# Most Overrated Electric guitar player?



## Vincent (Nov 24, 2007)

Who is the most overrated "well known" "electric" guitar player...I have posted this on other forums and got ripped for it.

The most overrated for me is Eric Johnson...I think hes a really good guitar player however his music is so generic and lacks emotion of any kind...I wonder if he is as boring as his music?...I still think hes a good guitar player however as a songwriter I think he 
"licks big bag"...dont quote me on that though...lol


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

Oh, there's lots I don't like. (I like Eric Johnson though, sure he's not as expressive as Jimi Hendrix or Freddie King, but he's the closest I come to being able to stand a shredder...I just wish he wouldn't sing).
I was tempted to stir things up and mention Dimebag Darrel after the way that thread about the jazz joke sig went, but I'll resist.

So here's an honest answer to your Q: I never did get Brian May. Can't listen to a whole Queen song, don't get it, yet some people really love him.

I think one of the most _underrated_ guitar players around is Andy Latimer from Camel.

Not sure where this is going to go though, but the whole 'licks big bag' thing--which I'm obstinately refusing to parse--doesn't bode well for civil discussion (Ha, can you tell this is Canada? By now on TGP we'd be "yo' momma" at each other...:smilie_flagge17


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## ne1roc (Mar 4, 2006)

It seems that these guys are being judged on their song writing as opposed to their skills as a guitarist?


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## suttree (Aug 17, 2007)

ne1roc said:


> It seems that these guys are being judged on their song writing as opposed to their skills as a guitarist?


well... a good guitarist first recognizes that there is a SONG being played. that seems to be a problem for many. 

overrated? i guess i'd say what's his name... mark tremonti. creed is offensive, alter bridge is boring, his tattoos are a little too obviously planned, and so is his playing. but he gets signature models.. and he's living my dream, so good for him.


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

For me the most overated guitarists are Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, for me those guys only played all the chords, pentatonic, mode and all the technics scales. They play it very well but there's something messing, there's no mojo, feelings, I don't know, it's like listen to a practice tape but on fast forward! But I admit I won't be as good as them, but I don't really want to...


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## Evilmusician (Apr 13, 2007)

Kirk Crammit! I mean Hammet I hate that guy ,widdle wah widdly wah widdly wooo !


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Ti-Ron said:


> For me the most overated guitarists are Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, for me those guys only played all the chords, pentatonic, mode and all the technics scales. They play it very well but there's something messing, there's no mojo, feelings, I don't know, it's like listen to a practice tape but on fast forward! But I admit I won't be as good as them, but I don't really want to...


Amen to that man, all the speedy gonzales players from the 80's like Satriani, Vai etc etc...seems like they check Eddie and went..ok, we need to go FASTER..thing is Eddie ain't that fast, he's melodic.

One, in my opinion, that is so overated is Zack Wild, after a while i can't stand that freaking squeeling he does every 5 notes.


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## Vincent (Nov 24, 2007)

I like some of Steve Vai's stuff on David Lee Roths Eat Em and smile ablum however some of his guitar riffs/fills are mostly just speed and little bit of anything else...some of his solos are pretty good though...I like the solo on laddies Night In Buffalo.

I could never get into Joe Satriani's music...not sure why however it may be that I prefer my music with vocals.


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## Maxer (Apr 20, 2007)

I mostly agree with the consensus here on Vai... chops up the wazoo but I've rarely found much soul or feeling in it. However, that album you mentioned, Eat'em and Smile, has a song called "Big Trouble," where Via's solo break in the middle is one tight, expressive little run. Very melodic and emotive at the same time. Great tune all around and I am most definitely not a Roth or VH fan.

Vai definitely has some soul in him but I think he loses himself in the flashy stuff. Satriani just bores me. I take my hat off to these guys for their technical wizardry, but I'd rather hear someone play at half the speed with half the dexterity but ten times the emotional wallop. That's just me.


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## Vincent (Nov 24, 2007)

Yngwie Malmsteen is another overrated guitar player...the guy is a good player however everything he plays sounds the same and as a song writer he's not very good at all...I remember back in the day when he hit the scene and all the guitar mags had him on the cover...I never got his music and all the hype...it all sounds the same.


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## suttree (Aug 17, 2007)

i'm not a huge vai fan, but i saw him with "zappa plays zappa" a couple years ago, and i'll tell you this: on a stage full of people working their friggin' asses off to play frank's tunes, vai wasn't breaking a sweat. he's really such an effortless player, and even though what he plays isn't often to my tastes, i have to recognize the massive chops the man has. he's not overrated.


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## ne1roc (Mar 4, 2006)

Steve Vai overrated! 

I have all of Vai's CD's. Certainly a ton of crap but also a ton a incredible guitar work. 

Definitely not overrated.


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## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

Love Eric Johnson.

Prefer Satriani to Vai. Satriani is definately more melodic, IMO.

I wouldn't call anyone overrated, partially because I don't care what other people think. It's all about what I prefer.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Jeff Flowerday said:


> Love Eric Johnson.
> 
> Prefer Satriani to Vai. Satriani is definately more melodic, IMO.
> 
> I wouldn't call anyone overrated, partially because I don't care what other people think. It's all about what I prefer.


2000 posts (loser).

:food-smiley-004:

Overrated?

I think Eric Clapton's appeal has always been a bit of a mystery to me, at least in recent decades.

Kirk Hammet is also more popular than I would have expected.

As Mr. Flowerday put it though, it's a matter of preference.


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## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

Milkman said:


> 2000 posts (loser).
> 
> :food-smiley-004:
> 
> ...


The pot calling the kettle black! :smile::smile:

I didn't understand Clapton's appeal either, then I saw him live. His phrasing was spectacular. Very tasteful.


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## LowWatt (Jun 27, 2007)

suttree said:


> i'm not a huge vai fan, but i saw him with "zappa plays zappa" a couple years ago, and i'll tell you this: on a stage full of people working their friggin' asses off to play frank's tunes, vai wasn't breaking a sweat. he's really such an effortless player, and even though what he plays isn't often to my tastes, i have to recognize the massive chops the man has. he's not overrated.


I was at the first Zappa Plays Zappa at the Hummingbird and I was surpised to see Dweezil play Vai off the stage. Better tone, phrasing, emotion, and his solos actually sounded like they related to the song they were playing. Vai's sounded like he thought anything was good as long as it was in the same key and at the same tempo.

Then again, I've never been into Vai, so maybe I was prejudiced there.

Personally, these overrated guitarist threads are pointless. Really you are asking "what guitarist do a lot of people like that you don't like?" It's a personal taste question.

Me, I'd answer :
Eric Clapton since the day he picked up a Strat
Eric Johnson
Henry Garza (Los Lonely Boys)
Steve Vai
Alex Lifeson (I've spent years calling Rush "the best band that I never want to hear play")

But I don't think any of them are overrated, I just can't get into them personally.


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## ne1roc (Mar 4, 2006)

Paul said:


> That assessment leads me to believe that 50% of the time, Steve Vai is crap.
> 
> I'll pass.


 I don't base a guitarist's skills on how many of his songs I like or dislike otherwise I would probably think all guitarists are overrated...........except EVH!

I can be more accurate with my assessment and state that I like 70% of Steve Vai's songs, leaving 30% crap. If you pass based on this assessment, I would assume that you already have different opinion of Steve Vai and therefore had no reason to use my initial assessment to help you determine that Steve Vai is not you cup of tea.


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

How about Vivian Campbell and John Sykes? I've heard a lot of people really rave about those two. I saw VC with Sweet Savage and later Dio in the 80s, and didn't like him at all. JohnSykes always seemed like an albatross, he seemedt obe the go to guy when a band was tanking and the record compnay wanted to squeeze out a few extra bucks -- I'm thinking Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake. Not sure if that's his fault, but I never liked his pinch-harmonic-at-the-end-of-every-measure schtick. I actually saw him with the Tygers very early on, and thought he was better then than after he'd discovered shred.


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## rockinbluesfan (Mar 3, 2008)

I think it's a matter of what you like or dislike - if you like it, you're a fan and if you don't, he is over rated, yet the next guy doesn't like your fav so that one is over rated! There are no winners or losers here so I vote for myself cuz I suck lol!


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## GTmaker (Apr 24, 2006)

can someone please point me to some good BB KING guitar work.
PLease notice I didnt say "great". I dont want the bar to set too high...


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

I think there are a plethora of technical wizards out there (too many to name) but I enjoy listening to guitarists whose tone I can recognize - BB King, Freddie King, Clapton etc...

I find that Vai and Satriani are interesting to listen to (Satriani more than Vai) but uninspiring. 

Whoever made the comments about Zakk Wylde's obsession with pinch harmonics....+2000 on that. ZW should give those a rest. 

There have been some comments made about Clapton. I don't think he ever set out to be the worlds best overall guitarist. I don't particularly enjoy very many of his original songs. However, his blues covers are superb. 

What's the deal with Eric Johnson? I've never understood why he was so revered.

I don't know if any of that made sense but...my 2 cents


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

GTmaker said:


> can someone please point me to some good BB KING guitar work.
> PLease notice I didnt say "great". I dont want the bar to set too high...


I'd say all of it...except you specifically said not "great"


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

I'm not sure if these threads can come to any good, but let me wade in 

I have to say Buddy Guy. Although I have heard some good performances (i.e. Muddy Water's Folk Singer album), most of the time, he is embarassingly sloppy. 

I've heard that his playing on the new Stones movie is pretty good, so I may take this back after I check that out.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

I think *rockinbluesfan * is a very UNDERRATED Canadian guitar player

Peace

Dave


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## Vincent (Nov 24, 2007)

BB King is a good singer however when you hear him play lead guitar live on TV or something he tends to play the same riffs over and over...I think perhaps his guitar playing is a bit overrated.

Example of what i mean here...he plays that one certain note way to much I think...and he does it on pretty much every song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39W46dLA8BI

His playing has a great sound and tone however the riffs tend to get repeated a lot in what he does.


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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)

For the "point me to some good BB King" question;

BB King - Live at the Regal. 

Nothing else needed to be said on the subject in my books.


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## Scuzzy (Nov 16, 2007)

This is a little more "new school" but I'm gonna throw out Jack White, and Curt Cobain.

These guys have both wrote some good music, and some good riffs (smells like teen spirit is a very popular riff) but I have seen lists and lists of the greatist guitarists and these guys are always on them. Never really understood why. Just my 2 cents.


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

fretboard said:


> For the "point me to some good BB King" question;
> 
> BB King - Live at the Regal.
> 
> Nothing else needed to be said on the subject in my books.


++++ LOVE Live at the Regal...And for those of you who think he is over rated, BB King would be the first to agree with you. I think he actually says something to that effect on the Crossroads DVD. He is one hell of a performer though, and puts on a great show even if his guitar lick repertoire is limited.


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

Scottone said:


> I'm not sure if these threads can come to any good, but let me wade in


Yup, I'd rather hear about people that others think are great that I might not have heard of.
I found out about Bill Frisell and Sean Costello that way on TGP, and there are a bunch of players I need to go look into now since the jazz thread went up. 
The only constructive thing to come out of this type of thread would be if someone said they can't understand why some player is highly rated then someone else pitches in with 'listen to this album' -- you might hear something you missed. 
I did that with EVH, Santana, George Benson, Jeff Beck*, Eric Clapton even and a few others years ago; had only head a few bits n pieces and didn't really rate it. People have pointed me to other stuff to listen to and it was good. 

I was unfortunate that the only Jeff Beck I had only really heard a little and just couldn't hear what all the fuss was about. That has since been corrected.
Same with George Benson - I find some of his music horrible to listen to, like being stuck in an elevator with Rick Astley or something, but he's a very accomplished player and when he gets to really playing I like it.
EVH I can still take or leave, but I can appreciate what others see in it more now than I did when he first appeared on the scene. 

So I'd rather get involved in discussions about something I might have missed out on otherwise than endless semantics about who is teh suxorz.


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

fretboard said:


> For the "point me to some good BB King" question;
> 
> BB King - Live at the Regal.
> 
> Nothing else needed to be said on the subject in my books.


Great record. Unfortunately, today's BB is a shadow of that BB. But the guy is 80 some years old, so we have to cut him some slack.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Scuzzy said:


> This is a little more "new school" but I'm gonna throw out Jack White, and Curt Cobain.
> 
> These guys have both wrote some good music, and some good riffs (smells like teen spirit is a very popular riff) but I have seen lists and lists of the greatist guitarists and these guys are always on them. Never really understood why. Just my 2 cents.


Yup. I have to agree.

Bear in mind that many lists are fan based as opposed to guitarist based.


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## CocoTone (Jan 22, 2006)

fretboard said:


> For the "point me to some good BB King" question;
> 
> BB King - Live at the Regal.
> 
> Nothing else needed to be said on the subject in my books.


Right on the $$$. If B.B. hung up his guitar after that recording, he STILL would be the King in my book. Such fire, emotion, and talk about tone!!
Ok,,,now for the over-rated part. I know I'll get flamed to death, but who gives a $hit!! Page,,,sloppy, no playin' no count. Good studio wizard tho. Warren Haynes. Lots of other guys have done what he does. He plays well,,,like a guy that gigs alot.Nothing ground-breaking. As for CanCon,,,Jimmy Bowskill. Yawn!!!:wave:

My 2 cents.

CT.


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## suttree (Aug 17, 2007)

LowWatt said:


> I was at the first Zappa Plays Zappa at the Hummingbird and I was surpised to see Dweezil play Vai off the stage. Better tone, phrasing, emotion, and his solos actually sounded like they related to the song they were playing. Vai's sounded like he thought anything was good as long as it was in the same key and at the same tempo.
> 
> Then again, I've never been into Vai, so maybe I was prejudiced there.


hmm i was at the same show (sitting third row at stage left... right in front of terry bozzio, which was awesome). i really enjoyed vai's playing more than i thought i would (not being much of a fan), although i didn't say i thought his leads were anything special, i just thought he was working way less than everyone, and obviously having just a ton of fun. but i'm totally in agreement about dweezil, that guy's playing has really come together in a huge way... anyways, my point wasn't that steve vai is "all that", it was that his chops are humongous, so he's not really overrated. just kinda boring.


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## Coustfan'01 (Sep 27, 2006)

Ti-Ron said:


> For me the most overated guitarists are Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, for me those guys only played all the chords, pentatonic, mode and all the technics scales. They play it very well but there's something messing, there's no mojo, feelings, I don't know, it's like listen to a practice tape but on fast forward! But I admit I won't be as good as them, but I don't really want to...


No offense , but did you listen to tender surrender or bad horsie? 
Sometimes , it seems these guys are so good on the guitar that some people forget they also play songs... Maybe it's just not your style , but I find a lot of times people didn't listen to the good songs.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Angus Young. Every freakin' AC/DC song sounds the same! Don't get me wrong, I love a Thunderstuck just like everyone else, and I probably own an SG at least a little bit because of him, but the more I listen, the less I find him interesting. Put on a wicked assed set at Sars-stock though!

On another note. Any bad that proclaims themselves to have "angular-riffs" or "minimalist guitar work." These phrases are synonymous with lack of skill. Franz, Strokes, Interpol, etc. etc. etc. Although I do like some of these acts, I can believe some guys are getting paid to play 2 chord songs. Makes the 3 and 4 chord songs of the punk and grunge days seem like freakin Beethoven. :rockon:


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## Hamm Guitars (Jan 12, 2007)

The two big ones for me are Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. I like Eric Clapton as a song writer (assuming that he writes the songs that he plays that I like), but I've never really been able to get into Hendrix on any level. There are days when I would add Jimmy Page to the list as well.

I pretty much don't like artists and bands that have one key 'star' musician - particularly a guitar player that exists only to entertain other guitar players. On the other hand, I don't mind some acts that have these 'star' players, so it is hard for me to paint them all with the same brush.

I also don't think that a musician has to play things that are technically challenging to be good.


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## Coustfan'01 (Sep 27, 2006)

I forgot to reply to the orginal post...

Hendrix , Cobain , and a lot of metal guitarists. 
Hendrix is great , and I love him , but he did not invent music.

I have a Nirvana cd and it's been at least five years since I last listened it. Cobain definitely did not invent music.

And a lot of metal guitarists are considered real good because they play fast , but constantly playing fast does not equal being good , especially when there's a hundred million guitarist that play just as fast and and thousand playing a thousand times faster( Don't say that the guy from Children of Bodom or Rhapsody is the greatest ever when there's guys like Michael Angelo , Macalpine , Impelliterri , etc.)

Wow , that's a lot of bashing in a single day.


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## Vincent (Nov 24, 2007)

I like Angus youngs solos on ACDC's earlier albums...I stopped buying/listening after the who made who album because the singers voice sounded baked to me...not sure what happened to his voice after the who made who album or perhaps even during the making of who made who however it didnt sound the same as it did on Back N Black,For Those About to Rock,Flick Of The Switch and Fly On The Wall ...also Angus solos didnt have the same emotion they once had...guess that comes with getting older.

Problem with angus and ACDC is they never change there sound...basically the same sound which makes the music sound the same.

I think some of his earlier work has a lot of emotion in his lead guitar however he pretty much uses the same sound on everything which can get old after a while and can start sounding the same


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## Accept2 (Jan 1, 2006)

I hate to say it but Nigel Tuffnel. Everyone views the guy as a total guitar god, but really he is just another guitar player. Sure some of his solos make guys like Vai and Satriani scratch their heads in wonder, but the guy sometimes cant even find his way to the stage. And that whole 11 thing with his amps, sometimes its just too loud, dagnabit............


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## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

most overated? esteban


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## skydigger (Oct 20, 2007)

Scuzzy said:


> This is a little more "new school" but I'm gonna throw out Jack White, and Curt Cobain.
> 
> These guys have both wrote some good music, and some good riffs (smells like teen spirit is a very popular riff) but I have seen lists and lists of the greatist guitarists and these guys are always on them. Never really understood why. Just my 2 cents.


Their music may not be that complex, but they are original and powerful songwriters.

I don't think great guitarists need to be technical masters. One of my favorites "Neil Young" sometimes gets flack for his single note solos (played on 2 different strings and only on a couple of songs), but it's not like he doesn't play with more heart and passion then most other rockers out there.

The guitarist who's success boggles my mind is Pat Methany. I guess I just don't understand where he's coming from. i guess jazz guitar just isn't my thing...


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Overrated is a loaded word.

It could mean someone who isn't good, but some people think is good.
It could mean someone who is good, even really good or great, but their reputation is beyond that.
And most of the time it's a matter of taste.

As for me--I like all sorts of guitarists--I like Satch and his fancy but melodic stuff. I like Neil Young, but for different reasons.
I can relate to Neil Young as a guitarist. I find myself ripping him off on solos. Although his acoustic playing is actually very good--all people seem to discuss in this context? His electric solos. I love them--he does more with 1 or 2 notes than shredders do with 1,000. In both electric & acoustic he is underrated. 

I agree with skydigger.



skydigger said:


> I don't think great guitarists need to be technical masters. One of my favorites "Neil Young" sometimes gets flack for his single note solos (played on 2 different strings and only on a couple of songs), but it's not like he doesn't play with more heart and passion then most other rockers out there.


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## suttree (Aug 17, 2007)

rollingdam said:


> most overated? esteban


whoa. good point. gentlemen (and ladies), i believe we have a winner.


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## NB-SK (Jul 28, 2007)

zontar said:


> Overrated is a loaded word.
> 
> It could mean someone who isn't good, but some people think is good.
> It could mean someone who is good, even really good or great, but their reputation is beyond that.
> ...


I agree. I like his minimalist approach to solos. I'm sure he could play something a bit more intricate (after all, he's an experienced professional)...but that's just not his thing.


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

devnulljp said:


> How about Vivian Campbell and John Sykes? I've heard a lot of people really rave about those two. I saw VC with Sweet Savage and later Dio in the 80s, and didn't like him at all. JohnSykes always seemed like an albatross, he seemedt obe the go to guy when a band was tanking and the record compnay wanted to squeeze out a few extra bucks -- I'm thinking Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake. Not sure if that's his fault, but I never liked his pinch-harmonic-at-the-end-of-every-measure schtick. I actually saw him with the Tygers very early on, and thought he was better then than after he'd discovered shred.



Whitesnake was HARDLY tanking when John joined. In the US they were still unknown around the time he signed up (on the Slide it In album) but they were still mega e verywhere else. North Americans dont really seem to know just how huge WS was in the rest of the world. He wrote most of the 1987 album that took them over the moon....he was canned by Coverdale.

Snake died when Sykes left and DC hired Adrian Vandenberg and Steve Vai (talking after the tour to support 1987) and the result was the bland 'Slip of the tongue' album.


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## mysweetshadow747 (Apr 28, 2008)

Scuzzy said:


> This is a little more "new school" but I'm gonna throw out Jack White, and Curt Cobain.
> 
> These guys have both wrote some good music, and some good riffs (smells like teen spirit is a very popular riff) but I have seen lists and lists of the greatist guitarists and these guys are always on them. Never really understood why. Just my 2 cents.


Dude you are my F-ing hero for saying that. They didn't write "good" music, they wrote "catchy" or "trendy" music. Jack white has a little more talent than Cobain I'd say but even then... that's not saying a whole lot. Cobain was plain out boring and (Nirvana fans please forgive me) untalented... As a musician I base my success depending on what other musicians think. But I can't respect somebody whose songs people rave about when any douchebag with a guitar and a half hour to kill could learn to play. But then I'm the bitter type... haha:rockon2:


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## mysweetshadow747 (Apr 28, 2008)

skydigger said:


> Their music may not be that complex, but they are original and powerful songwriters.
> 
> I don't think great guitarists need to be technical masters. One of my favorites "Neil Young" sometimes gets flack for his single note solos (played on 2 different strings and only on a couple of songs), but it's not like he doesn't play with more heart and passion then most other rockers out there.
> QUOTE]
> ...


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## Evilmusician (Apr 13, 2007)

LowWatt said:


> I was at the first Zappa Plays Zappa at the Hummingbird and I was surpised to see Dweezil play Vai off the stage. Better tone, phrasing, emotion, and his solos actually sounded like they related to the song they were playing. Vai's sounded like he thought anything was good as long as it was in the same key and at the same tempo.
> 
> Then again, I've never been into Vai, so maybe I was prejudiced there.
> 
> ...


If anything I think Alex Lifeson is underrated!!!!!!:rockon:


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## suttree (Aug 17, 2007)

Paul said:


> Last night on Much More Music they showed some Elvis in Vegas documentary. It was interviews interspersed with musicians playing Elvis Tunes. Paul McCartney sang "Heartbreak Hotel" whilst playing Bill Black's original Elvis era Kay bass. It was an incredible few moments of musicianship


paul mccartney is pretty spooky when he starts imitating american singers.. it's obvious he spent a LOT of time doing that as a kid.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

My over-rated list would include:
Clapton (boring)

Hendrix (innovative, interesting rhythm, but lots of dissonant noise as well)

Hammett (ya we get it, pentatonics, wah and chugag chugga e string)

Eric Johnson (I've never heard a single song by him, so all the hype I see on the web makes him over-rated, at least to me)

Diamond /Dimebag/ Darrell (dont care for his tone, ya he shreds but its boring and kind of stereotypical)

Adrian Vandenberg

Slash

About-right:
Vai (phenomenal artist, but not very listenable. kind of weird sounding at times even if intentional, The best guitarist I usually dont want to listen to for long periods of time)

Wylde (as Kirk Hammett, although at least with more feeling, and actually a talented vocalist and writer...+overkill on pinch harmonics, guitar God personified)

under-rated:
John Sykes (great singer and songwriter as well as guitarist..triple threat...shreds plus melody and feeling)

Alex Skolnick: Technical and tasteful.


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## Lemmy Hangslong (May 11, 2006)

WOW... some big names got tossed about in this thread.

It's interesting to hear other ppl's opinions.

As for overated... I'm with the ppl who said Mark Tremonti.
and I'm definetly down with the folks who said KURT COBAIN!!!


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

KHINGPYNN said:


> I'm definetly down with the folks who said KURT COBAIN!!!


He's an interesting one, and I often wonder what would have happened if he (or Courtney, we'll never know) hadn't done the hwole shotgun in the mouth thing.
I remember terrible reviews of In Utero when it came out, and I haven't really listened to it in years. After his death, there was this weird James Dean-ification thing happening. I think he would have been one of the first people to laugh at you for putting him in the Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time -- he's rated #12...above Jeff beck and Carlos Santana?! 
Still, I remember the first time I heard Teen Spirit, and it was one of those stop you in your tracks moments. I've heard older guys talk about the first time they heard Hendrix or The Beatles, and that's lost when you grow up with it already in circulation or you're not really switched onto it until afterwards for whatever reason.
I'm sure we're all sick of hearing people playing Teen Spirit badly in guitar shops -- it's become a generational Stairway or Smoke on the Water. 

I'm not a huge Nirvana fan, but he was certainly influential you have to give him that. I loved that the unplugged session was full of covers and not all the hits all the time. He's certainly overrated from a technical perspective, but so is BB King if you think about it. But what is this: music or gymnastics? 

Sorry. Rambling. Carry on.

I'm still more interested in who other people are listening to and like that I might have missed or dismissed.

Might be a good time to point to this short excerpt from an interview with Miles Davis from 1982 (interviewer seems like a bit of a jackass though...): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHeYG9SNaS0
"_Take out what you want and leave what you don't like...like food._"


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## a Pack of Wolves (Sep 5, 2007)

any of the new young dude in over-the-top prog 'nintendo' metal bands
or death metal band

playing fast is a thing but it's not a good thing

these guys usually lack humanity and tone

---------------------
the thing with jack white is he's having fun
and it translates

he might not be a guitarists fave guitarist 
but 
he's a guitarist (one of the few) in the past few years that has become a character in the public's mental eye

HE doesn't take himself seriously,he has fun with what he does,that's why the racs and the stripes are different from each other

he plays a part in the stripes and people don't get that


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## suttree (Aug 17, 2007)

i dunno. people slag on kurt cobain a lot, but in my opinion... they just don't really get what it means to be a great guitarist. cobain shows that it's not about disappearing into your bedroom for 10 years to be good. it's about having something to say, and he certainly had that. same reason lou reed is a great guitarist (and also widely influential), or neil young, or jack white (who is great in my books), or gordie johnson, or george thorogood.... the same reason the delta blues guys were so great, too... if it's not your cup of tea (most of the big shredders aren't for me), you should at least respect the drive and the focus it took to get the artist there. that's my 2 cents at least.


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## Maxer (Apr 20, 2007)

Hmmmm... makes a lot of sense to me! Most of the players whose sound and style I don't particularly care for could play circles around me for hours on end without breaking a sweat. I need to remind myself that sometimes.


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

Maxer said:


> Hmmmm... makes a lot of sense to me! Most of the players whose sound and style I don't particularly care for could play circles around me for hours on end without breaking a sweat. I need to remind myself that sometimes.


Ha, I think you're speaking for many (if not all) of us here...which is why we're here complaining about other people instead of lounging by the pool surrounded by platinum records. 
:food-smiley-004:


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## BenJammin (May 3, 2008)

al3d said:


> Amen to that man, all the speedy gonzales players from the 80's like Satriani, Vai etc etc...seems like they check Eddie and went..ok, we need to go FASTER..thing is Eddie ain't that fast, he's melodic.
> 
> One, in my opinion, that is so overated is Zack Wild, after a while i can't stand that freaking squeeling he does every 5 notes.


+162,535,746

Zakk Wylde, get the wah pedal out of your ass, and the Pinch harmonics out of your playing.

the best thing he ever did was the album "No More Tears" every other thing sucked


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## Greenbacker (Mar 29, 2007)

Vincent said:


> I like Angus youngs solos on ACDC's earlier albums...I stopped buying/listening after the who made who album because the singers voice sounded baked to me...not sure what happened to his voice after the who made who album or perhaps even during the making of who made who however it didnt sound the same as it did on Back N Black,For Those About to Rock,Flick Of The Switch and Fly On The Wall ...also Angus solos didnt have the same emotion they once had...guess that comes with getting older.
> 
> Problem with angus and ACDC is they never change there sound...basically the same sound which makes the music sound the same.
> 
> I think some of his earlier work has a lot of emotion in his lead guitar however he pretty much uses the same sound on everything which can get old after a while and can start sounding the same


So Angus sucks because he didn't change his sound and the singer sucks because he did?


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

To me, overrated means flash with no substance or contribution. I can think of many guitarists who are all flash but they are still making a decent living doing something they probably love doing. I'm gonna start a new thread...


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## Daeveed (Apr 21, 2006)

My candidates:

Ace Frehley and the Rolling Stones dude.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

For me, it's any of the shredder group. IMO basing your reputation on speed should be left to the drag strip.

But, I think it's way easier for the young guys to understand speed than soul. I think it takes years of listening to understand why that 'one note' played by BB is more important than the 1000 notes per second laid down by Buddy Guy.

But, all these guys are working, recording artists. Who am I to say what they want to play in this solo or this backing track is wrong? 

And some of the old artists referred to in this thread, if you can't look at them historically (what they did at that point in time) you probably can't understand it, a good example is Hendrix.


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## Red Foreman (Apr 3, 2008)

Nikki Six.Lousy sound,lousy performance quite frankly I'm surprized he hasn't overdosed and died yet.


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## Daeveed (Apr 21, 2006)

Paul said:


> Which one?
> 
> Brian Jones?
> 
> ...


wow, i didn't know they went through so many.

I was refering to Keith Richards.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Keef? possibly one of the best rhythm guitar players ever?


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

dwagar said:


> Keef? possibly one of the best rhythm guitar players ever?


Not to mention his writing and producing skills.


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## Stratocaster (Feb 2, 2006)

Kirk Hammlett


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## Evilmusician (Apr 13, 2007)

Slash sorry not a fan ,


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## Guest (May 6, 2008)

Vincent said:


> ...the singers voice sounded baked to me...not sure what happened to his voice...


One singer died (Bon Scott),
another was hired (Brian Johnson).


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## Daeveed (Apr 21, 2006)

dwagar said:


> Keef? possibly one of the best rhythm guitar players ever?



Pure hype IMO. The guy was just in the right place at the right time.


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## ssdeluxe (Mar 29, 2007)

holy crap......can't believe I just wasted 10minutes reading this.......


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## CocoTone (Jan 22, 2006)

ssdeluxe said:


> holy crap......can't believe I just wasted 10minutes reading this.......



After reading the thred title, you should have known better.

CT.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Daeveed said:


> Pure hype IMO. The guy was just in the right place at the right time.


I have to agree


(and he was probably only in the right place by mistake)


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

dwagar said:


> But, I think it's way easier for the young guys to understand speed than soul. I think it takes years of listening to understand why that 'one note' played by BB is more important than the 1000 notes per second laid down by Buddy Guy.


IN DEFENSE OF SHREDDING

I guess I'm in the minority of people who dont understand how much "feeling" can be expressed in one note.  You hold a pick, you strike it against the appropriate string, theres your note, whether it be a C, D, E, or whatever...how expressive can one make it? Maybe you like the sound of C notes in particular, and would like to hear nothing else. Great. Theres nothing wrong with slow simple playing, but it seems apologistic to imply that it takes any more effort or "soul" to play that way than it does to do things with more complexity. Fast, complex playing can be thoughtful as well.

But then, theres people who go to an art gallery see a white sheet of canvas with a paint streak across it, and will wax endlessly about how much passion it conveys, and the conviction of the artist and his tortured soul, its brilliant minimalism, and every other cliche/artsy jargon one can think of. 
But I personally dont get it. I want a painting of a bowl of fruit to look like a bowl of fruit  Even if sometimes, too many people paint bowls of fruit and they get a tad boring.

That being said, I understand not liking guitarists who overplay (eg egotistical constant soloing when its not necessary, or even detracts from the song, sometimes even trying to steal the thunder from the vocalist)...in this case I nominate Carlos Santana as the biggest criminal at this.


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## washburned (Oct 13, 2006)

*wading in....*

....maybe over my head, but, I don't think the key is how many notes, or tone, or whatever...I've always felt the difference between artists is whether they can 1.)feel something 2.) transfer that feeling into the medium of choiceand 3.) present it in such a way that I (the audience) feel something of what the artist felt in the beginning: to the extent that my feeling corresponds to his (hers?) the artist deserves recognition. That being said I have heard guitarists with little technical ability as well as others with tremendous, even incredible ability, who drew me right into their experience: otoh I have heard guitarists with incredible technical ability who had nothing to say, but kept repeating it over and over....I think these guys tend to fool us, because a non technical guitarist with nothing to say is pretty obvious.

In another sense, should we, in our discussions, consider musicians who play guitar to be different from guitarists who seek technical mastery of the instrument? In one case the guitar is used to augment the performance, while in the other the playing of the instrument becomes the performance.


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## starvingstudent (Mar 16, 2007)

Kirk Hammet 
- thought he is #11 of the top 100 guitarists of all time, thanks to ROlling Stone

Kurt "3 Chord" Cobain
- #12 on the same list

Steve Vai
- I am a huge Satriani fan (dont care what anyone else said in this thread) but I just cant stand Vai. people who mention that they like Satch are often asked if they like Vai too... why is everyone that likes Satch automaticly supposed to be a fan of Vai?

Yngwie Malmstien
- no soul. no rhythmic pulse. everything sounds the same.

The guys from Dragon Force
- Seems like every 10 year old and his sister know who they are. and they all think they're amaizing... well i dont. i think just like Yngwie they have no pulse, and no soul. dont get me wrong, i dont mind listening to the odd shedding now and then, but they arnt who i turn to to get my fix.

Sean Lane
- I might get scolded for this, but i just cant stand him. i saw him do a couple Hendrix covers and completly butcherd them with the stupid sweep fills and such. yes you can pick fast (like Malmstein) we get it. but he was an influence to so many.

ill come up with somemore later. but thats all i have for now.


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## toastman (Mar 28, 2008)

Kirk Hammet owns this thread. He had a couple of nice solos but besides that, he is nothing without his wah pedal.


Zakk Wylde 

Kerry King

Malmsteem


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## Greg Ellis (Oct 1, 2007)

toastman said:


> Kerry King


But Kerry King is awesome!

I love that song he plays where it goes "muddy-muddy-muddy-muddy- BLAAATT"!

Oh wait, that's all of them.


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## sproul07 (Jun 23, 2007)

Ok well I guess I'll throw my 2 cents in here. There are a couple I would like to bring up actually. My first vote goes for Jimmy Page. There have been moments where I have enjoyed his playing but its literally less than 1%. Live, he was and still is terrible and sloppy. He was a decent producer and studio musician, but he lackes the skill and precision to play live. I find his tone to be too brash and annoying as well. I've never been a big fan of Led Zepplin to begin with, but Jimmy Page just pushed me even further from the band with his awful live playing, which in my opinion is the most important aspect of a "good" guitarist, is being able to deliver the goods live

My second vote goes for Robbie Robertson. He may be the worst I've ever heard in terms of an all-round guitarist. Touch, tone, knowing-when-not to play, he lacks everything in all categories. His playing on the Last Waltz is just embarrassing, especially on the slower Bob Dylan songs. He just has no sense of timing and touch on the instrument. Hitting notes at the wrong time of the progression and no sense of proper vibrato. And his work on the latest Crossroads DVD didn't impress me either. Very sloppy and out-of-synch

Honerable mentions go to Eric Johnson, Kirk Hammet, and all guitar players from modern metal bands. IE. Lamb of God, Killswitch Engaged, Trivium, Mastadon etc. WE GET IT! You like to play heavy and distorted! WE GET IT! You're such great musicians because you tune down to C#, thump on the low E for a couple bars and throw in the odd 2-3 note riff on the A and D strings. How much talent does that take? And they're in every single issue of Guitar World and on every page. Which is why I stopped buying it


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

Red Foreman said:


> Nikki Six.Lousy sound,lousy performance quite frankly I'm surprized he hasn't overdosed and died yet.


Wasn't Nikki the bass player?


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

most of the guitarists i hate most, and most of those i like most have been mentioned here- and thats why a thread like this leads nowhere. i spent years listening to hendrix, robin trower, blackmore. i soloed my face off from here to there for years. how can anyone be overrated? jack white plays delta blues with a 3 piece drummer- hes not even in a position to be compared with wankers like vai or satriani. hes playing what he feels and screaming his face off. good fer him and ppl buy it- and how, or better yet, why, ruin his stuff with some goofy solo? cobain was a musician, a song maker, and a regular dude, not a neo- classical guitar god who pays people to write gay ass words to fit his solos..and how or why would you add a goofy solo to his stuff? itd sound as gay as an ozzy tune then.
you guys are comparing the size of yur dicks to the price of rice in xuixiang province. i cant believe im posting in this thread. and in case nobody here noticed, guitar solos stopped bieng popular in 1984, about the same time i became proficient at it.
the end is nigh!!!


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## Scuzzy (Nov 16, 2007)

dr_iggi said:


> Wasn't Nikki the bass player?


Yes Nikki was the bass player in Motley Crue, Mick Mars is the guitarist and he is very far from overated. Now Nikki might be the guitarist in his new band Sixx AM I'm not sure on that but if he is he probably is lousy because he was a bass player for all those years.
Nikki was the main stage performer in Motley Crue. Vince never really did much but sing and Mick has a disease which has really crippled him as far as his movement goes.


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## Maxer (Apr 20, 2007)

LOL

This thread has evidently stirred up some vivid emotions. It's sort of like summoning up a terrible sea monster from the blackest depths.

[insert irrelevant wanker solo here]


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## suttree (Aug 17, 2007)

Vincent said:


> Who is the most overrated "well known" "electric" guitar player...


me

when it comes right down to it


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## Greg Ellis (Oct 1, 2007)

Scuzzy said:


> Mick Mars is the guitarist and he is very far from overated.


True, although this is a special case. Everyone knows that Mick sucks.

I was surprised to see Angus mentioned earlier. I've never seen him portrayed as a great guitarist. A great performer, yes, but a great guitarist? No. Ergo, just like Mick Mars, not overrated because he's not rated high.


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## GibsonTay37 (Mar 31, 2008)

Mike McCready and Stone Gossard from Pearl Jam, Two very underrated Guitarists. Hey Kurt, the reason why you didn't like Pearl Jam is because you know they were better than Nirvana.

PJ 4 Life

Kurt Cobain: Overrated!!!!

:rockon:


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## Bubb (Jan 16, 2008)




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## Red Foreman (Apr 3, 2008)

dr_iggi said:


> Wasn't Nikki the bass player?


Your right Mick Mars then,I'd put them both in the same boat lol.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Couldn't agree more...



Bubb said:


>


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## Stratocaster (Feb 2, 2006)

GibsonTay37 said:


> Kurt Cobain: Overrated!!!!
> 
> :rockon:


omg liek, i just learned smells like teen spirit and i tink im teh best guitarist in the world!!!


Sorry.


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

Stratocaster said:


> omg liek, i just learned smells like teen spirit and i tink im teh best guitarist in the world!!!
> 
> 
> Sorry.


i dont think the guy ever claimed to be a guitarist. and learning it is not the same as writing it. also, one of the weakest nirvana tunes- just goes to show the collective bad taste of the population.
feel free to post a clip of you and your band playing it tho. unless your afraid of straining your vocal chords. the guy who wrote it wasnt :smilie_flagge17:


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

GibsonTay37 said:


> Mike McCready and Stone Gossard from Pearl Jam, Two very underrated Guitarists. Hey Kurt, the reason why you didn't like Pearl Jam is because you know they were better than Nirvana.
> 
> PJ 4 Life
> 
> ...


ya those guys are better players. unfortunately the songs are lacking in every way. its almost like shania twain helped write them. unlistenable tripe.:smile:


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## Greg Ellis (Oct 1, 2007)

Red Foreman said:


> Your right Mick Mars then,I'd put them both in the same boat lol.


And then sink the boat?


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

fraser said:


> ya those guys are better players. unfortunately the songs are lacking in every way. its almost like shania twain helped write them. unlistenable tripe.:smile:


Pearl Jam wrote some great stuff...a comment like yours sounds like sour grapes to me but sour grapes have their place in a kitchen.

Comparing Pearl Jam songs to Shania Twian is just flat out weak.


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## Kiggz (Jan 8, 2008)

Angus Young when he preforms. 

LOL joking 


i guess i would say steve vai 


LOL joke 


And the final contestant is drumm roll ........................Ingwe Malmsteen 

Ingwe Malmsteen is most overrated to me


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## gerald guerrero (Oct 3, 2006)

I was going to say why didnt anyone mention John Mayer? 
Then I realsied he's not really a guitar player- just a poseur who writes a bunch of bubblegum songs and pranaces around playing licks he ripped off of every great guitarist you can think of.He's a Chicks guitar player i guess, they seem to like it.Maybe I'm being hypercritical. Just a little.. haha, but seriously, hes waaay overrated in terms of his popularity vs. his playing ability.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

Eric Clapton or Carlos Santana.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

smorgdonkey said:


> *Eric Clapton* or Carlos Santana.


Depends on what era you are talking about. The 70s after Derek and the Dominos was quite disappointing for me.


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## Guest (Dec 8, 2008)

Me. I'm over rated. I'm a good player there's no question but my friends all think I'm this guitar God and it just ain't so. I hate it when they introduce me to someone by saying I'm the best guitaist they've ever heard. It puts so much expectation on me.

I do tend to agree that the speedy players (like Satch and his kind) get a lot more recognition than I would expect when you consider they mostly just play scales. It would be different if you could say, "yah, but scales with gusto" but you can't. You can say REALLY FAST scales but seriously, how much emotion can you put into a note when you're playing 300 notes a minute or more?


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

assuming I can differentiate this commentary with saying the guitar player is overrated as a reflection of his playing skill alone......I think the list is long - I've seen far better guitar players on youtube in their basements than you see with the top rated professional players......but taking performance into the equation - you just can't beat the "performer" chops of BB King, clapton, Young (Neil and angus) , Richards etc etc etc.......these guys are pros because they capture the audience ......they have a certain "thing" that got them there in the first place......I saw lots of negative commentary on Vai in this thread - I find the commentary strange re: his technical ability - he is obviously mroe technically capable than most ....but his performances are also awesome - full of expression and emotion - I personally find his performances quite comedic....blowing hair, wild facial expressions etc... - if you're into that style he plays - he's second to none....the operative expression being "if you're into that style".


however - if I was asked what professional guitar player is over rated on their skill as a player alone -which I suppose was the original question in this thread - the first one that comes to mind is Slash


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## MustangSVT (Nov 2, 2008)

I have a few DVDs of AC/DC concerts and to be honest I always found Angus Young pretty unimpressive on his live performance. That being said, I believe he along with his brother write the guitar parts for all of their songs, so at the end of the day, they're a lot better than a lot of people just by their songwriting alone. In terms of skill, I think he's a bit overrated. He's still a lot better than me though so I still appreciate his music as well as skill.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I can't comment on Satriani - I just haven't listend to enough of his stuff. I can't quite agree with the comments on Steve Vai though. I have only one disc of his - Alien Love Secrets and I rather enjoy listening to it at times. He is not my favourite guitarist, but from this recording I would not say he is over-rated.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

Hey Robert...same with Satriani...just get Surfing With The Alien and on that one record his reputation is earned.

I should have mentioned Kirk Hammett...he's been one of the most over rated for years.


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