20 Best Acoustic Guitarists of All Time

When it comes to ranking ‘best’ guitar players, we often go straight to the world of the electric guitar. I get it. It’s flashy and loud, and there’s more of a hero worship thing happening with all of those rock gods and goddesses standing tall in front of lights and pyro. It’s understandable for sure, but let us not overlook how incredible the world of acoustic guitar players is too!

I’d actually go as far as to say that becoming proficient on an acoustic guitar is tougher than on an electric guitar. We can debate that one, but there’s really nowhere to hide with an acoustic: no distortion, no whammy bars, no effects pedals…it’s you and the notes.

Today, I want to gather together some of the most incredible practitioners of the acoustic guitar and give them some love. I’ve been selective, and no doubt missed some incredible musicians here, but my main motivation today is to illustrate how diverse and thrilling an instrument the acoustic guitar can be. Steel string or nylon, it’s all the same for the purposes of this blog!

So, please read on with me, and if there’s someone on here that you aren't too familiar with, I highly recommend watching their accompanying video. They are all here for a reason, after all!

Bert Jansch of Pentangle is the major folk guitar influence for generation after generation of rock star. He’s famous for inspiring Jimmy Page to write Black Mountain Side, but he also influenced Johnny Marr, Nick Drake, Neil Young and Donovan.

The Glaswegian guitarist was a major part of the 60s folk revival down in London, where he met John Renbourn and Anne Briggs. Pentangle formed not long after, and were on-off active until Jansch’s death in 2011. The list of who hasn’t been influenced by Bert Jansch is probably easier to write than who has, and his inclusive, cross-genre style permanently widened the doors for folk musicians.

Carrying on the notion of  significant influence, it’s hard to see Robert Johnson as less than one of the most toweringly influential guitarists in history. Whether or not he actually sold his soul to satan down at the crossroads at midnight or not, his acoustic style gave birth to delta blues, and from there, to rock music itself. His DNA is in all guitar music.

Another thing that’s hard to separate from Johnson is his myth. This tall, mysterious man has become an icon, a part of popular culture and the originator or that mystical vibe that attaches blues music to the devil. Buy into it or not, but there’s no denying that something very powerful (almost supernatural?) occurs when listening to those old scratchy recordings of him from a hundred years ago. Yes, he influenced every blues player who came after him, but Robert Johnson’s music is bigger even than that. It's the realm of legend, a modern American contribution to the likes of King Arthur and Achilles, except this was a real person.

And yes, his techniques are all required learning for all self-respecting blues players out there: the bass n’ melody, the rhythmic shuffles and the lead runs: it’s all there, written in blood and dust down by the crossroads.

Tommy has done so much to keep instrumental acoustic music alive and thriving over the years, playing to rapturous applause everywhere in the world. Tommy writes his songs like a songwriter rather than a guitar player, and gives his signature Maton model a leading voice, as opposed to a collection of stunts. 

That said, he’s got some bag of tricks up his sleeve too, making him one of the most capable and inventive guitarists around. When it comes to taste and composition, Emmanuel is a player that other pros look up to. In his humble demeanour, he’s a player that audiences can really connect to. A quiet superstar of the six-string.

Talk about adventurous guitar playing? Muriel Anderson is in a league of her own when it comes to redefining what the acoustic guitar is supposed to be capable of. A frequent user of the harp guitar (why don’t we see more of these?), Anderson seems to favour nylon string guitars over steel. She has written for classical chamber orchestras in addition to creating a number of solo records featuring her astounding playing.

More please!

Is it fair to say that, on their records at least, Led Zeppelin were as much an acoustic band as they were hard rockers? There’s always been an acoustic element to their music, but in fact many of their songs owe much more to Page’s acoustic strumming than to his Tele or Les Paul.

Led Zeppelin III is maybe the place to go to find the most acoustic riches in one place. Check out Friends, with its open C tuning and slightly sinister fantasy vibe, or Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp for arch folkiness. There’s a shout out to acoustic player Roy Harper too, and plenty more. And that’s just one album! Black Mountain Side shows the Bert Jansch influence, and the magisterial Rain Song is, for me, the best way to consider Page’s symphonic approach to the acoustic guitar.

The definitive two-hand tapping acoustic player, and so much besides. From original altered tunings for each song, to his highly expressive phrasing and note choice, Michael Hedges was the OG ‘alternative acoustic’ player. As well as being a genuine innovator, he was also a vivacious performer who relished connecting with audiences, and was able to sell out large venues for his solo instrumental shows.

There’s a feeling of unfinished business with Hedges, since a car accident tragically took him from us at the age of only 43, but his innovations have at least been picked up by subsequent generations of player (Andy McKee, Jon Gomm etc) who all vouch for his masterful influence.

Paul Simon’s elegantly understated playing shows class, taste and restraint. His timeless work with vocalist Art Garfunkel stands as a testimony to his attitude: he serves the song with class and character, but he never dominates. A touchstone for many folk players and just fans of the acoustic guitar in general, he’s a much admired and copied artist.

John McLaughlin’s reputation as a supersonic guitarist is long and well-deserved. A deeply spiritual man, his music is devoted to the influence of a number of Indian spiritual leaders. In 1970, McLaughlin renamed himself Mahavishnu and put together the Mahavishnu Orchestra.

His acoustic guitar playing came to the fore with his band Shakti, which again brought in many Indian and other eastern influences. Rather brilliantly, this period saw him using a custom made Gibson J-200 that had 7 extra strings strung at a 45 degree angle underneath the regular strings. These operated like the sympathetic strings of a sitar, resonating as he played. Super cool.

Joni Mitchell brought the idea of altered tunings, drones and chordal inversions to a mainstream audience, in a way that put the song first. I’d say that this actually heightened her influence over culture, and her impact on other guitarists. Mitchell’s innovations with chord voicings were all in the service to her songs, rather than technique showcases. 

Joni was at the heart of the cultural epicentre of the 60s, and from her Laurel Canyon home she penned songs that not only summed up the feelings of the hippie movement, but resonated for many decades after. Is it possible to call such an influential artist underrated? I think maybe so.

Segovia is almost single-handedly responsible for the classical guitar’s reputation today as an esteemed instrument within popular and classical music. He took formal classical technique to another level with his performances, forcing sceptical colleagues to recognise the merit and potential in the instrument purely through how he played it.

There’s a whole world of his adaptations and compositions just awaiting a player with the discipline and passion to tackle it. A challenge? I’d say so. Worth it? Absolutely.

One of the real originals. Chet was as well regarded for his acoustic fingerpricking techniques (of which he was a pioneer) as he was for his Gretsch twanging for people like Elvis. He’s the originator of the term C.G.P. (Certified Guitar Player), a special honorific bestowed by him to a small number of players like Tommy Emmanuel. Chet Atkins is one of those legendary names that actually doesn’t get as many listens as he should, so do yourself a favour and check out this track below.

What Michael Hedges began and pioneered, Andy McKee picked up and carried on. A big star in the early years of YouTube, McKee brought the art of percussive tapping to the masses. His mixture of prodigious technique and pleasant melodic composing have made him a musician that crosses genre boundaries.

Brazilian guitarist Badi Assad is inspiring in a number of ways. Firstly, there’s her next-level playing techniques and composition skills of course, but there’s also another thing. In 1998, Assad suffered from the motor disability Focal dystonia, which left her completely unable to play. Rather than admitting defeat, Badi relearned from scratch and is now perfectly able to play again. Check out Wonderland, her album of amazing covers of everyone from U2 and Tori Amos to Vangelis.

Should flamenco be looked at outside of normal acoustic playing? As a whole world in itself? Perhaps, but why segregate? Anyone who enjoys hearing acoustic guitars will love the Spanish maestro Paco de Lucia. He was clearly one of the most capable and artistic flamenco players the world has ever seen. An obvious virtuoso, de Lucia could not be restrained by any purist’s idea of what flamenco could or should be, and basically rewrote the rules.

Listen and marvel at how a human can make such a sound on a piece of wood.

Country and bluegrass are two genres that are filled with great guitar players. Leading the most recent generation is Michigan native Billy Strings, whose dexterity as both a flatpicker and a fingerpicker more than justifies his made-up surname!

As famous for his three hour live sets as he is for his formidable technique, Billy’s as fond of improvisation as he is of keeping the spirit and tradition of bluegrass alive. See him live, and then say goodbye to the next fortnight as you fall down the wonderful rabbit hole of trying to play like him! Who needs food or sleep?

Django’s almost as mythical a figure as Robert Johnson. Injured at an early age by a campsite fire, Django could only actually use two fingers of his fretting hand. Despite this challenge, he put himself on the map as one of the greatest acoustic guitar players in the world. 

The Belgian gypsy jazz star had an incredibly powerful technique that blended strong, tight rhythm playing with audacious, spirited leads that cut and chopped through the music. His music is incredible to listen to, and the story behind it is a great motivator: what’s holding you back? What would Django do?

John Fahey’s fingerstyle acoustic music brought together a wide and multiethnic selection of styles to add colour and harmony to his music. In addition to the usual blues and folk influences, Fahey also delved into indigenous music from several continents (America and India to name but two) to help better express his diverse taste.

Jazz fusion master Al Di Meola is a spectacular acoustic guitarist, alongside all of the other musical things he excels at. His playing is basically the dictionary definition of ‘technical marvel’ and he is one of those rare talents who can be outrageously flashy with his playing, without it ever sounding over the top.

Well, mostly.

Finding jazz is what gave Di Meola the courage to forge his own exotic path through music, putting him into the upper echelons of the 70s and 80s virtuosos, on either acoustic guitar or electric. There are many facets to his career, so I recommend clearing a full day and just taking a deep dive. You’ll come back with diamonds, I promise you!

It’s a confident acoustic guitarist who agrees to be one third of the legendary Joe Satriani/Steve Vai G3 tours! Facing off against the power and fury of fully electric players - and legendary players to boot - is something that would prove daunting to most acoustic guitarists, but Adrian Legg managed just fine. 

That’s possibly because his music exists almost in a genre of its own. Legg’s wonderful music sounds familiar for sure, it’s just not maybe from other guitarists. Satch summed it up quite nicely here:  "He's simply the best acoustic guitar player I've ever heard. I don't know anyone else who can create such a cascade of beautiful notes... Adrian plays like he's got hammers for fingers."

Rodrigo Y Gabriela are a sensational acoustic duo who play their own compositions on nylon string guitars. They came to fame through busking in Ireland as tourists, and developed a word-of-mouth reputation that has sustained them for over 25 years now.

Both players are excellent, but I think Gabriela deserves a spotlight moment of her own. Her playing is where all of those innovative rhythmic thumps come from, the engine that drives that music forward. I’ve been lucky enough to sit next to her and get a few quick lessons, and they dramatically changed my percussive playing, so this is first hand evidence!

Although this blog is about the players and not the albums, I feel like one special album warrants a mention here. For all guitarists out there - not just acoustic players - I’d love to direct your ears towards a record called Friday Night in San Francisco. It’s a live album from the early 80s and consists of three stunning acoustic guitar players performing at the absolute top of their game. 

We’re talking about Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia, all playing acoustic guitars (pace and John on nylon, Al on steel strings), and each player fizzes with sonic fireworks as they compliment and challenge the other players. It’s a wonderful record that has a lot of depth, and is a real antidote to perceived notions of how one should conduct oneself on an acoustic guitar!

This is a personal recommendation from me to you, and I hope you take me up on this and check it out! My thanks to Robin Finck for turning me on to this incredible album.

The acoustic guitar is an infinite instrument. There is no end to the musical lands, passageways and secret spaces you can find yourself in, with just yourself and a guitar.

It’s the most popular instrument in the world to write songs on (it’s easier to carry than a piano!) but it’s also a gateway to every musical style that exists. After all, what can’t you play on an acoustic guitar? No style is irrelevant, and no special gear is required. It’s you, your hands, your ears, some time and a sense of adventure.

Take these wonderful artists as your inspiration today. Seeing how diverse and inventive so many of them have been on their acoustic guitars must inspire something within you, so take that thread and pull it as hard as you can! 

Good luck and enjoy yourself!