Underrated AND Overrated guitarists

i dont know if anyone has said this yet but i think Eric Johnson is soo underrated because i hadn't ever heard of him til i got the G3-Live in Concert 96 cd for my b-day, he was one of the most emotional players i ever heard in my life, plus he's sane and plays different styles every song, not just the same old song over and over again
overrated:
EVH, I KNOW!!! HE IS A VERY INFLUENTIAL PLAYER!!! dont get me wrong
but Sammy Hagar deserves as much credit as he(Eddie) does for keeping the band together

Malmsteen overratted? you cant be overrated if nobody likes you. (no seriously, name five people on this board that actually LOVE his stuff and can listen to it for hours...lol jk)

Rhoads is pretty underrated only due to the fact that hes dead and not many people know him.

Zakk seems to be really overrated by non-guitarrists and underratted by guitarists. werid how that works out.
and to the guy who said EVH is overrated, id like to know why you would think that.

Overrated : Jack White

I don't know what Rolling Stone was smoking when they put him at number 17 of the top 100 players of all time. In front of names like: Zappa,Buddy Guy,Brian May,Van Halen,Randy Rhoads,Angus Young, and a Lot of other players who White can't even play half as good as. (i.e. Joe Perry #48)

A big load of BS to me.



Underated: The Edge,Dave Gilmour.

I dunno...I always thought he was a very average blues player. Whenever I listen to those collaboration cds it always seems that the other guy(s) play circles around him with so much more depth, especially the B.B. King and Eric Clapton one. B.B's got the blues, Eric in my opinion doesn't.
As far as him being a geius during his young years, well what about Page, Hendrix, Beck, Allman, they were all growing up then and I think they all have a lot more to say musically then Clapton.
The only Clapton I can really stand to listen to is the Cream stuff, together they were great, divided they stank.

OK first of all let me apologise for replying to a response which was posted some time ago but i've just picked up on this thread and It's one i'd like to answer because i've been a fan of EC for many many years. The thing I'd say about Clapton is he's been around a very very long time and released an awful lot of material and in that time (inevitably) some of it has been sheer crud. I only have to think back to stuff like Ocean Boulevard and I could curl up and die but by the same token I can listen to the Bluesbreakers Beano album to this day and marvel at the genius of the guy. Let me qualify that last point because you can listen to that album and it's clear that Clapton was still learning his craft and was not as fluid as he would become (which gives me great personal hope) but the point is he was the first real white guy to play like that (some-one is going to come on now and say "oh no he wasn't"). You could probably name many guitarists today who 'might' be better (impossible to prove though I would think) but would they be who they are without Clapton? Even Eric Johnson claims Clapton to be his main source of inspiration and reason he ever picked up the guitar in the first place.

On the point of collaboration CDs I think it's more a case that EC doesn't have anything to prove and let's the other guys 'play circles around him'. Interestingly I've been listening to the new BB King 80th birthday album on which EC plays 'The Thrill is Gone" with him. The way the CD is produced is that BB is alway on the right channel (I think) and the guest artist is always on the left. Listen to the thrill is gone by panning from BB King and EC and I promise you you'll end up with tears in your eyes if you've ever been a fan of BB. The guy just doesn't have the licks or tone anymore whereas EC's playing has as much fire and soul as he's ever had. OK BB is 80 now so we can forgive him but EC is little more than 20 years younger.

Last point. I'd love to agree that Hendrix has a lot more to say musically but sadly I think that's no possible :D (OK I'm being pedantic)

Anyway -Over-rated Guitarist. Sadly I'd have to say Rory Gallagher. I was a great fan as a teenager but re-listening to his stuff now there doesn't seem to be any finesse

Under-rated guitarist? How about Robin trower? Not heard Bridge of Sighs in years but boy did I love that album.

For me though the most under-rated guitarist has to be John Martyn - Brilliant song-writer and multi-talented musician (although far better on acoustic than electric) who has never seemed to get recognition outside of the Uk (and not that much in the UK come to think of it).

Originally Posted by: Rsam16Overrated : Jack White

I don't know what Rolling Stone was smoking when they put him at number 17 of the top 100 players of all time. In front of names like: Zappa,Buddy Guy,Brian May,Van Halen,Randy Rhoads,Angus Young, and a Lot of other players who White can't even play half as good as. (i.e. Joe Perry #48)

A big load of BS to me.

.

That whole damn list is BS. Besides a few names... And what gets me is why rolling stone decided they had the right to create that list.

Originally Posted by: ericthecableguyThat whole damn list is BS. Besides a few names... And what gets me is why rolling stone decided they had the right to create that list.

I know, it's like if GuitarWorld magazine picked the top 100 hip-hop artist of all time :D

I know that rolling stone is a music magazine, but they shouldn't pick who they "think" the top 100 of all time are.

just a thought :)

sigh....is this one back again.

I agree with Kaffirlime about Robin Trower hes definelty a good guitarist, but as for eric clapton i cannot stand that dude.

OVERRATED
-Billie Joe Armstrong (okay, he writes great punk riffs, but "Greatest Rock Guitarist of 2005?" Jeez...)
-Zakk Wylde (like Malmsteen - fast, but repetitive, showy and forgettable)
-Yngwie Malmsteen (yadda yadda yadda)
-John Petrucci (I do like this guy - his bluesier stuff is great - but he does overdo things a bit)
-John Mayer (he just hasn't got soul! :( )
-Tony Iommi (great riff writer, definitely. The greatest? I don't think so)

UNDERRATED
-Andres Segovia (who's your daddy? :D )
-Dave Gilmour (this man is a genius! He does not get enough credit)
-Chris deGarmo (yeah, a personal favourite, but I seriously think he's got much more ability than many people give him credit for - he's a great songwriter, and his solos are just unforgettable)
-Darren Middleton & Ian Haug of Powderfinger (A pair of talented guitarists with incredible versatility. Listen to "Odyssey No. 5" - they touch on everything from blues to pop, psychedelia to metal)
-Matt Bachand (Another personal favourite :p , but he's overshadowed by Jon Donais simply because he [Donais] is the lead guitarist. Deserves a lot more credit for Shadows Fall's sound)
and...
KIRK HAMMETT (Go ahead and flame me, but I'm not joking. People slag him for being trashy and commercial - and maybe he is - but let's face it: he's one of the men who inspired a generation of rock guitarists to pick up an axe. Granted, his solos on "Kill 'em All" and "Ride the Lightning" are pure cheese, but his later work is much more controlled and tasteful)

Sorry for rambling on, guys. You can rip shreds off me now lol

Underrated:
Robben Ford

Originally Posted by: jiujitsu_jesusOVERRATED
-John Mayer (he just hasn't got soul! :( )

Hm.. have you listened to any of his live stuff?? Saying that John Mayer doesn't have soul is saying that Stevie Ray Vaughan doesn't have soul... Not saying John Mayer is AS good of a blues player as Stevie... just saying that his style reflects a lot of Stevie. I think you may be saying this because he's trying to take a more pop approach to blues... but listen to "Any Given Thursday" and tell me that he has no soul when he covers "Lenny" the solo to "Covered in Rain" is also really good. If anything I would say he doesn't get enough recognition as a good guitar player. I don't think Zakk Wylde is overrated either... I especially loved his work on Book of Shadows and Pride and Glory. I agree with most others though... Its all opinion

My over rated award goes to Alexi Lahio, Kerry King, and the entire crew of Slipknot. A while ago Alexi wrote some good stuff, but these days he seems to be excluding any form of creativity in his writing. Children of Bodom's name is getting bigger and bigger, but for some reason their quality of music is getting worse and worse. For the hype, they're over rated. And Kerry King, in his prime he was good, but c'mon. After all these years and he's still doing the same old stuff? I say retire you old, bald goon. And finally, Slipknot just plain sucks. I keep hearing about how they're actually really good musicians, but I've yet to see any of them apply any of it.

i think the most underrated guitarist is malcom young from ac/dc,
and i have to say that you are wrong about Alexi Laiho just because im from finland, though i dont like children of bodom

Kerry King is DEFINITELY overrated. The guy doesn't even seem to use scales half the time - he just hits a bunch of off-notes really fast!

I don't dislike John Mayer just because he takes a more pop-influenced approach to blues. In fact, I am a big fan of other players who take such an approach (SRV, Robert Cray, Mark Knopfler). I just don't think Mayer pulls it off as well as the rock press would have you believe.

Another underrated guitarist is Jeff Beck. How did Eric Clapton manage to steal this guy's limelight?

Some one I have been listening to for a few years now is Robben Ford but I never hear any mention of him until this thread. I have seen him play a couple of times and from what I have seen/heard he is quite good.

MSF

Originally Posted by: AkiraJeff Beck is the man.

I love "JB's Blues" its one of my ringtones. He has a killer tone in that song!! I also like him becuase he's a fellow supporter of Fender Stratocasters...

Overrated: Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Angus Young

Underated: Vinnie Moore, Steve Morse, Greg Howe, Theodore Ziras

I also have to disagree with everyone who says Kirk Hammet is a crap player, just listen to the solos on the Justice For All album... and as far as not being accurate goes... please! Maybe if he's loaded playing live but mention one flaw on any Metallica cd.

Originally Posted by: SuperhumanOverrated: Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Angus Young

Underated: Vinnie Moore, Steve Morse, Greg Howe, Theodore Ziras

I also have to disagree with everyone who says Kirk Hammet is a crap player, just listen to the solos on the Justice For All album... and as far as not being accurate goes... please! Maybe if he's loaded playing live but mention one flaw on any Metallica cd.

Uh... St. Anger?

Editor's note: I mean the album as a whole, not just the title track.

Originally Posted by: SuperhumanOverrated: Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Angus Young

Underated: Vinnie Moore, Steve Morse, Greg Howe, Theodore Ziras

I also have to disagree with everyone who says Kirk Hammet is a crap player, just listen to the solos on the Justice For All album... and as far as not being accurate goes... please! Maybe if he's loaded playing live but mention one flaw on any Metallica cd.

The Solo to Seek and Destroy.

Kirk Hammett is NOT a crap player. He ain't the special one, true, but neither is he as sloppy as many would have you believe. His soloing on "The Black Album", "Load" and "Reload" is controlled and impressive, and even some of his showier stuff on "...And Justice For All" and "Master of Puppets" is impeccably precise. Okay, so he makes mistakes on some recordings, but he was never purporting to be a technical wizard. He's the lead guitarist in a flamboyant heavy metal band, and his job is to play flamboyant solos that people will remember; and I think he does that quite well.

Superhuman - I agree with you on Clapton and Richards, but Angus Young? Why?