Urban Dictionary defines "guitar porn" as "an exhibition of salacious guitar virtuosity." Thank you for that entry, Bobby Skinstad. We offer an extra upvote in your honor.
These videos don't just exhibit virtuosity, but masterfully executed style, taste, sophistication and showmanship. They'll leave your mouth watering for more and your loins trembling over a stringed piece of wood. Let's get it!
Steve Vai – “I Know You’re Here”
Steve Vai fans may prefer “Tender Surrender” or “For the Love of God,” but Steve Vai’s gorgeous performance of “I Know You’re Here” on a triple-neck axe from 2003 is one of the most satisfying guitar videos on YouTube. The look on the fans’ faces says it all — they’re awestruck, moved beyond words, stoically freaking the fuck out as Vai paints a 10-minute portrait of soft licks and shred candy. It’s a masterpiece.
Michael Angelo Batio – Double Guitar Shred Medley
Michael Angelo Batio made guitars a meme before memes existed. He turned the shred world on its head by pioneering the Double-Guitar and playing them both at the same time, like fretting the bastard twins of a mystic sycamore. His Double-Guitar shred medley from Batio’s Guitar World instructional DVD is freakish in all the right ways, from jamming Jimi Hendrix to damn near conjuring flames with his otherworldly solos. Can anybody else do what this man does?
Tim Henson – “Playing God”
A new breed of shredder, Polyphia’s Tim Henson developed his own unique style of sophisticated acoustic work with seamless integration of harmonics. Henson’s unplugged version of “Playing God” shows close-up how challenging his style is and how smoothly he transitions from pressing down on his fretboard to floating his fingers just over the frets.
Buckethead – “Soothsayer”
Like butter. Look, we know every shred fan has seen this video, but this may still be the smoothest legato this side of Marty Friedman’s pad in Japan. With his classic white Les Paul, Buckethead rips like a faceless angel of guitar, his fingers seamlessly floating across the frets. It really is bizarre to witness something so masterful come across so silky.
Joe Satriani – “Made of Tears”
Be patient with this one, because it only starts to get rip-roaring about five minutes in. The first half of “Made of Tears” is gentle phenomenal guitar mastery, followed by nearly three minutes of shredding so insane it could grow hair on a baby’s chest. Satch is the final boss of guitar shred, and “Made of Tears” is just one piece of his arsenal.
Berried Alive – “Fuego”
Getting some more new blood into this list, modern-day shredder Berried Alive got high honors from Tom Morello for his creativity on guitar. There’s so much craziness going on here, from shredding a storm on a Barney the Dinosaur guitar, to pick scrapes, wild pedal usage and tapping, “Fuego” is a blast to watch from beginning to end.
Randy Rhoads – “Mr. Crowley”
The 1981 live video of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Mr. Crowley” is a certified classic. Ozzy’s band lineup here is God-Tier — Tommy Aldridge, Rudy Sarzo, Lindsay Bridgewater, and the incomparable Randy Rhoads. Way better than the studio version, this “Crowley” clip showcases Randy at the very heights of his talent… nailing one of the most perfectly crafted solos in metal history.
Paul Gilbert – “Technical Difficulties”
The technical proficiency of “Technical Difficulties” is a marvel of shred guitar. From his time in Racer X, Paul Gilbert’s writing his top notch, never giving fans a dull moment during the four-minute runtime of “Technical Difficulties.” They say you’ve gotta commit 10,000 hours to master an art form. This is what 50,000 hours looks like.
Yngwie Malmsteen – “Black Star”
Yngwie Malmsteen will forever be the neoclassical GOAT. You could pick just about any live performance from the shredder for this list, but this Tokyo footage of “Black Star” feels like peak Malmsteen. Its acoustic intro is absolutely stunning, and when Yngwie switches over to his white Strat, the performance gets launched into the stratosphere. Make sure you make it to the 10-minute mark for some insane two-handed tapping.
Eddie Van Halen – Live Without a Net Solo
Eddie Van Halen’s “cigarette solo” may be the greatest piece of guitar entertainment ever caught on film. From Van Halen’s legendary Live Without a Net concert release, EVH proves that he was uncommon amongst uncommon guitarists. “Eruption” is just a small portion of this 13-minute beast, and it may not even be the highlight of this phenomenal clip.
