Hey im lead guitarist in a band (im sick of it haha) and well i just cant seem to work around my Rhythm guitarist. Like i keep pulling off CRAP solos. I have been told his guitar is too distorted for Rhythm. Could that be the problem??? We are playing covers of variety of stuff, but mostly classic rock and modern rock.

But i have noticed that wen i jam wit my mate at school (He a legend for his age!) well i can pull off much better licks etc, and i hav A HELL OF ALOT more fun!

So im just wondering if anyone can give me some suggestions. Probably the best option is to leave the band and make one wit my mate. But at the moment i wanna stay in this one aswell.

My Rhythm guitarist is playing through a Silverstone guitar (2 Humbucker pickups) and he always play on the bridge pickup and i tell him to use a pick but always uses his nail on his finer next to his thumb (like wat i used to do) Also he plays through a crate Flexiwave 65/112 on the overdrive setting.

Unplug his amp?

Make him trade his gear for Fender?

Send him to guitar classes?

Play your own riffs over his and do some shred in between?

Get yourself a loop pedal and record your own riff loop then shred over it? Then you can get a more powerful amp and drown him out.

haha aww man. Thats mean though lol. What i have noticed though is that he can do a clean G Barre Chord. He can clearly strum every note on it without muting a string. and your rite. we need some fender gear. But at least i hav an AMERICAN STANDARD TELECASTER! and jeez i love it!

important questions is - how does the rest of the band feel about his playing?
i'm fortunate enough to be in a band that has open minded members.
if somebody doesn't like what someone else is doing, they just say so, but everybody does it in a constructive way... kinda... "hey, why don't you try it this way instead..."

if the other members of the band feel the same way you do, heck, gang up on him and set him straight. if he wants to stay in, he'll get the message... if he's not willing to work with the others (operative word here is "with") why's he there in the first place?

then, there's the other side...
"could be you, doc."
(bugs bunny)
maybe see if you can work something out with your buddy. maybe have your buddy meet the other guys in the band and squeeze the other sucker out. heck the beatles did it to peter best... (sort of)
;)

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O thanks man! Yea well could be my playing, but im a hell of alot better wit my mate. But most of the songs we do i dnt even like, so its probably that. But yea i have been talking to my drummer bout it and he agrees. Also this guy from a professional band said our Rhythm gutiarists sound is way too distorted and needs to be clean. Cause its my job to hav sustain etc.

i'd agree with the "clean rhythm" idea as well... a little grunge doesn't hurt, but too much makes the whole band sound muddy. it also helps to have some distinction so that all the instruments can be heard. the "rhythm" section provides a foundation on which the melody is built, whether it's guitar, vocal, keys, horns... you get the idea. if you can't tell the difference in the sound of the rhythm guitar and the lead guitar, it's just a lot of notes jammed together with the same texture.
might as well have a bowl of oatmeal ;)

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Sweet thanks mate. Ill clean it up tonight and tell him to use a bloody pick haha. He needs to use a pick for the way he plays.