Top 10 Most Overrated Guitarists of All Time

When it comes to the most celebrated guitarists in rock history, everyone has their personal favorites. Some are revered for their technical prowess, while others have earned legendary status for their influence and style. But let's be real - just because a guitarist has a ton of fans or is constantly praised doesn't mean they live up to the hype. Sometimes, we confuse fame with talent, or overlook other musicians who arguably do more with less recognition.

This isn't about bashing anyone's skills or legacy, but let's face it - some guitarists might just not deserve the universal praise they get. Maybe it's because their sound is more about the image, or maybe their impact is inflated by nostalgia. Whatever the reason, this is your chance to weigh in. Think of this list as a bit of a reality check for those guitar gods whose reputations might be a little bigger than their actual abilities or contributions.
The Top Ten
Slash Saul Hudson, known professionally as Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He has also released solo work and collaborated with... read more

For those of you saying Slash is overrated, I can 100% see where you're all coming from. I think he's overrated, but he doesn't deserve to be hated on so much. His guitar solos are brilliant, and his rhythm work is great too. Slash was my inspiration to both pick up the guitar and continue from there on out.

I personally don't care about the top hat. I didn't even know he was the guy from Guitar Hero back when I was a kid. I'd be listening to Nightrain, my favorite Guns N' Roses song, while pretending to jam out to it on guitar.

Now, Michael Schenker, Jimmy Page, Hendrix, Marty Friedman, Kirk Hammett, Dave Mustaine, James Hetfield, Eddie, Dimebag, Angus, John Petrucci, Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi, all these guys are also my inspiration. Being 15, I still have plenty of time to learn all of these guys' riffs and solos, but Slash has always been my number 1. His guitar tone and sound may be too high, but that's his signature sound. It makes Nightrain and November Rain sound especially good. He may not play as fast as Dimebag, Eddie, or John Petrucci, but he's one hell of a guitarist. Badass, raw, vicious, the hair, his style, he's got it all.

Kurt Cobain Kurt Cobain (February 20, 1967 - April 5, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician, best known as the frontman of the grunge band Nirvana. Founded in 1987, Nirvana achieved global success in the early 1990s, reshaping rock music with albums like Nevermind. Cobain died by suicide in April... read more

The phenomenon of accumulating popularity after untimely death has seemed to echo through the ages. The death of JFK quickly gave him the title of 'Best Ever President' to many people who otherwise would have written him off. Edgar Allan Poe's 19th-century poetry was only made more popular due to the mysterious nature of his untimely death.

The same is true of Kurt Cobain, a technically below-par guitarist. Inspired by the Pixies, a band who were by no means technically gifted either, Cobain, with his lack of ability on the instrument, might not have received the praise he has today if it hadn't been for his association with the rise of the grunge movement in the early '90s, and even that headline-snatching early death.

Angus Young Angus McKinnon Young is an Australian guitarist of Scottish origin, best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist, songwriter, and the only constant member of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. He is recognized for his energetic stage presence and schoolboy-uniform stage outfits. When performing live,... read more

I want to point out that, yes, I love AC/DC. Yet, I do have to agree that after a while, it gets to be all the same. I personally stopped listening to AC/DC after "For Those About to Rock" and came back after "Razor's Edge," when things became more interesting, and promptly left again.

Angus Young is one of the biggest inspirations in my life, and I love his work. His blues rock riffs and solos are just fun to play, but yes, he is really overrated. Though he is an absolutely outstanding showman, and I have to commend him for how long he's been in the business, his work became repetitive and less fun to listen to after Back in Black.

I also have to say that he doesn't suck. He's not a terrible player at all! It's simply the style that he plays with and what he developed and created over his years, but that does not mean he is some kind of guitar-god.

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page is an English musician, songwriter, and record producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of Led Zeppelin. He's widely regarded for his innovative guitar techniques, production work, and influence across rock music genres. After Led Zeppelin disbanded... read more

Led Zeppelin ripped off many artists, and Page is way overrated. I saw Zep live back in the day, and between the violin bow, the 20-minute drum solo, and Plant's screeching, I was bored to death. I couldn't wait for the concert to end.

I don't understand what the big deal about Jimmy Page is. Ever since he wrote the guitar solo for Stairway to Heaven, he's been overrated. His other solos aren't that good at all.

Decent dexterity, but very limited in his scope of playing ability. Jimi Hendrix was far more sloppy than Jimmy Page, but Jimmy is a close second.

Billie Joe Armstrong Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and guitarist of the punk rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt... read more

Good songwriter, good punk/pop singer. He took his inspiration from great bands. His riffing is there to hold it all together and provide a hook - it's functional playing, that's it.

Billie Joe is good at what he does, which is mostly power chords. And that's all he's really going for. He's not trying to be some guitar aficionado. His guitar riffs are made to support the song, and not as a lead instrument. Jason is a much better guitar player than Billie is.

In conclusion: Is Billie overrated? Yes. Is he good? Yes, he's good at what he does, which are simple guitar riffs made to support the song.

Dimebag Darrell Darrell Lance Abbott, also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist and songwriter. He co-founded the bands Pantera and Damageplan with his brother Vinnie Paul. Abbott was tragically shot and killed during a performance in 2004 by a mentally unstable fan.

Dimebag set guitar tone back decades by taking a solid state Randall amp, cranking the bass and treble to max, then scooping the mids, i.e., the mistake every aspiring metal guitar player makes when they get their first Line 6 Spider or Boss Katana combo amp. Dude ruined songs that had great potential like "Walk" and "Cemetery Gates" by forcing in lead lines and solos that didn't fit the songs at all. There's a reason why he was playing a small club like the Al Rosa Villa after Pantera's breakup.

Synyster Gates Brian Elwin Haner, Jr., better known by his stage name Synyster Gates or simply Syn, is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the band Avenged Sevenfold. He joined the band in 2001 and has since become recognized for his technical skill and melodic solos. Gates... read more

First of all, I have nothing against Mr. Gates personally. But one question bugs me: "Why is he in almost all the top ten lists on this site anyway? I'm beginning to think that he is actually a member and voting for himself!"

And what in the name of Amplifier Overload is his name doing in the fastest guitarist section? Trust me. I watched him live and even I can play faster than that.

Okay, here is the deal. I think people voting on this site are having favorites, and their decisions are based on how famous this guy is and not on how good he really is. Sorry, but... I'm not impressed. Just not impressed.

Kirk Hammett Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. In addition to playing guitar, he contributes as a songwriter for the band... read more

His stuff on the Ride the Lightning album is alright, but after that, most of his stuff is just garbage. Listen to the solo on Blackened, for instance. The song is very decent, with good riffing and dual guitar lead stuff, but Kirk's solo is just pathetic.

He's not particularly fast, if speed is what you want. Look at Mustaine, Schuldiner, Van Halen, or Satriani for proper fast. He doesn't play particularly good emotional solos. As I said, the ones on Ride the Lightning are good, such as Fade to Black. I also like Orion's solos. But after that, it's just downhill. For good emotional solos, look at Petrucci, Rhoads, or Schuldiner (Voice of the Soul).

Kirk is ridiculously overrated, in my opinion.

Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix was an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Though his mainstream career lasted only about four years from 1966 to 1970, he's widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in popular music... read more

Noise, noise, crap. Terrible guitarist. Awesome showmanship though. I think that's why so many people were influenced by him. If there was a guitarist today that sounded or played that way, no one would take them seriously.

Most anyone who wants to be a "rock star" gets this emotion from showmanship, not ability to play. For this reason, I feel like he is the most overrated guitarist of all time. If we were talking about showmanship, he could definitely be top three.

Jimi was pretty bad. He had some moments, but I really cannot stand the "well, for his time he was amazing" argument. No, he wasn't. The instrument has existed in its current form, although not with amplification and effects, for more than 400 years. We have music from people in the 1600s and 1700s that made this guy sound like a doof with a Tonka truck. It is the same instrument, and it is in complete parity.

Just because somebody electrifies it and adds distortion doesn't mean that all of a sudden you can be garbage in the technique department and get a medal. I like Jimi, but I want to puke when he is number one on every single guitar list forever and all time, because he isn't.

Herman Li Herman Li is a Hong Kong-born British musician, producer, and lead guitarist for the power metal band DragonForce. He was born on October 3, 1976, in British Hong Kong. Li is widely recognized for his fast guitar playing and use of advanced techniques such as sweep picking and whammy bar tricks.

How are Jimi Hendrix, Slash, Dimebag Darrell, and Kirk Hammett above this overrated hack?! Herman Li might possibly be the most overrated guitarist ever. All he does is play slow in the studio and speed it up so it can seem hard to play when we all know his work is slowed down then sped up in the studio.

Kirk Hammett is not the best guitarist, but how the hell is he higher? Because he could play circles around this guy and he is more versatile than this stupid hack. And Hendrix could flat out destroy this guy, no problem!

The Newcomers

? Bob Dylan Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, author, and artist who has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than five decades. He gained fame in the 1960s with songs that became anthems for the civil rights and anti-war movements. In 2016, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in... read more

One of the most overrated artists of all time. His guitar playing was nothing special.

? Carter Stanley

Carter Stanley is the most overrated rhythm guitarist in bluegrass music. He couldn't play in time, had abhorrent tone, and couldn't control volume.

That said, he was a fantastic singer and songwriter. However, people often try to compare his rhythm guitar to the greats like Del McCoury, Lester Flatt, and Jimmy Martin.

The Contenders
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is the only three-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and Cream. He was also a founding member of Derek and the Dominos, known for... read more

Eric is a fine blues guitarist if you like recycled riffs played faster than the originators. I've never found him interesting or original.

The guy just isn't very creative, though I suppose his playing 10-minute guitar solos was innovative at the time. But he's never had anything to say.

First of all, the fact that Slash is at number 1 is ridiculous. I hate Guns N' Roses, and I still admire Slash as a legendary guitar player. Also, why is Kurt Cobain here? He's not overrated as a guitarist because nobody thinks of him primarily as a guitarist. He's mainly known for his vocals.

Also, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix, the two greatest guitarists of all time? Seriously? You guys are just haters who can't appreciate these two gods.

Meanwhile, Eric Clapton actually is overrated. First, a lot of his riffs sound very similar. Apart from his hit songs, there's nothing he's really achieved that was that great. As a soloist, he's great but not at the level of Page, Hendrix, Gilmour, Slash, and many more. I do think that Eric Clapton is a great guitarist, but the fact that people think he's the best is ridiculous.

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but disenrolled and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with Clay Cook. Together, they formed a short-lived two-man band called Lo-Fi Masters.

John Mayer is a joke. I saw an interview where Santana preferred Derek Trucks over John Mayer easily. Mayer is just a knockoff of Stevie Ray Vaughan. He just copied his style and didn't even come up with his own influential style.

Does this guy ever rock? I have yet to hear it. His music is boring. He's not a technique freak at least and can make actual music. I just don't like his style.

Terrible, god-awful guitarist. He's so bad he makes Lil Wayne look like Jimi Hendrix.

Eddie Van Halen Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen (January 26, 1955 - October 6, 2020) was a Dutch-American musician, songwriter, producer, and inventor. He was best known as the lead guitarist, occasional keyboardist, and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen. He is widely recognized for pioneering guitar techniques,... read more

His guitar playing is obnoxious. It's extremely repetitive and all sounds the same. The solos are very sloppy and poorly implemented into songs, and the tone of his guitar is painful to listen to.

I'm not a fan of Angus Young's guitar playing, but he can play circles around Van Halen. At least his playing isn't this obnoxious. I'm tired of hearing that he's better than Hendrix. Hendrix destroys this guy. All of Hendrix's complex techniques and diverse, amazing guitar playing have so much variety, and it makes this guy look like Lil Wayne. At least Lil Wayne doesn't focus on guitar playing. He's a poor rapper.

The Edge (U2) David Howell Evans, better known by his stage name the Edge, is an Irish musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist of the rock band U2. The Edge is recognized for his signature sound characterized by delay effects and minimalistic style.

Awful guitarist. Can't play for [insert faecal noun].

He's had a guitar in his hands for fifty years and still can't even play basic chords well. He can hardly play "joined-up" at all. He links a jangly, repetitive bit on the end instead of showing any progression or note work of any kind. And I'm not disparaging him because he's not a showy virtuoso dancing up and down the scales. I actually like understated playing.

"The Edge" (what a bloody ridiculous moniker) reminds me of a fourteen-year-old who, infatuated with his imagined self-image as a rock star or guitarist, picks up a guitar but has neither ability nor any kind of committed attention or work ethic. He doesn't even have the basic ability to apply himself and learn how to play. So instead, he messes around with pedals, free-standing poseur strums, and thinks the inevitable and accidental overtones from the amp are musical ability.

Most fourteen-year-olds either realize that playing takes work and get down to it, or they give up and move on to something else.

Not David Evans though. Like I said, he's been at this fraud for fifty years and is too lazy to even bother trying to improve. Any kid, even someone without much talent, could surpass Evans with a little dedication in just a few months.

I'd give him some credit for pulling it off and making a career from this scam. I don't resent someone for making a buck, even a dishonest buck, as long as it's not harming anyone. But the guy is arrogant as f*k about his "ability," the kind of arrogance that only makes sense when backed up by talent. And "Edge" doesn't have an ounce of it.

Did Eddie Van Halen compliment him as a player? Maybe Eddie's just a nice guy. Or maybe he's pathologically generous in his praise.

Dave Grohl David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer, and film director. He was the drummer for the influential 1990s grunge band Nirvana and is the founding vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock band Foo Fighters. He has also performed as... read more

I like the guy, would love to have a beer with him. But his music is more generic than Walmart brand aspirin, uninspiring, and simple. I mean, if you can pull a random dude out of a crowd and let him sit in on drums during a concert, you probably aren't pushing many boundaries.

Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and far right activist. Nugent initially gained fame as the lead guitarist of the Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock and hard rock.

Really just not that good at all. His playing is boring and sloppy.

Yngwie Malmsteen Yngwie Johan Malmsteen is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter, and bandleader born June 30, 1963, in Stockholm, Sweden. He's renowned for his neoclassical metal playing style. Malmsteen gained prominence in the 1980s with virtuoso albums such as Rising Force (1984).

He was far from the only one to play that musical style, and far from the best. One hundred percent lightning-fast shredding, zero percent emotion. If certain unfortunate circumstances hadn't come about and taken out the other major neo-classical guitarist of the time, he'd be second fiddle.

This is the most dull guitar player I've ever heard. Technique is not nearly as important as making decent music.

He is an insane shredder, but I don't think he could even improvise a blues solo.

Keith Richards Keith Richards is an English musician, primarily a guitarist, as well as a singer, songwriter, best-selling memoirist, and founding member of the rock band The Rolling Stones. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists in rock history. Richards has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall... read more

Keith Richards sucks. What he did is introduce distortion to the mass and created modern rock with that act. His riffs are simple, and my five-year-old cousin can play them on his child guitar. And I think Hammett is not the fifth most overrated player.

People say that because Mustaine is better than him. Hammett is an excellent player, but not one of the best. Also, Richie Sambora is terribly underrated. I mean, Richie could own all of the guys on this list.

This guy looks like he's wearing a build-a-body outfit. He's so thin he has to wear tons of clothes to make it look like he actually has a body. The Stones are a decent band, but he plays guitar like a twelve-year-old.

Tom Morello Thomas Morello is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and political activist. He is best known for his tenure with the band Rage Against the Machine and later with Audioslave. Morello is also known for his innovative guitar style and his solo project, The Nightwatchman.

As a guitar player myself, I can tell you sliding your hand across the guitar strings over the pickups instead of playing actual musical notes like Slash, Hendrix, Jimmy Page, etc., does not take talent. I strongly agree with Tom being on the list but disagree with most of the others.

On the low key though, I still kind of like Rage Against the Machine and I don't know why.

I can't even consider this guy a guitar player. I saw him on stage with Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, Zakk Wylde, John 5, Nuno Bettencourt, and others where they all traded solos. It was obvious from his body language that he didn't feel comfortable playing with actual guitar players. I actually felt bad for him.

Jack White John Anthony "Jack" White is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo The White Stripes. He has also achieved success with other bands, including The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, as well as in his solo career.

Only popular because of "Seven Nation Army." I believe Meg was the one who wrote the riff too. Just look at him. He looks like a rejected Ozzy Osbourne.

Jack White and the Edge both show that you don't have to be good to be famous.

Knows nothing about articulation, yet another noisy and sloppy sucker.

Zakk Wylde Zakk Wylde is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his work as a guitarist with Ozzy Osbourne. Wylde also founded the heavy metal band Black Label Society, where he serves as the lead guitarist and vocalist.

Entertaining guitarist, but every solo sounds the same.

I just saw Zakk Sabbath, and it was great because Black Sabbath were one of my favorite bands.

I can't stand his tone. That terrible blasty sound with tons of gain and then the endless wah. Definitely overrated.

He's definitely lost his sense of creativity in his solos and riffs.

Carlos Santana Carlos Santana is a Mexican and American musician who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of rock and Latin American jazz. Santana's performance at Woodstock in 1969 helped launch his career. He has won ten Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy... read more

People who can't play always mention him as the best. He's just an elitist who only plays in one key and nothing else. Those liberal-yuppie-know-it-alls always hail him as the best. Unfortunately, his rotten political opinions aside, Carlos is still one of the most boring guitarists you'll ever hear.

He has absolutely no technique (can't shred, duh) or musicality (always the same pentatonic scale and one key playing).

Carlos Santana completely hijacked Peter Green's style when Fleetwood Mac came to America. He even went as far as pawning off "Black Magic Woman" as his own material. Neil Schon was a way better guitarist, but Carlos only let him play rhythm during the Santana III years.

Dave Navarro David Michael "Dave" Navarro is an American guitarist, singer-songwriter, and actor. He is best known as a former member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and as a founding member of the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction.

This guy is okay, but let's face it, he's not that great. He's a triumph of style over substance.

Angus Young was on this list, but not this guy?

Pat Metheny

Just because Pat Metheny is a Jazz player doesn't exempt him from the list. Compared to other top Jazz guitarists like George Benson, or top Fusion players like John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, and Frank Gambale, Pat Metheny is boring at best.

Pat Metheny is not a bona fide jazz guitarist. Nor are jazz-wannabees John Scofield and Bill Frisell, both of whom should be on this list.

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen "Stevie" Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 - August 27, 1990) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Despite a mainstream career that lasted only seven years, he's widely considered one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of music. He played a key... read more

He just plays blues licks over and over again. He seems like a guy who you would see at an open mic night and think, "Oh damn, he's pretty good," but nothing more. He's better than the other guitarists on this list, but I had to put him here because of how many people think he's the greatest ever.

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