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Yeah, instruments, because of the way they're tuned and standard techniques, can begin to sound cliche in the wrong hands. I agree with this. SY gets around this of course because of the alternate tunings. As do others. There are so many instruments out there, why always guitar?
I don't have any good examples really, but I must say that those guitar technique books are a huge problem--they teach a very prescribed method that locks people into certain fingerings and so on. This goes back centuries (have you ever seen those technique books from the early 17th century?). I always find it interesting when someone who has mastered a certain instrument picks up a new instrument and teaches it to themself. This yields weird but good results.
I think the problem of cliche technique and whatnot is amplified in improvised music, for obvious reasons. There's nothing worse than a bad guitarist or pianist who uses the same formulas all the time.
An aside: I have some great examples of some composers that exploited the tuning, instrument layout, or technique of a certain instrument:
1. Stravinsky-Petroushka-The scene in Petroushka's room when the white and black keys on the piano battle it out and
2. Berg-Violin Concerto - the open strings of the violin form an integral part of the 1st movement's structure
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