Perhaps I haven't played in enough sessions yet of the sort mentioned but I have played in ones from Devon to Scotland and have yet to experience any antipathy.

I do like to think (and have had feedback from people I've played with) that I have some ability, reasonable ears, a reasonable degree of taste and perhaps most importantly the sense to know when NOT to play (which of course is rarely *grin*).

I have played in sessions though with quite a lot of guitarists who take very limited note of anything going on around them and seem almost blissfully unaware of the desires of the person/people playing the tune. Sometimes they 'know' the tune - but sometimes this may make it even worse. "I know this tune AND the chords" they say "and I know the RIGHT way to play it". What they don't say but then demonstrate is that they know how to play it THEIR way but no apparent interest in listening to or playing with anyone play it. (Stand to reason - if it doesn't sound ok it's because the tune players are playing it wrong).

That's one of the times I put the guitar down. There is a bit of me when full of beer that is tempted to race into battle and try to outplay or drown the other person but I dont' think that helps the world much and usually comes out as a fair approximation of an acoustic version of 'Machine Gun' or trying to play a session at opposite ends of a well.

I'd like to suggest that the maximum volume a guitar can make should be directly proportional to the ability of the player on the basis that the able would know when to use it and when not. Actually thinking about that perhaps that should go for all players of anything - and singers.