does some interesting stuff. he seems to be thinking when he plays.

Well, it looks like the infusion of myspace retards has handed this list to the well known, half talented tards like Eddie Van Halen since most people don't know progressive rock from Fraggle Rock. I would venture to say that half the people who rated this item have never heard a single bar of the album Images and Words or anything thing else from Dream Theater for that matter. He's more technically gifted than most of the hacks above him and has more imagination to boot. Welcome to the bold new world of Rate It All, I guess...

Those delusional assholes who talk about Petrucci like he is nothing, is just burying their head in their own ass...yeah, that's ryt...that's why they judge him like that. And some assholes are one step ahead to judge about the so called "rocking-ness" of him. But hey creeps...read the headlines... it says... "Best guitarist of all time"...not "the best rocker of all time" or "best person with rockin' attitude in rock" ...it's about the SKILL...GODDAMMIT... Just watch the solo of "Hollow Years" in Budokan Live and yeah....that is PETRUCCI for u all assholes out there...

It's amazing that Kirk Hammet is way above this guy in the list. Come on! Petrucci is one of the world's most accurate guitarists at any speed, and his speed could match and even beat some of the world's fastest speed pickers. When he slows down his licks, you can tell he puts a lot of feeling into it. One of the masters of Progressive Metal with a lot of classical and rock influence.

-Cursed

The man's got the shops and the soul. Check out The Dark Eternal Night for the first, Lines in the Sand or Octavarium's ending solo for the latter or my personal favorite, Hollow Year's solo on the Live at Budokan CD/DVD for a nice mix of both. If you like rock electric guitar you just CAN'T dislike Petrucci.

Greatest metal guitarist hands down!  Maybe not the best ever but he is stilll amazing

One of the greatest guitarist i ever know...

A brilliant technical player and one of the more tolerable shredders but tends to overdo it. I'd have to hear how well he can play the acoustic before Id give him 5 stars.

wank.

now why is petrucci rated so low? cuz he's geeky ? come on people, his technique is way better than most of the guitarists listed here.The man can shred in the speed of light can play sweeps so fast that it would make your head spin and also has a soul.Try listening to A Change of Seasons(Dream Theater) or Lost Without You(Suspended Animation, his solo album), you'll see what am i talking about.

It is a real shame he is not well-known, as Petrucci one of the greatest guitarists of all time, and just gets better and better with age. Even though the Dream Theater classic songs are already relatively technically difficult, some of his solo songs are even more difficult. He is certainly a contender for title of 'Best G3 guest guitarist'.

One of the top guitarists alive today.  Arguably the top progressive metal guitarist of all time.  Petrucci does a great job mixing in different styles although he heavily leans toward metal riffs he can sprinkle blues, classical & even jazz licks as well.  Check out his work on Dream Theater's Scenes From A Memory and An Evening With Petrucci & Rudess is an amazing album.

c vraiment le meilleur quitariste de tout les temps!!!

a superstar..too bad more peeps aren't aware of him..his soaring solos and knowledge of the fretboard are astounding..a genius.

Melodic genious.

Extremely talented. One of the few shredders from the 80's who didn't get boring.

Boring ... but nice Mesa MKIs.

HE is freaking amazing!

Best Guitarist I Know, believe me I should know (40 year Jazz Guitar Veteran) This mans technical prowess is beyond any on earth.

To not have this man near the top reinforces what a joke this stuff is!

loser

He is a very good guitarist yes. But there are other great guitarist out there, who are actually faster shredders and have different music styles. So I think he's not "the best", and I suggest you look up other amazing guitarists such as Michael Angelo Batio, Chris Impellitteri, Buckethead and others.

best guitarist ever!

I think those who comment on Petrucci's stage presence should think about it a bit more carefully... Yngwie Malmsteen, for example, swings his guitar round his head and jumps around like a fool onstage. This, however, makes it almost impossible for him to play the song! When you go and see a guy like Petrucci, you go for the technicality, melody and all-round musicianship. You don't go to see him stage-dive and set fire to/smash up his guitar! Try playing any of the stuff he's written and be a showman like Hendrix - ain't gonna happen. Even Vai doesn't play as technically as Petrucci. Basically, Petrucci has a style - he's extremely technical but this is his appeal to many people. I think he's fantastic. Yngwie looks like a fat poodle and his music is repetitive and predictable.

Amazing! I can't believe someone of this calibre is so far down on the list. His artistry and technicality is astounding.

it's a god

great, incredible, mainly his work with LTE rather then DT, Him and rudess kick ass togethor, especially on universal mind, which is the greatest song known to man.

Probably the most talented guitarist ever known.

Petrucci, technically, completely holds lorship over YJM and most people... His playing and riffwriting are also very good. However, if you've ever seen him speak or play, you'll notice he is an exceptionally boring, nerdy man with the stage flare of a one-legged pygmy marmoset with 2nd degree burns and a hernia. People like this shouldn't be rockstars, they should be accountants that sit shredding in guitarshops, unknown to the outside world

got to be lower

Absolute best orthodox guitarist. If you're simply rating on technical speed, precision, and skill, this guy takes the cake. His musicianship is astouding as well

The Best Guitarist Ever

This guy is amazing. Enough said.

THIS GUY IS REALLY GOOD BUT I WANT JIMI HENDRIX ON TOP MOTHERS

Petrucci is a great guitarist. his ability to pick is almost equivalent to yngwies almost but still is a great guitarist.