Your Top Five Underrated Guitarists

[Porch Dweller]

The death of Prince gave me the idea for this thread. These are the guys that in your opinion have amazing skill but don't seem to get lumped up there with the Guitar Gods such as Clapton, Jeff Beck, Hendrix, Van Halen, etc.

Mine are:

1) Robert Fripp. Just an absolute monster on the guitar, with blazing speed and technique.
2) Frank Zappa. Fans of Zappa know just how incredible he was, but mainstream music fans just seem to go "Oh, that 'Don't Eat the Yellow Snow' Guy. Whatever."
3) Rory Gallagher. If there had never been a Clapton or Hendrix he might be a household name like those two are.
4) Prince. As I said in the other thread, his chosen genres of music might have overshadowed his ability to blow the roof off of the house.
5) Adam Jones. His playing with Tool is the very definition of textured.

[The Poet]

I'd have to include John McLaughlin and Ry Cooder on my list. Hell, half the time I mention them, folks say "Who??"

Edit: Can I add Jorma Kaukonen to these?

[Porch Dweller]

Good call on John McLaughlin!

[nutcracker]

Steven Stills
Neil Young
Jesse Cook
George Harrison
Joe Walsh

[Porch Dweller]

Steven Stills
Neil Young
Jesse Cook
George Harrison
Joe Walsh

I was about this ----><---- close to putting Joe Walsh on my list.

[nutcracker]

Can hear the "life in the fast lane" riff in my head right now

[The Poet]

Stills was outstanding, but I always felt Walsh was too restrained in the Eagles sound. Give me some James Gang though . . . :banger

[The Poet]

Ooo, ooo, ooo . . . Alvin Lee!

[Wharf Rat]

I'd throw in David Gilmour. And, someone has to say, Jerry Garcia (unless he is considered one of the gods and is off the table.)

[The Poet]

For possible reference, there's this.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123

[The Poet]

Re John McLaughlin, he's #68 on the above list, but in the blurb Jeff Beck is quoted as calling him "the best guitarist alive".

Oh, and at #63 I found Johnny Winter, so that finally completes my five.

[Porch Dweller]

Stills was outstanding, but I always felt Walsh was too restrained in the Eagles sound. Give me some James Gang though . . . :banger

It's a bummer that classic rock radio only seems to play a handful of Walsh's non-Eagles songs. He has so many great songs from his James Gang and Barnstormer days. Occasional I'll hear something like 'Meadows', 'Ashes, the Rain, and I', or 'The Bomber' on Sirius-XM Deep Tracks and it puts a smile on my face. My wife and I were in the car a few weeks ago and they played 'Meadows'. She said "This is a good song. I wonder why I've never heard it before." Exactly!

[icehog3]

Some awesome choices up there. Couple more off the top of my head.

Richie Blackmore
Kim Thayil

[The Poet]

James, Meadows is a nice balladish song, but not all that guitar heroic. Now THIS . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3lEqVAroX4

Oh, and is that Steve Cropper up there with Joe? Damn!

[Porch Dweller]

James, Meadows is a nice balladish song, but not all that guitar heroic. Now THIS . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3lEqVAroX4

Oh, and is that Steve Cropper up there with Joe? Damn!

That was cool!
Yeah, I used 'Meadows' just as an example of a great Walsh song you rarely hear. If we're going for solely "guitar heroic" I'd add 'Stop (http://youtu.be/aBXrduJ3GE8)'.

[Porch Dweller]

Some awesome choices up there. Couple more off the top of my head.

Richie Blackmore
Kim Thayil

I don't know if Blackmore's considered underrated; maybe in the U.S. but definitely not the rest of the world. I put him up there firmly in the pantheon of Guitar Gods.
Great call on Thayil. If I made a top 10 list he'd probably make it.

[The Poet]

Now I don't if to Stop or Walk Away. :r

[Porch Dweller]

Now I don't if to Stop or Walk Away. :r

Chose one or you might Turn to Stone. :D

[icehog3]

I don't know if Blackmore's considered underrated; maybe in the U.S. but definitely not the rest of the world. I put him up there firmly in the pantheon of Guitar Gods.


Yeah, it just seems like the younger generation doesn't recall him the way they do some of the other older greats, but I totally dig where you're coming from.

[Porch Dweller]

Another one just popped into my head: Frank Marino.

[Stogeyfish]

Billy Zoom

[markem]

Don Felder, perhaps.

[Chainsaw13]

A friend turned me on to Andy Wood. Guy can play. Another is Ian Thornely.

[drjammer]

Roy Clark :tu

Huge fan since I first saw him on Hee-Haw :)

[T.G]

Willie Johnson, Pat Hare and Link Wray - without these three, there wouldn't be power chords, which are a mainstay of rock & metal, and used by just about every guitarist mentioned so far.

[dave]

Underrated by shear popularity, maybe, but truly innovative and worthy of more public awareness and/or acclaim by virtue of not just their innovation...and also for their impact:

Tom Morello
Ricky Wilson
Steve Hackett
Phil Manzanera

Yngwie Malmsteen - maybe not underrated by those that write in threads like this, but by the 'general public', perhaps

[nutcracker]

and I forgot about Mark Knopfler

[Adriftpanda]

Taylor Swift

[AdamJoshua]

No love for Joe Satriani? You can't tell me he's not underrated considering most people have never heard of him.

[nutcracker]

Taylor Swift

Huy - you're just distracted by the looks....

[icehog3]

No love for Joe Satriani? You can't tell me he's not underrated considering most people have never heard of him.

Not only have I heard of him, I've seen him live. Ask Peter, he was with me. :banger

[DMK]

Tal Wilkenfeld
Stevie Ray Vaugn

[icehog3]

SRV is definitely great, but definitely not underrated in the U.S.

[The Poet]

SRV is definitely great, but definitely not underrated in the U.S.

Ah, and now we get into the question as to what one means by underrated. In that Rolling Stone list I posted, I feel Johnny Winter is underrated at #63. But I also think Duane Allman is underrated at #9. Hell, crazy as it sounds, I would not argue if someone here said Jimi Hendrix was underrated at #1, if you get what I'm saying.

[kelmac07]

Joe Satriani
Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme)
Scotti Hill (Skid Row)
Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains)
Brian May (Queen)

#6 Kaki King

[Porch Dweller]

Ah, and now we get into the question as to what one means by underrated. In that Rolling Stone list I posted, I feel Johnny Winter is underrated at #63. But I also think Duane Allman is underrated at #9. Hell, crazy as it sounds, I would not argue if someone here said Jimi Hendrix was underrated at #1, if you get what I'm saying.

Subjectivity definitely comes in to play in what is such an opinion-based topic. Hell, some of the best guitarists in the world as far as technique, skill, speed, phrasing, etc. - and the ability to combine all of those melodically - are currently working in heavy and extreme metal and thus are not well known at all. So I could easily put out a top five "underrated" list that goes:
1) Mikael Akerfeldt
2) Jeff Waters
3) Brent Hinds
4) Corey Beaulieu
5) Alex Skolnick

And 95%+ of the people out there would be scratching their heads going "who???"

I looked at the list you linked to from RS and saw that three of my top five were considered among the top 100 (Fripp, Zappa, and Prince, IIRC). So can three guys who are thought of among the top 100 players ever really be considered "underrated" (assuming you lend any credence to RS's opinion :) )? I don't know...but it's a fun subject to discuss. And if nothing else it might turn some people on to some players they might not be familiar with.

As a side note I heard "Cowboy Song" by Thin Lizzy on the radio today and my first thought was "Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson could definitely go on that list!" Maybe "Top 5" was too limiting. :D

[Porch Dweller]

Joe Satriani
Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme)
Scotti Hill (Skid Row)
Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains)
Brian May (Queen)

#6 Kaki King

Mac, good call on Brian May. He's up there in my top five list of "Greatest Guitar Tone Ever", which is as follows:
1) David Gilmour
2) Dimebag Darrell
3) Brian May
4) Eric Johnson
5) Billy Gibbons

Uh oh...that's two minutes for threadjacking my own thread. :D

[Gabe215]

Kirk Hammet
Alex Lifeson

[icehog3]

I would not argue if someone here said Jimi Hendrix was underrated at #1, if you get what I'm saying.

I do, and that frightens me. :D

[The Poet]

I do, and that frightens me. :D

With good reason. Just imagine how scared I am, living in this head.

[smokin5]

So underrated that no one has mentioned him yet,
but you old farts will all nod your heads when I say it:

Michael Bloomfield

He would have been greater than Clapton if he had just kicked the heroin.

And don't forget Roy Buchanan, Larry Carlton, Larry Coryell & Jan Akkerman.
And as a bonus #6 - Leslie West

[The Poet]

As for the validity, or lack of same, of that Rolling Stone list, one must first begin by accepting the difficulty (if not impossibility) of comprising such a subjective ranking with the appearance of objectivity. That being said, we could all partly agree and largely disagree with it. Jimi first? If not a given, at least hard to dispute. Clapton two? OK, hard to argue, though if you listen to Key To The Highway off the Layla album you'd hear he's the second-best guitarist of that song. Jeff Beck at five? Ehh, pne could quibble, but that's about right, even though it is one spot below Keith Richards. But Pete Townshend at ten and Freddy King at fifteen, while Johnny Winter and John McLaughlin are buried in the sixties? I saw all four of those guys live, and that's just dumb. No offense to Pete or Freddy, as the one was better than often given credit and the other is too sadly ignored by most. Still, I'd put the the two Johns above both of them, not fifty spots below.

Yet here is where the subjective clashes with the objective. I like what and whom I like, as do you.

[The Poet]

Bloomfield and Buchanan are good calls, as would be Richard Thompson.

My problem with Leslie West is a subjective one, and Jack Bruce is to blame. When promoting the first West, Bruce & Laing album, Bruce said West was "the best guitarist I ever played with." Oh really? :r

[Weelok]

Some fantastic guitarists above but even Rolling Stone missed these:

Steve Vai - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f8ho8p2-Bg&feature=youtu.be
Chriss Oliva (Savatage) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-xB6Z1Gv2Y
Glenn Tipton (Judas Priest) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l0BLog1rQY
Chris deGarmo (Queensryche) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drxkr5bZanY
Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden and his own band) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzrzSOCAjek

[Weelok]

I can't help myself, had to add Don Dokken

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=don+dokken+guitar+solo&qpvt=don+dokken+guitar+solo&view=detail&mid=9523163B218BAE44C74B9523163B218BAE44C74B&FORM=VRDGAR