First we’ve got bela fleck. The best banjo player in the world. The only guy I can think of that could even contend would be Noam Pikelny, great player but no where near as accomplished as Fleck.
Second we’ve got Chris Thile. A true savant when it comes to the mandolin. No one comes close.
I think the reason these two guys are able to so clearly stand at the top of their mountains is the lack of competition. Both instruments are somewhat niche and don’t have as many people playing them as instruments like guitar or piano.
When it comes to guitar though which is probably the only instrument I have a really comprehensive understanding of the player landscape, there are a handful of guys who can contend for “best in the world” right now. Namely Guthrie Govan, Matteo Mancuso and Max Ostro. All three can do it all and can do it all very well.
I agree with Bela Fleck - amazing instrumentals out of them.
I saw the bassist Victor Wooten play his at a local music shop during a promo - no one can play the bass like that!
Your right. Victor Wooten deserves to be mentioned. He meets the criteria I was going for. Stevie Ray Vaughan is incredible but is too one dimensional to be considered the best in the world. Best blues player sure but best guitarist in general no way.
Yeah, John Bonham was a great drummer. Buddy Rich was a jazz/big band drummer, and John Bonham was a hard rock (not sure the name of the genre) drummer.
