Quote Originally Posted by nobody
I really don't see how you can separate the guitar playing from the music. They are intertwined. Great guitar playing contributes to great music. If a guy can't make a great song or contribute to a great song, he's simply not a great guitar player in my book no matter how many notes he can play or how fast.

I'd comapre it to a guy who can do amazing things with a basketball on the playground but doesn't have the overall game to make the NBA. Or a soccer player that can juggle the ball for days on end but doesn't have the total game to make it as a pro. Fancy tricks are nice, but you have to have a complete package to provide anything of value on a high level.

A good musician makes good music is the bottom line.

Now, what you consider good music is all subjective. But valuing a guy who can play a whole crapload of notes but can't make a song you like doesn't make and sense to me.
I see your point. But it's kind of like saying that Dan Marino was never a good quarterback because his team never won the Superbowl. Or that Barry Sanders wasn't a great running back because his team sucked.