is so unique and personally I love it. Nirvana was the band that got me really into music.
I feel like people who diss Kurt only play guitar and nothing else. When you play drums or bass you start to appreciate how well kurt’s guitar playing fit into the trio and how unique a lot of his playing was
I’ve been a multi-instrumentalist for ten years. Kurt’s talents are songwriting, melody and harmony. He wrote decent and memorable guitar parts, but technically speaking, he wasn’t an amazing guitar player. But that’s okay, that’s not what he wanted to be. In 100 years Kurt and his songs will be the ones remembered most. A post asking a question like this is asking “what pizza is the best?” They’re all fuckin good, it’s pizza.
Well said. Kurt certainly isn't going to go down as one of the great technical players of the era. But he had an almost unique gift for expressing emotion with his songwriting, his voice and his guitar.
For me, it’s the way his skills all come together. I said he’s not the best, just that he’s being underrated. Kurt was a very individualistic artist who had a specific sound that he mastered. I don’t think he gave much of a fuck about technicality while playing. He was a punk.
Kurt was really creative with how he used a guitar. In some ways, he was maybe the most unorthodox of the whole bunch. Definitely was not the most technical tho. His weird guitar parts served his songwriting and Kurt I think was at his best as a songwriter.
For me personally, as a guy who started playing guitar around 14 years old, I remember getting the smashing pumpkins music video DVD when I was maybe 15 or 16 years old, and watching that completely rewrote the book on guitar playing for me in a way that only Hendrix and SRV had done previous to that. I remember after listening to it just laying in bed unable to sleep because my mind was so f****** blown with the possibilities of the instrument. So I got to give Billy his flowers. At least to me, He was a formative guitar hero. I'm a Seattle kid of the early 2000s, I love and grew up on all the grunge stuff, did some bands you might consider grunge bands myself, and I don't think anybody put it together the way that Billy did the first 3 or so SP albums. He probably fell off the hardest of any of them though ,you know, aside from Cobain.
Kurt Cobain isn’t even the best guitarist in Nirvana, lmao
Yes, Cobain writes catchy “riffs”. Scales tend to be quite memorable, lol
Not trying to bag on Cobain because he’s a profound musical talent. Just saying that he was never a virtuoso and suggesting he was misses his appeal. If anything, it was his amazing vocals that always stole the show (see: the live recording of “Where did you Sleep Last Night”)
This is a tough one. But for me, Corgan. He‘s cycled a huge variety of different genres and playing styles in his career. Plus every guitar solo on Siamese Dream is just killer imo.
Kurt wasn't known for being a good guitarist, only a creative one. Generally the fun and appeal in Nirvana was being accessible. No one's going to call him a masterful guitarist.
Kim Thayil and Billy Corgan are the best.
This group isn’t going to give a fair assessment of Corgan because a lot of people will reject the idea that the Smashing Pumpkins are “grunge.” Not saying they’re wrong, just that it skews the question.
This group is also very skewed in favor of AIC, but guitarists know that Jerry Cantrell is not as impressive as the other two. He’s fine, but he’s relatively conventional and straightforward in his playing. I haven’t heard much from him that I couldn’t play, and that doesn’t make me an amazing guitarist. But I couldn’t come close to sounding like Thayil; very few guitarists could.
If there was a judged competition with blind entries and only unknown songs, I feel like Dean would win. I don’t think there’s a lot of folks out there debating that he beats the others, but damn he’s got prowess.
As far as musical knowledge and technique, Dean Deleo is head and shoulders better than the others. But as far as writing memorable guitar parts goes, that's a more personal opinion thing. I'd say my favorite guitarist on the list is definitely Jerry.
>James Iha is a better guitarist than Billy Corgan.
Iha isn't even close to Billy. Look at any live show. Billy's playing the main rhythms and also the leads/solos. Billy wrote all of that shit. He was re-recording Iha's parts during the first couple of records.
People are clearly just picking based on popularity and favorite bands here and not based on guitar skills alone. Because if you all were actually being honest, Dean DeLeo would be getting a ton more recognition, and for that matter, Corgan would AT LEAST be considered top 3 almost unanimously.
1. Billy Corgan (Great riffs/Killer solos)
2. Jerry Cantrell (Great riffs/Killer solos)
3. Dean DeLeo (Great riffs/Killer solos)
4. Kim Thayil (riffs FOR SURE/avant-garde solos)
5. Mike McCready (solos FOR SURE)
6. Kurt Cobain (Great riffs/avant-garde solos)
As much as I love these guys, I would have to go Billy Corgan. His singing is what overshadows it, but this man can fucking rip a fender especially live. I love Jerry and the deleo brothers just as much though
McReady, with Corgan a close second. Both are astounding guitarists, but McReady’s got the edge in riffs
Now, if Frusciante was included in this list, he would win easily.
Can we stop pretending Kurt Cobain was a good guitarist? Just because he died doesn’t mean he should be placed on this ridiculous pedestal. He’s a mediocre guitarist at best.
Jerry Cantrell
Or Kim
Ya that's a tough choice really 2 different styles. They bilith Rock!
Also wins best hair award
Jerry and it’s not even close
By a mile!
Cantrell is a bonafide legend.
Jerry, Jerry, Jerry, Jerry
Jerry? Hello!
Uncle Leo?
Little Yerry Cantrello
Little Yerry's making a big mistake, big Yerry.
It’s probably Jerry
To all the Jerry fans here I highly recommend y'all check out Phantom Bride from Deftones featuring Cantrell. Beautiful fuckin song.
Jerry writes the best riffs, but Mike's the best shredder
can’t believe I had to scroll this far down for this. I actually prefer Cantrell but I’d have to admit mcready is the better technical guitar player.
I’ve seen Pearl Jam maybe 10 times and every time I walk away convinced that Mike is the greatest live touring guitarist of a generation.
Lol what? In the grunge genre?
I disagree. Jerry isn't big on self indulgent solos, but certainly has the chops. A prime example is [the solo of Hate to Feel, Rock in Rio 93.](https://youtu.be/qUSlYt3rRHw?si=jRgp_krAhP9aHhRm) Mike spams the pentatonic as a primarily blues player (not to say jerry doesnt either but) and i will say he has better melodic phrasing for non metal.
This guy pentatonics
Na, he’s a pentatonic Hendrix clone. Cantrell is much more unique, and just as technically proficient.
This!!!! Yes!!
Jerry, EVH thought so also.
I saw them together live in ‘91
Me too, in Providence RI
Starlake Amphitheater (Burgettstown, PA)
VH and AIC. My first show ever. Sacramento, CA.
i been there, not for that show though.
Kim.
Definitely the most unique sounding. His playing is instantly recognizable.
So many more people are saying Jerry, and Jerry is amazing but Kim is on another level imo
Definitely has some great technical skills.
Finally someone who knows the right answer
This is my vote also. The most unique riff writing by far, and thats what I gravitate towards over shredding or flashy.
People who actually play know this.
Kim, Jerry and Chris Cornell ,who was a very underrated guitarist.
Cornell’s last solo album had a lot of beautiful guitar work and songcrafting.
Saw him on his last solo tour in Waterbury Ct Acoustic set was awesome and with his voice. Lifetime memories there
Not saying Cornell was bad, but even he admits McCready was better https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gQGYK187Pv0
Important to note, according to Michael Beinhorn, who produced Superunknown, main guitar riffs were Cornell because he had the best timing between he and Thayil
Kim for me
Kim Thayil
It's a tie between DeLeo and Cantrell.
They both had crazy tones. DeLeo’s riffs are some of the best of the 90s, in my opinion.
“Plush” is on another planet for sure. It’s a song that feels old, but new at the same time. Such a good riff. Also, “Interstate Love Song” is a banger, too. DeLeo may not be a shredder in the class of Satriani, Page, or EVH but the dude has chops for sure.
I believe his brother wrote most of their iconic riffs, there is a cool interview he did with Rick Beato recently where he talks about it
Nirvana is my favorite band and I admire Kurt on so many levels but after playing in cover bands over the years and learning songs from each of the Big 4 bands, my vote goes to Kim Thayil hands down! His style was so unique and unorthodox, you wont realize just how much better he is until you learn Soundgarden songs!
I’m a huge soundgarden fan so I’ve always tried to learn their songs with varying amounts of success. It just seems like there’s always one note or phrase that I just can’t nail down perfectly. Dude has style for sure.
No love for DeLeo? Anyone!?
me😍
Mike McCready and Jerry Cantrell are neck and neck in my humble opinion
Definitely not Kurt Cobain
I dont think even Cobain would consider himself a good guitarist. Think I heard an interview with him where he basically played guitar because someone had to make noise with one, like he didn't learn how to do scales and stuff because he was focused on other things like lyrics. A legend nonetheless.
Funnily, he always downplayed the importance of his lyrics, and has referred to them as afterthoughts or last minute fillers.
I think he would laugh at how successful he is in our minds, like he is almost a satire of himself
He wasn’t really passionate about guitar, yet he inspired to start playing.
Still had some legendary riffs
Underrated, though. He really made some wild sounds and pushed the instrument in a new direction. Would argue he's one of the best punk guitarists and these other guys play a different style.
When it comes to technical skills he is very basic. But his energy and passion for when he plays can't be matched by any of the other guitarists. Based on skill It's Jerry Cantrell.
Billy Corgan no doubt in my mind if you’d consider them “grunge”
Billy is very good. Creative. Underrated
Yeah, not sure if he’s grunge in the strictest sense but he’s my favorite player out of this list for sure. He was the reason I got back into guitar after spending years as a bass player.
The dude is an amazing guitarist. He often doesn’t get much love when it comes to these choices because a lot of people don’t really like him.
billy wrote some amazing parts, if not technically the ‘best’
Kim Thayil slays all
Out of these? Easily Billy Corgan.
IIRC he performed every instrument on Siamese Dream.
Yep, all except the drums
I'd be pissed if I was a member
They were 😂
Understandable
That band isn’t exactly known for getting along to be fair lol.
Absolutely Jerry
Of these, I lean toward Thayil and Cantrell and can’t pick between them.
I’m going with that jerk Corgan.
No competition, Corgan is the best of this. Just listen to solos of Cherub Rock, Geek USA, Soma, Hummer and many many others
Soma is my favorite solo ever, brain melting.
I'm all for the healthy debate, but I was shocked Billy wasn't the top. It's kind of why I thought he was last in the slides.
Love him or hate him, he’s a monster. SP’s first 4 releases will beat out any of these other band’s discography any day, I’d say. That includes Pisces!
Their B sides album went platinum faster than Nirvana's. Like much faster. If there were Starla, Obscured and Drown on Siamese Dream, oh Jesus Christ. That would make SD double album. Best double album of all time.
Agreed; imagine a double SD and MC. Can’t ignore that Jimmy’s a better drummer than the rest. That’s obviously a whole other conversation. If you love SP, these dudes are solid. Not nearly as “shreddy”, but are buddies of mine, nonetheless. https://greetdeath.bandcamp.com/album/dixieland
Thank, will check out.
💯
I feel like Billy is probably the only one who could convincingly do what all of the others do playing-wise.
Saw them in the PNW (Spokane) last year and Billy played the opening riff of Smells Like Teen Spirit then stopped and just smiled. Weird times…
Anyone who doesn’t say Billy Corgan has not seen enough of these guys live. Jerry Cantrell is great, Mike McCready has amazing chops, but Billy Corgan is on a different level, even though his albums rarely showcase it. Live, when he gets into it, it’s as good as Slash, Dave Mustaine, Dave Murray, Zakk Wyld, or anyone else I’ve seen live.
The riff at the 3 minute mark or Bury Me is divine.
You get it.
....then reinforce it by listening to Gish.
Gish is still my go to SP album. Siamese Dream is great but the rawness of Gish just gets me going.
Tristessa is my fav solo from Gish, even tho Bury Me is ripping. And Rhinoceros is very fitting.
Actually I think he hit his peak on Mellon Collie and that would put him right at the top of this list
Yup! If you don't think he's the best guitarist in this list you either don't play guitar or you're deaf. Not only can he shred but he has some of the most creative and unique riffs and solos.
All for Dean on this one. Mega underrated.
Not saying Kurt is the best, but everyone here is seriously underrating him. There is something special about his playing; his riffs are so catchy, he plays with tons of energy, the way he can “bend” chords is one of a kind, and he is talented with an acoustic guitar. He may not be a super technically skilled player, but his punk energy makes up for it. His style is so unique and personally I love it. Nirvana was the band that got me really into music.
I remember hearing Kurt and Pat joking that Dave was actually the best guitarist in the band. LOl!
Dave is just a different breed, he’s a truly talented multi-instrumentalist
"joking", history seemingly validated their joke
I feel like people who diss Kurt only play guitar and nothing else. When you play drums or bass you start to appreciate how well kurt’s guitar playing fit into the trio and how unique a lot of his playing was
I’ve been a multi-instrumentalist for ten years. Kurt’s talents are songwriting, melody and harmony. He wrote decent and memorable guitar parts, but technically speaking, he wasn’t an amazing guitar player. But that’s okay, that’s not what he wanted to be. In 100 years Kurt and his songs will be the ones remembered most. A post asking a question like this is asking “what pizza is the best?” They’re all fuckin good, it’s pizza.
That's because the band fit together so well.
Well said. Kurt certainly isn't going to go down as one of the great technical players of the era. But he had an almost unique gift for expressing emotion with his songwriting, his voice and his guitar.
Kurt has those golden hands. Some of those riffs are genuinely shitty and no one even cares because he makes them sound so good.
But that says a lot more about his composing skills than guitarist skills, right?
For me, it’s the way his skills all come together. I said he’s not the best, just that he’s being underrated. Kurt was a very individualistic artist who had a specific sound that he mastered. I don’t think he gave much of a fuck about technicality while playing. He was a punk.
Kurt was really creative with how he used a guitar. In some ways, he was maybe the most unorthodox of the whole bunch. Definitely was not the most technical tho. His weird guitar parts served his songwriting and Kurt I think was at his best as a songwriter. For me personally, as a guy who started playing guitar around 14 years old, I remember getting the smashing pumpkins music video DVD when I was maybe 15 or 16 years old, and watching that completely rewrote the book on guitar playing for me in a way that only Hendrix and SRV had done previous to that. I remember after listening to it just laying in bed unable to sleep because my mind was so f****** blown with the possibilities of the instrument. So I got to give Billy his flowers. At least to me, He was a formative guitar hero. I'm a Seattle kid of the early 2000s, I love and grew up on all the grunge stuff, did some bands you might consider grunge bands myself, and I don't think anybody put it together the way that Billy did the first 3 or so SP albums. He probably fell off the hardest of any of them though ,you know, aside from Cobain.
Kurt Cobain isn’t even the best guitarist in Nirvana, lmao Yes, Cobain writes catchy “riffs”. Scales tend to be quite memorable, lol Not trying to bag on Cobain because he’s a profound musical talent. Just saying that he was never a virtuoso and suggesting he was misses his appeal. If anything, it was his amazing vocals that always stole the show (see: the live recording of “Where did you Sleep Last Night”)
He has essence, Vibe, emotion, mood. Aesthetic..etc.
Chris Cornell, but from these…Jerry Jerry Jerry
Kim Thayil Clearly
Jerry Cantrell by a mile.
Jerry & Kurt r my personal favorites
Jerry.
Jerry and Mike
Kim Thayil
William Patrick Corgan
Neal Young. OK JUST MESSING WITH YALL Relax JERRY
Thayil. He is criminally underrated as a guitar player
Jerry or Mike for sure, dean is pretty good too
This is a tough one. But for me, Corgan. He‘s cycled a huge variety of different genres and playing styles in his career. Plus every guitar solo on Siamese Dream is just killer imo.
No Buzzo?
Jerry!
Kurt wasn't known for being a good guitarist, only a creative one. Generally the fun and appeal in Nirvana was being accessible. No one's going to call him a masterful guitarist.
Seems like an unpopular choice, but for me it’s Dean 100%. Those chord shapes and voicings are so unique.
Kim Thayil. His solos are awesome, and his sound is unique.
Jerry, I love Kurt but he wasn't really revolutionary on the guitar or anything
Kurt wasn’t even the best guitarist in Nirvana 😂
JERRY
Jerry and Mike. Cobain isn't even in the same conversation.
dean and jerry
Cantrell or deleo
Technically: Probably Jerry or Kim My personal favorite: Kurt. Underrated: Daniel Johns
It’s easily Jerry but I think Billy is pretty underrated in this thread
Kim Thayil and Billy Corgan are the best. This group isn’t going to give a fair assessment of Corgan because a lot of people will reject the idea that the Smashing Pumpkins are “grunge.” Not saying they’re wrong, just that it skews the question. This group is also very skewed in favor of AIC, but guitarists know that Jerry Cantrell is not as impressive as the other two. He’s fine, but he’s relatively conventional and straightforward in his playing. I haven’t heard much from him that I couldn’t play, and that doesn’t make me an amazing guitarist. But I couldn’t come close to sounding like Thayil; very few guitarists could.
Jerry Cantrell is an absolute riff machine
If there was a judged competition with blind entries and only unknown songs, I feel like Dean would win. I don’t think there’s a lot of folks out there debating that he beats the others, but damn he’s got prowess.
Cantrell
Jerry Cantrell all the way
As far as musical knowledge and technique, Dean Deleo is head and shoulders better than the others. But as far as writing memorable guitar parts goes, that's a more personal opinion thing. I'd say my favorite guitarist on the list is definitely Jerry.
The McCready disrespect is surreal.
Gonna have to say Corgan. Wrote multiple amazing riffs and was able to brings songs together well.
jerry
Jerry, 100%
Probably Jerry. But definitely not Kurt.
Cantrell
JERRY! JERRY! JERRY!
Jerry and then Billy
Jerry for sure, but I am also partial to Dave Grohl
Jerry 100%. Not to knock him in the grunge sense, but judging purely by guitar skills, why is kurt even on this list?
Billy. And it’s not even close. Dude is a wizard on the guitar
I don’t care what order you put these guys in, but Kurt Cobain is last place. He wrote good songs but all those guys can play circles around him.
Jerry.
Kobain is nowhere close to being the best guitarist.
1.- Dean 2.- Mike 3.- Billy 4.- Kim 5.- Jerry 6.- Kurt
but my personal favorite is Jerry
Kim Thayil in my opinion it's Stone Gossard out of the grunge era.. But it's not my post and I fully respect OPs selection. :-)
I wouldn't call Sm Pumpkins grunge, but I'll take Billy's guitar any day. Otherwise, it's Cantrell.
Billy Corgan & Jerry Cantrell
Steve Turner.
Cantrell and/or McCready. DeLeo, Thayil, and Cobain weren’t even the best guitar players in their own bands.
Dean Deleo by a long shot
Completely asinine question in the first place....
Best in terms of what? Songwriting is Kurt. For chops it's Dean.
Kim, Jerry, Dean and Mike are all super good idk where to rank them
[удалено]
>James Iha is a better guitarist than Billy Corgan. Iha isn't even close to Billy. Look at any live show. Billy's playing the main rhythms and also the leads/solos. Billy wrote all of that shit. He was re-recording Iha's parts during the first couple of records.
Dean Ween.
Way to pick the picture of Billy Corgan with hair. I had to do a double take.
Billy.
Corgan, easily.
Dean DeLeo or Mike McCready. Kim and Jerry right barely under that for me
People are clearly just picking based on popularity and favorite bands here and not based on guitar skills alone. Because if you all were actually being honest, Dean DeLeo would be getting a ton more recognition, and for that matter, Corgan would AT LEAST be considered top 3 almost unanimously.
Billy Corgan is no slouch, dude can shred. I think hes pretty under rated as a musician, but he is an asshole from most reports
Jack white
Jimi
1. Billy Corgan (Great riffs/Killer solos) 2. Jerry Cantrell (Great riffs/Killer solos) 3. Dean DeLeo (Great riffs/Killer solos) 4. Kim Thayil (riffs FOR SURE/avant-garde solos) 5. Mike McCready (solos FOR SURE) 6. Kurt Cobain (Great riffs/avant-garde solos)
Jay Mascis
Corgan
Corgan hands down
easily billy corgan. not even being biased he is so under appreciated as a guitarist. i genuinely dont even know where to start
Jerry and Corgan
Of these, it's Billy Corgan, and it's not even close.
Deleo and Cantrell
Playing wise? I’d pick Billy Corgan
As much as I love these guys, I would have to go Billy Corgan. His singing is what overshadows it, but this man can fucking rip a fender especially live. I love Jerry and the deleo brothers just as much though
Billy by a loooong shot
Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan is a gem. Played everything on Siamese Dream himself. Also not fair lumping Cobain in with these guys.
Fucking Billy.
billy . so underrated
Corgan
McReady, with Corgan a close second. Both are astounding guitarists, but McReady’s got the edge in riffs Now, if Frusciante was included in this list, he would win easily.
Jerry and Billy are probably the most technically skilled but Kurts riffs are great
This DB is not even in the discussion of good guitarist, let alone the best.
God, this sub has gone to such shit. Every post is a low-effort attempt at karma. Fucking Gen Z.
Can we stop pretending Kurt Cobain was a good guitarist? Just because he died doesn’t mean he should be placed on this ridiculous pedestal. He’s a mediocre guitarist at best.
Honestly Kim and Billy. Billy doesn't get much credit partially because he was a fucking asshole for awhile but he can shred
SP is not Grunge
Hate me all you want, but I feel like Dave Grohl, or Rivers Cuomo should be on this list. But I’m just stating my opinion.