Was George technically proficient as a Guitar player or not?

Absolutely he was proficient! I can't make my fingers do the things his did, or so cleanly.

I think people tend to rag on George because he wasn't 1) a virtuoso player, which is completely different from being "technically proficient" and 2) a fast composer of original tunes. I get particularly irritated at the latter. I too rely upon creativity for my livelihood, and I'm not fast. But when I release something, people only get to see the finished product. They don't say, "Nice work, too bad it took you 2 weeks to get it done, otherwise I might have liked it." No, what they actually say is, "Wow, awesome! Do more!"

Everyone's creative process is unique. I fully respect George's creative process because he left me so many tunes that I continue to enjoy... well, daily! So I'm very grateful I "met" him. Cheers.

I dont think he was technically proficient but at the time of the beatles there wasnt really many techniques around yet as distortion was just only starting to come in to play and it was far less heavier than the sound that guitarists have got now a days to play with.

I never really saw him as lead guitarist but more as a rhythm player, playing only what the song needed when it was needed he played basically what lennon was playing in most songs but at a higher or lower part on the guitar, with a slight difference in the rhythm and then when there was no singing would then perform a little riff here and there where it was needed .

None of the beatles with the exception of paul who was doing things with the bass that no other bass players where doing at the time where technically great, they just had a great understanding for what makes a song good and knowing how to build a song to give the highs and lows.

Usually when i listen all my other favourite bands the one thing that stands out for me with them apart from the music being great is that i wanna learn the guitar parts but with the beatles i think apart from the  amazing songwriting is the 3 way harmonies and the bass playing.

imo ive never been blown away by his playing or even got the urge to learn his parts like when i listen to other guitarists they inspire me to learn there bits, i would put george slightly ahead of guys like noel gallagher in the guitar stakes and are both great for if youve been playing guitar for a year and wanna get a little better.

But he is an awesome songwriter which is basically how i sum up george hes a musician and songwriter before he is guitarist even when he was playing lead on lennon/mccartney compositions he was always wrting for the better of the song and sometimes that meant maybe doing very little and sometimes just playing tambourine.

Yes all the way! Of course he was technically proficient, couldn't ask for a better guitarist for the Beatles. He got better and better throughout the Beatle years, just listen to that guitar on Something! Wow, he's a genius when it comes to that, I think he's one of the best ever.  

Yes- I don't think George receives enough credit for his guitar playing.

Y-e-s.

I voted 'yes' even though I still dont consider him one of the greatest.

I voted "yes" because I think George was technically proficient and he became better as the years went by.  I think George is one of the most melodic guitarrists around and has his distinctive sound as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page.

Quoted from Beatlemaniac64

Yes all the way! Of course he was technically proficient, couldn't ask for a better guitarist for the Beatles. He got better and better throughout the Beatle years, just listen to that guitar on Something! Wow, he's a genius when it comes to that, I think he's one of the best ever.  

You said it beautifully, Beatlemaniac64.  I can add nothing more.

I think he was technically proficent as a guitar player, without a doubt, but he wasn't in the same leagues as his buddy Clapton.

George was a brilliant 'underated' guitarist with his own tone!
He wasen't that particully amazing when he first started but he could
probley play most better than some guitarist, his nice work on the
early songs like Till There Was You, And I Love Her, & those terrific
BBC recordings alone show what a great guitar player he was.
I think he was bettering himself as time went on & certainly by his
solo career he played amazing stuff. I don't think anyone could copy the
style he had, & i don't think anyone sounded like him before.
he played simply & beautifully  which is what i prefer, he wasn't interested in being
a Hendrix or Clapton for that matter. He was George!  
Technically Proficient? yes & no. Yes in the fact that almost everybody can
hum the guitar solo's to the Beatles songs & no in the fact that .. well, he wasen't
technically great. But that was a great thing because he wasen't a show-off or
a labellad 'Guitar-God'. That kinda thing just bores's me!

I like George's guitar playing and i think he did get much better as time went on , i really like his playing on Thirty Three & 1/3 , i like how he keeps his playing in sync with his voice on this album it's lovely.

DaveRam

It's no secret that I don't rate George highly as a guitarist, though I do think he had certain qualities that single him out. His sense of melody, in league with McCartney's was essential to some songs. And I enjoy his later slide work. It would have been interesting to see how The Beatles would have turned out had he developed that earlier.

There is a thread here 'The Beatles minus George', where I, amongst some others suggested that The Beatles could have withstood the loss of George. It was hypothetical only, and seemed to single me out as a George hater, which is far from the truth. In fact he is my favourite ex-Beatle, as a solo artist.

Yeah i agree with blue meanie i too also looked as if i was coming down on george hard but i only meant it in the guitar sense, he contributed a lot more than just playing the guitar to the beatles.

He in my opinion was a craftsman and songwriter before he was a guitarist, and he was also very versatile and could play anythign when he was called upon to do so, for the good of the song.

He's great. When I hear one of the other Beatles' solo albums, like "Imagine" or "Ringo" for example, I hear a guitar riff. Then I'm like, hey, is that George? He has such a distinct sound, I can tell it's him. That's a pretty big gift on George's part if someone can tell who someone else is just by hearing a guitar riff.

And thanks Hello Goodbye for the compliment!