Originally Posted by mr dave

I think the biggest issue facing the reputation of people like Malmsteen, Satriani and Vai (how has he not been mentioned yet) is that they're still being compared to 'rock' musicians who mostly play by the numbers blues based rock and roll whereas the majority of 'shredders' (for lack of a better term) seem to draw more from classical and jazz (more complex melodic/rhythmic themes and virtuosic/improvisational soloing). The problem is most people are seeing an electric guitar and expecting them to play it along the same kind of blues based rock and roll pattern that's been rehashed for the last 50 years.

As for Malmsteen's reputation it seems that he's been judged based on the merits of his followers rather than his catalog (which reminds me more of what would result if Judas Priest raped Iron Maiden). He may the one who created an army of soulless widdly widdly widdly machines, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a HUGE Hendrix head and if Hendrix wasn't all about the subtleties and nuances of how he was playing his music. I don't think it's possible for anyone to claim to be a Hendrix fan and not have some ability / comprehension of the effectiveness of the subtle nuances in sliding, bending, shaking, or any other way of shaping the sound of a note.

The problem with people like Fareri who have obviously spawned from the shred scene is that they're primarily technique by a huge margin. They know how to add vibrato to a note, but not why. It's not to say their music is soulless but it's presented in a way most people don't understand how to appreciate. Do most of us recognize merit of how an office tower was built besides it's visual aesthetic? No, but an architect would.