Overrated Guitarists

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famous beagle said:
Ok some people in here are nuts.

David Gilmour, Albert King, Jeff Beck .... UNDERRATED???

WTF?

These guys are acknowledged masters by the entire guitar community, AND they've enjoyed some great commercial success (Gilmour obviously a ridiculously huge amount).
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Older guitar players are familiar with them, but not the younger crowd, and certainly not non-musicians...........
 
Superhuman said:
I'll probably get neg rep for his but I reckon some of the most over rated guitarists incude:
Angus Young - he's not bad but he is way over rated
Eric Clapton
BB King
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muttley600 said:
I'm not about to neg you but I have to stand up for one of those three. BB King has to be up there as an innovator. You have to remember what he did AND when he did it. BB was ahead of his time. A lot like Louis Armstrong people judge him on his latter output and don't recognise the value of his ground breaking style at the time he was doing it. Without Satchmo there would be no Jazz, Without BB there would be no electric blues at least as it is today. Aside from that I have often pondered which band I would play in if I had to do my last ever gig. It's a toss up between BB King's band of the 1980's and any of James Brown's bands. Those guys could move some air.
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Interesting that one sees BB overrated, presumably as a 'poor technician', which too me would be completely missing the point of his greatness :D, and on the other hand I see Clapton as the great technician who maybe because of that, fails (somewhat/sometimes -fudging here :rolleyes:) on his blues.
 
Overrated:
Slash
Joe Walsh

Underrated:
Brian Setzer
Robert Cray (might seem off base - but i've seen him live, and most of the people i meet have never even heard of him)
 
Underrated isn't the right word to use with Les Paul, But I wonder how many fans of his namesake guitar have ever really gone back and listened to the guy play. He had astonishing chops and amazing tone even on the early stuff before he reinvented recording.

Overrated isn't the right word to use with many of the "guitar gods" that always get listed in these threads. I figure if a guy can play some notes or chords and trip the triggers of a million people, I'm gonna give him his props.

Rippin' Clapton, Hendrix, and Santana is lame

In-A-Godda-Da-Vida RULES!!
 
I think that SRV is going to be forgotten a little seeing as he died almost 20 years ago. Which is a shame. I bet there are people in thier 20's who don't even know.
 
capnkid said:
I saw him in concert opening for Sammy Hagar in 06' I personally thought, as did my friend that he lacked emotion, feel, etc. Honestly.
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Dude, have you listened to all of his albums hundreds of times like I have? :D

Have you ever seen his first Austin City Limits appearance back in the 80's? He's got plenty of emotion and feel, he's just not a "showman". He's the definition of a musician IMHO.
 
capnkid said:
I think that SRV is going to be forgotten a little seeing as he died almost 20 years ago. Which is a shame. I bet there are people in thier 20's who don't even know.
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Yeah, and a lot of the people that are saying he is over rated couldnt play the liks he plays. He's doing shit that 99% of the guitarist who cover him are just hacking at. For one thing, he hardly ever did pull offs or hammer ons. I see people playing his stuff all the time using hammer ons and pull offs. hacks. Stevie was picking all that shit and there are flares in his playing that are extrememy hard to pick up on.
 
apl said:
Who's the most overrated guitarist, or the one least deserving of the fame and fortune that their picking and grinning has brought them? Conversely, who's the guitarist that should have been rich and famous, but never got a break because they were too busy focusing on the art?
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So apl, who falls into the over and underrated guitarist categories for you?

I mean, you did start this thread.:)
 
Kramer said:
So apl, who falls into the over and underrated guitarist categories for you?

I mean, you did start this thread.:)
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As I said, most guitarists are way better than me. There are a lot of guitar players who are good enough to be commercially viable. Maybe competent is the term. There are a lot of guitar players who are better than they need to be. Fireworks don't really impress me. Maybe I'm more about the music than the performer.

Clapton was mentioned as an overrate, but while his stuff isn't technically difficult, he knows how to put a solo together. Santana was also mentioned but I think that's the case with him, too.

I don't have an answer because I don't really care.
 
Overrated:
Nigel Tufnel
tap.jpg

Underrated:
David St. Hubbins
200px-David_St._Hubbins.jpg
 
Jazz and classical guitarists don't get the attention they deserve.
 
famous beagle said:
Ok some people in here are nuts.

David Gilmour, Albert King, Jeff Beck .... UNDERRATED???

WTF?

These guys are acknowledged masters by the entire guitar community, AND they've enjoyed some great commercial success (Gilmour obviously a ridiculously huge amount).

Now, for my opinion, I'll second the nomination for Santana being overrated. I really want to like him because he seems like a nice guy, but I don't see or hear anything special about his guitar playing.
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Check out this list -

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5937559/the_100_greatest_guitarists_of_all_time/

No Albert King ANYWHERE. Of course the whole list is a pretty big joke....
 
My under rated:
Warren Haynes - Gov't Mule ....Tone and taste.
Robin Trower - Dig the vibe..still playing better than ever.
Derek Trucks - Awesome Slide.
Steve Hillage - Dig his psychedelic style.
Johnny Winter- Back in the day, he could burn..
Davey Johnstone - Solo from "Funeral for a friend"....`nuff said!
Terry Kath - Chicago ....especially the 1st 5 albums....

I don't like to call musicans overrated, most have worked pretty hard to get were they are....but some tones I dont dig:
Kirk Hammet - thin and nasely.
Alex Lifeson - post Signals pre Snakes And Arrows...no balls.
Ted Nugent - When he plays PRS's thru 5150 amps....blech...gimme the byrdland wall of fenders from the 70's
Zack Wylde - I dug the squak -n- squeal thing at 1st, but it's kinda grown old for me.
 
In my most humblest of opinions I'd like to offer up both George Harrison AND Paul McCartney as hugely under rated.......yes I did say Paul McCartney! :)
 
variaxman said:
My under rated:
Johnny Winter- Back in the day, he could burn..
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yeah ... this is true.

although i saw him a few months back and it was kind of sad. Not only was the playing not amazing ... but they had to damn near carry him out there to his chair. He looks 120 years old and blind.

two weeks later i saw Robert Cray and it was amazing. Then was surprised to learn that there is only like a ten year age difference between them.
 
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