Most Underrated Guitarists of all time...

WD 3D

Green is the new blue...
Joined
Feb 28, 2018
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Sometimes we hit this topic in discussions of greatest guitarists or most influential... but then the underrated guys are without their own thread...

Starting the ball rolling with... Bob Weir of the Dead.
As great a guitarist as Jerry was, it never ceased to amaze me how Bob just "fit" with their music. Some of the tastiest additions to songs weren't Jerry... they weren't flashy, they weren't technically supreme but they added to the song in so many ways.

Who would you add to the list?
 
Ben Lacy. The man must have 3 brains. Watch and shake your heads.


That was filmed at the Ryman during Summer NAMM probably 10 years ago. He got the longest and loudest standing ovation of all those players (which was no slouch group).
 
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I agree about Bob Weir.

Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos is often overlooked next to David Hidalgo but the blend those two have with riffs etc, is unprecedented (such as Shakin Shakes). Cesar has also produced some passionate solos of course.
 
Hiram Bullock, the barefoot late night house band guitar hero. One of the first guys to slap PAFs onto a Strat. He not only played the proverbial phone book, but made you believe each page was personally dear to him.

Sitting in with Lester

Most Dangerous Band Feature

With Will Lee
 
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Mike Keneally. Dude played in Zappa's band on his final tour, can hang with Vai and Satriani, and tours with Dethklok. Monster musician.

 
I think more along the line of people we do know yet are never really in the lime light or considered in polls and such. Duke Robillard has to be up there as a musician that is master of many styles, plays them all convincingly and yet only his local fans and guitar players know who he is for the most part.

I think also Greg Kock is another, there are no records or anything much to highlight him other than demo vids and Namm vids and such, but the average guy could barely pronounce his name, much less know of his prowess.
 
Clapton stole half his licks from Albert King, note for note. Well, if you’re gonna steal, steal from the best, right?

Albert taught SRV some stuff.

Most of the world doesn’t even know who he was.

Listen to ‘Born Under A Bad Sign’ - which Albert wrote and recorded before Cream recorded the hit on Disraeli Gears - and you’ll recognize an awful lot of licks.

 
Lonnie Mack, Terry Kath
Lonnie Mack didn’t even get his due on the day he died. SRV borrowed a lot of his flash.

Terry Kath could sure spank a Tele. Following the Phil Keaggy reference in another thread, does Jimi Hendrix calling someone some variation of the best player going disqualify a guy from an underrated list?
 
Always under the radar and great, Buck Dharma, Blue Oyster Cult. And they're still out there touring now. Kudos, guys. Ritchie and Eric also deserve respect.
 
On board with Terry Kath, Lonnie Mack, and Buck Dharma. I'd add. Rik Emmet, Mick Box, and Tommy Bolin. Bolin should be at the top,of a lot of lists, IMO.
 
Ian Thornley is another good candidate.


And when this guy isn’t being one of the funniest guys on the planet, he ain't bad :eek::

Those are exactly the two I was going to post. Spooky!

Terry Kath quit getting kudos because...he died. When I was a kid, he was not an unknown resource. A monster influence on me, too.
 
The “like” is on the off chance that you’re referring to Mick Jones from The Clash, and not the other one. :D


Gary Miller aka Dr. Know from Bad Brains.
Yeah, underrated Mick Joneses is a separate subcategory of “underrated guitarists named Mick.” The Clash for sure, but that guy who wrote all those Foreigner hits was a Mick Jones too, huh?
 
Yeah, underrated Mick Joneses is a separate subcategory of “underrated guitarists named Mick.” The Clash for sure, but that guy who wrote all those Foreigner hits was a Mick Jones too, huh?

Yeah! Imagine my disappointment when I came across an ad for a Gibson Mick Jones LPC model. I put my jumpsuit and beret on and then.... (sad trombone sound)
 
Bireli Lagrene. I think since he is a French guitarist he doesn't get as much recognition as American and British guitarists.

He has played with Jaco Pastorius, Larry Coryell, and Al Di Meola among others.




 
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