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

Alchuck - Rory Gallagher was just the ultimate live rock guitarist. His picking techique, which was playing with both a flat pick and fingers at the same time, allowed him to throw the most amazing riffs into what were pretty basic blues-rock songs. He also had re-writen the book on harmonics and could could do extremely fast, clean runs of harmonics like no one I've heard before or since. And he could switch effortlessly between his Strat, accoustic, and National Steel guitars and play them each flawlessly. I saw him live 4 times, each time in front of about 1000 people of whom I'd bet 500 were guitarists.

The problem is that there is so little recorded material (at least that I've heard) that really captured Rory. His early live album "Irish Tour" had some good bits, many of his studio albums had good songs, but he was realy best live. The best recorded stuff I ever heard of his from a radio broadcast of The King Biscuit Flower Hour arround 1977, I still have a beat up monophonic cassette of it somewhere. If anyone could lead me to a bootleg of that I'd be grateful.

Incidently, Richie Blackmoore is another guitarist was always better live - a good player and a great rock'n'roll showman.
 
Anthony Phillips (original guitarist in Genesis) - He creates some amazing textures with a 12-string guitar. Uses some ingenious tunings, too.

Steve Hackett (also former Genesis man) is an all-around great player with a sound all his own. He was doing the tapping thing back in '72! Alternatively powerful and ethereal & mysterious. A great nylon-string player, too.

Steve Hunter

Randy Bachman - amazingly restrained on Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive records, but quite an eclectic player.

Roy Clark

Tony Duhig - guitarist for the obscure English progressive group Jade Warrior. Alternated between tastefully smooth and sweet and a Hendrix-like demonic raucousness. Sadly, he died of a heart attack in the mid-1980's.

John Stanfield - Ever heard of him? He's an astounding 12-string acoustic player in the folk/mountain music (?) realm. See if you can find his recording called "12-string Moonrise," which was recorded live in some small venue in Asheville, NC in the early 1980's. I have this on vinyl, and everyone who has heard it has been blown away. Remarkable!

Elliot Easton, definitely!

Justin Hayward - He has a great touch, and he gets a pleasing warm sound out of his Gibson ES335, especially on those earlier
Moody Blues records.

Greg Lake - He's know more for his bass and vocals (before he took to gargling hot razor blades, that is), but he's got a tasteful guitar style that just works. And come on now, how many of you over-35's out there have at one time or another sat down and figured out "From the Beginning?"

Jeff Lynne - Primarily a songwriter/producer, but he's done some great guitar stuff on ELO records.

Steve Miller (Wow, this really is looking like a 70's thing!)


Bruce in Korea
 
LWatford said:
Ty Tabor
Phil Keaggy
Eric Johnson
The Edge
Steve Rothery
Lindsey Buckingham
All the Steely Dan sesion guys
All the guys that played on "Grace Land"
Click to expand...

Another Steve Rothery fan. Good to know I'm not the only fan of his on these boards.
 
Wide Awake said:


Another Steve Rothery fan. Good to know I'm not the only fan of his on these boards.
Click to expand...

The first time I heard him was on Dream Theater's cover of Easter (with that beautiful solo!), and then I was hooked!
 
DAN HUFF....

Awesome player that started out with the Chrisitian band Whiteheart. Left in the mid 80's to do studio work. Check out some old liners from the late 80's and you will see his name somewhere. Formed the power rock group Giant in the early 90's (which released a new album last year). Most recently he has been producing, most notably, some of Faith Hill's Breathe, and the last two Megadeath albums. One of the most sought after studio players in the industry.
 
glenn phillips
bruce anderson (mx-80)
nels cline
henry kaiser
and the greatest guitarist that ever lived...
sonny sharrock
 
Tom Morello is the best cause I say so. And RATM had to put disclaimers on their music saying that no turntables/keyboards/sequencers/etc. were used in recording their albums. If that isn't rad I don't know what is...

Ian
 
most underrated guitarists:

*nels cline
*fred frith
*glenn phillips
*bruce anderson
*henry kaiser

and the greatest guitarist ever...

sonny sharrock
 
Damn you, Randall_74!

Randall_74 said:
-Danny Spitz/Scott Ian (Anthrax- they worked well as a duo and both had their own unique styles)

-Jay Abbene/Terry Carter (Wratchild America- hell, the whole band is underrated and problem unknown to most)
Click to expand...

. . . for listing Jay and Terry before I did :D Just kidding.

My band Killing Time (Evansville, IN) opened for these guys at a local club summer 1990. They started off playing songs from the new 3-D album and then did a ton of fan-requested covers, all while going through 3 cases of beer between the four of them. Hung out afterwards and got high with Shannon Larkin (I don't partake anymore). These two guitarists can play anything and in any style; check out "Prego" on 3-D to see what I mean.

Also worth mentioning:

Andy Partridge (XTC): always melodic and tuneful

Craig Wells (Metal Church): the most overlooked guitarist in the Seattle area

Martin Barre and Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull): Martin is a unique electric player, and Ian's acoustic playing is sweet

Derry Grehan (Honeymoon Suite): Seriously, check out the album The Big Prize, especially "All Along You Knew" (featuring Ian Anderson on flute).

Oh, almost forgot Michael Schenker. Glad someone else mentioned Uli Jon Roth, but Schenker also deserves more credit than he receives.

Cheers :D
 
Last edited:
I agree about Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson (I love his acoustic playing and his sound is... WOW)

Divid Gilmour, anyone?

In Mexico he is not very well known/or/recognized.
 
flapo1 said:
I agree about Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson (I love his acoustic playing and his sound is... WOW)

Divid Gilmour, anyone?

In Mexico he is not very well known/or/recognized.
Click to expand...

:eek: David Gilmour not very well known or recognized? That's amazing, in a sad sort of way.

But then again, no one knows or recognizes me, and that's even sadder — at least it is to me :D
 
Uh, I can't seem to quit this thread. . . .

Wanted to include Andrew Latimer of the band Camel. He has wonderful phrasing, great chops, and a sense of humor often absent in much "progressive" rock. Good flutist as well.
 
Probably already mentioned, but how about Mick Box of Uriah Heep? He practically pioneered the use of finger-tapping in electric lead...
 
dang, just got through the entire thread, and indeed, Mick is nowhere to be found...

As far as Petrucci is concerned, since he's been doing the G3 tour with Satch and Vai, I think it's safe to say he's come into his own in the respect department ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top