[mattymel]

at the top of the all time most overrated list HAS to be clapton. the whole "clapton is god" era has always been an enigma to me. true that he once had a decent sound. but who wouldnt with unlimited funds back in the day when all there was was gibson guitars and marshall amps. whoopdeedoo. "womantone"? clapton plays licks he lifted off of other people's records proficiently, and with little mojo. kind of an important thing when you are supposed to be playing the blues.
...i would have to disagree that santana is overrated. i think he has fallen on two rough periods during his career. the eighties were very unkind (as they were to everyone) and the recent records are of course laughable. but i got free tickets to go see him from a student of mine a few years back...and he killed it. IMO his phrasing is really on a different level from any other rock guitarist. he has more understanding of dynamics, tone, phrasing, and feel in one finger than most "guitar gods" even dream of. listen to him play "europa" from any concert in the 70s and you will hear a completely different rendition every night. he is real deal. as long as he isnt playing Messof Poopie amps, he sound is always nails. and he is actually very humble on top of it all and always has something good to say, even when he is rambling on about aliens.