Current guitarists you like.

[mijmog]

William Tyler

Doing much, much more with the fingerpicking American primitive thing than anyone, great soundscapes and ideas.

Love this footage

[nanamour]

Many of my favorites have been given the nod already, but I'll chime in with:

Rex John Shelverton of Tamaryn. Okay I suppose not strictly current since he's not playing with Tamaryn at the moment but recent enough that he's not deceased/retired/playing the merrie olde reunion circuit.

Nothing paradox shifting going on here but he has a good ear for melody and has a real knack for flitting between catchy hooks and walls of warbled and chewed noise. When I saw him still touring with Tamaryn he had a stone cold enviable rig of '67 Polaris White SG Junior -> Tuner -> RE-301 -> Pro Reverb

See: Tamaryn - Prizma

William Tyler

Doing much, much more with the fingerpicking American primitive thing than anyone, great soundscapes and ideas.

Agreed, it's mindblowing how his use of loops coming in and out and different delay times feels like such an organic part of his playing. Premium staring out the window of busses/planes/trains music!

Also thanks for the mention of Dean McPhee in the Song of the Day thread a while back...what a talent, truly inspired stuff

That exotic twang hovering in the spaces really does it for me.

This, 100%. I feel like the guitar is seriously underappraised as a tool for adding texture to (or even manning the helm of) music that most wouldn't think of as "guitar music." Both Forest Swords (sadly guitar only came out once when I saw him in December) and Heroin in Tahiti are indeed great examples of that approach, I think there's even less guitar in Remoria than previous HiT albums but those occasional strums of cavernous reverb and stuttering tremolo send the tinglies down me spine.

I know it's been mentioned before but Gary Howell's Housebound Demigod is one of my favorite albums of the last couple years for his use of the guitar to drive spectral sludge-techno that sounds like anything but.

[Shadoweclipse13]

I agree with a lot of the players listed here. I'd also add Blake Mills and Afie Jurvanen to the mix

Blake Mills is amazing. I love his stuff that sounds very Latin-based, probably from his time recording in Cuba.
I'll also second Brad Allen Williams. LOVING Lamar, and would love another solo, dude
Annie Clark. I don't have any of her albums, but everything I hear from her is inspiring.
Gilmour is still cranking them out for me. I LOVED that he went back to do Pompeii again, on an anniversary of the original film.
Casey And Rob from The Dear Hunter.
Dan Auerbach.

[shadowplay]

I know it's been mentioned before but Gary Howell's Housebound Demigod is one of my favorite albums of the last couple years for his use of the guitar to drive spectral sludge-techno that sounds like anything but.

That's a great call. It's quite funny that he uses really uncool gear too.

also, Prizma is my favourite 'old' Tamaryn. I probably like Cranekiss era better with the other player, who is admittedly less distinctive but that's a good shout.

D

[nanamour]

It's quite funny that he uses really uncool gear too.

Still waiting on that Charvel GH Sig

I definitely prefer Cranekiss to the first two albums as well but the guitar work with the newer guy is a bit more color by numbers.

Side note, I’m frankly astonished that Tamaryn hasn’t caught on more on here, they seem to check a lot of the OSG boxes.

[cestlamort]

More 80s Rickenbacker Heroes (to go with Marr and Buck), but the recent Marty Willson-Piper and Robyn Hitchcock albums are pretty great. Hitchcock doesn't get mentioned often enough as a guitar player - always great and catchy.

The Agent Blå guitar is great too, as is Soft Kill.

Rex Shelverton has the most tasteful setup for the organic and dreamy stuff. (Great to hear him evolve over the years, I get nostalgic for the Santa Cruz/SF mid 90s post punk sometimes... bellavista is worth checking out)

[nanamour]

Rex Shelverton has the most tasteful setup for the organic and dreamy stuff. (Great to hear him evolve over the years, I get nostalgic for the Santa Cruz/SF mid 90s post punk sometimes... bellavista is worth checking out)

I remember hearing a song or two a while back but I'll have to give Bellavista a closer look, thanks!

[jmurph]

Many of my favorites have been given the nod already, but I'll chime in with:

Rex John Shelverton of Tamaryn. Okay I suppose not strictly current since he's not playing with Tamaryn at the moment but recent enough that he's not deceased/retired/playing the merrie olde reunion circuit.

Nothing paradox shifting going on here but he has a good ear for melody and has a real knack for flitting between catchy hooks and walls of warbled and chewed noise. When I saw him still touring with Tamaryn he had a stone cold enviable rig of '67 Polaris White SG Junior -> Tuner -> RE-301 -> Pro Reverb

See: Tamaryn - Prizma

I'm in agreement with you on this! Tamaryn doesn't seem to get a ton of recognition in the US, despite being better than so many other bands that people here bang on about.

I have to add Jason Martin from Starflyer 59, Low & Behold, Lo Tom, etc. He crafts some really catchy hooks & while he's brilliant, he is probably the most timid performer I've ever seen.

Andy Prickett & Eric Campuzano from The Prayer Chain and Stranger Kings consistently impress me.

Also, if I may, I have to add my friend Joel Darling to the list. He's in a band called IEVA (weareieva.com) with Sean from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Joel is primarily a keyboardist, but he adds pleasing guitar textures to their music.

[Whiny Minotaur]

Forest Swords.

Snip

I like how you described his playing as a 'praying mantis', it seems to describe the particular way in which he waits for the right moment to play, perfectly. He doesn't seem to play the guitar so much lately though, I can't remember hearing a guitar in the new album.

[UlricvonCatalyst]

I alluded earlier to my admiration for Richard Thompson, but I feel the need to praise him more fulsomely, if only for the fact that despite 50+ years in 'the music biz' I would argue that his facility with the guitar is as vital as it ever was, possibly even better with each successive year as he relaxes further into his own skin. To me he's like someone who can speak umpteen languages but is dissatisfied with speaking other people's tongues so has devised a language of his own which is universally understood but only he can speak.

I know you hate virtuosity and guitar solos, David, and so do I in most cases, but Thompson is the exception that proves the rule....and that's the only thing about him that's in any way cliched.

[Maggieo]

I alluded earlier to my admiration for Richard Thompson, but I feel the need to praise him more fulsomely, if only for the fact that despite 50+ years in 'the music biz' I would argue that his facility with the guitar is as vital as it ever was, possibly even better with each successive year as he relaxes further into his own skin. To me he's like someone who can speak umpteen languages but is dissatisfied with speaking other people's tongues so has devised a language of his own which is universally understood but only he can speak.

I know you hate virtuosity and guitar solos, David, and so do I in most cases, but Thompson is the exception that proves the rule....and that's the only thing about him that's in any way cliched.

I'll second that. Add his voice and songwriting and he's an all-around winner.

[shadowplay]

^^^

I don't necessarily hate virtuosity, more the tendencies of many rawk virtuosos. I'd had enough of this as far back as the 70's and time hasn't mellowed me.

I generally think folk players or players who came out of European folk, wear it more lightly anyway and don't seem wank away so much.

I do like Richard Thompson.

D

[loudwizard]

I'd definitely echo others in mentioning Neil Young and Johnny Marr. I've been lucky enough to see Neil Young a couple of times but I'm hoping to see Johnny Marr one of these days. I love his playing style, there are a few of his owns songs that I rate but (maybe typically of me looking into the past) I'd also love to hear his renditions of Smiths songs, all of which he does very well, singing & all.

Those obvious two aside though, I'm currently loving Emmett Kelly, ever since I saw him playing guitar for Ty Segall & The Muggers. I didn't realise until I started digging that he's a singer/songwriter in his own right, as well as being an excellent guitarist.
His stuff with The Cairo Gang is great but I've been particularly taken by his cover of Where Are You Tonight (I Wonder) which is just gorgeous! To my ears he sounds like a cross between Nick Drake & Will Oldham (the latter of whom he's performed with).

The record Emmett made as part of Joshua Abrams Natural Information Society was one of the best releases of the last year, imo.

Other folks currently killing it on the ol' electric guit -
Tashi Dorji, especially his duo records with Tyler Damon.
Che Chen, in 75 Dollar bill and elsewhere. (the cassette he released recently with Tashi and Aki Onda rules.)
Sparhawk is still great.
As previously mentioned, Bill Orcutt is still both completely original and kind of stupefying.
Steve Gunn is terrific.
On the ol' acoustic, Sarah Louise (both solo and with House & Land) and Daniel Bachman are both excellent,
and Glenn Jones is a national treasure.

short list, there are lots of excellent players out there at the moment.

[Unicorn Warrior]

Not my favorite. But I like them. Don't know their names..but their band is called Chon.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C7zlWP9EFMc

[windmill]

I will always stop and listen to

Bill Frisell
Marc Ribot
William Tyler

Others like John Squire usually get my attention.