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

Tweedville

New member
Okay.......who are your favorite underrated guitarists of ALL time (past and present) ? I'm talking about the ones who really played tasty stuff that made songs work,yet never got the recognition they deserve (although maybe they weren't seeking it,we can give it to them).
 
Ollie Halsall - killer edgy jazz-rock fusion from before there was any such thing -- from a little-known British band called Patto. He also played with Kevin Ayers and did the dead-on George Harrison guitar parodies on the first Rutles record. Alas, he's dead.

Pat Thrall - a monster player with a huge sound, heard him on a record by the Japanese composer Stomu Yamashta titled Go from the late 70's (with Steve Winwood, Michael Shrieve, Al DiMeola). Was in a not-so-great band with Shrieve named Automatic Man shortly after, then in Pat Travers' band... then he seemed to disappear.. I understand he's now a producer. Wonder if he still plays.

Wayne Krantz -- such a great feel and beautiful conception. His trio kills. Two Drink Minimum is a must-have for everyone that likes high-order rock-flavored electric guitar improvisation.
 
Now are we talking underrated or underpublicized? These days with all the guitar mags and web stuff you see deserving guys getting great reviews for their playing and I assume that would lead to record sales in the guitar community. But if we're really talking about guys who are semi famous to guitar players, but not so well known to music fans in general, there are a lot of guys, and girls that spring to mind.

David Grissom - played with Joe Ely, James McMurtry and John Mellencamp, and recently with Storyville...this guy is always dead on.

Chris Duarte - His strings are big, his amp's gonna blow up, and he wears red Chuck Taylors...what the hell more do ya want?

Susan Tedeschi - really cannot say enough about her. See her live and you will know that although girls are cool, girls with guitars are cooler, and girls who beat the crap outa those guitars while soloing are the coolest.

John Hiatt and Warren Zevon - although known primarily as songwriters, these guys can each play a pretty mean guitar.

Gatton and Buchanan are dead, so my vote for the current "humbler" doesn't even play a tele. Tuck Andress's fingerstyle jazz chops are dropjaw and always supremely musical.

I'm sure I'll think of tons more...
Let's see....Vinnie Vincent and Micheal Angelo...just kidding!

peace.
 
I agree regarding Susan Tedeschi. I saw her live in Boston and thoroughly loved it, but there's something I've wondered about her apparent sloppiness in playing: is that intended or is it real?

She sure makes it sound cool, but what's the consensus on that playing style - is she struggling through those solos or is she so good she intends for it to sound a little messy?
 
Good Question on Susan Tedeschi,
The album sounds sloppy and not really all that good guitar wise, to my ears. But I saw her at Hampton Beach, NH and she was just right, she had that raw edge to her playing, not too clean, but worlds away from the album, I think.

peace.
 
Well, I guess I would have to say ME. I mean nobody seems to give me any credit when it comes to my playing. Okay, sorry, but sooner or later someone was going to say ME. :D.

In all honesty, Stanley Jordan and his two handed tap/piano approach is something else to see live. I've seen him live twice and both times you heard people say out loud "Get outta hear, impossible" and more than a dozen guitarists swear they will never touch a guitar again.

As for acoustic guitar, Paul Simon does some pretty neat stuff. Listen to his Simon and Garfunkle stuff as well as his early solo stuff. He is a great guitarist as well as a wonderful song writer.

And of course, jazz guitarist in general. In today's world of rock superstars whoever hears about Al DiMeola or John McLaughlin anymore. And those two are "famous." There are Jazz guitarist out there who would make most of us sob for days on end.

Peace, Jim
 
Good Question....

Jake E Lee.- the guy that saved Ozzy's ass after Randy Rhodes died...Ever heard his band after Ozzy? Badlands....
Damn....that dude can play!

Andy Timmons- he did the playing and Danger Danger's ablums and solo to....

Richie Sambora- his solo stuff away from Bon Jovi is choice listening material, it ain't the stuff you hear coming out of Bon Jovi....It is good playing, good songwriting, and great vocals

My 2 yen worth...more to follow...
 
Nick Mccabe - architect of the sound for "The Verve" - all around genius who usually improvised new guitar lines on stage rather then play the regular guitar part.

Andy Summers of the Police - of course we all know him, but the majority of the U.S. just knows him as that guy who "used to play with Sting" - incredibly influential on guitarists like the Edge and Reggae/ska, but never gets the credit

Phil Keaggy - regulated to obscurityville cause his music is labeled "Contemporary Christian" - but his guitar work is absolutely incredible, and his instrumental albums are excellent - (but when he sings, he sounds like Paul McCartney with a wedgie - ) -

Vincent Nguigi - This would be one of the guys that has backed up Paul Simon's music for the last few years, from Graceland on - his African guitar techniques are really cool and give the songs their vibe. Paul's good too, but he gets enough credit.

just my $.02 - (where the hell is the cents key on a keyboard?)

RB
 
I agree. Phil Keaggy is my favorite.
Also, this guy Ric Hordinski. He was with a group called "over the Rhine" and he just blows me away completely.

I think the really great excellent guitar players are never popular because their materiel can only be appreciated by actual musicians. And we don't make the majority of the market. 16 year old girls do.
-H2H
 
I agree with the Jake E Lee stuff, Badlands is very tasty stuff. I'm also a big John Hiatt fan. Lately i'm having a love affair with the music of Ian Moore. Any one else here check him out?
 
You are correct...

Ian Moore- rocks...I have seen him live twice....good stuff...

Neil Schon- ....Hardline was some good tunes, pop metal, but good guitar...

Chris Degarmo/Michael Wilton -Queensryche- the best modern twin guitar team [until '97 when Degarmo left the band]
 
two nominees

Although he's well known in some circles, Richard Thompson. Extremely versatile and knowledgable and just wails on both acoustic and electric. Unfortunately, it's hard to get that from most of his albums but just try him live.

Chris Smithers. Amazing acoustic finger style blues guitarist. Just perfect.
 
a few
Tom Verlaine,Richard Lloyd
Marc Ribot
Jimmy Herring
Kimberly Rew
Johnny Marr
i could go on and on.............
 
If you like Stanley, try out a listen to Preston Reed, who has a slap / percussive / tapping acoustic style. Just amazing.

John Jorgenson and Davey Jones are powerhouses.

Laurence Juber (former lead, Wings) is an incredible acoustic soloist. He has a bunch of albums out; one is with Preston Reed!

Perhaps my favorite melodic jazz guitarist is Martin Taylor (yeah, that's his name) who may well be the finest jazz soloist alive. He's from Scotland and he seems to have picked up just about where Joe Pass left off. A little more melodic to my ears. Hot stuff.

And there's John Pizzarelli, who shows what you can do with a Benedetto 7-string.

Lately I've been listening to Sharon Isben on the classical guitar. She's more than a little driven... although she can't be said to be underrated, I guess; too many accolades for that.

And remember Larry Carlton? And.. And.. the list seems endless.
 
Don't any of you guys listen to John Scofield ?
I agree with hard2hear about who buys the most records , I am usually saving up for some new piece of guitar gear.
There were some great metal players in the eighties ,Jason Becker , Marty Friedman , Paul Gilbert ,Tony McAlpine , and yes Vinnie Moore , I wonder if any of those guys are playing Jazz now and using some of their 2 handed stuff in it ,which of course is quite different from Stanley Jordans style .
 
Bravo!

Great choices,everyone.How about--
(1)Paul Kossoff (Free)
(2)Frank Marino (Mahogany Rush....this
band's live album from the '70s scared me
the first time I heard it).
(3)Kim Simmonds (Savoy Brown)
(4)Joni Mitchell
(5)Peter Frampton (Live Humble Pie,or
Comes Alive)
(6)Mick Taylor (Stones)
(7)Werner Fritschings (?)not sure of the
spelling,but played in Cactus.
(8)Leslie West
(9)Amos Garrett (solo on Midnight At the
Oasis)
(10) Peter Banks (Original guitarist for
Yes and cofounder of Flash)
I think the most creative underrated player is
George Harrison.......while certainly not an
unknown,his creativity and great parts were so
so often buried in Fabdom.Check out his guitar
parts in And Your Bird Can Sing,or the solo in
Something.Abbey Road is altogether great.
 
I agree with all the jazz guys but I think Neal Schon is the most under-rated guitarist ever.

How many people can play with Santana, Journey, Jan Hammer, and Hardline and be credible in each?

This guy can do it all. The metal heads in the mid 80's did a thing called Hearin' Aid as a charity deal like Live Aid and all the hot guitarists showed up. Yngwie, Lynch, etc.

The video shows the truth. Schon blew them all away.
 
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