Most overrated guitar player list.

[Moller72]

Just thought some if you might find this interesting.
http://proguitarshop.com/andyscorner/to ... guitarists

[shaneoftheroad]

Purely for views. You can pick Jack's guitar out of a blind hearing test. Those guys know you get attention if you criticize someone as obviously innovative as Jack. The man is the Michael Jackson of live rock and roll.

[bh1644]

funny thing is I totally agree with the other 4...

[flattop2001]

Fun list. The guy is obviously a huge edge fan (as am I) and put jack in as a f#ck you to the people who think the only way to be a great player is to look back.
I would kill to be as gifted a player as any of those guys mentioned (except Mayer he really is crap)

[mojoryan]

36 years of playing guitar, with a huge chunk of that being one who partook of the musical masturbation that is guitar-herodom, I have a very distinct view of what it means to be a "guitar player." I appreciate the technical skill of certain players, just as I appreciate players who are innovative, and players who are able to express themselves with a few notes where a thousand fall short.

That said, my take:
The Edge uses tons of effects. Fact. The skill to utilize those effects with the skill he does takes great talent. Overrated? Not within the circles I travel.

Malmsteen is (was?) anything but cluttered. I used to be a huge fan, and remember learning the Steeler album-front to back- when I was 15 years old. It was one of the best exercises of technical skill in which I ever took part. It made me a better player. Overrated? Does ANYONE even talk about him anymore? Again, not in my circles. I think he played an important role in guitar history, but for me, he is no longer relevant.

John Mayer. I have little opinion. I've seen and heard some stuff that exhibited finesse and tasty technique, but...broken record...is he looked on as a guitar icon? I didn't realize.

Santana. Great player for expressing emotion through his playing, but beyond that? Yeah...I'm probably with you on that one.

Jack. Ahh...Jack. Amazing artist. SICK songwriter. Beautiful style. Great "guitar player?" Not what I would consider one. But, and I think this really sums up the whole "great guitar player" thing, what does being a great guitar player even matter? I think it all goes back to the reason one listens to music. If someone gets a thrill out of the technical aspect of the players, then more power to 'em. If one listens to be moved by a "song" in its entirety, then so be it. I suppose I'm trying to say that to me, being a "great guitar player" means nothing. That coming from someone who did cut their teeth on Yngwie, Hendrix, and Van Halen, and later, on Satriani and Vai. To me, it's the song, as a whole, that matters.

[flattop2001]

Great summary mojo. IMHO Edge will be considered as innovative as Hendrix in 20 years love him or hate him, who else has done anything new with a guitar in the past 20 years.

[shaneoftheroad]

I can't think of many guitarists in the history of the electric guitar who did in stadium settings what Jack did with Meg. He is, in my opinion, by every definition an irrefutably great guitar player. Given his accomplishments (one man, one guitar, one woman, one drum kit) with what some consider one of the greatest rock bands of all time... I mean, that has to be taken in to consideration. He held audiences of thousands and thousands with a SINGLE guitar! He did that! That's an amazing feat.

[bh1644]

it's so subjective because "great guitar player" means something different to everyone...
when I was coming up a lot of my guitar nerd buddies had such hard-ons for Yngwie, Vai, Satriani... and I never got it, because the songs never moved me... I think it was the absence of soul... guys a lot less technical like SRV, Buddy Guy, Albert King, etc. made up for it with a ton of soul... Jack does the same... so yes to me Jack is a "great guitar player", The Edge is not...
kinda like comparing Jerry Lee Lewis to a very technical synthesizer player... give me the soul...

[jamesmonzon1]

I've retyped this response so many times, I'm just going with this-

I think they're all talented musicians in their own right and are not overrated.If anything, it's our short attention spans that keep us from acknowledging that their consistency of playing is the reason why they are still relevant after expansive careers. We always want something different. If we've heard it before, we grow tired and accuse people of "selling-out" to a style for profit or being overrated due to lack of innovation. So what if Jack's or Santana's, hell even John Mayer's, guitar playing hasn't changed over their careers? I'd rather hear the same great guitar playing than some half thought out piano composition that's trying to be new and innovative.

Maybe I just don't really care for innovation in music anymore. I see it as an excuse for shitty "concept" albums being produced. "Oh, it was a concept album, I didn't really know what direction I wanted to take" seems to be the excuse these days. Okay, why not not half-assing for the sake of being different and instead make a quality album that people are sure to like and recognize. Oh wait, people don't want the same music. Sameness leads to selling out and becoming popular like Beiber and repetitive Dub-step. Damn attention span...

What were we talking about again?

[Kaber]

Great summary mojo. IMHO Edge will be considered as innovative as Hendrix in 20 years love him or hate him, who else has done anything new with a guitar in the past 20 years.

+1

[Bikedo]

Great summary mojo. IMHO Edge will be considered as innovative as Hendrix in 20 years love him or hate him, who else has done anything new with a guitar in the past 20 years.

+1

+1 Love the Edge.
Always great to hear and see him play live.

[frankb_2]

I don't agree with a single name on this list. It is complete garbage. He made this list based on input from the "fans". How informed are these "fans"? The question wasn't "whose music do you think sucks?" It was supposed to be an analysis of talent, and it most definitely was not. Even more ridiculous was the moron who put Joe Bonamassa in the comments. All of that was just a load junk.

[mojoryan]

I don't agree with a single name on this list. It is complete garbage. He made this list based on input from the "fans". How informed are these "fans"? The question wasn't "whose music do you think sucks?" It was supposed to be an analysis of talent, and it most definitely was not. Even more ridiculous was the moron who put Joe Bonamassa in the comments. All of that was just a load junk.

Take a breath there, friend, they're only opinions.

[mangry]

Jack as a great guitarist has more to do with style, tone, attitude, intensity, and fun more than it does technique. He doesn't deviate from the pentatonic scale....but his sound and style is like no one else. Have you ever tried playing a song or solo with only upstrokes like he frequently does? Guarantee it won't sound as cool! Overrated in terms of technicality, maybe, but not in terms of radness. And y'all are right, holding an audience of thousands singlehandedly is not something to snuff at...Aurbach sure doesn't try that these days.

[Stay Gold]

Jack as a great guitarist has more to do with style, tone, attitude, intensity, and fun more than it does technique. He doesn't deviate from the pentatonic scale....but his sound and style is like no one else. Have you ever tried playing a song or solo with only upstrokes like he frequently does? Guarantee it won't sound as cool! Overrated in terms of technicality, maybe, but not in terms of radness. And y'all are right, holding an audience of thousands singlehandedly is not something to snuff at...Aurbach sure doesn't try that these days.

After Brothers turned them into and arena sized band and them putting out El Camino; it sure doesn't seem like they try much at all these days. I got free tickets to see them on their last tour and there was a huge disconnect between them and the audience. Other than the 2 or 3 commercial hits and I Got Mine as the finale, a large portion of the crowd was just there riding along not really into it.