BEST UNDERRATED GUITARISTS---------

Mike Stern, good one.

Have we talked about Alan Holdsworth?

Wow. What a monster player. Probably selling shoes somewhere in England.

But, I'm not bitter about that.

>:-{

No, not at all.
 
Is Eric Johnson considered under-rated? I couldn't even look at a guitar for a week after I saw him live.

What utter humiliation.
 
One of the first names I thought of when I saw "underrated", was Michael Hedges. He was truly an original.

Someone mentioned Cactus. Cool band, but I didn't recognize the guitarists name. I do remember the guitarist on their first album, Jim McCarty who is also a good candidate.

How about adding lost,forgotten, or simply unknowns? Anyone remember Doug Yankus from a trio called Soup?

And here I can only say live and let live, but I saw Richie Samboras name mentioned so many times in another recent thread, that I went out and bought a CD; Last Night In Town- or something like that, which was well done, but boring.(IMHO).

Twist
 
HOLDSWORTH

Allen Holdsworth was great in his earlier years but then he went nuts with the synth axe which is great to watch but when you hear the recording your ear says wow a synthesiser how original is that ? Robert MOOG has been doing that since 1962 ? Allan Holdsworth and many others need to trade in their synths and play the freaking guitar again and hire a keyboardist. Another thing with Allen why is it that when a trully great musician comes along they get more and more spaced out what's up with that. Maybe they still take hits of acid and listen to music in England but that is kind of out here. (I think !)
 
Yes, indeed, Mr LISlim: Richard Thompson will give you nosebleed. Check out "Walking On A Wire" from Shoot out the Lights for some infinitely deep playing. and I second (or maybe third or fourth) John Hiatt. Watch him live and you'll want boogie just like him.
Of course, all this is preliminary to announcing my winner:
Ry Cooder.
John
 
Ry Cooder was awesome in the Crossroads duel with Steve Vai.

Watching Ralph Machio try to fake the licks was one of the funniest things I've ever seen in music.

Right behind the 12" Stonehenge monument being lowered onto the stage. ;-]
 
JUNIOR BROWN is one of the greats very few seem to know about and/or give credit to. He can play everthing from Bob Wills and Hank Sr. to Hendrix and the Stones and erverthing in between. He has mastered the guit-steel, a hybrid double neck guitar that is half tele and half lapsteel. Most people that have seen or have heard his work know him by like tracks "Highway Patrol" or "Venom Wearin' Denim" which had limited country pop airplay in the late 90's. These songs made video don't even come close to the raw power and skill behind Junior Brown's playing. Check out the album "Semi Crazy" and listen to the track "Hung Up" and you'll know what I'm talking about.....
 
Whoah! I almost forgot to metion (I don't think anyone else has yet) Brian May!! Not just an incredible player, but a sound that no one can duplicate and/or impersonate.

Brad
 
Doc Watson

Maybe you don't think of him as under-rated, butI haven't seen any votes for Doc Watson. As a native of North Carolina myself and living close to Doc's hometown I can't escape his influence. He revolutionized flat picking stlye guitar. Although he is most widley known for folk and bluegrass, Doc is truely a living legend and guitar master. And don't be fooled--he played electric Rock-a-Billy and blues in the'50's and still rocks today.
 
You guys are really hitting lots of my faves.

Saw Holdsworth in a very small club right after his first SynthAxe record. Dude sounded like pouring ball bearings on a Chapman Stick! Made me wanna stop playing, but then I realized he's a space alien.

Saw Eric Johnson in a slightly larger club from about 15 feet away. Realized he utilizes more technique just in muting the strings than I do in playing the whole freakin' instrument. Have liberally stolen licks from Eric, and someday will lock myself in a room until I can play ALL of "Cliffs of Dover", not just the main melody. Probably also a space alien.

Saw Michael Hedges on a double bill with Leo Kottke (also a very cool guitarist). Was amazed by his playing, but especially his voice. Made me try lots of new stuff on acoustic, although in my hands it sounded very alien to music. May his spirit rest.

I don't think anyone has mentioned Warren Haynes, maybe 'cause no one would consider him underrated after eleven some odd years with the Allman Bros. But check out Gov't Mule. Shit, another RIP for Allen Woody.

Dammit, now I'm bummed.

peace.
 
Not mentioned are:
Andy Summers(Over shadowed by the other two Police band mates. But this guy always adds something special)
The Edge
Chris Whitley
Richie Havens
Jerry Harrison
Keith Richards
Brian Jones
Daniel Lanois
Robbie Robertson
Fripp
 
Tweedville, My favorite Lesley West solo is on Theme For An Imaginary Western , live from the Woodstock album. Listen to his sound then listen to everyone else who played at Woodstock. This was Mountains first live concert,WOW. RAO I have Birelli's Inferno album ,Awesome.
 
effedupstrat

Don't know if you're up for cheating (never bothered me - if you're not cheating, you're not trying ;-]) but you can get the tab for Cliffs of Dover off http://www.guitar.com.

I just got done with Mediteranian Sundance by DiMeola. Don't know if I'm going for Cliffs or Captain Nemo next.

Curiosity about how stuff was done. Ain't it neat? ;-]
 
Almost forgot David Pack of Ambrosia.Very melodic player like Leslie West . Not concerned with playing common riffs ,listen to the first album.Although he was not a famous name guitarist (cant remember his name) How many people can listen to The Carpenters Goodby to Love without playing air guitar. I cant.
 
Wes,
There's no icon for "I'm a lazy S.O.B.", so I can't put that in my posts. Yeah, I have the tab for that song and lots more, but I'm horrible when it comes to practicing. Please don't tell my guitar students...hee,hee. The other thing that happens when I learn stuff note-for-note is that it sorta takes some of the magic away. Back in the day, after spending like three hours with the turntable learning the intro acoustic solo to "Wish You Were Here", I discovered it started to sound really pedestrian to me. "If I can play it, how good can it be?" We're all our own worst critics, I guess.

peace.
 
RAO,

Actually Holdsworth (Allan, not Allen) doesn't play all that much SynthAxe, and he almost always plays with a keyboardist.

Did you know he can play the violin too? But he very rarely does. When I first heard of him (in about 1971 with an English band named Tempest led by former Colosseum drummer Jon Hiseman), it was amazing -- talk about being blown away. He did one violin solo over a slow 5/4 groove that was just a gem. So I figured, oh, that's where those chops and such a different approach came from, he's probably played violin since he was 4 years old or something. Later I found out he'd only been playing guitar for a year or two at that point and picked up the violin after he started on guitar. If you can find this record, it's a revelation -- his fluid solos with note choices unlike anyone elses, singing full tone, etc. are all there, nearly full-formed.

My second Holdworth experience came when I went to a concert at the Academy of Music in NYC probably in 1973... some art-rock band named Renaissance was headlining, and I think maybe some other band who I can't recall, and Soft Machine was the opening act. My friends and I arrived late and the show was underway, and as we were escorted to our seats in the dark theatre, the guitar player in Soft Machine started playing a solo... well, I was staring, my jaw was dropping, as I tried not to stumble on the way to my seat and not fall over the poor folks in our row who had arrived on time... I have rarely been so riveted by an improvising musician, and will always remember that moment. the band never introduced themselves so it was some time later before I read that Allan Holdsworth was playing with Soft Machine. He was only with them a short time, and recorded the album Bundles with them before being tapped by Tony Williams, the great drummer... and the rest is history -- at least obscure amazing guitar playing history...

-AlChuck
 
effedupstrat

You really hit the nail on the head there. I couldn't agree more. Once, I learned the solo to "All Along The Watchtower" just to prove to myself that I could. Then, I immediately forgot it - never played it again. That song, the way Hendrix played it, is magical and my puny self knowing it would have ruined it.

I usually listen to something and am influenced by it but I rarely learn something note for note. And, even if I do learn parts of a song note for note, I never learn the whole song. Also, I never learn other people's solos. I'm not saying that it is bad to learn stuff note for note, it just works for me, knowing theory, to hear a technique or approach and try and improvise and change it around a little.
 
Wes, this is a little off the subject, but I have spent a couple of hundred years wondering when I would start sounding -- to myself -- the way others sounded when playing the same riffs. I guess a person spends so much time finding, then perfecting, anything on guitar [maybe I'm slower than most?] that it is old stuff by the time we have it down. One of the fascinating things in watching another guitarist is seeing music actually flowing from the musician's fingers...although, maybe that ecstatic look on his face is the expression he uses when he's counting, 'one-and-two, three, four, one-and-two, three, four' under his breath? I like to believe that my heroes don't do that, but we don't know, do we?
Just a thought.
John
 
Live Mountain

Way to go,Paulie!
I thought Mountain was among the better acts at Woodstock..the live version of Theme For An Imaginary Western was good......the studio version is one of my all time favorite solos.Everything else Mountain ever put out live was horrible.I found a Leslie West website where he is selling a bunch of his guitars---Les Paul Jrs.,SG Juniors,a 335,and others...and they ain't cheap at all.Blood of the Sun at Woodstock was great too.
 
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