Underrated: Steve Kimock. Who's Steve Kimock? Exactly Overrated: Kurt Cobain. According to Rolling Stone, he is #12 of all time. I love Nirvana, but come on.
Kurt was pretty innovative. I think that's why he was put up so high. He defined an entire genre. I agree though, he's no number 12. As for his sloppyness, that's just part of expression. When the tone is so clean, I feel it starts to sound manufactured.
I totally agree, I'm a lifelong (nearly) Nirvana fan and Kurt wouldn't even make my top 20 guitarists. That was certainly not what set him, or Nirvana, apart.
If Rolling Stone had any validity left, it surely left the moment they printed that. I mean the guy had to bring in Pat Smear because he wasn't good enough to play the stuff he conceived. I too love Nirvana but not because Cobain was one of the best guitarists ever. Lame. Steve Kimock is great, but then I only know this because you introduced me to his work. Otherwise.... who the hell is Steve Kimock is about right.