Most under-rated guitarist of all time?

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
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With honorable mention to Derek Trucks, who IMO is and has been for years now the best slide guitarist going, the guitarist who can do it all and is the number 1 blues guitarist going is, to use Marty's word "unquestionably", Joe Bonamassa.
Boy, Derek is excellent too:


Any album recommendations Ron?
 

DaveC

Industry Expert
Nov 16, 2014
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Michael Houser (RIP) of Widespread Panic. He had a unique style that was very much missed after he died.
 

BlueFox

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Nov 8, 2013
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Great thread. This is why I read audio forums. Although the stupid arguments are also fun. I never heard of Melvin Taylor before, but am now buying a download or two. The CD quality (44/16) downloads on HD Tracks are less expensive than the Amazon CD. That is a rarity.
 

853guy

Active Member
Aug 14, 2013
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I’m not sure whether the following is a list of “under-rated” guitarists relative to those in similar genres who seem to gather more acclaim, or more of a reflection of my own tastes in music where the “genius” of each guitarist is somewhat “hidden” beneath the fact that they’re mostly part of a band in which the sum is often greater than the individual constituent parts.

Nevertheless, I think that each of them have in one way or other been instrumental (ha!) in influencing the shape of pop, rock and beyond in terms of stylistic departures from the norm, setting them apart from many of their contemporaries.

In no particular order, I give you:


The Edge (U2)
Alex Lifeson (Rush)
Tosin Abasi (Animals as Leaders)
Fredrik Thordendal (Meshuggah)
Brent Hinds (Mastodon)
Billy Duffy (The Cult)
Omar Rodríguez-López (Mars Volta)
Reeves Gabrels (David Bowie)
Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine)
Philip Manley (Trans Am)
Ian MacKaye (Fugazi)
Johnny Greenwood (Radiohead)
Nick McCabe (The Verve)
Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
David Pajo (Slint/Papa M/Aerial M)
Ian Williams (Battles/Don Caballero)
Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)
Page Hamilton (Helmet)
Aaron North (The Icarus Line)

Special mention also to:

David Torn
Daniel Lanois
Buddy Miller
Chris Whitley
Marc Ribot
 

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
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This list starts and ends w/Alex Lifeson of Rush.
Just listen to the bootlegs of the '78 and '79 Hemispheres tours.
Like Pete Townshend, Alex has the magical ability to in effect be a lead instrument when in effect being rhythmn guitar.
He started off as a Jimmy Page clone, but was one of the few such guys who in effect reinvented himself to be radically different yet, retaining Page-isms in his sound.
How many guys could go from Cream/Led Zeppelin as a primary signature to venturing into Police/U2 territory so seamlessly?
Listening to those Hemispheres tour boots proves that Lifeson is one of the most unique guitarists of all time, somehow combining power chords, suspended harmonics, able to shred and be crystalline all within a few bars.
And any guy who can keep up w/the musical geniuses that are Geddy Lee and Neil Peart, and keep his head above water deserves total respect.
Some of the greatest, most concise and musical guitar solos of all time.
Check them out from "La Villa Strangiato", "Freewill", "Limelight", " The Analog Kid", "Between The Wheels". Etc x100
 

caesar

Well-Known Member
May 30, 2010
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Great thread. This is why I read audio forums. Although the stupid arguments are also fun. I never heard of Melvin Taylor before, but am now buying a download or two. The CD quality (44/16) downloads on HD Tracks are less expensive than the Amazon CD. That is a rarity.

Bluefox,

FYI: some of my CDs are hdcd, so they are in effect 24 bit.
 

Ron Party

WBF Founding Member
Apr 30, 2010
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Amir, Susan Tedeschi is a lightweight. For the heavyweight cover of Etta James's tune:

 

caesar

Well-Known Member
May 30, 2010
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No one seems to respect Hubert Sumlin. Keith Richards learned to play from this guy

Check this out:



With excellent harp work by Billy Branch

Fair to say that if you don't like this, you don't like the blues! :)
 

caesar

Well-Known Member
May 30, 2010
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And how about some Otis Rush...live!


Love the tone of his guitar here! Even better with tubes somewhere in your system! :)
 

Bso

Well-Known Member
Sep 30, 2016
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Massachusetts/Toronto
Back when I was a kid a friend of mine's older brother prowled the pawn shops of NYC for guitars. He sold them to Dion, Dylan (when he was just making a stir), Baez, Rev. Gary Davis, one of the Rascals, John Sebastian, - the 'Spoonful's manager lived around the corner and I think to JS on when they broke up, and others I can't remember who they were probably more. May he rest in peace, some of them too.
 

Elliot G.

Industry Expert
Jul 22, 2010
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WOW Terry Kath maybe the best of all time not mentioned
Gary Moore- not underrated just dead
 
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