John Anthony Frusciante ( [ fruːˈʃɑːnteɪ ] born March 5 , 1970 ) is an American guitarist , singer , producer and composer . He is best known as the former guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers , from 1988 until 1992 , and again from 1998 until 2009 . He has also recorded with numerous other artists , including The Mars Volta , for whom he was a studio guitarist ( and occasional live performer ) from 2002 until 2008 ; Josh Klinghoffer and Joe Lally , with whom he released two albums as Ataxia ; and various collaborations with both Klinghoffer and Omar Rodríguez-López . Frusciante has received critical recognition for his guitar playing , ranking at number 18 on Rolling Stones list of `` The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time '' in 2003 ; and again in a second list published in 2011 , where he ranked at number 72 . He was ranked as number 42 in Gibson 's list of the `` 50 Best Guitarists of All Time '' .
John Frusciante is a musician.