Pretty self explanatory.

My pick?.....C.C. DeVille of Poison.

Probably the worst phrasing and use of any scale of the many hacks out there.

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John Mayer. Guy simply does not shred.

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Tanzania¹²

HAHAHAHAHAAH DOES NOT SHRED.

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RIP ROAD WOES 12/2/2012

Kurt Cobain. Noel Gallagher. Jerry Garcia.

Garcia just never did anything to impress me at all. Cobain should speak for itself. I like Nirvana, and the guy quite literally changed the whole face of music, but he was not a good guitar player by any stretch of the imagination. And Noel Gallagher. I was quite the Oasis fanboy back in the mid 90's, but the years have told me what I didn't know then - Noel isn't great. He's good at what he does, but not great as far as guitarists go.

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Rzzzzz...

Cobain at least had a unique, raw style to him in the vein of Hendrix. Certainly not as talented, but absolutely was he connected to his guitar through pure raw emotion.






*edit* That's most times I've used 'raw' in a few short sentences since describing my wedding night.

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RIP ROAD WOES 12/2/2012

The guy from Uriah Heap. WTF was that solo in the song "stealin"?.....Maybe the worst lead ever.

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The Edge. At least he knows it though.

Good one.

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Cobain, Garcia, and Deville were all successful not because of their talent at playing guitar, but because of their unique style, which for each was pretty groundbreaking and new at the time they hit it big. Hard to hack on them for that. Even if they couldn't play technical guitar well, they sure knew how to make original music.

The others, who not only can't play well, but also just retread the rest of the popular stuff can suck a nut, though.

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Seahawks. It's an addiction, and there is no cure.

Billy Joe?

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Tanzania¹²

If you're talking about Billy Joel; I believe he plays keyboards.

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If you're walking on thin ice, you might as well dance.................................................Mom

I'm assuming he means the Green Day singer/guitarist.

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RIP ROAD WOES 12/2/2012

Yeah, not sure what dude was on about, but John Mayer is god damned skilled. I can't stand his music, but I respect the hell out of his chops.

I'm not sure I get why Rob thinks Cee Cee DeVille was bad, but to each their own. He was no master but I can think of plenty of guitarists less talented than he was.

I think Kurt Cobain has to be the worst guitarist ever to make it to megastardom. Not even sure #2 is close. The dude had the sloppiest picking I have ever heard.

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Feel free to contact me if you need legal assistance. I have a great lawyer that helped me with an ex who violated my privacy and kept harassing me on MySpace and Facebook. He's very good. And there is legal precedent. - linuxpro

He is hold back the legion of boom - skater18000

Neil Giraldo.....been riding the coattails of his wife (Pat Benetar) for 30 years. His leads sound like something an average 12 yr. old student would come up with.

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A man with a briefcase can steal more money than any man with a gun

Thanks, that makes more sense. Besides, everyone knows Zeb knows diddly squat about REAL music.....LOL!

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If you're walking on thin ice, you might as well dance.................................................Mom

It's true. Clearly I didn't know that John Mayer could shred.

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Tanzania¹²

I always felt bad for the guy from Ratt. I can't even remember his name. He honestly couldn't play the solos on their first album. They were pieced together by a slick producer from different parts he had played during their sessions and processed to high heaven, and they were pieced together quite seamlessly. They went on their first tour and he couldn't do it. He was seriously suicidal over it, and I believe they had to resort to bringing in a "rhythm guy" (studio master guitarist) who was actually playing the solos after a couple of shows. Even I can play well when I have everything running through my DigiTech effects (thanks work!). The 80's produced a lot of guys that could play amazingly cool sounding stuff. I can loop crap over itself and use my whammy pedal to pitchshift all over the place and sound like I know what I'm doing, but it's all smoke and mirrors and that's a lot of what the 80's guys were doing.

On the flipside, whatever happened to Vito Bratta? He was the most underrated guitarist I've heard. He wasn't just fast. The guy could play any style and did it extremely well. He was much too talented for the guys he was around. I saw some random underground stuff of him giving guitar lessons and just noodling around and he was amazing and such a humble guy. I think the business didn't suit him. He played because he loved it. Danny Gatton was the same way and ultimately took his own life.

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R.I.P. Dad. I miss you. You will never be forgotten
1/12/39 - 8/7/08

I wasn't saying DeVille didn't have talent, it is just the way he uses it. As a lead guitar player phrasing shapes style, and in that category, he was / is atrocious. Those guys found a niche at the right time, and lucked out.

To compare, see a very under rated Guitarist from a band of the same era.......Mathias Jabs of the Scorpions. That guy has talent and phrasing nailed.

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O.k. I really don't get this one. His name is Warren DiMartini. I'm not sure when you caught him live, but he had no issues in 85 or 87 when I saw him. Here is a clip of him standing side by side with one of the all time greats...



You have to remember when these guys hit the world stage they were already out of control. Ratt and the Crue were battling it out for the biggest party band out there and neither gave an inch. They might have been too fubar to play..but Warren has MAD chops.

Don't get how anyone could rip the Edge either. Shredmiester?? No. But his tone...damn. Pure frikin magic. Effects, and phrasing, the same. Everyone on the planet can tell its a U2 song within the first two bars without even hearing Bono singing a single note. Rip him for not being Satch or something sure, but he is a gift to music...and i dont even like U2. flame on if you will.

I specifically said on their first tour. Which would have been previous to when you saw them. Warren obviously could play as the solos they pieced together were all with HIM playing. He just couldn't do the stuff they had him doing on the record at the time of his first tour. I read it in several magazines, saw actual quotes from him, and have spoken to people that have performed with him that confirmed it. I don't know how much more evidence I can dig up. Maybe he'd deny it all now.

But he worked his butt off and was able to play what they PRETENDED he played all in one session by probably mid-84 I'm guessing. I was a fan of Ratt from the time I was in fourth grade in 1983 and remembered hearing them on Seattle radio stations the entire summer that I moved (which would have been 1984 as we spent the days working on packing crap, and the evenings watching the LA Olympics). People I know and trust saw Warren play in that summer and said he wasn't up to par. I saw him years later and he was a shredder. He was probably a high school kid when their early stuff came out, and it makes total sense to me that he didn't have the mastery of the instrument in 1983 or 84 that he would have developed from 85-87.

Even my favorite guitarist (Zakk Wylde) is significantly better now than he was when he first joined Ozzy, and even then he was better than 99.999999999999% of guitarists who have ever lived. But you can sense a clear growth in his playing and comfort and mastery of the instrument. Part of that is his ability to now take on lead vocals in live shows. The guitar stuff is almost secondary if you listen to Black Label Society. He still shreds just as much, but he doesn't seem like he is even having to think about it.

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R.I.P. Dad. I miss you. You will never be forgotten
1/12/39 - 8/7/08