WORST OVERRATED GUITARISTS------

Alright guys, sharpen your knives.

SRV is the most over rated guitar player I've ever heard. All he ever did was regurgitate every blues riff he ever heard at double speed. Fast, sloppy and incredibly BORING!!!

While I'm at it Jimi Hendrix was good, but he wasn't anywhere near as good as everyone seems to think he was.

Jeff
 
Blasphemy

Woe to he who commits such blasphemy, for it is written in the scriptures that he who denieth the skills of the truest of guitar wizards shall be forever banished to playing only the dirtiest and smelliest of beer halls before the drunkest of man.
 
I think you guys (effedupstrat and arf-bagel ) are being entirely too charitable towards Niel Young . You say that he attacks his guitar well we have all seen a dog attack a can of Alpo too , that can be pretty entertaining also . I suppose Niel Young was feeling something when he played maybe it was indigestion .
I know that what attracted me to guitar was seeing people who actually felt what they were playing , that is probably why I always liked blues and most rock players . Blasphemy for sure . Some guys just have a little more taste and can say more by playing less .The bottom line is we all have buttons that can be pushed and if someone can push yours , that's great we just don't all have the same buttons .
 
As far as Prince goes I havent listened to much of his music
but I bought a Kid Creole CD and it is really great funk and
I thought man, who is this playing guitar this is good stuff
and when I checked it was Prince. I was impressed.
As far as clapton, outside of cream, he has barely played
and original lick, he always comes across to me as a journeyman, soorta Jerry Quarry for all you old boxing fans.
NY, I am not particulary fond of him but I agree with the
good things said about him.
Jimi Page, I can copy just about anything he played and I aint that good, what can I say.
Frank Zappa, I cant copy what he plays, what can I say.
Jeff Beck, never new where he was coming from next and that
says alot.
Santana, predictable but somewhat different and that aint
bad.
Ted Nugent, pretty advant garde with the Amboy Dukes, predictable and boring as Ted.
Slash, I have no respect for him, cant pass judgement on his playing.
The Edge, predictable and boring, a Steve Howe Wanabee.
 
Steve Howe! Another overrated guy, renowned because he was playing all that chopsworthy and oh-so-trained musical stuff with Yes... Bill Bruford had the right idea when he left Yes for King Crimson in his youth. Howe certainly has chops but duuulllsville as a musician to my mind.
 
RE: Malmsteen

Just thought I'd share my opinion on Malmsteen...

It's weird that a classical violinist or pianist would be considered to be technically and musically proficient, yet a dude who plays classical guitar in a rock context suddenly isn't.

...as far as his style not translating human energy into sound, well I think this is just a ridiculous statement. All music that is created by a person is a translation of that persons human energy into sound... I have no idea why in rock music, technically proficient musicians are always put down. Their music is as valid an artform as anyone elses... I think it's partly due to the fact the many musicians are narrow minded... they aren't open to the fact that music can be techically proficient and musically satisfying at the same time.
 
All respects, guys, but I think that this thread has taken a turn for the worse that shows why lots of other musicians think guitar players are total tools. We play the instrument oftentimes not as an extension of our soul, but as an extension of our ego. Kinda equates to the macho-dudes driving Trans-Ams (aka rolling penis-extensions). Who's better or worse than whom really shouldn't have a place in the discussion of art (maybe Art). I mean c'mon do we hear painters saying "dude, man Van Gogh is so overrated, if he didn't do that ear thing and go all mental and stuff then nobody would have cared...anyway Renoir is WAY better." I think we've all played out in bar bands and had many chances to blow our guitar jizz all over the crowd, then we read a guit-mag or see a video and go "man, that guy sucks, I can play way better than him". But if you really think about it, what we're saying is "I can shoot a bigger load farther than that guy".

We all have our musical tastes and distastes, but just because someone is technically deficient or proficient shouldn't really enter into the criteria for judging their music. Are the songs good? Does the playing fit? Did you feel something? These are questions that are important. The guitarists who we see as overplaying or underplaying don't really give a rat's ass about what the guitar community says about them because they are chasing the music they hear in their heads. Thank goodness for guys like Edge and Allan Holdsworth (two extremes here) who stretch our perceptions of what are valid guitar-created musical statements. Thank goodness for everyone who cares enough to just "shut up and play yer guitar".

peace.
 
I read some of the well deserved smack being thrown at Neil Young and I laughed my ass off, but then it occurred to me...who said Neil Young is a great guitar player? This is supposed to be about being "overrated". In order to be overrated you must first be rated as good by someone. No one has ever claimed Neil Young was a brilliant guitarist. Which actually brings up another point.

Judging by the responses given by most of you, you are only a good guitarist if you play dazzling leads, and those must be totally original. We all know that there is more to playing a guitar than blistering leads. Right? C'mon, who's with me on this?

As for my pick as most overrated guitarist...my vote goes to that jerk-off in high school who everyone used to bring up as being some kind of guitar badass. Ooooh he learned how to pull off a nasty sounding sweeping arpeggio but he can't tune a guitar. You know the guy I'm talking about. He's also the guy who played the opening riff of "Stairway..." at every party to show his sensitive side. Hey, he's not just a pretty head of hair playing the latest Dio song. He's got feelings. I suppose today he plays that weepy acoustic Green Day tune at the parties. If I see him around today, I swear I'll kick his sorry ass with some real guitar playing. But he probably gave up the guitar long ago.
 
Mr CMiller, you are right. For the last couple of millennia I have been using "Down By The River" from "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" to check out upgrades to my stereo. Yeah, anybody can play that one-note 'solo' but try to express the song and you're busted.
No doubt everyone who has been discussed here is guilty of having been liked and admired for their playing and probably any one you could name has been guilty of playing something lame (you and me excepted, of course).
And yet... is there a reason all those Yngve-wankers hang out in music stores instead of Carnegie Hall?
Makes ya wonder.
John
 
Well, let's face it. When a guitar player gets some run, we all turn into a bunch of petty catfighting women. The instrument is just so versatile that we could debate whether you're supposed to create sloppy attitude filled songs on it or study the technical aspects of it and rip forever.

Everyone is looking to validate the way THEY play and everyone can point to someone who has succeeded in playing the way THEY play.

So, as a technically proficient guitar player, and without trying to invalidate anyone else, I'm going to let Al DiMeola make my case:

"You need both abilities: To be able to sing a melody and play with space and also to have the requisite technique to play the most intricate music. That makes you more complete and able to play a wider variety of music. It's a bunch of bullshit every time guitarists say, "One note says so much more than 100". I always laugh at idiots who make that claim. Tell that to a flamenco player or a classical player and see what they say. It's almost a defensive reaction. They take something they lack, attack it, and claim they never wanted it in the first place. Sure."

I don't think it can be better said than that. I think why we (unbelievably, if you ask me, attack Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Eric Claption) is that they actually learned their craft and play it well. We don't debate the merits of the guitar players in Korn, Limp Bizkit, or Creed because, quite frankly, if you know anything about the guitar, those bands musical ability is borderline offensive.

Take a step back. Those people I just mentioned in parentheses are the best there are. We ought to be working diligently to restore real rock guitar to the airwaves rather than attacking the real McCoy.

Again, though, just my opinion. ;-]
 
Yngvie. I wannna stab him. Oh big deal he can play scales faster than the average computer can do math. But thats about the end of his legendary status. And tossing in a random singer every few tunes does no favors for me either.

To defend: Page does things with a 12 string that just baffle the mind. His six string word is agreeably OK... but that 12 of his... sheesh.
 
When was the last time Yngwie actually put something out? Jeez, you'd think he committed some cardinal sin of actually learning how to play or something.

He wasn't THAT bad. I actually kind of liked that Alcatrazz album and the one he did with Joe Lynn Turner.
 
Umm well... Yngwie puts out a record every couple of years like he's been doing for the last 15 years!

Those of you who doubt his musical ability I recommend you check out Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in E flat minor, Opus 1

How many other guitarists you know that can score an concerto for an entire symphony orhcestra???
 
For the record Wes, the thread is worst overrated guitarists. For someone to be overrated, there has to be some sort of a consensus appreciation of their ability. We don't debate the merits of players from Korn or Limp Bizkit, because there's no widely held appreciation of their contributions, (rightfully so). To say that players like SRV or Clapton don't deserve the maligning because of their technical proficiency is to deny the importance of imagination, inspiration, and innovation. None of which is required to pilfer from the catalogues of blues greats.

Chuck Berry changed the entire course of modern music with one riff. From the Beatles and Stones, to the Clash and Brian Setzer he changed the way the guitar is played. Name me one thing that SRV or Clapton did that expanded the vocabulary of modern music. If regurgitation and technical accuracy is all that's required to be appreciated, my CD player's the greatest musician I've ever heard.

Jeff

[Edited by jvasey on 01-08-2001 at 00:18]
 
Hehehe...now doning Flame gear.....

Eddie Van Halen....predictable...his playing always follows the same pattern
The Edge...bitch please! take away his delay....
Korn...WTF?
Limp Bizkit...?
Dimebag Darrel...what's in a name...
Kirk Hammet.....
James Hetfield.....
 
jvasey

I think it can be argued that both Clapton and SRV brought the blues to new audiences. And, both are credible blues players who nobody from BB King to Albert King would deny. The blues is a fairly confined medium and out of the thousands of blues players over time, I'd be willing to bet you couldn't come up with a half dozen of them that made a credible progression in the medium. The blues isn't supposed to progress, it's supposed to express.

I stand by my position. Spending time and energy taking shots at legitimate, talented, and successful beacons out there when there is a cesspool of Korn, Limp Bizkit, Creed, etc. polluting the airwaves and de-legitimizing the guitar as an instrument is wasted and mis-focused energy.

I do, however, agree that those "bands" can't be over-rated because they've done nothing to earn credible status to begin with. So, maybe I'm a bit off topic as to this particular thread. But, I still think it is a legitimate point.

But, that's just my opinion. ;-]
 
Eddie Van Halen?

Oh come on! The guy changed the way we ALL played the guitar.

And, I've seen Dimebag Darrel come up a couple of times. Back in the mid-eighties, before the barrage of thrash, Darrel was Diamond Darrel and Pantera was a normal heavy metal band (they even had keyboards on a few songs). If you can find a CD called Projects in the Jungle, you'll hear Darrel do an unaccompanied guitar solo. Is it the most brilliant thing I've ever heard? No. But, it does prove the guy can play. He may choose not to these days but it's not lack of talent.

That said, I wouldn't listen to a Pantera CD unless the only other choice was LypSynch.

But, that's just my opinion. ;-]
 
As a player, I'm a self proclaimed mediocrity. But after 30 years of critical listening, I know what I like.
Though I've listened to a lot of Van Halen, I'm certain my playing was never influenced by his.
Santana, though often predictable and not awe inspiring, plays with incredible energy and self confidence and that makes it interesting.
I liked Led Zeppelin when I was 18, so some of the songs still sound good. Black Mountain Side still amazes me.
I grew up trying to imitate Clapton. Maybe he was rippng off the real blues players, but if it wasn't for him, we youg white boys would never have heard of Robert Johnson. Unfortunately, I don't believe he's had a moment of inspiration since the symbiosis of trading licks with Duane Allman. He's resting on his laurels.
Who is Dimebag Darrell?

How can you knock SRV? He's playing (was playing) the music he loved to play, and worked his ass off- He gave 100%
to his art- what more can you ask?

Lastly, this kind of stuff is subjective. Everyones' appreciation of art is different,and that's why it's interesting to discuss. You hear a lot of different opinions, some of which are correct.

Twist
 
OK guys, remember, it's not who's a crock or who's a creep: it's who's overrated. I have just reviewed this thread and am astonished that no one has mentioned my personal favorite overrated guitarist, Jerry Garcia. Yeah, I know that he was technically proficient and I have heard that Dead concerts were great places to get loaded (even though David Bromberg called a Grateful Dead concert "the special Olympics of Rock") and I even know that the Dead, and their cohorts, wrote a whole encyclopedia of hippy-dippy lyrics. (Check out Ripple, which I actually liked until I transcribed the lyrics for a friend.) But I have listened to Mr Garcia, and my reaction is always the same: what's the point? You dedicate yourself to the instrument in order to spend your life going deedle-deedle-deedle onstage?
I am willing to believe I'm missing something.
John
 
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