I find it hard to cast a vote in this thread without seeing Fripp's name anywhere on the ballot.  A vote between the two names listed is fine, but when you start throwing phrases like "de best ever" into the mix, my conscious won't let me vote honestly without ol' Bob as an option...

haha, I love those "options" Jim.  I actually had to stare at it for a few minutes before I figured out why I couldn't seem to pick....

Now, my glorious opinion:

John McLaughlin is a masterful guitarist, but, relatively speaking, he comes from the "standard road" and it's not too hard to see what he's doing on the instrument or how he does it.  He can rip, for sure, and he definitely has more rhythm hand action than Allan, but most importantly for me, I tend to actually like the musical projects he's involved in without too much reservation.

Allan, on the other hand, is a one-of-a-kind guitarist, and a completely unique force in the history of improvisation.  He's simply one of the best soloists ever, on any instrument.  His technique and imagination are off the charts.  McLaughlin himself once said, "if I had any idea what Allan was doing, I'd steal from him! But I don't have a clue" or something like that. ...  However, most of Allan's solo albums sound like 80's elevator music -- except with mindblowing solos.  DUH.  "Secrets" is one of my favorite albums ever, but I would never play it for anyone except another AH fan!!  Or maybe a Sade fan.  sigh...

He just needed some testosterone shots in his diet...

I doubt if the Gom Jabbar could penetrate the thick skin Allan has developed over the years from the jabs by the JM camp. McLaughlin is amazing, we all concur. I have read interviews with JM and he does feel AH is, technically, superior. I also agree that Allan plays something beyond the comprehension of most casual listeners. Of all the duet possibilities out there, this is the one showdown that could prove to be the single most electrical firestorm. I'll side with Allan, tone, originality, emotive quality.... it's all there.

Just for the Curious: http://www.therealallanholdsworth.com/allanshome.htm - http://www.therealallanholdsworth.com/allanshome.htm

I have voted for Allan Holdsworth because I'm not a fan of Mahavishnu Orchestra.

Afterall I LOVED John McLaughlin in Shakti

(Steve Hackett, you are in the best place in my ears and in my heart !)

Holdsworth is, we can all agree here, a great improviser but someone who has been stuck in a groove for quite a long time. Once you move past his unbelievable technique, you get to his writing skills and the guy doesn't seem to be able to move beyond improvising in  the electric trio/quartet format. But before anyone suggests he has had a more eclectic career that McLaughlin, please pick up McLaughlin's entire output on CD (the new box-set wouldn't be a bad idea) and you may change your mind.

Redstar wrote: I find it hard to cast a vote in this thread without seeing Fripp's name anywhere on the ballot.  A vote between the two names listed is fine, but when you start throwing phrases like "de best ever" into the mix, my conscious won't let me vote honestly without ol' Bob as an option...

Come on this is a serious debate. Fripp is a southerner coming from Dorset, while Mclaughlin and Holdsworth are northerners (proud of their Yorkshire birthplace). Like comparing apples and cheese in a food debate.

lucas wrote: Allan Holdsworth is great and played in a wider range of styles than Mc Laughlin : prog-rock with Tempest (played the violin apart besides the guitar), Canterbury with Soft Machine, fusion with Bruford, jazz-rock with Tony Williams and further in his own solo career, pop  with Level 42, and played also with the Johansson brothers (members of the metal band Stratovarius) and Jeff Watson (shredding). I don't regard Mahavishnu as a good band, I prefer the american band they inspired, I mean Dixie Dregs, who are really much better.

Allan Holdsworth is great and played in a wider range of styles than Mc Laughlin

I think some more homework is required Lucas - there is a large Austrian-based discography of McLaughlin that includes his work pre-"Extrapolation" as a session musician, so takes in pop, blues etc.

 prog-rock with Tempest - McLaughlin has played with Jon Hiseman  and a lot  of us were calling Mahavishnu Orch prog rock and well as jazz rock back in '72.

Canterbury with Soft Machine - Holdsworth had his own distinctive sound by then - and IMHO there was no distintive Canterbury guitar sound (regardless of what Ed Macan states in "Rocking The Classics").

fusion with Bruford - always thought Bruford produced excellent jazz rock , so I'm not sure of your definitions here. There was a major discussion on the definition of jazz fusion (which includes the likes of Jan Garbarek and The Hilliard Ensemble and without a rock rhythm to be heard) and one of its sub-divisions jazz rock, about 5 years ago on the big web jazz fusion discussion group, Fusenet. It went some way to sort out the confusion - but you'll have to dig deep into their archives to find the correspondence.

jazz-rock with Tony Williams - but McLaughlin was the first guitarist in Tony Williams' Lifetime - and I'm reminded listening to the recently reissued "Believe It", there was a large chunk of jazz funk here.

 further in his own solo career, pop  with Level 42 - solo - no, AH will admit to being a hired hand (and there was good reason for this) - and Guaranteed (was that the one?) is not one of my top ten Holdsworth albums- and again check out that discography on McLaughlin for his pop credentials

Played also with the Johansson brothers (members of the metal band Stratovarius- a dubious reference, when there is so much better coming from Jens Johansson (IMHO) - and I see many similarities in the versatilities of Jan Hammer and Jens Johansson

Jeff Watson (shredding). - A one off. A couple of McLaughlin's albums are suggested to broaden your knowledge - including playing with Jeff Beck - "The Promise" and "Electric Guitarist"

I don't regard Mahavishnu as a good band, I prefer the american band they inspired, I mean Dixie Dregs, who are really much better.

I accept your opinion  but musically I feel the opposite: art is in the ears of the beholder).

Both guitarists rank equal top in my mind, and so it is pretty difficult to differentiate between the two. Style-wise on electric guitar, they are different and each is most discernable for how they play without knowing the record being played - this is equally true wrt guitar synth and acoustic guitar.  The check out McLaughlin's liner notes on "Things You See: A Tribute To The Music Of Allan Holdsworth" , Gary Husband's piano album, for the respect shown there. There were strong rumours about 3 years ago, that  McLaughlin invited Holdsworth to guest on an album - never came about.  I was once lucky to interview Holdsworth, who said he didn't see the point of great guitarists dueting because they usually did not want to pull out the stops, least quality gave way to a competition who had the best licks - this was after Truth In Shredding , while the Metheny/Scofield and Scofield/Abercrombie collaborative albums go someway to show such inhibition. Holdsworth has the reputation for sheer bloodymindedness by following a particular path musically, which I greatly admire in him, while Mclaughlin has played jazz jazz rock, blues, world and in the early days pop (apparently on a couple of 60's hit singles with Jimmy Page - also a London session musician in the mid 60's).

Thanks to the poll compiler there is a get out of jail card in one of the options offered! I shall take that.

Vibrationbaby wrote: John McLaughlin is the god of guitar.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On electric guitar, there's not much to choose - personally I prefer Mclaughlin, but not because he's 'better' in any objective sense.

When it comes to acoustic guitar it's a different story - from My Goals Beyond to Shakti and collaborations with all manner of musicians (including Paco De Lucia and Al DiMeola) McLaughlin has proved himself a true master of acoustic improvisation in both Western and Indian modes. Few Western musicians have blended so sealessly into Indian traditional music, and Mclaughlin has done so and remained a master of jazz guitar. On acoustic guitar he's a clear winner.

Let's big it up for da Mahavishnu man!

danbo wrote: I doubt if the Gom Jabbar could penetrate the thick skin Allan has developed over the years from the jabs by the JM camp. McLaughlin is amazing, we all concur. I have read interviews with JM and he does feel AH is, technically, superior. I also agree that Allan plays something beyond the comprehension of most casual listeners. Of all the duet possibilities out there, this is the one showdown that could prove to be the single most electrical firestorm. I'll side with Allan, tone, originality, emotive quality.... it's all there. Just for the Curious: http://www.therealallanholdsworth.com/allanshome.htm - http://www.therealallanholdsworth.com/allanshome.htm

Ahhhh...a fellow Dune fan(I assume).I agree with Danbo,JM is an incredible guitarist but Holdsworth blows me away.

JOHN McLAUGHLIN.