Best Acoustic Guitarist In The World 2012 Poll

[robpower]

Do you prefer fingerstyle players or pickers? Rockers or folkies? Seen an amazing new acoustic player than nobody seems to have heard of but you can't stop raving about? Now's the time to let the world know in our latest poll.

Next week, MusicRadar goes unplugged with a whole week of acoustic goodness, but before we do we want to hear who you think is the best acoustic guitarist in the world today.

We'll be revealing the winners of our poll next week, so get voting!

Our Acoustic Week begins on Monday 19 November, and will feature big-name interviews, tons of informative features and profiles and much, much more...

Who gets your vote?

[rdmf48]

I greatly dislike this kind of thinking. "The Best" of anything in the Guitar World just doesn't exist. It comes down to individual taste as to who as a player, or what in terms of equipment, each of us highly rates.

[Wonks]

Jedward. Obviously.

[richardhomer]

I greatly dislike this kind of thinking. "The Best" of anything in the Guitar World just doesn't exist. It comes down to individual taste as to who as a player, or what in terms of equipment, each of us highly rates.

I agree with this. Music is not a competition - should be a means of self expression. Some people express themselves with a high level of technique (Jeff Beck springs to mind), while others don't (Noel Galagher for instance). I suspect many will strongly favour one and reject the other (personally I like both!)

My favourite acoustic player was John Martyn. I'm not sure I could legitimately claim him to be 'the 'best'...

[Wonks]

JM here as well. Technically he was pretty good, but certainly not the most technical player that there's ever been. It was just the combination of his style, voice and songs that made him stand out above the rest for me.

[IanCorps]

Bert Jansch , Michael Hedges Nick Drake etc also must recieve a worthy mention and indeed Jon Gomm is no slouch either

[Wonks]

It seems one has a very limited pool of players to vote for. And as for putting Joe Bonammassa at the top of their list? What were they thinking?

[ICBM]

What a stupid question, especially with the list they've given. (Even if it's obvious they're looking for other nominations.)

I didn't even know two of them played acoustic.

I have records by two of them, and it's not either of those! But they're so completely different that the idea of "better" doesn't come into it.

If I have a "favourite" acoustic player, it's possibly John Renbourn - but I like many others nearly as much and like richardhomer, I wouldn't even call him the "best". Best in what way?

[richardhomer]

It seems one has a very limited pool of players to vote for. And as for putting Joe Bonammassa at the top of their list? What were they thinking?

Joe Bonamassa? Does he own Future these days? His risible version of John Martyn's 'Easy Blues' is easily one of the worst pieces of acoustic playing I've heard. It is about time this over-exposed, derivative, endorsement-junkie is left well alone by all Future titles. He is the Michael McIntyre of guitar players, ie famous in his chosen field for no apparent reason...

[mellowsun]

Sorry but this poll is a crock of shite. Who decided on the shortlist of 5 that we have to choose from? Tommy Emmanuel is the only worthy one in there, and possibly Kaki King for the looper innovations. Mayer and Bonamassa feature every other month in Future's guitar mags, great electric players but they're not on the radar for their acoustic playing.

Surely most people will be voting 'Other'. Clive Carroll, Andy McKee, Don Ross, Martin Simpson, John Martyn, Eric Roche, Michael Hedges ... there's a huge list of players who have changed the course of modern acoustic playing, and they don't even get a mention? (OK, the last 3 can't be voted for as the poll is for a living player, but still).

I'm not voting.