“Jimi Hendrix, would of course be in the starting lineup, but you put me on the spot.”

Credit: Drew Angerer / Michael Putland / Getty

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Jon Bon Jovi named Jeff Beck as his choice as the greatest guitarist of all time, admitting he was “flabbergasted” with Beck’s skill.

In a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show, the Bon Jovi frontman was asked to name his top choice for the greatest guitarist of all time. “Beck, Jeff Beck,” Bon Jovi said without hesitation during the surprise studio pop-in. He confirmed his pick as a surprised Stern rattled off the list of artists he expected the singer to mention, including Jimi Hendrix.

“Jimi Hendrix, would of course be in the starting lineup, but you put me on the spot,” Bon Jovi countered.

Bon Jovi explained that it was his personal experience with Beck that made him choose him over other guitar legends, recalling that Beck was his guitar player when he recorded music as a solo artist for the 1990 film Young Guns II. “I was in the room with Jeff Beck when he took a guitar out of a cardboard box, had a rented amplifier and no pedals and created that sound when we did the Young Guns record,” Bon Jovi said.

“I sat there flabbergasted because Jeff Beck did things with his fingers and his thumb that would blow your mind.”

Bon Jovi also named Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen and Mark Knopfler as fellow greats as well in the interview.