Overrated "Legendary" Guitarists

[tronixx42]

Some guitarists says JH is overrated too. could be George Harrison that also belongs to top 100 of all time, now how would you tell if JH and Michael angelo Batio had a guitar duel? its up to you guys, just like John Lennon said, give me a guitar and i will give you good music, now whats overrated to you?

[titser_marco]

Of all the "legendary" guitarists I've heard I think Carlos Santana is the most overrated. Sure he plays Spanish-flavored rock guitar but other than that there's not much you can hear, & most of the time his solos become long, drawn-out & boring. I know I'll draw flak from the Santana fans here, but I guess his playing style just isn't for me.

And what is the basis for someone being over-rated?  When his/her playing style is not what you dig?

Not necessarily. I, for one, think that Carlos Santana's recent releases have not been up to par with what made him legendary in the first place. His playing now doesn't match the aggression and the sincerity that his playing before did. The fact that people still ascribe his former (lost, perhaps?) qualities to his current playing seems to me, an act of over-rating someone.

I was being sarcastic.

Didn't come as clear as you intended it to be.

[PRSMan]

Of all the "legendary" guitarists I've heard I think Carlos Santana is the most overrated. Sure he plays Spanish-flavored rock guitar but other than that there's not much you can hear, & most of the time his solos become long, drawn-out & boring. I know I'll draw flak from the Santana fans here, but I guess his playing style just isn't for me.

And what is the basis for someone being over-rated?  When his/her playing style is not what you dig?

Not necessarily. I, for one, think that Carlos Santana's recent releases have not been up to par with what made him legendary in the first place. His playing now doesn't match the aggression and the sincerity that his playing before did. The fact that people still ascribe his former (lost, perhaps?) qualities to his current playing seems to me, an act of over-rating someone.

I was being sarcastic.

Didn't come as clear as you intended it to be.

You're right, I wasn't very clear.

I really don't get these "who/what do you think is over-rated" threads.  Quite pointless.  And in this case, it's even worse.  I'll go out on a limb and bet my left ball that you cannot be as good as what made you legendary from day one until the very end, unless of course you die right when you peak.  Santana is growing old.  Clapton is growing old.  Are these guys expected to play as great as they did back in the 60s or 70s?  These guys became legendary for what they did.  Parang sports hall-of-fame.  Those sports greats who made it to the hall-of-fame will surely not be in fighting form vs. the current crop of future hall-of-famers right?

[Lahed92801]

Santana trying to play rhythm:

he's not very good at it, sadly... 

But i think he IS a good guitarist. i don't think he's the best all around guitarist out there. many better guitarists that are not known. Think Guthrie Govan and trey alexander and Chris broderick

[Poundcake]

KIRK HAMMETT i'll choose Alex Skolnick or Dave Mustaine over him any day

[lawrence]

I love Carlos Santana. He is one of my greatest influence and he's the reason why i decided to learn lead guitar. I think he is NOT overrated.

I respect this man's signature playing.... Yung mga licks niya ay parang pareparehas pero para sa akin hindi nakakasawa at swak pa din sa kanta. Hindi siya sobra. Hindi kulang.

Try niyo pakinggan:
1. Soul Sacrifice sa woodstock
2. Blues for Salvador

at madami pang iba.

OVERRATED para saakin siguro si.... hmmm. Michael Angelo batio... akin lang naman. The reason is that parang nakakamangha lang yung pagka ambidextrous niya at yung pagkabilis niya pati pagkatechnical niya. Pero magaling siya. Namangha ako nung una ko siyang nakitang tumugtog sa video dating dati pa yun!

[bugoy]

KIRK HAMMETT i'll choose Alex Skolnick or Dave Mustaine over him any day

ey pareng ian, try mo watch yung DVD docu ng metallica, kirk confessed na yung tunog niya sa metallica is not what he really wanted to sound like, sa pag kakaintindi ko parang diktado siya ni lars and james to sound like that and ayaw na ayaw na nga daw niya yun parang hindi niya daw ma express talaga yung tunog niya, may mga clips dun na naka upo lang siya sa couch using a strat yata and nag bu blues yata siya hehehe. not a big fan of metallica, not trying to defend kirk din heheh infact di ko rin gusto yung parang iisa lang tunog lagi ni kirk sa metallica nadadaan lang sa wah hehe. just happened na napanood ko yung DVD sa bahay ng friend ko nung nakatambay kami minsan at walang magawa 

diba yung gitarista ng Good Charlotte may sig guitar pa ? ESP yata or Epi ?  diba yan ang overrated ?

[Santo Muerte]

mr. troll thread starter, i bet you havent heard of Love Devotion Surrender by Santana and McLaughlin

seriously, kid's nowadays, just theyve heard one or two songs(prolly recent flops) of an artist, they think they know and can generalize an artist with one word.

Huh? Posting my own opinion on a messageboard makes me a troll? Wow.

[Santo Muerte]

KIRK HAMMETT i'll choose Alex Skolnick or Dave Mustaine over him any day

Quoted for truth. He may play the same damn pentatonic scales over and over again & may not be as technical as Mustaine or Skolnick, but his playing fits Metallica's music perfectly.

[BlackDiamond]

Overrated?

Kurt Cobain!

Imagine how many times he was featured on the cover of guitar magazines. Several articles were written about him especially after he died. Worse, the "solo" of Smells like Teen Spirit was included in Guitar World's Top Guitar Solos of all time! huh?!

Worse thing is that Kurt Cobain is worshipped because he was "the messiah" that saved us all from the 80's glam/pop/hair metal!

Excuse me while I listen to Winger! 80's glam/pop/hair metal rules! heheheh 

[bugoy]

the point is, he sold millions of records w/ his own song writing ability  ...  priceless 

di naman siya well known dahil sa guitar skill niya eh, dahil sa song writing niya kaya siya sikat 

Overrated?

Kurt Cobain!

Imagine how many times he was featured on the cover of guitar magazines. Several articles were written about him especially after he died. Worse, the "solo" of Smells like Teen Spirit was included in Guitar World's Top Guitar Solos of all time! huh?!

Worse thing is that Kurt Cobain is worshipped because he was "the messiah" that saved us all from the 80's glam/pop/hair metal!

Excuse me while I listen to Winger! 80's glam/pop/hair metal rules! heheheh 

[BlackDiamond]

the point is, he sold millions of records w/ his own song writing ability  ...  priceless 

di naman siya well known dahil sa guitar skill niya eh, dahil sa song writing niya kaya siya sikat 

Overrated?

Kurt Cobain!

Imagine how many times he was featured on the cover of guitar magazines. Several articles were written about him especially after he died. Worse, the "solo" of Smells like Teen Spirit was included in Guitar World's Top Guitar Solos of all time! huh?!

Worse thing is that Kurt Cobain is worshipped because he was "the messiah" that saved us all from the 80's glam/pop/hair metal!

Excuse me while I listen to Winger! 80's glam/pop/hair metal rules! heheheh 

I'd rather listen to Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam. 

I just can't get it what's with all the fuzz about Kurt Cobain and Nirvana?! 

[titser_marco]

Of all the "legendary" guitarists I've heard I think Carlos Santana is the most overrated. Sure he plays Spanish-flavored rock guitar but other than that there's not much you can hear, & most of the time his solos become long, drawn-out & boring. I know I'll draw flak from the Santana fans here, but I guess his playing style just isn't for me.

And what is the basis for someone being over-rated?  When his/her playing style is not what you dig?

Not necessarily. I, for one, think that Carlos Santana's recent releases have not been up to par with what made him legendary in the first place. His playing now doesn't match the aggression and the sincerity that his playing before did. The fact that people still ascribe his former (lost, perhaps?) qualities to his current playing seems to me, an act of over-rating someone.

I was being sarcastic.

Didn't come as clear as you intended it to be.

You're right, I wasn't very clear.

I really don't get these "who/what do you think is over-rated" threads.  Quite pointless.  And in this case, it's even worse.  I'll go out on a limb and bet my left ball that you cannot be as good as what made you legendary from day one until the very end, unless of course you die right when you peak.  Santana is growing old.  Clapton is growing old.  Are these guys expected to play as great as they did back in the 60s or 70s?  These guys became legendary for what they did. Parang sports hall-of-fame.  Those sports greats who made it to the hall-of-fame will surely not be in fighting form vs. the current crop of future hall-of-famers right?

I absolutely agree with that point. But what's saddening is that some people (i.e. those who write reviews for music and guitar magazines) still rave about this people without even having a good - or even a decently holistic - idea of Carlos' or EC's musical history.

There, I said it. History. IMHO, some people give the wrong (for the lack of a better term) amounts of praise for something that the artist's previous works  can definitely top any time of the day. If they had known what these guys were all about before they went all-out pop (in the case of Carlos) or all-out Brazilian (in the case of EC), I'm betting that their opinions of these people - or their criteria for making such judgments, at the very least - will definitely be altered.

[mrbrownstone]

all guitarist who has acheived legendary status are good in their own rights...you might not like his genre or style but dont say the man cant play

[nathanmanansala]

Overrated?

Kurt Cobain!

Imagine how many times he was featured on the cover of guitar magazines. Several articles were written about him especially after he died. Worse, the "solo" of Smells like Teen Spirit was included in Guitar World's Top Guitar Solos of all time! huh?!

Worse thing is that Kurt Cobain is worshipped because he was "the messiah" that saved us all from the 80's glam/pop/hair metal!

Excuse me while I listen to Winger! 80's glam/pop/hair metal rules! heheheh 

the point is, he sold millions of records w/ his own song writing ability  ...  priceless 

di naman siya well known dahil sa guitar skill niya eh, dahil sa song writing niya kaya siya sikat 

onga. a lot of people will probably agree he's a brilliant songwriter. so will all these magazines please stop putting him in those "top guitar solos" polls?!?! start a "brilliant songwriters" poll and stick him there where he belongs.

brilliant songwriter, yes. guitar player (when he's not stoned out of his mind), mediocre at best.

[changedmynametojimi]

Overrated?

Kurt Cobain!

Imagine how many times he was featured on the cover of guitar magazines. Several articles were written about him especially after he died. Worse, the "solo" of Smells like Teen Spirit was included in Guitar World's Top Guitar Solos of all time! huh?!

Worse thing is that Kurt Cobain is worshipped because he was "the messiah" that saved us all from the 80's glam/pop/hair metal!

Excuse me while I listen to Winger! 80's glam/pop/hair metal rules! heheheh 

the point is, he sold millions of records w/ his own song writing ability  ...  priceless 

di naman siya well known dahil sa guitar skill niya eh, dahil sa song writing niya kaya siya sikat 

onga. a lot of people will probably agree he's a brilliant songwriter. so will all these magazines please stop putting him in those "top guitar solos" polls?!?! start a "brilliant songwriters" poll and stick him there where he belongs.

brilliant songwriter, yes. guitar player (when he's not stoned out of his mind), mediocre at best.

or maybe compositions/song writing is something critics are looking for in a guitar player...you cannot discount the fact that kurt may have the easiest or most basic chords for a grunge band but no one else thought of making that easy song...

it's just me, he is a brilliant song writer but not really a great guitar player

[Poundcake]

ey pareng ian, try mo watch yung DVD docu ng metallica, kirk confessed na yung tunog niya sa metallica is not what he really wanted to sound like, sa pag kakaintindi ko parang diktado siya ni lars and james to sound like that and ayaw na ayaw na nga daw niya yun parang hindi niya daw ma express talaga yung tunog niya, may mga clips dun na naka upo lang siya sa couch using a strat yata and nag bu blues yata siya hehehe. not a big fan of metallica, not trying to defend kirk din heheh infact di ko rin gusto yung parang iisa lang tunog lagi ni kirk sa metallica nadadaan lang sa wah hehe. just happened na napanood ko yung DVD sa bahay ng friend ko nung nakatambay kami minsan at walang magawa 

diba yung gitarista ng Good Charlotte may sig guitar pa ? ESP yata or Epi ?  diba yan ang overrated ?

"Some Kind of Monster" ba yung sinasabi mong documentary DVD? Para sa St. Anger lang yung sinasabi dun na dictated sya ni Lars at James. Don't get me wrong, magaling si Kirk Hammett for me pero there are a lot of other metal guitarists who aren't sa lauded as Hammet but are much better than him. Let's see how Metallica's new album will turn out.. abangan!

[Lahed92801]

its John McLaughlin for me. i don't know but i just can't get his playing.

Yeah, i get what you mean, a lot of people don't really get mclaughlin because he's so damn advanced, EVEN NOW! 

He's an amazing improviser, session musician (first call when he was session pa), composer ang has chops from the very depths of hades. He knows damn well what he's doing too 

He CAN be melodic, swing etc. he chooses NOT to

[fingertapper1]

Overrated?

Kurt Cobain!

Imagine how many times he was featured on the cover of guitar magazines. Several articles were written about him especially after he died. Worse, the "solo" of Smells like Teen Spirit was included in Guitar World's Top Guitar Solos of all time! huh?!

Worse thing is that Kurt Cobain is worshipped because he was "the messiah" that saved us all from the 80's glam/pop/hair metal!

Excuse me while I listen to Winger! 80's glam/pop/hair metal rules! heheheh 

i feel you pare hehe... kung nabuhay pa siguro siya ng mas matagal i'm not so sure kung magiging legend nga siya like his status today. as far as guitar playing is concerned pero as far as rock music is concerned e meron naman... pero mas trip ko alice in chains pag grunge... although they border a bit on metal.

winger hehe! isa sa pinaka malupit sa 80's hair metal bands... wala nga nagcocover masyadong winger e... kasi mahirap lol hahahahaha

[Lahed92801]

Kurt cobain wasn't a good guitarist in the sense of chops. But the mere fact he THOUGHT of riffs that were insanely catchy like smells like teen spirit!!!! 

Just like hendrix! Not the best chops ever but DAYUM if anyone ELSE came up with something like little wing before him 

It was their being visionaries and not really their chops. If it was all about chops, rusty cooley and Eddy vaeldo would be 2 really famous guitarists right now. Never heard of them? My point exactly 

[bluenote]

Just like hendrix! Not the best chops ever but DAYUM if anyone ELSE came up with something like little wing before him 


Ahem medyo nasamid ako dun Jimi had great chops!

[Lahed92801]

Just like hendrix! Not the best chops ever but DAYUM if anyone ELSE came up with something like little wing before him 


Ahem medyo nasamid ako dun Jimi had great chops!

Not the CLEANEST and most blazingly fast chops ever, bro!  He could play! No Question. And i'm one of those who believe he knew a lot of theory haha.  Great chops nonetheless but never like derek trucks or Joe Bonamassa i think

[erniebong]

Yes santana is kinda sloopy nowadays maybe hes getting old or something, but i believe we will  all agree that old man really has style and that style created history to the point wherein we are still talking about him at the equilibrium of his career. The Guy is a LEGEND overrated or not he is a legend, i think legendary players trancends musical style, technicall profiency and whatever, if we will say hes overrrated based on some of the crieterias mentioned here we could easily come up with a lot of names, BB king himself said he couldnt play rithym at all then categorically he is one hell of an overrated player  as well, yeah kurt would be one of them and whole lot more.

To me if an artist can create history ratings dont matte, to rate something or someone there has to be some kind of absolute basis to measure them all. i guess before we rate them we should stablish a clear criteria.

yun Lang,    

[sponkel]

yngwie

yes

yngwie malmsteen

yeah he's fast and he plays classical licks over metal, but it's the only thing he does, over and over and over and over

he's talented yes

but one of the greats, not really

I'd go out on a limb and risk flaming and say that EVH is overrated as well.

he's influential no doubt.

but I don't really feel it with his playing

Randy Rhoads took EVH's style and did more with it than EVH will ever do.

*sabay takbo*

[Taoistguitarist]

yngwie

yes

yngwie malmsteen

yeah he's fast and he plays classical licks over metal, but it's the only thing he does, over and over and over and over

he's talented yes

but one of the greats, not really

I'd go out on a limb and risk flaming and say that EVH is overrated as well.

he's influential no doubt.

but I don't really feel it with his playing

Randy Rhoads took EVH's style and did more with it than EVH will ever do.

*sabay takbo*

Si EVH? Sugod mga kapatiiid!!!!

joke lang. kanya kanya naman yan