Neal Schon doesn’t see himself as an underrated guitarist.
When a recent tweet from Forever Rockin’ praised him as “definitely underrated and one of the all-time greatest guitarists,” Schon quickly responded, saying, “I don’t feel underrated at all. My fans mean the most to me.”
Schon has no interest in competing with other guitarists or being ranked on ‘top 10’ lists. In response to a post by Rock History that featured his image and asked if he should be in the “top 10 greatest guitarists of ALL TIME,” Schon replied, “Haha funny. I don’t claim to be and don’t care, as music is not a competition between real players. It’s a gift to be able to express yourself—preference of music is always your personal choice.”
In another post, Schon shared that Journey’s former manager had prevented him from being included on many of those top guitarist lists. Following a post by Rock History asking followers to name their top three guitarists, one user, Chris Mascaro, commented, “It is absolutely crazy to me how often Neal Schon is overlooked. The guy is a musical genius but left off these lists every time.” Schon responded by revealing, “Politics with ex-manager.”
Looking back on his career, Schon explained in 2022, “I think people can hear that my secret weapon is melody. Melody wins over everything every time. Knowing how to make that melody sing with perfect pitch and perfect vibrato is key. I based my guitar style on listening to really great singers.”
He added, “The choice of blues notes, how you hit that note—whether with intensity or lightly to make it cry—and the vibrato that follows. That’s my secret weapon.”
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