I can see your point, it's just that I have a hard time thinking highly of a guitarist who stops getting better, at such a young age. I can see where a 55 year old accomplished guitarist doesn't have the need, the juice, to improve (nobody in particular), but Dave was pretty young when dark side came out.
I look at it this way:
Not only could Dave had been much more 'accomplished' on the guitar, he could have been more tasteful by allowing more seeds of influence into his mind. That's just how I see it.
~Incidents