Gary Richrath -- after they dumped him, he did at least one solo (kind of country I think) when he was still thin. He blimped out, not sure if it was due to a health problem, there are some vids of his sitting in with some local gig bands. He died a while back. In an interview he said he started playing solos high on the neck because of some bar band he'd been in when starting out, he couldn't have been heard otherwise. :^)
Oh you can make yerself heard down near the first couple of frets. You just gotta know how to play it and gotta know your instrument.