tom verlaine

Television's first single "Little Johnny Jewel" in 1976 became one of punks seminal recordings. One of the first pre-punk and punk groups coming out of New York's CBGB's and Max's Kansas City, Television were led by Tom Verlaine and included Richard Hell on bass for that first single.  Verlaine's unusual guitar sound and style marks him out clearly from other punk and rock guitarists, often part improvised, part riff, part solo.
Verlaine wrote Television's first album "Marquee Moon" which became a success in the UK and Europe more so than the USA.
A well researched wikipedia entry explains Verlaine's guitar spec -
His sound includes close miking, delay, reverb, slap echo, phasing/flanging, tremolo.
"Little Johnny Jewel", saw Verlaine plugging his guitar straight into the recording desk with no amplification. Going against the prevailing tradition of rock and certainly punk rock guitar, he rarely uses distortion. 
Vibrato is a large part of Verlaine's style and he makes extensive use of the Jazzmaster's unique tremolo bar. In terms of guitar scales and note selection, Verlaine utilises the mixolydian and minor pentatonic scale like most rock guitarists, but his sequencing, phrasing, tone and approach to legato and other techniques is unconventional. 
Verlaine uses a thin pick and heavy strings (gauges .050 to .013) and tunes down a half step or more. In contrast to most modern rock guitarists, he uses a wound 3rd string. Verlaine usually plays with the bridge pickup on, but picks over the neck pickup. This, according to him, gives a "full yet clear sound"

Here is "Friction" from Marquee Moon