Who is the most underrated guitarist?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ibanezrocks
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thats true too..
i guess we all have different opinions on everything...well not everyting :o
 
i'll echo ....

Prince and Steve Cropper (on his Blues Bros. work alone ,without even getting into all th Booker T stuff ) .....

but my first vote goes to Rick Neilsen ....th guy looks eternally fun has a boatload of guitars and he tries to play everyone during a show .....oh yeah and he's got some of the greatest rock riffs around ....but thats just my opinion
 
Don't laugh too hard but I've always admired Glen Campbell. He was the reason I took up guitar.
 
I'm gonna second Alex Lifeson and also mention and relative unknown:

Lyle Workman (Jellyfish, Frank Black, others).
 
Just browsing the list....

and saw Phil Keaggy mentioned. Although I'll admit I haven't listened to him in a long time I would have to agree he is one of the most underrated. Especially since his genre is not mainstream. I also once read that Jimi Hendrix said he was the best guitarist he had ever heard. (Not that I believe everything I read, but it is interesting if true.)
 
Phyl said:
Don't laugh too hard but I've always admired Glen Campbell. He was the reason I took up guitar.
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Great guitar player, but he's F-ing insane! His son went to high school with me. I went over to their house a few times, and all I can say is...wow. The very first time I met him he said, "Hey, I remember you when you were this big!" Funny guy. His son's name is Cal, and he would always walk in and say, "That's crazy Cal!" Just out of nowhere. He is an outstanding guitar player.
 
MegaDrummer said:
The dude in The White Stripes plays sloppy guitar with no technique and heavily depends on a massive array of digital effects. He butchers his own three cord songs.
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I rarely post here, but you need to be called out on this. I hope as a drummer you know something about guitars... You said Jack White uses a "massive array of digital effects."
Wrong. He plays old guitars, old amps, and shuns digital crap. I think you have no idea what you are talking about, and are just bitter because you dislike their music. Pretty much everything you said is opinionated and non-factual.

Why don't you just say "I don't like their music" and leave it at that instead of trying to understand and break down something you obviously know very little about.

To further prove my point, in case you didn't know that Elephant was recorded in London at Toe Rag Studios, where there is not a digital piece of equipment at all. Everything there is analog, some of the sound boards are ones The Beatles recorded on.
So tell me how, when that obviously reflects on his choice of equipment and efforts to get an analog and natural sound, your saying he uses digital effects is valid? Their live sound doesn't even have an aspect to it that even sounds like digital effects. It's pretty much distorted guitar with overdrive and also in stereo.
 
good call chicago. You know more of the specific facts about it, but I knew that they were anti digi all the way. Which is so deserving of respect even if you don't like there music. digi is easier, but I've heard such real stuff come from pure analog. Thanks for giving me a little more knowledge about they're recordings.
 
Thanks and you're welcome.
I just can't stand seeing facts so messed up when it's all opinion driving it.

I really like the White Stripes. That guy John Mayer has an ongoing interview in Esquire Magazine (I think) answering questions about the music industry. He gave his "What's hot" review two issues back and had this to say about the White Stripes:

"I like them and all, but I don't see how in any way they are a manifestation of the blues."

What a moron. I guess that's to be expected from a rich kid who's probably never had the blues.
 
Okay, slow day at work so I'll play:

Richard Thompson - could blow most "shredders" off the stage if he wanted to - he just doesn't want to.:)

Ani DiFranco - Forget the records - see her play live and you'll agree with me, I guarantee it.

GE Smith - Yeah he looked like a dork flipping his hair around on Saturday Night Live, but he's a fantastic player and has been on more records than most realize.

Kenny Withrow - The lead player from The New Bohemians (once of Edie Brickell fame). Go back and suffer through "What I Am" again just to dig the wah solo - superb.

and speaking of Edie...

Paul Simon - A hugely underrated acoustic monster.

Chris
 
groucho said:
GE Smith - Yeah he looked like a dork flipping his hair around on Saturday Night Live, but he's a fantastic player and has been on more records than most realize.
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my wife used to hate to watch GE play th segues but man they always played good stuff ...while we're on the subject of TV players can't remember his name but th dude in Letterman's band (well the whole band) is awesome and i'm referring to the NBC days i think they diluted the group when they became the orchestra
 
Colin James is the most underrated guitar player of all time. More so than Alex Lifeson or Prince.

Dallas
 
Toni Iomi never gets a lot of mention.To me he represents what a good
guitarist should be.He always writes great hooks and his solos compliment
the songs.
Another thing that I always thought was very cool about him is that he
is very original.He is the father of metal guitar.
 
Marc Ford.

defnitly one of the best ever walked on Earth Guitarist.

and no one mention him to much...
 
Chill said:
Alex Lifeson!
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Good call my friend!! Other users mentioned some of my other favorite underrated guitar players like Rick Nielsen, Mark Farner, Billy Gibbons and of course Alex Lifeson, But No one has mentioned Mick Mars, Malcolm Young or the all Time underated king, RORY GALLAGHER!!!!!!!!!! That mother fucker is, hands down, the all time blues, slide king and Strat-into-a-Vox-AC-30-man!!! He almoste makes me want to buy a strat, and I hate strats!!! I'm A Les Paul or Telecaster man!
 
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John Mayer definitely.

Not only underrated but, an excellent songwriter/guitarist that I feel is often hidden by the overproduction on his records. He's out in the open with a fanbase that doesn't understand his craft.
 
shredfit said:
Jeff Beck... Steve Morse

I don't really understand the hostility toward technically proficient players (Vai, Satch, Johnson)... All of these players HAVE their own style and DO play with feel! What the heck is wrong with being technically proficient on your chosen instrument?

Conversely, Calling Kurt Cobain a great guitarist is like nominating Tiny Tim for a vocalist of the year award!

Shred
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I haven't intensely studied these players but, of what I've listened to, most of these players(which are not underrated) usually rely on a specific instrument/cabinet/eq/effects/etc. for their "sound". I think that what was being said transcendence would imply the ability to speak without things like this. For instance, a friend of mine was playing in a guitar store the other day when I walked in. He'd never played the instrument he hand in his hands before that day but, I knew it was him before I saw him.

The only way I can tell the difference between these artist of which you speak is by their effects choices.
 
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