As a guitarist, I have to say that Kurt Cobain and Billy Corgan are lousy guitar players.

Others more deserving to be on this list…Tom Johnston and/or Patrick Simmons, Phil Manzanera, Stephen Stills, Alex Lifeson.

Well, the 100 best guitarists list that came out a few years back didn’t really made sense total sense to me (but it’s a good thing Hendrix is at the top spot) so I’m really taking this list with a pinch of salt. Georgie definitely deserves to be there, but I can name many other guitarists (especially country and funk) who are way more underrated than many of the guys on this list.

Did anyone mention Charo yet?
Cuchi cuchi!

Ummmm… Rivers Cuomo from =weezer=

How about Jennifer Batten?

what about larry lalonde of primus?

Jeordie White from Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails is BRILLIANT and underrated. He played all the guitar and all the bass on three Manson albums and now he’s also got his new band Goon Moon in which he sings and plays

No Gary Moore ?

well i probably don’t need to get any further, the list has no credit,

i thought we’re dealing with professionals

you guys are not realy music pros

you just make an article that makes sense to the normal audience,

the regular Joe on the street

I recommend adding Paris Hilton to your list

i think billy corgan should be on the 100 greatist list instead of johnny ramone and kurt cobain. corgan is an amazing guitar player on almost all of the pumpkins albums billys played amazing guitar solos. also the reason george harrison is on this list is because well i belive that he was held back by the beatles i mean in a couple of songs he played some good solos but the solos in his career after the beatles where great. and one more thing i think the only reason johnnhy and kurt where on 100 greatist guitarist is because they where classic guitarist that played classic music because i love the ramones and nirvana but kurts solos wernt that special and johnnys solos wernt either but i respect their music and i respect their songwriting and i still respect their guitar playing

I think Daniel Johns has definitely got to be the most underrated guitarist of all time. Sure he’s not a virtuoso or anything, but i think the pure creativity of his guitar riffs is just plain genius! Listen to “The Greatest View”. So cool…

The only thing we should thanking Kurt Cobain for is not his music or his over rated guitar playing…But for throwing the spotlight onto Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder. Sure “Smells like Teen Spirit” started something, but it only helped let the people know about Pearl Jam.

Oh yeah…and Mike McCready is an AWESOME guitar player!

HEY I REALLY DIG NEIL YOUNG AND MARK KNOPFLER AND ERIC CLAPTON AT THE SAME TIME I CAN STILL ENJOY OTHER TALENTS SUCH AS BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND NIEL GIRALDO BRAVO TO THEM ALL AND THANX FOR THEIR LOVE OF MUSIC.

wheres jason becker?

jeff buckley is easily one of the greatest guitarists ever. he was so unique.

rip

haha, cobain in the list of overrated guitar player *g*

billy corgan deserves to be in the top 50 of the all time list. listen to the albums gish through mellon collie and youll understand………yes eddie van halen being #70 is terrible, he deserves top 25 all time list…..kurt cobain shouldnt be on either list, he was a great singer/songwriter, but no where near a great guitarist

Also I like what you guys had to say: Duke Duke, Bbender, Lekain…

Has anyone mentioned: Allan Holdsworth, Joe Satriani,
or, Stanley jordan???

I agree 150% with Samba, and Yardjockey, you got good names, there too….

Allen Collins is the most underrated guitarist. Ever. And I agree with everyone who says the RS list is screwed up.

heck yeah for keith urban…and while were on the country side of things…brad paisley and vince gill

this is not a list of underated guitarists

What no J Mascis!!!

Hey, could someone politely tell me why in the hell Keith Urban continues to not be mentioned as one of the very best guitar players alive right now? I have never seen anyone play like he does and he isnt limited by anything. He plays pure country and can shred on the flip of a coin. Look up, “The devil went down to Nashville by Keith Urban”. That has answered any one question that i have.

as far as I can tell these lists are terrible. I mean, In hard rock alone, where the hell is…

John Sykes (wrote Whitesnake’s 1987 album)
Frank Hannon of Tesla
Vito Bratta of White Lion
Reb Beach
Vivian Campbell (now with God-awful Dead Leopard)

and on and on… Kirt Cobain was an awful guitarist, singer and songwriter, he doesn’t deserve to be on a list of anything, aside from sucking. Nirvana fans are delusional

Come on now … let’s not get carried away with who is “the best’ and all that other bull. There are so many greats from Tony Rice to Lenny Breau to Albert Lee to Gary Moore and the list goes on and on. We are all players and we all know that it would be just as hard for Prince or anyone else to sound like any of these guys as it would for them to sound like him.

RORY Fucken GALLAGHER
Lived it, played it, Died for it.
The real deal you fucken ignorant
tubes.

um… was eric johnson mentioned?

Jerry Cantrell(AiC), Kim Thayil(Soundgarden) and Josh Homme(QOTSA) definately need to be on this list.

Where the hell is J Mascis from Dinosaur JR.?

Omg, I can’t believe someone said Herman Li sucked and Kurt Cobain is amazing…do you even play the guitar or listen to their music?

so van zant from lynard skynard was no where on the list…???

Definitely forgot Alex Lifeson.

i think Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains and Larry LaLonde of Primus should be in there, in the top ten… i do love how mike mccready is number 6. he’s amazing

The list definitely left out Alex Lifeson, and how about Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds?

Steve Vai belongs in there, he commands his instrument, conveys a message and feelings with his playing, he’s every bit as good of a guitarist as Santana, Mark Knopfler or Clapton, if you can fault him for anything, it’s his pr0n style faces when he plays. Either way he’s still just as good of a guitarist, just not as good of a songwriter as Clapton and Santana if anything.

Van Halen got snubbed in the top 100, definitely belongs above 70, but I disagree with peopel that say Steve Vai doesn’t belong, he’s on par with most guitarists in the tops, he conveys a message and feeling with his playing. Clean and accurate and with clear command of the guitar, if you’re doing top guitarists of all time, he belongs there.

brian may is fucking underrated

Tiny Tim

Hey, It’s every bit as credible as listing Eddie Van Halen at #70. By the way, which RS exec did he piss off, anyway? What a shame, your mag used to be relevant.

I can’t say enough bad things about this horrible list, BUT HOW CAN YOU PUT EDDIE VAN HALEN AT #70 ON THE TOP 100!!!??? Nobody, with the exception of Hendrix, can play faster and cleaner than he does. He invented his own style! Dimebag R.I.P. absolutely worshiped Ed. That’s sayin something.

Do us all a favor RS and remake some of these lists the way they should be. I mean Kurt Cobain #12??? Seriously, get your shit together.

WHAT ABOUT GEORGE BENSON ? Where has all your taste gone george benson is an amazing guitar player and vocalist. add him to the list

What about Mike fucking Campbell? HUH? HUH? HUH? HUH? HUH? HUH? HUH? HUH?HUH?HUH?HUHHUHUUUHUHU HUHUH HHUHUHUHUHUHHUHUHUHUHUHUHUUHUH UHUUUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUH UHUHUUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUUUHUHUHUHU UUHUHUUHUHUHUHUUUHUHUHUHHUHUHU HUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHU UHUHUHUHUH HUH?

Response to dogonroof.
Well, if ‘what I feel inside’ would sound like Prince’s guitar playing, I sure as hell would keep it to myself… Otherwise I liked your comment.

What About Dino Cazares of (Formaly) Fear Factory, Brujeria, Asesino, and Divine Heresy(His best work)

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden Is DEFINATELY Underatted
And PRINCE SUCKS(But thats what i think)

The only thing i really hate about rolling stones top ranking lists is that it seems like if a band or guitarist didnt change the coarse of history then there not considerd great

Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Robbie Krieger of the Doors should rank. Agreed about Kurt Cobain and George Harrison, though.

ok, if he isn’t in the top 25 list, why isn’t rory gallagher at least in this one? the man is unbelievable- he was a hero of slash, to name but one, and respected by the great guitar players.

Mike McCready should be at 1 or at least 2 and prince well hes about the same, for mccready just listen to Yellow ledbetter thats an amazing guitar song

Oh and John Mayer shudve been on this list cuz tards think hes a sissy when in fact smart and honest ppl know,secretly or not,he can rock the guitar…

time to end all of THIS!!!The list may not be perfect but hey it is what it is!enuf of ur “Where is steve vai/pettruci/buckethead?” comments.these guitarists have way lot of skill but since when have they been as influencing or as original as John Frusciante or Kurt Cobain.basically everyone on this list plays what they feel and not what sounds really fast and cool.and u guys jz answered ur own question….”Why is kurt cobain on this list??”…cuz some of u tards still dont see why he was so amazing…cuz he WAS THE guitarist of grunge,he had his own style,and he dominated that style and he did whatever the hell he wanted to do with it and it rocked the world till his death…

The fact that so many people moan that ‘why isnt Steve Vai on this fucking list’ or ‘where’s Zappa’ shows that they are clearly not underrated. Please move on, just because they can wank the guitar for seven minutes while poeple stand around going ‘look how great he is’, it doesn’t mean that they are iconic or by any means overtly talented. 14 year olds like bands for how well they can play thier instruments and nothing more (the types that think Led Zep are the bees knees). Also someone stated “I’m sure you could have done better and listened to us a little more as well…”- funny that, you post your comments after the list has been compiled. Maybe if you want to be listened to, you should get up off your ass, close the porn windows, go out and get a secondary education, and seek employment within the music press, so we can have more ‘enlightened’ people like yourselves telling the magazines what they can and can’t write- wouldn’t that be great……cough.

ok. herman li does not suck. okay? his solo r fricken amazing. lets just say he’s the asain version of eddie van halen.

I wish Kurt Cobain would actually be underrated for a change. I mean, geez, let’s get over it. Just for the record, he couldn’t sing worth a crap either. Nirvana may have changed the sound of mainstream rock ‘n’ roll, but I wouldn’t say it was a change for the better. ‘Nevermind’ ushered in a decade of the most depressing, unoriginal music ever. Kurt Cobain sounded just as toneless and maudlin as the rest of them, so can we please stop singing his praises already?

What’s truly amazing to me is how many people cannot read. It’s a list of “under”-rated players. Guitarists like Ynvie, Vai, and Petrucci are very much “over”-rated guitarists.

Where the hell is Alex Lifeson?

Hernan Li sucks ok. Oh wow he was in Guitar Hero III and they made that song pathetically hard big whoop.

And John Frusciante IS underrated. He’s an amazing guitarist.

And though Kurt Cobain is overrated, it’s not in GUITAR PLAYING. He’s overrated as a person, but he still was an amazing guitarist.

I would have to say that Andy Mckee is probably THE most underrated guitarist. Kurt Cobain is far from underrated, he is way overrated…

Where the f is Ron Wood? EVER?! The guy never says a word and has played with the best. Ask those he plays with. They will tell you.

Maybe Johnny Thunders or Andy McCoy?

Well, it’s realy a matter of taste I would say. Everyone’s 100 top guitarists of all time would be different. And many of them are here not only because they were good technical guitarists but because they made a revolution like Kurt. If there is a guitarist who I think is underrated I’d say it’s David Gilmour, He should be top 20!!!

First off, Neil Young is a great guitarist, and Kurt Cobain, he was alright. But really, how can you fucking say Kurt Cobain is underrated, when first off he is almost at the top of the 100 greatest guitarists list, might I add over guitarist millions of times better than him, Steve Howe, Frank Zappa, the list goes on. Also, since when has Neil Young been underrated? Neil Young should be somewhere in the top 20 greatest guitarists. I think it’s whoever is the fuckin’ editor of Rolling Stone doesn’t no shit about music, probably can’t tell the difference between a guitar and a bass, and you need to get some real fucking people to do this shit. One last thought, since when was the lead guitarist of the Beatles, possibly the most famous band ever, underrated?

Prince is terrible, why is he even on this list?

once again rolling stone put out another crappy out of proportion list. well done guys, you’ve done it again!

SATRIANI!!!

What about KK Downing and Glen Tipton? They are innovators and monsters of the 6 string!
They had cds with guitaring and innovations that Eddie Van Halen released like 2 years later and he was then hailed as an innovator

where is Buckethead?

Overall good list.

Don’t understand how you missed Keith Levene though.

How can you call Kurt Cobain underrated when you rated him as your #12 guitarist of all time?

where are buckethead and tom morello? tom is at least in the top 10 and buckethead should be in the top 20.

^^^^^^
After quickly scrolling through all of this, how does someone as profoundly talented as Tim Reynolds only get mentioned once.

Holy shit people.

RS really should have counted votes for people that didn’t make the original 100 greatest guitarists lists, so the nitwits who didn’t do their homework wouldn’t have voted Kurt Corbain (overrated, btw) and John Frusciante onto this list.

That’s the problem with lists- you can never make anyone happy. Including me! Here’s list of underrated guitarists:
Daniel Ash (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets)
John McGeoch
Kevin Shields
Glenn Branca
David Pajo
Simon Knuckey (Severed Heads)
Stephen O’Malley (Sunn O))))
Greg Anderson (Sunn O))))
Laurent Lebec (Pelican)
Trevor DeBrauw (Pelican)
Glenn Tipton
James Honeyman-Scott
Buzz Osbourne

Thanks!

john mclaughlin, al di meola i could go on for days!

whoever makes these lists obviously doesn’t have a clue.
So where is…
*Petrucci?
*Yngwie?
*Sat ch?
*Vai?
*Shawn Lane?
etc etc..

whoever makes these lists obviously doesn’t have a clue.
So where is…
*Petrucci?
*Yngwie?
*Sat ch?
*Vai?
*Shawn Lane?
etc etc..

What about Brian Setzer? He’s neither here nor the top 100 list.

Curt Cobain over Jerry Garcia, Carlos Santana, Warren Haynes, and Mark Knopfler. That must be a joke!

Matthew Bellamy?

Ingwie Malmsteen deserves to be on the list plus even though dragonforce is kind of geeky herman lee is an amazing guitarist especially on through the fire and flames

MARK TROMONTI

Amazed to see nobody…NOBODY…mentioning two of the most influential guitarists of the late 70s/early 80s:

John McGeoch (Magazine, Siouxsie, PiL)
Andy Gill (Gang of 4)

These two guys pretty much killed off the guitar solo in pop music. I have nothing against guitar solos (or instrumental solos of any kind) - in jazz. That’s what jazz is about. But in pop? It’s irrelevant wanking, at least post-McGeoch/Gill.

Having said that, I respect Dweezil for keeping his father’s flame alive.

*appalling

I find the lack of virtuosos on that list like Vai and Satch appauling. I think G3 status should be an automatic inclusion.

I’ve been trying to figure out why everyone hates Frusciante. His songs are great and some are pretty hard to play. He’s definitely underrated.

Cobain on the other hand, lower technical skills, but still one of the greatest guitarists ever. It’s not about who’s fastest. It’s about who sounds best. That being said, I’m a shredder. lol.

Besides that, they both made it onto the list, so who is saying they were underrated?

Zappa should’ve been closer to 1st, but I agree with Jimi’s place there.

Mark Knopfler is the most criminally underrated yet popular guitarist of all time.

Eric Johnson
Mark Knopfler

Herman Li all the way

what a crackheaded editor. Cobain’s what… Number 12 on the “best” and Number 2 on the “underrated”

Everyone knows that Kurt CObain IS NOT even close to being top 2000 for greatest guitarists… So he is OVER rated.

Where the hell is Paul Kossoff?

What about Allen Collins?

Gary Rossington?

Steve Gaines?

Ed King?

Dickey Betts?

Why do these simply amazing guitarists get no recognition anywhere?

herman lee of dragonforce

What the HELL???
John Frusciante already is on the list and a really, not deserved position!!! And Kurt Cobain too, what the hell, where’s Yngiwe Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Jason Becker, JOHN PETRUCCI, Steve Morse, Ritchie Blackmore, Randy Rhoads please!!!

this comment’s about a year late but anyhoo: of course graham coxon is missing from the list. maintstream american publications are totally clueless when it comes to british music - as is the general public. in recent years, only the crappiest british bands make it in america: bush, oasis, coldplay… no surprise that rolling stone is clueless when it comes to blur, who are nothing less than the best british band of the 90s.

Nice to see Robert Fripp on there. I would also love to see Larry LaLonde of Primus. he’s really underated, much more innovative then Kurt! heheh

Does this list confine itself to Rock in all its genres? Of course the list is for the most part subjective, and should consider the “Influence” as well as playing ability. Not once did anyone commenting on this list (and there was some extremely intelligent comments marked with F-bombs). Impartially shouldn’t Andres Segovia be somewhere within the top 100?, and NOONE even mentioned Leo Kottke, but I don’t insult the creators, every human has their limitations intellectually. To sum up Fucking, fuck of a fuck, where the hell is fucking Leo Kottke?

What about Yngwie Malmsteen, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, and Joe satriani?!?! They are all in the top 10 if not the top 4 guitarists of all time!

Frusciante and Kurt Cobain should be someone up the top of

“25 least qualified electric guitarists on the planet”

I just noticed I made a few typing mistakes,where is an edit button on here when you really need one?!

And Paul McCartney is also an extremely multi musically talented musician,singer & song writer!

I just noticed I made a few typing mistakes,where is an edit button on here when you need one?!

And Paul McCartney is an extremely multi talented musician as well as a singer and song writer!

Also one of The Beatles recording engineers Geoff Emerick says that in John Lennon’s song I’m Only Sleeping George Harrison played backwards guitar the most difficult way possible even though he could have taken the easy way,and that it took him 6 hours just for the guitar overdubs! Geoff says that George then made it even more difficult by adding even *more* distorted guitars and that this was all George Harrison’s idea and that he did all of the playing.

Also in an online interview with Eric Clapton called,Eric Clapton In His Own Words,he says that John Lennon was a pretty good guitar player and he would have lnown since he played live in concetrt with John as a member of John’s 1969 Plastic Ono Band.

Also, for your and everyone else’s information,one of The Beatles recording engineers Geoff Emerick says that in John Lennon’s song I’m Only Sleeping, George played backwards guitar the most difficult way possible even though he could have taken the easy way,and it took George 6 hours just for the guitar overdubs,and then he made it doubly difficult by adding even *more* distorted guitars,and Geoff says that this was all George;s idea and that he did all of the playing!

Also, in an online interview with Eric Clapton called,Eric Clapton in His Own Words,he says John Lennon was a pretty good guitar player and would have known because Eric played live in concert with John as a member of John’s 1969 Plastic Ono Band!

Poo, you picked the right posting name because you are really full of poo if you know what I mean!

George Harrison *WAS* a great underrated guitarist! Eric Clapton said during an interview where he and George on their 1992 Japan tour, were asked what they admired about each other,that George was a fantastic slide guitar player!

ERic Clapton and George were very good friends and it’s obvious they both admired and respected each others guitar playing! George played guitar on Cream’s song Badge.

I’m sure you don’t know that George’s mother said in the only authorized Beatles biography,The Beatles by Hunter Davies,that she would stay up until 2 in the morning with George when he was only 14 and he would play until he got the chords just right and his fingers were bleeding!

And The Byrds started playing 12 string guitars after they saw George playing it first in The Beatles great first movie A Hard Days Night in early 1964!

Robert Cray.

Where is Liapin?!!!

HHEEELLLLOOOOOOO!

ALEX SKOLNICK ANYONE?

MY GUITAR HERO, ALEX SKOLNICK.

ALEX SKOLNICK!

I don’t comprehend why Eddie Van Halen is at #70 spot on the best of list (he’s an innovator!!!…and should be listed much higher). Who exactly compiles these lists, and where is Joe Satriani?

Search

“Pearl Jam Evenflow Solo” on Youtube

The first video…a true master at work…

Mike McCready IS under rated.

Here he is SINGING the national anthem!

http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=CPNsC7ajMj0

GARY RICHRATH

BeatlesFAN | 12/6/2007, 9:09 pm EST

“all nirvana songs are simple and overly distorted.”

On the surface.

What about John Lennon? He was a great guitarist, he played lead in many songs. Kurt is definatly overrated, all nirvana songs are simple and overly distorted. Props for George Harrison and Neil Young though. And the guitarist from the DOors? Robbie Kregar? HE is amazing!!!

Kurt Cobain??? he’s overrated!!!! George Harrison on thisn list is a joke.Neil Young is great, but definetely not underrated. SLASH SHOULDN”T BE ON HERE, CAJUN!!! SLASH IS OVERRATED!!! JEFF BECK DEFINETELY IS ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED GUITARISTS OF ALL TIME!! what about buckethead. Ace Frehley on this list is like saying john bonham is the worst guitarist ever!!!

So, according to RS, Kurt Cobain is both:

[1] a top 20 best guitarist of all time and
[2] an underrated guitar player

It’s fair to say then that those rankings cancel eachother out to “unrated” category status.

“Unrated” is ultimately a better position to be in and more appropriate IMO. Those who understand what Nirvana was about, already form their own opinions “independently” and without influence of any list or “best of” chart status rankings. Kurt Cobain was in fact a very good guitar player - it was his ATTITUDE, creative edge and honesty which shone through his music and lyrics. The bottom line is that those who know better don’t take these lists personally.

So…are you guys at Rolling Stone living under a rock? Because the order of your “100 Greatest Guitarists” is just plain stupid. And half of these guys that are “underrated” are on that list. I think the ones who are overrated need addressed. Like Kurt Cobain or Jack White. Seriously…they are in the top 20? Come on! Maybe the bottom 20. Where’s Alex Lifeson? Chris Hayes? Andy Summers?? They are some of the best guitarists on this earth and yet they don’t make either of your lists. They are sorely underrated! Give some credit where credit is due…and stop making musicians like Cobain seem like gods, because they are not.

heythere | 12/1/2007, 9:45 pm EST

“Kurt Cobain, if anything, is overrated.”

You must be a true Nirvana fan. Alternative music topics and discussions don’t really belong here anyway.

Marc Ford

Kurt Cobain, if anything, is overrated. Peter Frampton is truly underrated, same with andy summers, dave murray, alex lifeson, george harrison and steve vai. Good call with billy corgan though.

What about any of the members of G3? None of these lists say anything about Joe Satriani or John Petrucci..

wat about john frusciante from the chilis?

John Frusciante is the first guitarist in the world!(for me)

I agree on Joe Walsh. And how about Bonnie Raitt? Incredibly underrated…

Uhm Richie Sambora
Andy Mckee

if u dont know andy mckee look him up on youtube

AMAZING

Robbie Robbertson from The Band is definitely one of the most underrated guitarists of all time. His work on the Dylan woodstock albums was phenomenal, let alone his fret work in the bands own material, jsut watch him rip Eric Clapton at his own syle on “Further on up the road” on the Last Waltz dvd….beautiful.

Thank! Cool Site! The Best!

I’m glad to see Prince and Neil Young got some recognition and Ace Frehely was Dimebag’s main inspiration but Kurt Cobain i think he is the most overrated guitarist possibly of all time he is mediocre at best

its good to see johnny greenwood on the list
he is always underated…i mean he created the 90’s with just that guitar crunch and hes done so much more, has anyone ever listened to the album, the bends

PETER FRAMPTON should be # 1

PETER FRAMPTON should be # 1

Whenever I read lists such as this (whether it be top rated guitarist, most underrated guitarist etc.) I am repeatedly surprised that one name is consistently missing–Andy Summers.

If you have ever seen Summers play live, and/or listended to his post-Police work, you will likely agree.

In my opinion, he should be on the list of most underrated guitarists.

I saw the Police live two weeks ago and he is as fantastic, if not better than ever. Though he shared the stage with two very talented individuals, Summers was the most entertaining of the three.

I don’t see how Mike McCready is that underrated. Pearl Jam as a whole, was one of The bands of the 1990s but he was truly not that great. Either way there are so many guitarists that could be named as underrated. Who cares?

Alex Lifeson!!! I’m really tired of RS not giving this GREAT guitarist the respect he deserves

Alex Lifeson!!! I’m really tired of RS not giving this GREAT guitarist the respect he deserves

What about these guys..hello?Ronnie Montrose
Robin Trower
Pat Travers
Dave Mason
Frank Marino

They did get Prince & Gary Moore thank god!

This made me check out your 100 greatest to ensure me that there was a higher level of ABSURDITY!!

Elaborate? SURE! anything to help the illterate US public AND Rolling Stone magazine reach a higher level of CONSCIOUSNESS..

the fact that Steve Vai and Adrian Belew weren’t even listed and Frank Zappa was listed at #45 who discovered both those guys and the fact that Eddie Van Halen is #70 makes me really appreciate my mentality vs. yours.

NOW GET OUT SOME REAL RECORDS YOU IDIOTS AND START LISTENING TO SOME REAL MUSICIANSHIP AND TALENT, AND NOT WHAT TOP 40 RADIO TELLS YOU IS GOOD!

on the flipside, let’s go back to a combination of horse vomit and manure, what kind of laundry detergent are people snorting to come up with KURT COBAIN, Keith Richards and Kirk Hammett to be ranked in the upper 25 of the list?

here’s another tip, Dweezil Zappa is touring with a tribute band Zappa Plays Zappa (playing Frank Zappa’s original music) playing humanly impossible solos that will TORCH any of these guys.

Must agree with all comments about black blues guitarists-they should be up with the best as if not for them R&R would not be what it evolved into.I would like to add Brian Jones.Many people dont realise he was the lead guitarist,not Keith Richards.Listen to Brian on “No Expectations”-beautiful lap slide.Mick Taylor was a choice replacement.A lot of controversy over his death if you ever watch movie “Stoned”.

Have to agree jettrink-Johnny Winter is very underrated eg.the 3 sided double album “Second Winter”.The same goes for Alvin Lee of “Ten Years After” eg.”Undead”,”SSHH”,& “Cricklewood Green”.Captain Beefhearts guitarist Zoot Horn Rollo(also CB could wield a mean axe himself).All very influential & underrated

Johnny Winter,probably the best and maybe the most underrated rock/blues guitarists ever.

Rory Gallagher–highly underrated!

-Daron Malakian
-Buckethead
-Josh Homme
-Dave Murray
-Brian May

Where the fuck is Josh Homme?! Kyuss = greatest desert scene band ever/QOTSA = best hard rock band on the planet today.

I like hwo you say Cobain… first of all he wasnt a GREAT guitarist….2nd of all how is he underrated if hes on the top 25 of the top 100 on rolling stone….
STEVE HOWE … of Yes.. is one of the most phenomenal gutiarists of our time….his classical, his jazz, his blues, his rock…. he is an all around amazing guitarist and should be atleast top 10 on rollingstones top 100…. unlike cobain..i could see him down around 80

I agree that Prince is underrated and Izzy is too (he’s rhythm but his style of playing is more than just power chords and straight eight notes), but the a lot of the others were overrated if anything. They should’ve added Steve Clark and Phil Collen to the list (both from Def Leppard), Chris Hayes (Huey Lewis and the News), and Steve Stevens (Billy Idol). Not only do they all create great solos, but they also make great riffs and have a complex playing style.

Jeez lot’s of these players on the 25 most underated are on the RS list of 100 greatest. This ranking stuff is odious anyway ,but here are several who are vastly more articulate then the majority on the 100 greatest list
Paco DeLucia, Jose Neto ,Baden Powell,Egberto Gismonti,Tal Farlow,Carlos Montoya, Andre Segovia,Charlie Byrd ,Lenny Breau, Manitas De Plata,Merle Travis,Kenny Burrell,Hank Garland,Jim Hall Pat Martino,Pat Metheny,Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian
John Renborn,Chet Atkins,Ralph Towner,Ted Greene, Larry Carlton,Django Reinhardt, George Van Epps,Grady Martin ,Jimy Bryant,Terry Haggerty,Barry Finerty,Steve Kimock,Cliff Gallup ,Joe Maphis, Don Rich (with Buck Owens)Blind Blake ,Rev Gary Davis,Tampa Red,Gatemouth Brown,Earl Hooker,Mel Brown ,Snooks Eaglin,Elmore James,Magic Sam,Oscar Moore,Doc Watson,Chank Willis and Robert White of Motown’s Funk Brothers. Jimmy Nolen for James Brown’s band. The list goes on Some of these people may seem obscure,but I’ll bey most of the players on the top 100 list have heard and been affected by many if not most of theplayers I’ve listed

Cobain never claimed to be a great guitarist, although original he was no fan of technique so shouldnt really be here. Thanks everyone for the suggestions, i’ve taken note of a few names i’ve not come across yet. Ist good to see an Aussie on the list but John Butler is several orders of magnitude better than Dan Johns

what about levi e. fletcher. fuck he’s awesome. i’ve been listening to his album for a month now non-stop.

Steve Hackett is far more underrated than most of the people on this list.

this list is fucking god-awful.

Seriously tho, how about Chris Hayes from Huey Lewis and the News?

lol…what about Mike Nesmith

Kovakov.Dont get me confused with Dean Deleo.I am Deano-totally different person but please get out from under your rock & broaden your listening re-guitarists.D.Johns wouldn’t rate anywhere among the guitarists of the last 40 years.Just another commercial band who will never be remembered along side the greats.Cheers

Daniel Johns make pee in your mouth, bitches

Nancy Wilson was completely overlooked.

kurt cobain is not a good guitar player.. rolling stone clearly knows nothing about good guitar if they did they would have included people like micheal amot of carcass, or chuck sholdner of death, or john petrutcii, ali d, i cant spell the mans name i am a hrrible speller. but like if rolling stone wants to hear good guitar they need to listen to death and speed metal becasue some of the most talented guitar players come from that genre, and again sorry for my fucked up spelling

again dean deleo gets stiffed. good to see daniel johns there

Some Oz guitarists-Tim Gaze of “Tamam Shud”.Phil Manning of “Chain” & guitarist from Gulliver Smith’s band-”Company Caine”.

I think Rolling Stone needs to stop making commentary about musicians. They clearly don’t know anything about making music. How about Guthrie Govan?

Synyster Gates aka Brian Haner of Avenged Sevenfold

I’m a bit of an old fart.Anyway my most unrecognised(to a certain extent)-Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown.Stan Webb of Chicken Shack.Randy California of Spirit.Not so unknown but Alvin Lee of Ten Years After.T.S.McPhee of Groundhogs.Early Jeff Beck(a la “Truth”) & my favourite-Peter Green.Maybe I live in the past but Daniel Johns has nothing on Thorpie on John Butler.PS.guitarist out of “Wire”is audibly incredible.

these ppl suck at making good list Neil Young cant play at all i have seen garage bands with better guitarist. where is jose feliciano he is won of the best and yet he is not on either list

prince,hendrix,santana,fr uscia nte, daniel johns,mike einziger,gilmour,cantrell ,mccr eady and tim mahoney(311)…listen up

I gotta say.. Rolling stone really underated Eddie Van Halen. WTF

JOHN FRU..I know he was on the cover a few weeks ago…but that was one of the first times he was even mentioned as a guitar god.

Just glad he made the list, he should be higher tho!

I AM THE GRATEST PRINCE FAN, VERNON LIVING COLOR IS OUTSTANDING,….BUT HAVE U HEARD ABOUT ERIC SARDINAS?

Mick Ronson was awesome, too! Saw him a bunch of times with Ian Hunter. He was the king of glam-distortion-kickass rock n’ roll soloing!

Mick Taylor should have been number one on this list. Just listen to YA-YA’s; Stones Boot Brussels ‘73; or Dylan’s “Real Live.” What an awesome guitar player! The vibrato still sings!!! Evidently MT kicked ass on the recent “Celebrate Hendrix” mini-tour too!

Kind of funny that the guy complaining about the lack of black guitarists thinks the only ones on here are Prince and Jimi. Maybe he should find out who Vernon Reid and Eddie Hazel are.

ALEX LIFESON.

I agree with daniel johns as an underrated guitar player.Playing guitar ain´t only about soloing, but being able to write great songs and melodies. The man can do that!

debutrans

If you actually bother listening to Petrucci and Satriani, then you are a very sad case!
Who the f… listens to that shit for fun!

I would add Gary Moore to the list for both his rock and blues guitar.To hear him live was amazing!

Another name to throw out there was a very talented guitarist that I saw for the first time last night. Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree. I haven’t followed them for very long so I’m not real familiar with him, but I was quite impressed last night.

Alex Lifeson is no where on the top 100 greatest or the 25 most underrated. If he isn’t in the most underrated category, I don’t know why they even bothered. One of the greatest bands ever, still selling out arenas after more than 30 years, no recognition, and no Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Criminal.

And George Harrison????? on the list of greatest? I love the beatles and their music, but as a guitar player???? Please.

Graham Coxon, from Blur. Unbelieveably good. There are no words to describe how good he is.

mike einziger.

WHERE THE HELL IS SLASH IN THE LIST!!!????

and he’s a lefty too.

Peter Frampton should be considered also.
Humble Pie, Frampton Comes Alive…shed the pretty blonde hair boy image years ago and you have one of the most refined and extraordinary rock guitarist that ever played.
He can play long solos because he has an amazing repertoire. Who better at the talk box too? Maybe Joe Walsh?

Who was Hendrix’s fave guitarist? Terry Kath. Most of the above names are worthy of inclusion. In fact, there are so many no-brain omissions on this list, I can see why your readership has plummeted.

Prince and David Gilmour are both great and are also underrated. Mike McCready and Pearl Jam are both way underrated. Too many Pearl Jam haters out their. Love Nirvana, but Kurt Cobain? He get’s enough credit I think..

Josh Homme
Daron Malakian (it’s really easy to play his stuff, but every note is in it´s right place)
Slash (I never see him in this bullshit lists)

Dave Murray and Adrian Smith
Mike Bloomfield
Steve Hackett (recorded the hammer-on technique back in ‘73).

kurt cobain is fuking awesome everyone needs to quit dissing him..but i dont get y hes on this list wasnt he #12 in the top100 greatest guitarist of all time?? Daniel Johns is fuking awesome but i dont get y hes on this list im not expurt but i would have to agree with my mate whos fuking goes off on the guitar that daniel is not too talented in that area..hes fuking awesome dont get me wrong but im not to sure he should be on this list..good to see Mike McCready on this list..Pearl Jam are Fuking Awesome!!!

kurt cobain is awesome evryone hould quit fukin dissen him..but i dont egt y hes on this list, wasnt he number 12 in the top100 greatest guitartist?? daniel johns is fuking asesome but id have to agree with my mate who is an awesome guitartist that he hasnt got that much talent in that area, he couldnt be fuked learning classical giutar when he was younger..im not putting im down im probably the biggest fan here but fuk..good to see mike mcCready up there pearl jam are awesome!!

Rory Gallagher was a true original. Criminal he wasn’t on the top 100, even worse he’s not on the most under rated.

Gotta say also that Prince is a good choice to top the under-rated list, he can rip it good even though most of his music is to light for me.

Elmer Fudd, you wouldn’t even be able to aim at a guy in a moving wheelchair if the doc gave you a new bifocal prescription.

(Why is Eddie Van Halen pushed so far down at #70 in RS’s top 100 guitarists’ list? - now THAT, I do NOT understand)

Elmer, you couldn’t aim at an aggressive moving target if you got a new eyeglass prescription from the doc.

jeerio.

Graham Coxon, ex-guitarist from Blur and now a solo artist is cruelly missing. He’s an AWESOME guitarist.

Phil Keaggy, nice to see him get some respect. If you don’t know his music, download a couple of his instrumental tracks. Please, for the love of God, don’t download his later stuff with vocals.
Also, Noel Gallagher is an EXCELLENT song writer, but an average guitarist. I have every Oasis album, I love them all. But, look at the chord progressions of “D’ Ya know what I mean” and “Wonderwall.” You can’t recycle proressions and make a list like this.

David Gilmour
Lowell George (Little Feat)
Sonny Landreth
John McGlaughlin
Randy California (Spirit)

David Byrne/Jerry Harrison: The two Talking Heads weaved a tapestry of guitar rhythms at least as tight and interesting as Keith & Woody. But because the Heads don’t smoke or drink on stage or ram a guitar neck up the other’s arse onstage, they must not be real musicians.

Paul Simon - never gets his due. His playing is beautiful.
Robert Johnson: Maybe he gets his due
Steve Howe (despite being in a prog-rock supergroup his playing is mostly a fusion of George Harrison and Chet Atkins, plus some classical BS)
Willie Nelson - if you’ve ever seen him live you know what I’m talking about.

Where the hell is Peter Green?
Surely he should be in the top three!!

Kurt Cobain sucks and he is rotting in Hell! The frickin’ loser is over-rated as well and I can’t figure the hell out as to why.

Brian Setzer???????
Michael Hedges
Johnny Marr
Django Reinhardt
James Burton

Dissing Kurt and now Neil? These blogs ARE a complete joke. I’ll read the RS articles and ignore the comments from now on.

Ted Nugent? Who said that? Go to bed! Now!

hey yardjockey: damn straight. Terry Kath was an incredible talent. Jimi Hendrix confessed: Kath was “better than me.” That’s worthy praise, eh?

Why am I not surprised the late great Terry Kath of the band Chicago isn’t on this list?

Neil Young and Kurt Cobain? I thought this was a list of under-rated guitarists, not over-rated turds.

A list of underrated guitarists that doesn’t include Robin Trower? What are y’all amoking?

Craig’s a really funny guy.

Anyone who’s ever touched a guitar can realize that Kurt Cobain has no talent. I know kids in high school who are 1000x better than him. And he didn’t get his sound on his own, the studio people did all the work for him. His riffs are unoriginal, and his solos blow.
But I definitely agree with Prince being on there. I would also include Adrien Belew, Martin Barre and Paul Personne.
Lastly, whoever at RS put Kobain on the top 100 list should be fired, he can’t play worth shit. And above Tony Iommi, Dick Dale, Richard Thompson, etc? WHAT THE FUCK!!??

How about a list of the greatest dead guitarists excluding allthe blues cats?

Good call on Omar Rodriguez-Lopez as The Mars Volta are an insanely good band nowadays. I nominate johnny greenwood based on his style of playing, a nod to the metalheads with dimebag darrell and tony iommi (the 80’s is not a good place for him)and Robert Fripp of King Crimson because he can play better than Daniel Johns sitting down, while Johns keeps strumming his guitar making his voice (which is soooo feminine its not funny) even higher than a Banshee’s or when he’s grabbed by his testicles.

Also for playing style, I’d like to mention Bernard Summer and for guitar effects, Kevin Shields

Where’s Daron Malakian??!!

But Woo hoo Daniel Johns made it on the list! He should be number 1 on the list, Him and silverchair are the 2 most underrated things ever

exactly. as in mainstream top 40 music listeners, who think that the only songs worth listening to are the “hits” on the charts.

joe walsh???

the mainstream classic rock listeners aren’t supposed to “get it”.

Kurt Cobain? Oh goodness….what a joke.

Kurt Cobain? Oh goodness….what a joke.

Kurt Cobain? Oh goodness….what a joke.

Kurt Cobain? Oh goodness….what a joke.

Kurt Cobain? Oh goodness….what a joke.

One thing the discussion points out is that the term “under-appreciated” is definitely in the eye of the beholder. In this case, the so-called “experts” at Rolling Stone Magazine. It is obvious the all of the great artists mentioned in this string of posts are appreciated by the people nominating them. While I may not personally enjoy some of the guitarists mentioned, I can at least say I have listened to most of them in my 53 years. I like these discussions because it expands my musical knowledge. Lekain has it right by suggesting that people “do their homework”. For me it just adds to the enjoyment to understand the unbroken string of talent that dates back to Son House, Charlie Patton, Josh White, etc. Muddy’s got a song with the refrain “the blues, they had a baby, and they named it rock’n'roll”. Some of you may not like the music, but this is where many of the chords of riffs of today originated. I’ll end with two guitarists that deserve more attention: Eddie Turner and Jimmy King (RIP).

First, let me say that I love reading the conversations that these kinds of lists spark! It’s things like these that will help give the truly underrated some deserved attention. A few who were already mentioned and I agree with: Peter Buck, Dough Martsch, Mike Einziger, Matthew Bellamy, John Squire, Billy Corgan, Claudio Sanchez/Travis Stever, Kevin Shields.

I’m dismayed to see The Boss, New Jersey’s finest, hasn’t been mentioned. And where is the appreciation for Robert Smith, guys!? Also, let’s see some more love for metal. Thought not necessarily underrated in certain circles, Marty Friedman (formerly of Megadeth) can shred it up. Stephen Carpenter of Deftones, while not complex, certainly has a unique sound. Finally, not to make this too long, Kevin Cadogan (Third Eye Blind, taught by Joe Satriani believe it or not) basically made that band what it was, critical respect be damned.

IsIs
Jimi Hendrix was cutting his guitar playing teeth with progressive jazz players like Brother Jack McDuff in blues-jazz hammond organ quintets long before playing with the Isley’s. Little Isley was definitely a protege’ though.

Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers should DEFINITELY be in the ranks. This is the same band of brothers where Jimi Hendrix first got his feet wet before going off on his own. Listen to “Voyage to Atlantis” & hear Ernie rip it!!! He was a prodigy of Jimi’s before later joining his family’s band.

Kurt Cobain should never have been in the top 100 in the first place.

Kurt Cobain should never have been in the top 100 in the first place.

Pearl Jam are the greatest band ever,nice to see Mike get recognised

While I definitely agree with some of this list (and the top 100 guitarists list - Lindsay Buckingham is definitely underrated!), some of it surprised me. It shouldn’t be possible for those, like Cobain and Robbie Robertson, who are on the top guitarists list to be counted as *under*rated. Santana should (in my opinion, of course) be in the top *5* guitarists. But since when is Ace Frehley underrated? I always thought he was considered one of the greats (I always thought he was, at least). I guess since he didn’t make the top 100 list that would qualify him as underrated.

Noel Gallagher is amazing. He’s an unreal song writer and a great guitarist too. can’t think of one person in the last 30 years who’s written so many incredible songs

Hunter & Wagner (Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Gabriel I)

Steve Hackett (Genesis), a sonic quality that’s unique to rock.

Can i have opinions on noel gallagher please? i know they’ve fallen out of favour here in the states, but i think the guy is incredible. seems like guitarists love to trash him though. Is it his lack of techinical ability…he’s lifted some tunes sure, but who hasn’t- at least he’s hones’t about it. What about liveforever, rocknroll star, supersonic, wonderwall, dontlookbackinanger,whatsthest orymoringglory,champagnesupern ova,goletitout,acquiesce,talkt onight,on and on…certainly there has to be some genius there. sorry bout the hype session!!!

OH yeh rock on daniel johns and mccreedy! but wat about john mayer??? he is absolutely mesmerizing the blues he can get out of his strat! go jm83!

Carrie Brownstein, 1 of the guitarists from sleater-kinney. My personel fave from the list, as shes interesting, and has a unique way of playing, and can give a killer solo (sheck out the 11 minute improv on ‘Lets Call it Love’. Women are underrated on this list, shes the only woman there, and there was only like 3 on the main list. Where was Mary Timony ??? Prince is a healthy choice. Kurt Cobain was a gr8 songwriter, guitarist not so much.

Chords*

…Kurt Cobain, let me go get my lesson book I forget how to play power cords and 10 note solo’s

ok so, this entire thing is retarded. they have eddie van halen at 70,wtf? They have randy rhoads at 85. they dont have slash OR dimebag darrel on there. i dont know the names of the dragonforce guys, but they are insanely awesome. and buckethead should be on there too. this list is just flat out stupid.

Good to see Nels Cline up there - see him live with the Nels Cline Singers if you ever get the chance.
I would have liked to have seen Bill Frisell, Adrian Belew if only for his work with the Talking Heads, and Jeff Tweedy (I mean come on, listen to what he did on A Ghost Is Born).

I’m sorry, but Kurt Cobain is incredibly overrated as a guitar player.

WHAT ABOUT JIMMY NOLAN, JESSE JOHNSON, WHY IS EVERYONE ON THE LIST WHITE/ WITH THE EXCEPTION OF PRINCE AND JIMI. THEIR IS A LOT WRONG AND DISREPECTFUL ABOUT THIS LIST. CURT COBAIN BUT NOT MUDDY WATERS,SON SEALS, BOBBY WOMACK, CURTIS MAYFIELD. IF PRINCE AND THE OTHERS WERE WHITE THEY WOULD GET MORE PROPS AND THIER MUCH DUE RESPECT AS SOME OF THE GREATEST GUITARIST THAT EVER LIVED. WHERE DO YOU THINK THESE OTHER SO CALLED GREATS GOT IT FROM?

T-BONE WALKER, EARL HOOKER, FREDDIE KING,VERNON RIED, BUDDY GUY, OTIS RUSH, MAGIC SAM, ALBERT KING, ALBERT COLLINS, IKE TURNER, GRANT GREEN, THESE ARE SOME OF THE GREATEST GUITAR PLAYERS OF ALL TIME. WITHOUT THEM THERE WOULD NOT BE A LIST. THEY COULD PLAY IT ALL. DO YOUR HOMEWORK PEOPLE AND STOP BEING SO SHALLOW.

Ronnie Montrose
Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Janick Gers
Uncle Ted Nugent

Heck..If Ace Frehley makes the list, replace Kurt Cobain with Rick Nielsen

Ronnie Montrose
Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Janick Gers
Uncle Ted Nugent

Heck..If Ace Frehley makes the list, replace Kurt Cobain with Rick Nielsen

what about alexi laiho and michael amott?

Here in fly over country(Minnesota) we have more gunslingers than just Prince. How about Bob Mould(Husker Du),Paul Westerberg and Bob Stinson(Replacements).

Robben Ford
Boz Scaggs
Coco Montoya
Vince Gill
Will Bernard

Robby Krieger of the Doors pioneered sonic landscapes that have yet to be matched for their otherworldliness, disturbing chordal patterns and quiet compositional genius. Hmm, I guess I just stated the reasons why he never makes these lists…

FRANK ZAPPA YOU IDIOTS!

Rolling Stone just simply doesn’t make sense. No wonder why we see more people canceling their subscriptions.

First they put Kurt Cobain as #12 on their list of the 100 Best Guitarists, making him better than Carlos Santana, Tom Morello, Brian May, Pete Townshend, Joe Perry and David Gilmour.

Now they are saying that Kurt Cobain is UNDERATED?? Are you kidding RS?? You are the ones who made Kurt Cobain OVERATED!!

Every time I see an article on “determining” “Who’s The Greatest So and So” I can reliably predict the maturity of responses. Most of the posts are from contributors who are so deeply entrenched into a particular genre that their judgment is biased and often based on their minimal recording collection. Now if the subject was to “vote” for your “favorite” as greatest so and so, then I’d give their judgement due respect. The fact is no one will ever know who, impirically, is the greatest because that unfortunate gem was never discovered. Consider how many monster guitar players have only done studio gigs, played back up to singers, or due to circumstances never made it out of the wedding and state fair circuit.
Then too. how many of the contributing posters qualify the greatest by speed, licks, scales, or technique. The “greatest” has heart and soul and plays his or her heart out as a voice. I once saw an Austin City Limits production that featured some country and western studio guitarists together on stage jammin. They played incredible, outrageous jazz, blues and rock, beside country…and no one knows who they are.

Answer to “DrJ”. You asked “What is the purpose of guitar playing? Is it to move people emotionally..” or “..to give guitar players opportunities to show off and admire one another’s chops?” Well, there’s no single right answer to that, since each individual listener (or guitarist) probably has his/her own personal opinion.. But I would personally answer “why not both?!” There doesn’t have to be a contradiction between these two; real great guitarists can certainly both move people emotionally AND “show off” too! And additionally, guitar playing also can have a lot of other purposes, but I won’t try to list them all.. Bbender

Peter Buck

So What about Ani Difranco.

This Punk-folk heroine has a unique, thrilling acoustic sound.
She’s a woman and she is definitely underrated

kurt john and billy rock!

so i just read where someone said cobain was #12 on all time greatest guitarist list, grew up in aberdeen when kurt did, he was not known as even one of the good guitar players in the area, however he became an amazing success as we all know and probably the most influencial or iconic musician since john lennon, although kurt is an ordinary average guitar player he did develop a unique guitar sound that we all recognize, as did angus young with his simple riffs and melodic guitar solos, i guess it all depends on what you mean when you say greatest, does that mean technical like satriani, vai, van halen, ran