How Skilled Are Popular Guitar YouTubers, Ranked

TL;DR

Rick Graham is the only S-tier guitarist here, described as a master economy picker and legato player whose ranking is "not even up for debate." Roughly 30 rock and metal guitar YouTubers get sorted into S through D tiers based on playing ability, with technical shredders like Bernth and Dean near the top of A tier and gear-focused or rhythm-focused creators lower down.

Transcript

Ah, yes, YouTubers. Those weird, self-absorbed cringe lords that will do literally anything for clicks. So, I've seen many videos before of people, you know, ranking their favorite and least favorite YouTubers, but I've never seen anyone have the boulays to rank YouTubers based on their actual guitar abilities. So, today we're going to have a littl... Read More

Key Insights

• Rick Graham is the only guitarist placed in S tier, described as a master economy picker, master legato player, with a beautiful melodic sense and instantly recognizable tone and style, ranked so highly that it is called not even up for debate.
• Tier placement rewards technical mastery, so players with perfect alternate picking and sweeping, like the guitarist currently in a version of Rap City, land in A tier, while melodic-but-less-technical players settle around B tier.
• Melodic sense can outweigh raw technique, as the ranker's favorite guitar YouTuber is placed at high B tier for a classy, John Petrucci-like melodic sense rather than for being a super technical player.
• Gear-centric guitar YouTubers tend to rank lower on pure playing, with the first D-tier placement going to a gear-focused creator whose actual playing is described as significantly less developed than his content.
• Bernth, called the Austrian powerhouse and the biggest and most famous shred instructor on YouTube, is placed near the top of A tier for precise, fluid, efficient technique, though his licks are noted as sounding a little clinical.
• Uncle Ben is called the most iconic metal and rock guitar tutor on YouTube and a solid A tier, with his pickup by Megadeth as a temp cited as testament to how professional he is, despite not being a master of any single thing.
• Restraint is treated as both a strength and a limitation, with players like Paul Davids, Samurai Guitarist, and Tyler praised for tasteful, well-mannered playing but marked down because the ranker rarely sees them truly rip.
• Rhythm specialists can rank low in a lead-focused list yet still excel, as Jamie is placed in D tier for this list while being called one of the tightest, sickest rhythm guitar players the ranker has ever seen.

Questions & Answers

Q: Who is ranked the best guitar YouTuber in this tier list?

Rick Graham is the highest-ranked, placed alone in S tier. He is described as one of the greatest, most accomplished guitarists of the generation, a master economy picker and master legato player with a beautiful melodic sense and an instantly recognizable tone and style. The ranker calls him a master and says his S-tier placement is not even up for debate, making him the clear top pick on the entire list.

Q: What criteria are used to rank the guitar YouTubers?

The ranking is based on actual guitar playing ability, drawing on what the creator already knows about each person, community perception, and a bit of additional research of his own. He stresses it is just a fun exercise with no proper weighting or real bearing, only his informed opinion. Players are sorted into S through D tiers, with technical mastery, melodic sense, feel, phrasing, and tone all factoring into where each guitarist lands.

Q: Why is Bernth ranked so high on the list?

Bernth, called the Austrian powerhouse and the biggest and most famous shred instructor on all of YouTube, is placed near the top of A tier. He is described as an absolute monster at technical playing with the most precise, fluid, and efficient technique you will ever see, plus being a super sick and prolific songwriter. The one criticism is that, like many technique-driven players, his licks often sound a little clinical, which keeps him just short of the very top.

Q: How is Uncle Ben ranked and why does his Megadeth connection matter?

Uncle Ben is placed as a solid A tier and called the most iconic metal and rock guitar tutor on YouTube, described as an amazing guitarist and a wealth of knowledge. The fact that he got picked up by Megadeth as a temp not long ago is cited as testament to how professional and skilled he is. The only caveat is that he is not a master at any one thing in particular, but rather insanely capable at everything in general.

Q: Where does Andrew Baena rank in the list?

Andrew Baena, referred to as the chug lord, is placed into his own separate category rather than a standard tier. The ranker jokes that Baena has transcended the need to waste time with solo guitar playing and can say more with just one low open note than the ranker could with a thousand notes. This tongue-in-cheek placement highlights his rhythm-and-chug style rather than lead shredding ability.

Q: Why is Jamie placed in D tier despite being a strong player?

Jamie is placed in D tier for the purposes of this lead-focused list, but the ranker makes clear this is not an insult to his ability. Jamie is not a super shreddy lead player and is instead locked in on rhythm playing, where he is described as one of the tightest and sickest rhythm guitar players the ranker has ever seen, with a ridiculous picking hand. At what he does, he is called the best.

Q: How are restrained or tasteful players like Paul Davids treated in the ranking?

Players known for restrained, tasteful playing are praised but also marked down for it. Paul Davids is called a truly classy and professional guitarist whose everything sounds well-mannered and restrained, but the ranker notes he has never seen Paul truly rip, leaving him unsure of his full capability, so Paul lands at high B or low A tier. Similar comments apply to Samurai Guitarist and Tyler, whose strengths lie in controlled, tasteful playing.

Q: What is the video's overall tone and purpose?

The video is a lighthearted, opinion-based ranking of roughly 30 popular rock and metal guitar YouTubers by their guitar skills. The creator openly frames it as just a fun little skirmish with no proper weighting or bearing, only his informed opinion, and repeatedly invites viewers to share their own thoughts in the comments. The humor, casual insults, and self-deprecating jokes make it more entertainment than a serious, authoritative assessment of each guitarist's ability.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• A guitar YouTuber compiles a list of roughly 30 of the most popular guitar YouTubers in the rock and metal space and ranks them by actual guitar playing ability, stressing it is a fun, informal exercise based on prior knowledge, community perception, and his own additional research, with no proper weighting or real bearing.

• Rankings use an S-through-D tier system where Rick Graham alone takes S tier as an undebatable master, while technical monsters like Bernth, Dean, and Uncle Ben sit high in A tier, and melodic or tasteful players such as the ranker's favorite YouTuber, Miss Burrell, Sammy, and Stevie T land in B tier.

• Lower tiers hold gear-focused creators and rhythm specialists, with the first D-tier spot going to a gear-centric guitarist and Jamie placed in D tier despite elite rhythm playing, while Andrew Baena is put in his own category as the chug lord who says more with one low open note than others say with a thousand.