3 of Eric Clapton’s Favorite Guitarists

Getting heralded as a great guitar player by Eric Clapton might be the greatest compliment a player could get. He’s undisputedly one of the greats. Needless to say, his opinion is taken as irrefutable truth. Find out who Clapton counts as his favorite guitarists, below.

[RELATED: The Only Guitarist Eric Clapton Thought Was His Equal]

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3 of Eric Clapton’s Favorite Guitarists

1. John Mayer

Many people consider John Mayer one of the best guitar players in his generation–if not the best. He’s been tapped to play with legendary rockers and continues to shine on his solo pursuits. He received quite a big compliment from Clapton on his playing.

“I was gobsmacked,” Clapton once said of Mayer’s artistry. “Really. I knew respect for John because he’s extremely gifted, his facility is phenomenal. He is a master.”

2. Prince

When thinking of Prince, his guitar playing might not be the first thing that comes to mind–at least for casual fans. Nevertheless, many rock greats recognize Prince as a stellar guitar player on top of his obvious star quality as a vocalist. Clapton is among those that feel that Prince deserved his flowers as an instrumentalist.

“This is someone who is a reincarnation of Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix and James Brown in one,” Clapton once said. “I thought that’s exactly what the world needed.”

[RELATED: Ranking the 5 Best Songs on Prince’s Masterpiece Double Album ‘Sign o’ the Times’]

3. Jimi Hendrix

There isn’t a guitarist today that doesn’t recognize Hendrix’s influence on the craft. He changed the face of guitar playing forever–not to mention his irrefutable influence on rock as a whole. Naturally, Clapton also acknowledges how singular Hendrix was.

Clapton reportedly said, after catching Hendrix play live, “You never told me he was that f***ing good.” Clearly, his reverence for Hendrix was set in motion.

(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)