Oh sure, I could talk all day about Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Jimmy Page, Steve Vai, Brian May, Carlos Santana, Eddie Van Halen, Slash and the rest of them - all of them great guitarists. But these guitarists are the commercial heroes, and it’s about time to move the spotlight over to a few guitarists who have perhaps been overlooked by the general public for far too long. Thanks to the wonders of YouTube, I don’t have to make each and every one of you a mix tape.

Let’s get on with it, then… in no particular order, 10 guitarists you should really check out before you die:

Joscho Stephan
When he was just 20 years of age, Joscho Stephan had already become known around his native Germany as a brilliantly talented gypsy jazz guitarist. Following in the footsteps of gypsy jazz legend Django Rheinhardt (who had only 3 fingers on his left hand), Joscho still has his full complement of fingers, and boy does it show.

What really sticks out about Joscho’s playing is his near flawless technical skill, making even the fastest, most complex improvised passages seem like mere childsplay to the 28 year old. Take a look at his version of the classic Bossa Dorado - but if you really want to see his ferocious chopping potential on full blast, check out his interpretation of Django’s Tiger. Unreal.

Michael Hedges
Sadly killed in a car accident in 1997, Michael Hedges was a truly groundbreaking acoustic guitarist, who in many ways created sounds that had never before been heard on the instrument; as well as going some way towards popularising lesser-known variants of the guitar, such as the harp guitar. The seemingly strange techniques he employed while playing were generally more of a result of the challenging nature of the songs he wrote, rather than Hedges consciously attempting to be virtuosic. One thing’s for sure, though - this guy could play.

Hedges’ style was described variously by himself as “heavy mental”, “violent acoustic”, “wacka-wacka” and “deep-tissue gladiator guitar”, reaching his most prolific period during the early to mid 90s. Quirky and humble, Michael really shone during his live performances, in which he loved to interact with his audience. He often recited poems, chatted to the crowd whilst moving to yet another imaginative tuning, and occasionally encouraged them to join in with his performances (check out his truly enigmatic version of the Beatles’ Come Together). Sadly taken from us at the age of 44, Michael’s legacy lives on, but not enough for my liking. Here’s a video of him performing one of his own compositions, Aerial Boundaries.

Doyle Dykes
A fingerstyle guitarist with a wide variety of different styles, Doyle Dykes is an utterly irrepressible musician, and while the mention of his name too often brings confused faces and snorts of derision from the uninitiated, his music speaks for itself.

He’s into God in a big way, and his daughter is kinda hot. But that might just be me.

A great exponent of harmonics and the amusingly-named ‘nut bend’, Dykes often uses unusual tunings for his music, though his hands always seem to be able to keep up. Check out his awesome versions of the golden oldie, Avalon, and the Bye Bye Blues…

Nuno Bettencourt
As the lead guitarist for 80s funk rock outfit Extreme, Nuno Bettencourt is responsible for some of the most blazing guitar riffs and solos ever concocted by man. Sadly, Extreme (and Nuno) are nowadays primarily known for the sappy acoustic ballad More Than Words rather than the intense high-tempo rock/funk repertoire that made the band so great. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a cracking song. But there’s a lot more to the discography, and Nuno shines throughout.

Check out Nuno’s dazzling skills in this tidy yet emotive rendition of his own tune, Midnight Express. If you want some insane solos, do a couple of YouTube searches for the following Extreme tunes: Smoke Signals, Play With Me, He Man Woman Hater, Cupid’s Dead, and Mutha (Don’t Wanna Go To School Today). You’re welcome.

Jose Feliciano
I find it almost upsetting when I mention this name amongst fellow music lovers and am met with that same perplexed facial expression. This guy is an absolute legend, yet I can only seem to get a spark of recognition when speaking to the parents of the afore-mentioned music lovers.

First up, Jose is blind, and always has been, having suffered from congenital glaucoma from birth, but has constantly overcome this disability to become an internationally acclaimed and hugely respected musician. Here’s Jose in a recording from very early in his illustrious career, playing his own interpretation of Rimsy-Korsakov’s old favourite, The Flight of the Bumble Bee. Notice how he drops his pick at around 1:04, but carries on regardless, and gets away with it flawlessly. Mind-blowing.

Monte Montgomery
Renowned for the quality of his electric acoustic live shows, Monte Montgomery has finally begun to be recognised for his guitar skills thanks to various recent TV appearances, despite having a varied discography that stretches back to 1993.

An intense and enigmatic player, whether playing his own compositions or cover versions of others, Monte’s playing style sets him well apart from most guitarists - this is certainly one of the better (and more original) acoustic arrangements of Hendrix’s Little Wing that I have ever heard…

Tommy Emmanuel
In my opinion, Tommy Emmanuel does not belong on this list, since he’s actually quite well known in some places. But you’d be surprised at just how many people have let his marvellous playing pass them by.

An almost ridiculously accomplished guitarist, Australian Tommy started playing guitar at the age of 4, and by 1961 was a professional musician at the tender age of 6, having had no formal training. He remains one of the most talented and exciting fingerpickers around, and has played alongside many guitar legends, including two on this list (Doyle Dykes & Joscho Stephan), as well as Chet Atkins, Sir George Martin and John Denver.

Check out this video of a reduced version of one of his gigs, which gives you an example not only of his technical skill, but also his amazing variety.

Andy Mckee
Andy Mckee achieved internet celebrity status with his song Drifting, and to this date the video has amassed over 11 million views, and is one of the highest rated music clips on YouTube today. Yet mention his name at a party and you might get one guy whose sister’s boyfriend’s dog’s previous owner’s nephew once have heard the name. What the hell, guys. What the hell.

Just from listening to a small portion of his repertoire, it’s clear that Andy was influenced by Michael Hedges (amongst many others), and there are similarities in their styles; but it is also clear to see that Mckee is his own musician, often making use of complex guitar techniques and percussive slaps to bring an amazing level of depth to his solo work. God only knows how his brain keeps up with his fingers. Here’s another of his most popular videos on YouTube - an original composition called Rylynn.

John Jorgenson
Once again, personally I don’t feel like I should have to explain who John Jorgenson is, but hey. Jorgenson is a remarkably versatile musician, proficient not only on the guitar but also on the mandolin, piano, upright bass, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, and a few other lesser-known instruments besides.

Best-known for his work with the Desert Rose Band and The Hellecasters, John is also a spectacular acoustic player - here’s him and his quintet playing Shine, a gypsy jazz piece that truly lives up to its title when John’s playing lead…

John Butler
This guy is actually a recent discovery for me, too, and while I’m not sure about how famous he really is around the world, I’ve been passing around this video like crazy and still haven’t met anybody who has ever heard of him - though after watching, I doubt many will ever forget.

Butler is renowned for his live performances, partly due to his humble beginnings as a busker in his home country of Australia. He combines styles from East and West elegantly - not many can pull off playing blues music with Celtic and Indian overtones, but this guy sure can.

So far I must have watched this video over 50 times, yet it still gives me goose bumps with every viewing. His obvious technical skill, combined with the way he pours his emotion into the tune, well, it creates something pretty special. Hey, you know what? Stop reading this rubbish and play the damned video. And yes, he has disgustingly long fingernails. Well spotted.

Before I sign off on this post, let me just clear this up right here - if you already know about most (or all) of these guitarists, then good on you. You have delved deeper than the lowest common denominator guitarists that have been thrust at you on a daily basis. Perhaps you know of a few guitarists who should, in your opinion, have been included on this very list. Feel free to contribute your own suggestions, instead of repeatedly telling me how much I suck for not picking your favourites, or for picking somebody who you would consider famous enough already. This list was made after many years of occasional frustration when speaking about my favourite guitarists around friends and musicians, and hearing the same names being thrust about as ‘definitive’ over and over again while these wonderful (in my opinion) musicians were utterly dismissed on the grounds of ignorance.

For those of you who haven’t heard many of these names, I personally guarantee that you will enjoy at least one of these guys. If you don’t, it’s very possible that you have no soul.

Now share these musicians so I don’t have to do this again. Hope you enjoyed the ride.