We Asked 200+ Guitarists Who the Most Underrated Guitarist of All Time Was. Here’s the Top 10.
So we threw a question out to our guitar community: who’s the most underrated guitarist of all time?
Over 200 guitar players weighed in, and honestly, I figured a few obvious names would run away with it.
Instead, what we got was a glorious mess of hot takes, deep cuts, and a surprising number of people who just answered “me.”
But once the votes were tallied, a clear top 10 shook out. Some names you’ll know cold, a few you might not. And the #1 pick kept coming back, over and over, usually with a story attached.
Here are the 10 most underrated guitarists of all time, ranked by what our community of guitarists said:
#10: Alvin Lee
If you’ve ever sat through the Woodstock documentary, you already know Alvin Lee.
He’s the one who walked out with Ten Years After and played “I’m Going Home” so fast that people are still trying to work out how his fingers didn’t catch fire.
He was the original shredder years before shredding was a thing.
Lee mostly gets remembered for that ONE performance, which is frustrating, and the rest of his catalog gets ignored. Which is a shame, because there’s so much more to love. The blues phrasing, the speed, the way he could turn a solo into a full-on chase scene, etc. etc.
He passed in 2013, but the playing has aged beautifully.
#9: Roy Buchanan
This one needs a little context.. In the early ’70s, Roy Buchanan got a PBS documentary literally titled “The World’s Greatest Unknown Guitarist.” That title is his entire career in five words.
He was a Telecaster wizard.. we’re talkin’ pinch harmonics, volume swells he pulled off with his pinky, tone manipulation that made the guitar sound like it was crying one second and laughing the next, and so much more.
Jeff Beck, Gary Moore, and Joe Bonamassa have all named him as an influence.
Legend has it the Rolling Stones offered him a spot after Brian Jones died, and he turned it down. He never chased fame. He once said the reason he never made it big was that he never cared whether he made it big or not.
#8: Glen Campbell
A lot of people only know Glen Campbell as the “Rhinestone Cowboy” guy. And THAT is the underrated part.
Before he was a country crossover star, he was one of the busiest session guitarists in Los Angeles. He was part of the Wrecking Crew, the legendary group of studio musicians who played on a ridiculous number of ’60s hits. Beach Boys records, Phil Spector productions, Sinatra, Elvis, you get it.
Basically, if it was on the radio in the ’60s, there’s a decent chance Glen Campbell was on it.
He could play 12-string and 6-string at a level most people never comprehend. One poller said he “might be top three of all time,” and if you’re judging on pure musicianship alone, that’s not far off.
Another person made the point that most folks just don’t realize how much studio work he did. The Wrecking Crew built the wall of sound, and Glen was right in the middle of it.
#7: Lindsey Buckingham
Definitely one of my all-time favorite guitarists.. Lindsey Buckingham is the guy who held Fleetwood Mac together, sonically speaking.
He produced, he arranged, he wrote, and he played guitar with a fingerpicking style that almost nobody else in rock was doing at that level.
He doesn’t use a pick like, ever. Watch him play “Big Love” live and try to make sense of what his right hand is doing. I’ve watched it a dozen times and I’m still not sure.
So why’s he underrated? Well, probably because Fleetwood Mac was so dominated by the vocals and the soap-opera band drama. The guitar work just melted into the songs, because it served the songs that well. And that’s the highest compliment you can pay a player.
He’s also got a solo career nobody talks about. It’s worth a listen if Fleetwood Mac is all you’ve ever heard from him.
#6: Jerry Reed
If you grew up on “Smokey and the Bandit,” you know Jerry Reed as Snowman. Maybe you know “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot” or “East Bound and Down.”
But what you might not know is that Chet Atkins, one of the most respected guitar players to ever live, called Jerry Reed his favorite. That’s a big deal.
His fingerstyle technique was nuts. The articulation, groove, and timing was emaculate. Country and bluegrass players still study it today. “The Claw” is a song other guitarists regularly put on specifically to feel humbled.
The acting and the country hits sort of buried the fact that he was a flat-out monster on guitar. He got multiple votes from people, and deserved his spot on this list.
#5: Gary Moore
A few people argued about whether Gary Moore even belongs on an underrated list claiming that he was/is well-respected in the guitar world.
And sure, he is respected, but he never really crossed over to the kind of household-name status that someone like Eric Clapton has. And his playing genuinely deserves that level of fame.
The vibrato and the emotion in his bends is everything. “Still Got the Blues” is one of the most expressive blues guitar tracks ever recorded.
He passed away in 2011, which is wild to think about. He got A LOT of votes in our poll. That’s a lot of people voting for someone who supposedly isn’t underrated.
If you’ve never gone deep on Gary Moore, start with the album “Still Got the Blues” and work backwards.
#4: Mick Mars
Mick Mars got swallowed by his own band. Truly.
Mötley Crüe was Vince Neil’s screaming, Nikki Sixx’s songwriting, and Tommy Lee’s drumming chaos. Mick was the quiet one in the corner just flat-out shredding.
The “Home Sweet Home” solo, the intro to “Kickstart My Heart,” and the way “Dr. Feelgood” grooves.. Mick, Mick, Mick.
What makes his story even more remarkable is that he’s been battling ankylosing spondylitis, a degenerative spinal condition, since he was a teenager. He retired from touring in 2022 because the disease had basically fused his spine. He played sold-out arenas for 40+ years through that.
#3: Prince
If you’ve never watched Prince’s guitar solo at the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, stop reading this and go watch it right now. We’ve added it below.
Prince was inducted that year, and so was George Harrison, posthumously.
So it was Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, and George’s son Dhani on stage doing “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” as a tribute.
And for those who know.. Prince joined them.
For most of the song he hangs back. Then, in the last three minutes, he rips one of the most jaw-dropping solos ever caught on camera.
And then he tosses his guitar straight up in the air and walks offstage. To this day nobody knows where the guitar landed.
Rolling Stone had left Prince off their 100 Greatest Guitarists list the year before. The solo has since been read as an act of revenge.
People remember Prince as a pop genius, which he was. But he was also one of the best electric players of his generation, and the rest of the world is still catching up.
#2: Alex Lifeson
This one lit up our comments. TONS of people wrote in some version of “Alex Lifeson” or “Lerxst” (his nickname, the one hardcore Rush fans use).
Back in 2020, Ultimate Guitar ran their own poll asking readers for the most underrated guitarist of all time. Lifeson came out #1. So this isn’t just our crowd, it’s a remarkably consistent take across the whole guitar community.
His being underrated has NOTHING to do with skill. It’s that he was in Rush. Which meant standing next to Geddy Lee, one of the most ridiculous bass-players-slash-vocalists in rock, and Neil Peart, who a whole lot of people will tell you is the greatest drummer who ever lived.
Alex was always the third name out of people’s mouths, even though his playing is every bit as innovative.
Put on “Limelight,” “La Villa Strangiato,” or “Tom Sawyer” and really listen to what the guitar is doing. He blends rhythm and lead in a way almost nobody else pulls off.
He also started his own gear company, Lerxst, building amps and pedals around his signature tone. So if you’ve ever wanted to sound like Alex Lifeson, the gear is right there waiting.
#1: Terry Kath
The runaway winner by a mile. Terry Kath was named more than anyone else by a wide margin, and the comments came in with serious conviction.
Terry Kath was the original lead guitarist for Chicago. The “Saturday in the Park” and “If You Leave Me Now” Chicago.
Most people file the band under horns and ballads, which is exactly why Kath is so wildly overlooked. The early records have some of the most aggressive, inventive guitar playing of the era.
In the late ’60s, Chicago was playing the Whisky a Go Go in LA, and Jimi Hendrix was in the crowd. After the set, Hendrix walked up to the band’s saxophonist Walt Parazaider, tapped him on the shoulder, and said his guitar player was better than him.
Hendrix later called Kath “the best guitarist in the universe.”
JIMI HENDRIX said that. About a guy most casual rock fans have never heard of.
The reason Kath never became a household name is genuinely sad. He died in 1978 at just 31, an accidental shooting at a friend’s house. He thought the gun was unloaded. Ugh.
If you want to hear what everyone’s talking about, put on “25 or 6 to 4” and listen to the solo. Then go find “Free Form Guitar” off Chicago’s debut, basically a proto-metal track recorded in 1969. The man was years ahead of everybody.
So there’s your most underrated guitarist of all time, straight from our community. And when Jimi Hendrix is the one vouching for you.. it’s tough to argue.
Honorable Mentions
We had to draw the line somewhere at 10, but a bunch of names came up multiple times and deserve a shoutout:
- Malcolm Young (AC/DC) – the rhythm guitarist’s rhythm guitarist
- Danny Gatton – another Telecaster master who never got mainstream fame
- Neil Giraldo – Pat Benatar’s husband and longtime guitarist, way more talented than most people realize
- Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
- Martin Barre (Jethro Tull)
And of course, the dozens of people who responded with “me.” We respect the confidence.
Did We Miss Your Pick?
This whole post came from our community, and we want to hear yours too. Who do you think is the most underrated guitarist of all time? Drop their name in the comments and tell us why.
Maybe your pick will end up on the next list.
