The first thing I started with was Hal Leonard's Guitar Method. There are better ways to start out than I started, though. By the time I was practicing the modes of the diatonic scale, I was able to play just about any riff. For me, that's when I really started to develop.
I guess that's pretty much where I am now, I just have more scales of which to practice modal fingerings and more techniques in the toolbox, but I still can't just sit down and play a solo I'm 100% happy with.
