The following is a list of significant lead guitarists, arranged in ascending alphabetical order of their last name. For rhythm guitarists see list of rhythm guitarists.
A
Tosin Abasi (Animals As Leaders) "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott (Pantera, Damageplan, Rebel Meets Rebel) John Abercrombie Ryan Adams (The Cardinals) Marcus Adoro (Eraserheads) Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth) Fredrik Åkesson (Arch Enemy, Opeth) Jan Akkerman (Focus) Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio) Johnny Alegre Art Alexakis (Everclear) Joey Allen (Warrant) Paul Allender (Cradle of Filth) Duane Allman (The Allman Brothers Band) Lee Altus (Exodus, Heathen) Dave Amato (REO Speedwagon) Christopher Amott (Arch Enemy, Armageddon, Dark Tranquillity) Michael Amott (Arch Enemy, Carcass) Trey Anastasio (Phish) Al Anderson (Bob Marley and the Wailers) Emma Anderson (Lush) Rusty Anderson (Paul McCartney) Christian Andreu (Gojira) Apostolis Anthimos (SBB) Daniel Antonsson (Dimension Zero, Soilwork) Redouane Aouameur Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day, Pinhead Gunpowder) Tim Armstrong (Operation Ivy, Transplants, Rancid) Rob Arnold (Chimaira) DJ Ashba (Sixx:A.M., Guns N' Roses) Ron Asheton (The Stooges) Chet Atkins Berton Averre (The Knack)
B
Ayub Bachchu (Love Runs Blind) Randy Bachman (The Guess Who, Bachman–Turner Overdrive) Dave Bainbridge (Iona) Dave Baksh (Sum 41, Brown Brigade) Russ Ballard (Argent) Terry Balsamo (Evanescence) Perry Bamonte (The Cure) Peter Banks (Yes, Flash) Carl Barat (The Libertines, Dirty Pretty Things) Marcelo Barbosa (Angra) Martin Barre (Jethro Tull) Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd) Steve Bartek (Oingo Boingo) Michael Angelo Batio Reb Beach (Winger, Dokken, Whitesnake) Norman Beaker Corey Beaulieu (Trivium) Jan Bechtum Jeff Beck (The Yardbirds, Jeff Beck Group, Beck, Bogert & Appice) Jason Becker (David Lee Roth, Cacophony) Franny Beecher (Bill Haley & His Comets) Adrian Belew Andy Bell (Ride, Hurricane #1, Oasis, Beady Eye) Carl Bell (Fuel) Eric Bell (Thin Lizzy) Matthew Bellamy (Muse) George Benson Chuck Berry Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme, Rihanna) Dickey Betts (The Allman Brothers Band) Jason Bieler (Saigon Kick) Simon Binks (Australian Crawl) Jón Þór Birgisson (Sigur Rós) Anders Björler (At the Gates, The Haunted) Frank Blackfire (Kreator, Sodom) Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple, Rainbow, Blackmore's Night) Doug Blair (W.A.S.P.) Nate Blasdell (I Set My Friends on Fire) Mike Bloomfield Marc Bolan (T. Rex) Tommy Bolin (Zephyr, The James Gang, Deep Purple) Joe Bonamassa D. Boon (Minutemen) Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit, Black Light Burns) Johnny Borrell (Razorlight) Carlton Bost (Orgy) Tony Bourge (Budgie) Mick Box (Uriah Heep) James Dean Bradfield (Manic Street Preachers) Tony Bradley (The Distillers, Spinnerette) Vito Bratta (White Lion) Creed Bratton (The Grass Roots) Chris Broderick (Megadeth, Nevermore, Jag Panzer) Devin Bronson Joel Bogen (Toyah) Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney) Ben Bruce (Asking Alexandria) Roy Buchanan Peter Buck (R.E.M.) Rob Buck (10,000 Maniacs) Buckethead (Praxis, Guns N' Roses, C2B3) Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) Jonny Buckland (Coldplay) Bumblefoot (Guns N' Roses) Vinny Burns (Ten) James Burton John Butler (The John Butler Trio) Glen Buxton (Alice Cooper) Roddy Byers (The Specials)
C
Ernie C (Body Count) Charlotte Caffey (The Go-Go's) Randy California (Spirit) Toy Caldwell (The Marshall Tucker Band), Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) Phil Campbell (Motörhead) Vivian Campbell (Dio, Whitesnake, Def Leppard) Mike Campese Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains) Captain Sensible (The Damned) Chris Carrabba (Dashboard Confessional) Perfecto de Castro (Rivermaya) Carlos Cavazo (Quiet Riot) Danny Cedrone (Bill Haley & His Comets) Gustavo Cerati (Soda Stereo) Nic Cester (Jet) Ross Childress (Collective Soul) Charlie Christian John Cipollina (Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Dinosaurs) Eric Clapton (The Yardbirds, Cream, Derek and the Dominos) Gary Clark Jr. Steve Clark (Def Leppard) "Fast" Eddie Clarke (Motörhead) Dave "Clem" Clempson (Colosseum, Humble Pie) Michael Clifford (5 Seconds of Summer) Nels Cline (Nels Cline Trio, The Nels Cline Singers, Banyan, Wilco) Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) Phil Collen (Def Leppard) Albert Collins Allen Collins (Lynyrd Skynyrd) Nathan Connolly (Snow Patrol) Ry Cooder Kyle Cook (Matchbox Twenty) Rusty Cooley John Corabi (Ratt) Lanny Cordola (Giuffria, House of Lords, Magdalen) Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins) Hugh Cornwell (The Stranglers) Graham Coxon (Blur) Robert Cray Paul Crook (Anthrax, Sebastian Bach, Meat Loaf, Marya Roxx) Steve Cropper (Booker T. & the M.G.'s) Robbin Crosby (Ratt) Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) Marcos Curiel (P.O.D.)