Yngtchie...along with being a good lead player, he isn't just a good funk rhythm player. I'd say he's a great rhythm player in general. "Lets Go Crazy" and "Purple Rain" for instance are great rhythms that aren't even really funky. I'm not saying he's God's gift to guitar I'm just saying the guy ain't underrated.

Yngtchie and/or George:
Honestly, I want your opinion on whether you think that Mike Oldfield could jump from the unnumbered list to somewhere in, say, the 100-150 range? I think he has a very creative style of playing, and has a fairly big amount of influence in prog rock guitarists, and other guitarists' works as well (Television's "Marquee Moon" has some elements that sound very heavily influenced by Oldfield)
I know this doesn't mean much under the criteria, but I also think he has one of the most unique and instantly recognizable tones in music.
A couple of great tunes by him:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqzIMv6XYCY[/youtube]
Playing with composer David Bedford. Absolutely gorgeous playing.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC13ApOiGM4[/youtube]
Re-worked version of the ending of Tubular Bells pt. 2 on the Tubular Bells 2003 album.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEJuuzhljP8[/youtube]
Wonderful acoustic work. His versatility shown here, as he's showing that he's very comfortable with different styles of guitar playing.

I really need to sit down and give Tubular Bells a proper listen. I'm not a great judge of guitarists of various kinds, though, I mostly just know what sounds good to me and what doesn't. If there are specific things, like phrasing, rhythm, various techniques, I can definitely give some more detailed impressions.

As for Prince, I can only go by what I've heard, and what I've heard tells me that he's a good guitarist, but I don't know what sets him apart from a lot of other good guitarists who are far lower on the list.

And lastly, Bonamassa's a tricky one, because while he's very much a huge talent, and far beyond most other guitarists in the same blues/rock styles as far as chops and melodic sense goes, he's also very derivative. Like, you can easily tell when he's doing his Eric Johnson licks, or the Gary Moore ones, even though his personal style is very much apparent. Don't really know what boo boo is complaining about, because it's not like he's occupying a very high position to begin with. I mean, he's way ahead of Greg Howe, which is a huge mistake that I need to correct. Howe's a big influence on a lot of guys who are as much as 100 places ahead of him, and has an instantly identifiable style that lots of kids today are imitating. Not a technical monster, but deserving of a far higher placement.

I'll get back to Mustaine once I've figured out new positions for the various guitar teams we've discussed earlier.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFNW5F8K9Y[/youtube]

I still want to know where the hell that guitar went at the end. Did he kill somebody with it?

It's connected to a string that pulls it up. He uses it at shows and stuff.

That was pretty much as awesome as I thought it was going to be. Prince is definitely an animal when he does play. The only thing I can say about him not deserving too high of a spot is that given the insanely large number of tracks he's recorded and released over the years, not many of them really have guitar solos. When he does take a solo it's usually really easy stuff to love.

Van Halen over Iommi on any list is a flagrant mistake. In which parts of the criteria does Van Halen surpass Iommi? I can say that Iommi was a more influential (the first metal guitarist) and original guitarist -- he originated a whole genre of playing. Creativity? How many guitarists have stayed creative for so many years? He has a staggering ability of creating riffs and only that should be enough to move him over EVH. I understand that EVH takes technique but he is not a versatile player. Iommi is.

There really is no reason to doubt Eddie's creativity. He was continuing to expand his sonic palette for each VH release during the first five years or so, introducing new sounds and techniques and using them in musical ways. He was also a far more interesting rhythm guitarist than most at the time, including Mr. Iommi.

Tony Iommi was indeed the first guitarist we can classify as a metal guitarist, thru and thru, but he didn't singlehandedly create that type of playing. Page and Blackmore were hugely important as well, just to mention two famous names.

Iommi is a more creative guitarist than EVH. The guy could juxtapose 4 riffs within every song.

I'll see your 4 and raise you 2 more and a bottle of Jack

(EVH)

You're gonna have to elaborate on your claims here, GButler. EVH's rhythm style is often mentioned in the same breath as Hendrix's, for good reason. TONS of groove, inventive chord voicings, and he was also a master of blending riffs and lead work. "I'm the One" is a great example of how he managed to make something difficult sound incredibly simple.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8kYrIWu14E[/youtube]

Yes, I think we've all heard the Paranoid album. It's what got me into metal back when I was a wee lad, in fact. What's your point here?