I am genuinely perplexed that Jeff Beck hasn’t been mentioned yet. His development as a player and as a musician since he started out in the late '60s British Blues Rock scene is incredible.
In the Yardbirds and the first Jeff Beck Group (with Rod Stewart), Jeff was a fairly straightforward Blues-Rock player, though he did havea unique style and a distinctive sound even then. Despite achieving notable success, he did not make an impact in that genre that is really comparable to what his contemporaries like Hendrix and Clapton accomplished.
While I do think Jeff had greater facility with the guitar than Page or Green, I don’t think his best playing of that era compares to Clapton’s lead work in Cream (which is not nearly as simple as most shred fans believe it to be) or Hendix’s rhythm playing.
In the '70s, Jeff developed an interest in fusion and had a productive relationship with Jan Hammer. He sounds completely different in the second Jeff Beck Group than he did with the first. Wired really is the quintessential '70s Jeff Beck album, and his progression when compared to his younger self is undeniable.
If that weren’t enough, in the '80s he essentially developed a completely new and distinct approach to the guitar, beginning with the Guitar Shop album.
His bending control, both with his fingers and the vibrato bar, and his ability to shape notes is peerless. Despite the fact that he rarely plays anything at typical “shred” speeds, the difficulty in performing his pieces and arrangements is at least equivalent to the difficulty of the standard “shred” repertoire.
Beyond that, he’s continually developed his musicianship in diverse genres, including rockabilly, techno, world music and hip hop.
