Favorite guitar players not named......

Most of my modern favourites are already mentioned, but here’s a few of the old blues guys I studied when I was learning myself. 

Mississippi John Hurt

Charley Patton

Skip James

Blind Willie McTell

Rev Gary Davies

Blind Boy Fuller

Robert Johnson

Lightning Hopkins

Lonnie Johnson

Elizabeth Cotton

Just to mention a few.

Then there’s BB King.

Guitar educator Stefan Grossman

Plus British guys - John Renbourn, John Martyn, Michael Chapman, Tim Renwick and Tony McManus.

Finally my late friend and neighbour in the NE of England, Charley Harcourt.

While I’ll agree that’s it’s not easy to always know who is well-known by the general public, I’m scratching my head in response to such names as Clapton, Santana, SRV, Knopfler, Garcia, BB King, and D. Betts appearing here. Apologies in advance for duplications. 

Gurf Morlix

John Jorgensen

Will Ray

Jerry Donahue

Danny Gatton

Hank Garland

Bo Ramsey

Bill Kirchen

Arlen Roth

Jim Messina

Charlie Sexton

Buddy Miller

Jim Weider

Bryan Sutton

David Grier

Ray Benson

Dan Crary

Albert Lee

Tony Rice

Clarence White

Tony McManus 

John Doyle

Ralph Towner

Julian Lage

Howard Roberts

Kevin Eubanks

Steve Khan 

Lenny Breau

Jimmy Raney

Gabor Szabo

Ulf Wakenius

Martin Taylor

Bireli Lagrene

Phillipe Catherine

Mike Stern

Sonny Sharrock

Andy Powell

Ted Turner

John Martyn

Danny Kortchmar

Tommy Tedesco

Jack Pearson

Jimmy Herring

Markus King

Billy Strings

Ben Harper

Freddy Robinson

Cornell Dupree

David T. Walker

Jimmy Nolen 

Al McKay

Curtis Mayfield (specifically as a guitarist)

James Burton

Frank Reckard

Chris Whitley (R.I.P.), Greg Koch, Mateus Asato, Jake Kiszka

I know that the guitarists that are listed as "household" names always make many lists for the best guitarists of all time, but for me, (except for Beck) they barely register. 

The blues bores me, and all those household names are limited to minor blues pentatonic playing. 

Prog:

Robert Fripp

Steve Howe

Franco Mussida (from Italian prog band PFM)

Steve Hackett, 

Steve Hillage

Phil Miller

Mike Johnson (from US avant-prog band, Thinking Plague)

Jazz:

John McLaughlin

Allan Holdsworth

Mary Halvorson

Ralph Towner

Max Sunyer (fusion guitarist from Spain)

Corrado Rustici (Italian fusion player)

These are only partial lists.