Overrated players

Schnozz

I find Allan Holdsworth very difficult to listen to.

I'm sure it's technically fabulous, but tonally...

Wonky

Nunogilberto said:

For those arguing that we shouldn’t be making these assertions and that music isn’t a competition - I agree with the latter, but let’s not sanitise debate, nullify having an opinion and kill off discussion for want of being friends, patting each other on the back and risk offending someone...

For me, it’s JoBo - he has that same woolly tone no matter which one of his 300 odd vintage guitars/amps he’s playing.

Also, Chris Buck - he’s fairly local to me and people rave about him, but to me he’s just another white boy blooze noodler. No better or much different than half the players I’ve seen at local jam nights.

With you on that buddy, both underwhelming to me too. 
Blues is so last century.  Totally can't see the why people rave about it with all the water that's passed under the guitar bridge.
I'm not saying that players from say 40 or 50 years ago playing blues weren't cutting edge, but today, not so much.  There's only so much you can do with bending minor pentatonic's and I'd say that what can be done has been done.  I'm always open to being proven wrong and I know it's not a popular point of view, but there you go.
That's probably the reason I find both of them guys overrated players.
Stick a few more minor 9ths and a few 7b5ths in and I might change my mind, but till then.....
Or even a bit of modern technique might do it too.

rossi

Wilko Johnson is a great artist but a poor guitarist and there,s the nub of it .Being a pop star isnt about musical talent .its about style and stage and record presence.Both Wilko and Gilmour has stated they are no  great guitarists and Gilmour just plays pretty basic blues licks and admits it  .Where this leaves the Edge is baffling .Duanne eddy is probably a better guitarist that his records suggest and Hank is no Segovia but its all down time ,place and mojo .With out these guys, except the Edge  of course ,many would never   have had the pleasure of picking up  our favorite cheap copy and learning those oh so basic licks which if they had been harder we would have given up on.

Wonky

rossi said:

Wilko Johnson is a great artist but a poor guitarist and there,s the nub of it .Being a pop star isnt about musical talent .its about style and stage and record presence.Both Wilko and Gilmour has stated they are no  great guitarists and Gilmour just plays pretty basic blues licks and admits it  .Where this leaves the Edge is baffling .Duanne eddy is probably a better guitarist that his records suggest and Hank is no Segovia but its all down time ,place and mojo .With out these guys, except the Edge  of course ,many would never   have had the pleasure of picking up  our favorite cheap copy and learning those oh so basic licks which if they had been harder we would have given up on.

Haha, The Edge. Lol
Does anyone else remember an April fools joke in Guitarist magazine many years ago when they had the office clerk as a famous guitarist and when asked about her influences she said her main one was The Rim from U2.  Still make me chuckle.
The Rim.  FFS, Lol!!!

jonnyburgo

Guthrie Govan. Hes doing nothing I couldnt do years ago.

Voxman

scrumhalf said:

Gassage said:

Brad Shields. All the hoohah and he's done fuck all at Wasps since he arrived.

He's done a damn sight more than Soppy Wanger.

As for guitarists:

Johnny Marr - seems like a nice chap and managed to be in a band with Morrissey and not kill him, but a bit of jingle-jangle plinky-plink isn't enough.

Totally agree 're Johnny Marr...I like him, and smiths stuff, but can't see why some folk rave about him.  Another is Pete Townshend...liked the Who, he's a great songwriter and a good bread and butter guitarist, but for me not a great guitarist.

Sassafras

Voxman said:

scrumhalf said:

Gassage said:

Brad Shields. All the hoohah and he's done fuck all at Wasps since he arrived.

He's done a damn sight more than Soppy Wanger.

As for guitarists:

Johnny Marr - seems like a nice chap and managed to be in a band with Morrissey and not kill him, but a bit of jingle-jangle plinky-plink isn't enough.

Totally agree 're Johnny Marr...I like him, and smiths stuff, but can't see why some folk rave about him.  Another is Pete Townshend...liked the Who, he's a great songwriter and a good bread and butter guitarist, but for me not a great guitarist.

They're both very distinctive guitarists. I guess that's what helps distinguish the good from the mediocre..

Blueingreen

As I said on the Hendrix thread I don't like the whole concept of a player being "overrated".

What is a player's rating?  It can only be a weighted average of informed opinion.  (Weighted because if, say, Robben Ford says someone is a great player his opinion will carry more weight than mine).

In saying a player is overrated all you're saying is that you're a better judge than that informed consensus.

If anyone can explain a basis for thinking so other than pure narcissism I'll be happy to hear it.

mudslide73

Matt Bellamy. 

HAL9000

Not overrated. Just under appreciated.

steven70

Richard Clayderman

Tone71

scrumhalf said:

Gassage said:

Brad Shields. All the hoohah and he's done fuck all at Wasps since he arrived.

He's done a damn sight more than Soppy Wanger.

As for guitarists:

Johnny Marr - seems like a nice chap and managed to be in a band with Morrissey and not kill him, but a bit of jingle-jangle plinky-plink isn't enough.

But his work in The The was sublime

digitalkettle

Tone71 said:

scrumhalf said:

As for guitarists:

Johnny Marr - seems like a nice chap and managed to be in a band with Morrissey and not kill him, but a bit of jingle-jangle plinky-plink isn't enough.

But his work in The The was sublime

@Tone71 ;Wis'd!

Also, take a listen to the three Johnny Marr solo albums (The Messenger, Playland, Call The Comet): decent writing, great sounds, and layers upon layers of awesome ideas. It would be time well spent

skullfunkerry

I'm a bit in agreement about the whole 'let's not be negative' thing (I quite often find myself thinking 'if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all')...

...but having said that, I've been amazed/dismayed at Kirk Hammett's playing on a regular basis for years now. I just don't understand it: James Hetfield is like a machine (he used to write riffs and then play the drum part for Lars on his guitar, apparently), and he and Lars are well-known perfectionists, but Kirk Hammett has played some of the worst solos I've ever heard (on the last album alone, ManUNkind has a screechy tuneless bit that makes me physically wince, and Murder One starts with a fast passage that's completely out of time). When you hear the live recordings, he always sounds like he's out of time, too: like he doesn't really know how the song goes and he's following James. How does he get away with it?

mbe

I'll tell you who is underrated..Bert Weedon!

Sassafras

Tone71 said:

scrumhalf said:

Gassage said:

Brad Shields. All the hoohah and he's done fuck all at Wasps since he arrived.

He's done a damn sight more than Soppy Wanger.

As for guitarists:

Johnny Marr - seems like a nice chap and managed to be in a band with Morrissey and not kill him, but a bit of jingle-jangle plinky-plink isn't enough.

But his work in The The was sublime

He plays a mean harmonica too.

Samgb

Gassage said:

Brad Shields. All the hoohah and he's done fuck all at Wasps since he arrived.

Hi beard is magnificent though. A true bushy, backwoodsman's masterpiece.

musteatbrain

Courtney Love, Madonna and Lil Wayne.
Also wondering which is better, The A string or the D string?

Blaendulais

Can we move this thread to ....the gear page

Grumpyrocker

skullfunkerry said:

I'm a bit in agreement about the whole 'let's not be negative' thing (I quite often find myself thinking 'if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all')...

...but having said that, I've been amazed/dismayed at Kirk Hammett's playing on a regular basis for years now. I just don't understand it: James Hetfield is like a machine (he used to write riffs and then play the drum part for Lars on his guitar, apparently), and he and Lars are well-known perfectionists, but Kirk Hammett has played some of the worst solos I've ever heard (on the last album alone, ManUNkind has a screechy tuneless bit that makes me physically wince, and Murder One starts with a fast passage that's completely out of time). When you hear the live recordings, he always sounds like he's out of time, too: like he doesn't really know how the song goes and he's following James. How does he get away with it?

Yeah, I find this thread pretty stupid. Especially when it features the absolute giants and greats of the guitar.

But I'll make an exception for Kirk, he's fecking awful.