How do you rate Billy Duffy (The Cult) as a guitarist?

[Traxan]

You don't hear his name much in the pantheon of rock guitar gods but he is unique and no one sounds like him. Wondering what you all think.

[Hatchets Molly]

Doesn’t hold a candle to Spyder.

[BootyDaddy69]

Will be seeing The Cult live for the first time in Sydney in Dec, I like Billys playing hope he sounds as good live as on the albums

[dmbrocker]

Doesn’t hold a candle to Spyder.

Well, no one does, of course. Spyder's a first-class legend.

[Michael Hotts Ghost]

He is a notch above Billy Corgan.

[HoldenSSV]

He is a notch below Billy Gibbons.

[Bono Nettencourt]

He is several notches above Billie Eillish.

[CrankerBait]

He's very good, and I like the fact that he doesn't stick to a single sound/style. Listen to Love, Electric and Sonic Temple, and his playing is very different from album to album.

[sunshinehead]

Gave Johnny Marr his first guitar lesson and still sounds fresh after 40 years of recording. One of the best sounding rock and pop players out there. Head and shoulders above most metal players. Influential.

[Van Ailin']

You don't hear his name much in the pantheon of rock guitar gods but he is unique and no one sounds like him. Wondering what you all think.

Just OK. "The Phoenix" was the best he ever did, and that was on album #1.

[pieceofme]

He's alright. Does the job well enough

[diablomozart]

i think he was perfect for the cult, great tone too...d.m.

[Doyle Hargraves]

Written a bunch of classic guitar riffs, lot of his solos are catchy and memorable, works well in a variety of styles, still at it and always looks like a rock star, never had any public melt downs. He's one of my favorite rock players for sure. Rating 8/10 white falcons.

[Mojo]

Even thought it's the shitty Baldwin-era Gretsches, he's still a Gretsch guy, and I have to like him.

[Ryan81]

He's very good, and I like the fact that he doesn't stick to a single sound/style. Listen to Love, Electric and Sonic Temple, and his playing is very different from album to album.

That is very true. I don't know of many bands who have changed their styles so much from album to album (or at least their 80's material...I'm not familiar with anything after Sonic Temple other than Wild Hearted Son) in such a short amount of time. Sometimes I wonder if that is a good move for a band or not. It makes for a good Greatest Hits collection. I remember I used to have High Octane Cult (a greatest hits album) and it was very good! Right up there with Ratt & Roll 81-91. Except Ratt had the opposite problem from The Cult...as in there was essentially no difference in style whatsoever from album to album.

Wasn't the dynamic in The Cult that Duffy was clean and on point whereas Astbury was a bit of a space case and a connoisseur of substances that squares consider to be illicit?

Regarding the initial question, I'd say Duffy is a very solid guitarist. He certainly didn't overplay...which is a good thing. If you listen to the stuff he is playing during the verse of Fire Woman for example, it is really tasteful and melodic. Also, not very easy to play. At least not for me. Or at least not the way Guitar Pro has it TABbed out.

Resurrection Joe is one of my favorites of theirs.

[kanister]

Gave Johnny Marr his first guitar lesson and still sounds fresh after 40 years of recording. One of the best sounding rock and pop players out there. Head and shoulders above most metal players. Influential.

Absolutely. It´s crazy these two were teenage friends. Both among the very finest rock guitar players. And both definitely above ANY metal guitarist.

[Tommy2Tone84]

10/10

Very influential who doesn’t get the credit he deserves but is so cool that he doesn’t even care.

[TheCULTofMANSON]

One of the best

[HoldenSSV]

Both among the very finest rock guitar players. And both definitely above ANY metal guitarist.

I hope you're trolling. Johnny Marr is one of the most technically average players I can think of. Other than "How Soon is Now?" there aren't any riffs or solos the average music fan could name.

[LAglamrocker]

He is good enough to be in The Cult
He is not good enough to be on Under The Influence or Long Cold Winter

Career highlight being on that reality show ..running from getting married from ..nagging girlfriend
Best thing about The Cult was the singer long awesome hair

[Gibsonite]

His work on the Love album is pretty good, but other than that he's about as generic a rock guitar player as you'll ever hear. A few good riffs and leads here & there but overall he's pretty "meh" imho.

[DangerZone]

Creativity & rhythm is great.
Lead playing is not great

[OKWhiteFalcon]

Recognizable tone, crunchy riffs and whistle-able solos.

Batshit crazy girlfriend though.

[Bono Nettencourt]

Both among the very finest rock guitar players. And both definitely above ANY metal guitarist.

I hope you're trolling. Johnny Marr is one of the most technically average players I can think of. Other than "How Soon is Now?" there aren't any riffs or solos the average music fan could name.

Yeah ppl work Marr's knob all the time but I don't hear it.

[OKWhiteFalcon]

Gave Johnny Marr his first guitar lesson...

That's musical urban legend, didn't happen.

Duffy did in fact introduce Marr to Steven Morrissey at a Patti Smith concert though.

Here's Duffy/Marr's story from their own mouths.

https://www.billyduffy.com/stories/billy-and-johnny/

[dmbrocker]

As for Duffy, he's a decent enough guitarist. He has some good leads on those classic Cult singles.

[SchenkerFan]

Good riffs, nice tone, solid leads. 8/10