Eddie Van Halen - He pushed the boundaries of rock tone and playing - and wrote some catchy songs in the process.
Steve Vai - Roth's replacement for Ed, aside from being a technical master of his instrument - his playing is so smooth - weather he is playing in a band (Whitesnake, DLR) or on a solo album his tone is unmistakable and his playing top notch.
Reeves Gabrels - A modern day Eddie trying to keep pushing the boundaries of guitar - he once used a vibrator as a slide to add more sustain.
Steve Morse - No one can play classic rock and still keep it sounding current better then him. He infuses his own style into anything he plays.
Zakk Wylde - Again it starts with tone - his screaming harmonics and picked leads allowed people to forget he was replacing a legend (Randy) - his use of southern rock from Pride and Glory and Book of Shadows to his current work makes him a hero of mine.

i'm a big fan of john petrucci and tony macalpine, they have different styles but they are both very modest and extremely dedicated to what they do

i've always looked up to people like them because all they want to do is play music, they aren't in it for the fame (at least from my point of view, they could be totally different than from what i see)

i'm also a fan of john lowery (also known as john 5). i love his solo albums and really respect his no drinking/drugs policy

Adrian Smith. Period. His sense of melody when playing solos is second to none, and his songwriting skills are just insane.

I've always really dug The Edge from U2. He's always had such a distinct sound, very melodic & easy to play. There are others I like too, but his style really got me going when I was first learning how to play. Adam Clayton's bass & Larry Mullen's drumming complement him perfectly. I've always loved U2's passion and weather you agree with their politics or not, you can't deny that they ROCK!!

I would say John Christ, one of my earliest influences. He was a metal, shred dude, who found away to blend that with gothic texturalism. I would also have to say Zakk Wylde. I know its a bit cliche, but for awhile there he was the only famous guitarist who was encouraging people to practice and get better (during that whole nu metal era). And away from metal I'd say Robert Fripp. Musical genius, period. If you don't believe me check out David Bowie's scary monsters album.

I was always inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan. His passion and innovation was probably one of the reasons I always wanted to play guitar. Unfortunately, I took so long to take it up, but at least I am playing now.
Another notable mention has to go to Tommy Emmanuel. He has the ability to make the guitar sing and talk unlike anyone else I have heard. The array of sounds he produces on his guitar is absolutely phenomonal.
And how could any Aussie guitarist not be inspired by Angus Young. Legend!

I was mostly inspired by Jason Becker...he was a true virtuoso and had such an easy going, joking personality. His songs and renditions made me learn so much while practicing them. Marty and Jason's Cacophony was truly one of the greatest bands ever, though most don't know about it.

Billy Gibbons If ZZ Top Is a great player. His sound and style are so unique that it stands alone.

Duane Allman was a great player also and he is very underrated.

Gary Rossington and Allen Collins were an amazing duo and I think they are not appreciated because of their southern rock genre.

But if you want a guitar player who gave 100% of his heart and soul, Stevie Ray is the man.

First guitarists to inspire me were Adrian Smith and Dave Murray from Iron Maiden, that was before I discovered Van Halen, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani. Since then I've been inspired by a lot of guitarists from SRV to John Mayer to Tommy Emmanuel but still love the old shredding too!

I love John Petrucci, his tone is out of this world and he is technically perfect. Sure he can shred as good as anyone but his versatility is what sets him aside from the rest.

i want to make a t-shirt that says: you got SRV'd

for me, its just about any guitarist or musician who really really enjoys the music they make and what theyre doing... but in particular, here are some of my favourites

Zakk Wylde: hes the one who really got me playing the guitar the way i do now... if it wasnt for him, id still be playing punk music, and not really exploring what else the guitar can do besides power chords. killer tone, killer riffs, killer solos... he's my first real guitar hero

Randy Rhoads (R.I.P.): Without Randy, we wouldnt have many of the guitar players today including Zakk Wylde, and also his style, his classically influenced solos just kicked ass. I wish that we couldve seen what he would have became as a musician.

EVH: how very cliche... everyone knows what hes done for the guitar and heavy metal.

Dimebag Darrell: I just loved his attitude when it came to music, that whole "just go for it" attitude, and also his dedication to his music makes him one of my favourite guitarists to listen to.

Tommy Emmanuel: just like all the guitarists mentioned above, i love this man for his dedication to music... 300+ shows a year and enjoys every second of it, and it seems like he never gets tired of it... and his ability to make the guitar sing is absolutely phenomenal. there are other acoustic fingerstyling guitarists like Antoine Dufour and Andy Mckee who can do more interesting things with their guitar, but none of them are more FUN and enjoyable to watch than Tommy which makes him one of my favourites.

There are so many more but these are the guys that really stand out in my mind.

I'd have to say my teacher. He knows everything, is totaly dedicated to guitar, and is still pretty young too.

Definately stevie ray for me. i dont think i have ever seen anyone put so much feeling into his music, and his inovative technical and more modern approach to the blues simply makes it amazing. i am not joking when i say that when i play a stevie ray tune with a band, my heart skips beats in the middle of the song, because even though HE wrote the song, i think they carry so much feeling that it affects everyone else around his music, especially the one playing (or TRYING to) his music. he was an amazing person, and it is a shame he had to leave so young. i want my kids to be able to have music like his around, but it looks like they are just going to have to listen to the classics!

i have got to agree totally with johnnycox on this one. everyone has made some good points though.

im also impressed by brad paisley, john fogerty, and eric clapton.

I love the way Hendrix could get those strange noises and roars out of his Strat and Marshall, it's sick. Especially at Monterey

Paul Gilbert. I have a very similar sense of humor, and he's an insane picker.

After him, I'd take SRV for style points. I love his vibrato (either hand or tremolo) and his clean tone just destroys.

A recent find: Andy Timmons. wow.