Who can remember Michael Lee Firkins

Squonk

From the intro of one of those Arlen Roth videos
Not great Quality but still good stuff

If there ever was an underated guitarist....

AlanRatcliffe

Of course. He's still around, although he tends to slide covers of classic rock songs these days:

Bob-Dubery

I'll make my usual point about "underrated" vs "not well known".

Many of these guys - and even Roth, really - are not underrated, they are just not household names. The people who DO know them generally know how good they are.

I'd put Danny Gatton, one of MLF's influences, in the same category: Not underrated, just not well known.

I'm trying to think of a player who is widely known but underrated - maybe Prince (though less so since that YouTube clip), maybe Mike Campbell from the heartbreakers.

AlanRatcliffe

X-rated Bob wrote: Many of these guys - and even Roth, really - are not underrated, they are just not household names. The people who DO know them generally know how good they are.

Very true. The real players' players.

Squonk

lets not get too caught up with words here ?

Maybe I did use the word 'underrated' a bit too lightly :-[, but I am sure you know what I mean!

If a guitarist is not rated because he is unknown, he would still be underrated, or maybe not rated.... ???

Even though he is still around, not many people refer back to him at all. You won't find him in any top guitar lists or in anyone's influential list.

He was hugely regarded in the early 90's and made all the Guitar publications of the day, but not much since then.

Danny Gatton is hugely known and is widely regarded as one of the best Telecaster players. He didn't make a success commercially but he is way huger the MLF. I have Guitar Players and Guitarist magazines full of Danny Gatton.

This was the reasoning behind my underrated comment or as I shall now rephrase 'NOT RATED' ?

arjunmenon

X-rated Bob wrote: I'll make my usual point about "underrated" vs "not well known".

Many of these guys - and even Roth, really - are not underrated, they are just not household names. The people who DO know them generally know how good they are.

I'd put Danny Gatton, one of MLF's influences, in the same category: Not underrated, just not well known.

I'm trying to think of a player who is widely known but underrated - maybe Prince (though less so since that YouTube clip), maybe Mike Campbell from the heartbreakers.

+1.
How about Luther Dickson? Robbie McIntosh?

Bob-Dubery

Squonk wrote: lets not get too caught up with words here ?

Maybe I did use the word 'underrated' a bit too lightly :-[, but I am sure you know what I mean!

Not then. I've a better idea now.

If a guitarist is not rated because he is unknown, he would still be underrated, or maybe not rated.... ???

"Unknown" would work for me. Unless I'm having an argument with a person who equates "unknown" with "no good" (I don't think I am here) and I'd had a couple. There are people who seem to equate excellence with sales.

Even though he is still around, not many people refer back to him at all. You won't find him in any top guitar lists or in anyone's influential list.

I'd never heard of him until your post. So the world got a little bigger for me today. Thanks.

He was hugely regarded in the early 90's and made all the Guitar publications of the day, but not much since then.

Danny Gatton is hugely known and is widely regarded as one of the best Telecaster players. He didn't make a success commercially but he is way huger the MLF. I have Guitar Players and Guitarist magazines full of Danny Gatton.

Well, a lot of players and people who read guitar magazines seem to know about Danny Gatton, but he's not a household name. There are degrees of these things. I don't know anybody who has heard Gatton play and doesn't think the guy was something special. So he's not underrated, but he isn't that well known either. I grant that he's better known than MLF, but that's a bit like being taller than Mickey Rooney (you don't have to be that tall).