because i am simply flabbergasted by the results of this poll over at hoffman i had to do it here.

who is the better guitar player; keith richards or paul mccartney?

Much as I admire Keith, I went with Paul. Paul is an outstanding player and I often wonder what direction The Beatles might have gone in had he been their lead player. I say that with all respect to George Harrison who I also think is a great player, just in a different way from Paul.

If it's any consolation to ya, Renny, my vote for Paul will be officially cancelled out by Jimbo's vote for Keith.

I went with Keith IMO - just a more basic old fashion hard core rocker.

Keith is no virtuoso (that was Mick Taylor's job, at least for a few years), but he did develop an influential sound and style of playing. Paul is probably better technically, but I vote for Keith.

In Shine a Light, when asked who's the better player, he or Ronnie, Keith says something like "neither of us is that good, but together we're better than a hundred others." That about sums it up.

This.

I thought Ronnie was a kick-ass guitar player with Faces, but he doesn't get a chance to shine with The Stones.

Hard to vote in this poll. McCartney is an all-around great musician, but Keith has done so much more with the guitar than Paul. He may not be a virtuoso, but based on the number of classic riffs he's come up with, Keith got my vote.

I think that McCartney is a better bassist than Richards is a guitarist, but that's probably not what you're asking.

I totally agree. Rod Stewart isn't the only former Face whose talent was supremely squandered in the years after the band broke up.

Tough one. So many of the Beatles' best solos (Taxman, Sgt Pepper's Reprise, his 1/3rd of The End) were Paul. I'd say Paul's the better soloist, but Keith's the better all-purpose guitarist.

You mean guitarists have a purpose beyond solos? I know a lot of them who don't.

I resemble that remark!

That sums up what I would say. Tough choice-I voted for Paul, but Keith has done some wonderful things with the guitar.

I'm missing something here: last time I checked PM was a bass player.

As much as I rank on PM as a solo artist, imo he was the first truly innovative rock bass player, & I do respect him highly for that.

KR has a very unique style. It sounds simple, but as a player myself who did lots of Stones covers, he may be easy to play, ONCE ONE FIGURES THE PART OUT. I don't know anyone who plays quite like KR in his heyday, & to this day, I fake the simple sounding intro lead lick on Honky Tonk Woman. I've never gotten it quite right. Also never quite gotten the voicing right for the intro chords to Gimme Shelter. To me KR is kinda like what Chuck Berry would be if he was a decent guitarist (Berry's pretty mediocre as a player imo).

I can't vote on this one.

Wood was a very distinctive player with the Faces. He's become nothing more then a mediocre KR clone with the Stones. He's completely lost his own unique sound.

Richards may not be the most skilled guitarist ever,but what he does he does very well.
They don't call him "The Human Riff" for nothing.

Pauls acoustic work on The White Album is brilliant.

Keef for me.