# Top 5 Guitarists Who Have Influenced You? :O



## vampiregenocide (Jan 11, 2009)

Simple question, couldn't find any previous threads concerning this.

Who are the top 5 guitarists who have influenced your playing style most? You can say how and why they influenced you as well if you want.

If you were influenced by 2 guitarists from 1 band, list them as one.

Mine are (in no particular order):

1 - Shaun Morgan of Seether - I like the mix of melodic and heavier parts, plus his guitar tone I love too.

2 - Adam Jones of Tool - He makes such crazy, atmospheric stuff, Tool were the first band that really made me thing about opening my palette effects wise.

3 - Fredrik Thordendal / Marten Hagstrom of Meshuggah - They could write a catchy metal tune with the greatest of ease, but they choose to do soemthing completely different and revolutionary in metal and music in general. Oh yeah, and they play Ibanez 8 strings.

4 - Brent Hinds / Bill Kelliher of Mastodon - I just love the technicality and heavyness of what they do. They are shredders but with a twist.

5 - Greg Tribbet of Mudvayne - They were the first metal band I listened to, and what got me interested in the guitar in the first place.


There are more, but that just my top 5


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## Adam Of Angels (Jan 11, 2009)

This is going to be a loosely decided response, but I'll go for it anyway...

1. Jesper Stromblad and Bjorn Gelotte of In Flames - Their melodic interplay between amazing lead lines and tight rhythms is beauty to my ears. I've grown up with this duo's music and it has inescapably put a mark on my playing.

2. Eric Johnson - When I was a 11 years old, I heard EJ play and I instantly realized how much I wanted to become a musician. His playing is beautiful, perfect, and technical all at once.

3. Steve Vai - He's pretty much Jesus on guitar, so listening to him made me push my envelope as far as I could.

4. John Petrucci - When I heard Dream Theater for the first time, I became a metal head and obsessed with this man's playing. 

5. Mikael Akerfelt - I've listened to Opeth for many years now, and I'd be lying if I said that this man's geniusness hasn't made a mark on my playing.


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## S-O (Jan 11, 2009)

I think there was a thread about this already, but what the hell.

While not in any order, these are my top 5:

1. Steve Vai - Got me started with all the practicing. Still love the man and his music, though I have branched out.

2. Paul Masvidal - Cynic is my favorite band, the entire idea and energy it has just blows my mind.

3. Derek Taylor - Dunno why, but I love this guy and his music.

4. Santiago Dobles - His playing is very organic, while still over the top shred.

5. Shawn Lane - The man was perfect. I wish he had been given a seven string


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## Joel (Jan 11, 2009)

Hmm, tough one.

1) Pin/Weller from sikTh; just for the fact that they have influenced me in my technique and song writing, and they are my favourite band. Influenced my tapping technique a lot.

2) Thordendal/Hagstrom; another great band and they influenced me to start trying to write polyrhythms and try polymeters.

3) Bulb; Pretty much the same reasons as sikTh but Bulb influences me to put a heavier edge on it.

4) John Petrucci; another of my favourites and his song writing proves that lots of different styles can be mixed into one song and it still sounds good. Also he is just generally a beast. 

5) Allan Holdsworth; his legato, holy shit. He influenced me to get into more Jazz Fusion type stuff and he also encouraged me to improve my legato playing. Obviously i am not even in the same universe as this genious but thanks to him I actually prefer the sound of legato leads than picking every note.

6) Muhammed Suicmez; introduced me into sweep picking, I love sweeping but I only use it in my songs when I think it will sound tasteful because I understand how some people get annoyed by persistant sweep picking. But personally I love it.

I did 6 because I wanted to 

Also, these guitarists aren't necessarily my favourite guitarists, but they are the ones that influence my song writing and the techniques I tend to use.

And just before people start to chime in, I do realise that Muhammed Suicmez isnt the best guitarist at sweeping, but he is the one who introduced it to me first.


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## darbdavys (Jan 11, 2009)

1. Adam Jones - Got me into playing guitar. Tool is still one of my fav bands to exist.
2. Mikael Akerfeldt - Musical genius, the main power of my favourite band
3. Jeff Loomis - Shred God, how to put such melody in arpeggios and make them sound good? That's above my knowledge atm 
4. Pin and Dan Weller from SikTh - I love those unusual structures and the technique.
5. Fredrik Thordendal - Structuring again.


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## Edroz (Jan 11, 2009)

in no particular order:

1. Yngwie Malmsteen - the man gets alot of hate around here, but i spent many hours (years ) studying his style. great tone (IMO) feel, and a vibrato to die for .

2. Andy Laroque (King Diamond) - instantly recognizable style. probably the best vibrato of any guitarist i can think of, and great trem technique.

3. Frank Gambale - love his "economy picking" technique. the guy's just a great teacher, and i've learned just as much from him explaining his technique as i have with his actual playing.

4. Zakk Wylde - another player who's not too well respected around here, but has been a huge influence on me since day one. while i don't really care for his recent output. you can't deny his playing when he was in his prime (NRFTW, NMT ero Ozzy)

5. John Petrucci - i would definitely say my alternate picking style is a cross between John and Yngwie, as i spent alot of time trying to play like both of them.


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## Cancer (Jan 11, 2009)

Eddie Van Halen - inspired to play in the first place.
Randy Rhoades - Through Doug Marks' lessons, and my first instructor, I learned alot form Rhoads. Structure, phrasing, advanced techniques. Even some recording techniques.
George Lynch - introduced me to concept of notes "outside of the box", and how to technical and bluesy at the same time.
Yngwie Malsteem - before Yngwie, I didn't know what an arpeggio was, let alone how to sweep one.
Paul Gilbert - not only did I learn how to play fast "correctly" through Paul, but he introduced me to the concept of "pattern universality", and planted to seeds that allowed to solve my own technical problems later on.



Edroz said:


> in no particular order:
> 
> 1. Yngwie Malmsteen - the man gets alot of hate around here, but i spent many hours (years ) studying his style. great tone (IMO) feel, and a vibrato to die for .
> 
> ...


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## vontetzianos (Jan 11, 2009)

For me, it'll have to be (in no particular order):

1. Ron Jarzombek: He definitely opened up a world of experimentation and interesting riff writing and song structure. I love Spastic Ink as well as Blotted Science to death.

2. John Petrucci: He got me into the alternate picking as well as progressive metal which I love.

3: Fredrik Thordendal: Meshuggah's riff machine who also is a great lead guitarist which I found through Special Defects. Definitely one of my favourites.

4: Paul "Chimpspanner" Ortiz: Also helped me get into a more experimental side of song writing. He in turn led me to Bulb's music which is somewhat similar. They're both really tight guitar players and great song writers.

5: Andy Timmons: The melody king in my opinion. He expresses such emotion with his playing and its not always overly fast or flash. Very tasteful playing with a great tone and style.


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## Dyingsea (Jan 11, 2009)

I really don't need to name more than one and he's the first on the list but I shall. 

1. Shawn Lane 
2. Jason Becker
3. Eric Johnson
4. Guthrie Govan
5. Joop Wolters


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## stuh84 (Jan 11, 2009)

1) Tom Englund and Henrik Dahnage of Evergrey - They have influenced nearly everything in my laying, from songwriting, tone, melody, approach to songs, everything. Great guitarists, but don't use songs as a space to show off. Exactly how I like to do it

2) Fredrik Thordendal and Marten Hargstrom of Mesuggah - Their rhythm playing has caused me a lot of problems.....because I keep writing stuff like theirs , I don't mimic them but I do use a lot of stacatto riffs across bars, like DEI era Mesh.

3) Brian May of Queen - My lead playing is based upon note choice, melody, and then if theres the space to put in some faster stuff, I do. My lead tone has always been influenced by Brians, and my overall view on lead playing too.

4) Jon Schaeffer of Iced Earth - His right hand trained my right hand. Simple as that.

5) Myself - I chose how I wanted to play


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## Johann (Jan 11, 2009)

In no special order.

1) Corey Beaulieu
2) Roope Latvala
3) Matt Bellamy
4) Bj&#246;rn Gellote / Jesper Str&#246;mblad
5) Kristian Ranta


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## MatthewK (Jan 11, 2009)

Emppu Vuorinen < Made me want to learn how to solo
Alexi Laiho 
Jani Liimatainen
Tony MacAlpine
Ben Weinman


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## TonalArchitect (Jan 11, 2009)

Al Di Meola/John Mclaughlin/Paco De Lucia- Upon hearing Friday Night in San Fransisco, I found some of the most passionate virtuosity and admirable technique I've ever heard. This in part caused me to forsake sweep picking, focus on strict alternate picking, and I now practice and play on a steel-string acoustic. 

Allan Holdsworth- First, legato. He's one of the big reasons that I work so much on my legato technique. His stretches have inspired me to work on my own reach. His unusual chord voicings have had a profound impact upon me, as I now constantly toy and compose with unusual chords, and unusual voicings of chords. His use of unorthodox and extremely varied tonalities is something I admire very much. His vibrato is one of the few guitarists vibrato that I wish to emulate, and I'm currently working a bit on developing control over it with the side-to-side technique that he (and classical musicians) uses. An absolute master of the instrument. 

Jon Schaffer- His fast, percussive picking style is something I've enjoyed since shortly after first picking up the guitar. Even after being introduced to jaw-dropping virtuosos, Schaffers picking hand still impresses me. 

Martin Hagstrom/Fredrik Thorendal- Made me think differently about what you can do with meter, taking 4/4 and cloaking it. Their music is unique, and the long, intricate passages of _I _especially intrigue me. 

Michael Angelo Batio- Changed how I thought about clarity and speed. Perhaps my biggest drive to technical perfection is my admiration of how staggering even a simpler scale run becomes with such clarity.

This list generally deals more with technique than composition, although most in this list did influence my composition as well, but that list would be much longer and would go far beyond guitarists.


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## vampiregenocide (Jan 11, 2009)

Theres a lot of love going on for Meshuggah


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## ander09 (Jan 11, 2009)

- Randy Rhoads
- Paul Masdival
- DimeBag Darrell
- Paul Gilbert
- John Petrucci

Randy Rhoads was my first study through Metal Methods in the late 80s.


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## MerlinTKD (Jan 11, 2009)

Interesting thread! Really makes one think about what goes into their playing and writing. For me, then:


1) John Connolly of Sevendust - a drummer that started playing guitar, go figure!  Approaching the guitar as a primary rhythm instrument makes sense to me, and I love the way he does it

2) Adam Jones of Tool - like so many others, the way he creates a guitar part by never playing what you expect, and yet fits the songs perfectly.

3) Stevie Ray Vaughan - not that I could ever play like him, but any time I pick up a guitar, I hear his playing, the way his guitar was as much his voice as anything that came from his throat.

4) Glenn Tipton / K.K. Downing - my first awareness of guitarists as musicians, the way their guitars drove everything about Judas Priest, and the way they played with and against each other. When I write, I always think in terms of two guitars, I just can't help it!

5) Amy Mohan - guitarist in my last band; she learned everything on her own and made it up as she went along, so her approach is always unique! She has a neat way of sliding back and forth between chorded strumming and single-note melodies that's really inspiring to me - and she always uses the middle position on the pickups! 

6 (I know, sue me ) Bulb/Mattayus/Kalevala, etc - SO much inspiration from these guys, and so many others that post here! My awareness of tone, technique, writing and recording has become immensely more evolved based on what I've heard and learned here. Thank you all!!


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## renzoip (Jan 11, 2009)

Here are my top 5:

1. Michael Romeo: Not afraid to show his influences yet original and awesome.
2. John Petrucci: Very influential techiniquwise and tonewise. 
3. Yngwie Malmsteen: He made me have to step up my game.
4. Chris Broderick: Awesome player, very versatile.
5. Steve Vai: What can I say about him? He is the shit.


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## Tybanez (Jan 11, 2009)

1. EVH
2. Randy Rhoads
3. Steve Vai
4. Marty Friedman
5. John Petrucci

While there are some other guitarist`s who style I really dig, these are the guys that gave me the biggest kick in the ass to try become a better musician.


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## DrakkarTyrannis (Jan 11, 2009)

*Revised*
1) Fallon Bowman- Not exactly a six string heavyweight, but if it wasn't for that 5 ft little red haired chick with a sparkly ESP Viper I never would have gotten into guitar and started the band I'm in. To this day her tone is the standard I judge my own by.

2)Zakk Wylde- The man's got groove and I learned a lot from him regarding personal playing style and what it was to have a style you could call your own.

3) Prince- The guy can play his ass off, make a guitar scream like an orgasming woman, and is a prime example in the eccentric ways of a true artist. I learned a lot from him and in a lot of ways I take after him (no..not the heels and ass out pants). His lead tone is also the tone I judge my lead sound by..if it ain't as good, it ain't worth doing. Not to mention that cloud guitar..the first time I really saw someone excercise the thought of a guitar matching the style of the player.

4) Mike & Chris Amott- The first time I really got into leads and riffs beyond my nu-metal upbringing, the Wages Of Sin cd really made me want to step my game up and pushed me further into attempting leads, whereas I hadn't been remotely interested before.

5) James Hetfield- I'm a rhythm player...and that man is the god of the strong picking hand..nuff said

6) Myself- I know that sounds rather arrogant, but I really don't mean it that way. As with many things in life, personal views, spirituality, etc. I try to take musical tips from everywhere and whether I agree with it or not, I use the info to form my own ideas. The more I play the more I develop myself as a player and watching that process is heavily inspiring and influential. I'm liking the natural direction I'm going in and I think the eye I keep on myself helps me stay grounded. If I begin to sound too much like some other guitarist I've been listening to, if I get player's block, if I catch myself "competing" with another guitarist, if my progression is stopped for any reason I take into consideration all the things I've learned and who I've become so far and it always helps me stay on what I feel is the right track.


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## scottro202 (Jan 11, 2009)

in no order...


1) Eric Clapton, he turned me off of me learning all Green Day songs and *s*hit like that
2) James Hetfield and Kirk Hammet-I put both of them because Metallica got me into heavier metal and made me into the loving metalhead I am today
3) Joe Satriani-The man is a genius, and he made wanna be a "shredder"
4) The Ammot Brothers- I love their riffs, and their music made me wanna get into death metal and things like that
5) Dave Murray and Adrian Smith- I love iron maiden, and made me get into Arch Enemy and even heavier music


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## TomAwesome (Jan 11, 2009)

I might change my mind if I think about it for a while, but off the top of my head and in no particular order:

Billy Corgan: He's got a little bit of everything going on. His material spans a fairly wide range of genres, pretty much everything is done artfully and tastefully, and his tone is to be respected.

Dino Cazares: He was a pretty big influence as far as more straightforward heavily detuned metal. He's one of the few people I can think of who has actually made cold, soulless mechanical precision work for him.

Stephen Carpenter: Huge flowing chords under massive distortion that are both heavy and pretty at the same time. How can you not love that shit?

Jerry Cantrell: He doesn't play fast and probably doesn't have the chops of a robot, but he really keeps your interest. I actually need to try to let him influence me more.

Mikael Åkerfeldt: He's pretty good at going between really nice clean/acoustic material and balls out brutality. Billy C's original idea in the Pumpkins was to, "play quiet music loud" and mix the two extremes together. Mikael does pretty much the opposite most of the time and puts them in sharp contrast. I also like how he manages to make dissonance sound pleasing.

Honorable mentions go to Jon Schaffer, Devin Townsend, Stephen Wilson, and Adam Jones.


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## kmanick (Jan 11, 2009)

Eddie Van Halen
Yngwie malmsteen
Vinnie Moore
Tony MacAlpine
Joe Satriani
Greg Howe
John Petrucci
Jeff Loomis
Frank Gambale

these are the guys who have influenced me the most when I started playing again in 2002.
back when I originally started I'd say they were

Jimmy Page
Ritchie Blackmore
Jeff Beck
Robin Trower
Frank Marino
Brian May


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## progmetaldan (Jan 11, 2009)

Had to go to a top 10...

Right now, and in the musical direction I'm currently heading:

John McLaughlin
Allan Holdsworth
Shawn Lane
Brett Garsed
Alex Machacek
Greg Howe
Jimmy Herring
Scott Henderson
Frank Gambale
Guthrie Govan


The others who got me into guitar at a higher level in a more general sense:

John Petrucci
Michael Romeo
Tony MacAlpine
Steve Vai
Ron Jarzombek
Vinnie Moore
Roine Stolt
Mikael Akerfeldt
Kiko Loureiro
Yngwie Malmsteen

probably heaps of others as well...


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## Leuchty (Jan 11, 2009)

1. Alexi Laiho
2. Kirk Hammet
3. Michael & Chris Amott
4. Bjorn Gelotte & Jesper Stromblad
5. Rob Flynn & Phil Demmel


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## Breakdown (Jan 11, 2009)

Dimebag was def. my #1 influence but others in no order

!. Dimebag Darrel
2. Randy Rhaods
3. Elvis Presley 
4. Zakk Wylde
5.Jeff loomis


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## dougsteele (Jan 12, 2009)

Eddie Van Halen: killer blues and the introduction to 3 note per string shit.

George Lynch: Rippin' vibrato, and cool ideas. Him and Ed are simlilar in my book. Warren DeMartini's a lot like George..I like him too.

Ummmm, Yngwie: for the introduction of staccato picking.

Paul Gilbert: for making it all easy to understand, and for being a fucking mean ass shredder.

Jason Becker: pretty much the top of the pile for me. The sweeps are just bullshit.
------------------

Those are my main men, then there's: 

Hetfield and Ian: for the mean ass rhythms.

The Meshuggah boys: for the even meaner rhtyhms.

Guthrie Govan: Prorbably thee most fucked up player ever...

Ace Frehley and Angus Young: My youth.


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## arktan (Jan 12, 2009)

1. me
2. me
3. me
4. me
5. me


But it's true. I'm not trying to make something sound similar to some guitar-gods (because i lack the skills )


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## Slayer89 (Jan 12, 2009)

Well, I'll try and encompass all my time with the instrument.

1. Dan Donegan - Yes, the guitarist of Disturbed. I know he's no virtuoso or ground breaker, but it was the riffs he played on Disturbed's album "The Sickness" that really got me wanting to play.

2. Zakk Wylde - Man, I remember thinking this guy was god. His over usage of anything pentatonic or pinch harmonic'd used to amaze me to no end. I still love a lot of his work.

3. Stevie Ray Vaughan - "Pride and Joy" showed me that it doesn't have to be loud and angry to be cool.

4. Jon Donais and Matt Bachand - "The Art of Balance" was my first real step into metal territory. I remember listening to it over and over and loving every moment, from the slick leads to the beautiful acoustic work. Though nothing they've done recently has worked for me, I still love them. To this day the only solo I've learned note for note is from "Enlightened By The Cold".

5. Alexi Laiho - I don't even know how to explain this one. I just love his style and spent a good chunk of time trying to emulate it.

(Fuck 5 ... that number sucks, lol)

6. Jeff Loomis - This guy definitely shows my current interest and direction a lot better than any of the others. While I love his lead playing and would give almost anything to be able to play/write like it, his rhythms are what get me. The blend of speed and chunky grooves always keeps my attention. He's also the one who got me looking at 7s.


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## Doomcreeper (Jan 12, 2009)

1. Chuck Sculdiner - Death (I really loved the work with Andy LaRocque and James Murphy) Death is my favorite band and the reason I like Death metal over other genres, his playing and song writing was amazing.
2. Paul Masvidal - Cynic The way he writes is incredible, it's technical, and beautiful. I also love the jazz influence in his playing.
3. Trey Azagthoth - Morbid Angel I love the way he mixed slow heavy riffs, shred and and heavy and fast riffs in their songs.
4. Michael Keene Machine/Steve Jones - The Faceless This band and Veil of Maya both have amazing guitar riffs and are really nailing the mix of new styles with a good influence of old, they keep it more death metal than core and they're phenominal players and writers.
5. Kelly Shaefer - Atheist I love this band, his playing is so good, I love the jazz parts in their riffs, overall their music sounds amazing.


If this is written badly, I apologize, I wrote this kind of early becuase I checked the site before going to school.


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## Xiphos68 (Jan 12, 2009)

1) Derek Corizine He's just all around great guitar player plays like vai its amazing. He's walk with Christ helped me realize to use my talents for God.
2) Joe Satriani Legato and great music.
3) Alex Skolnick His versatility and can shred the mess out of a guitar.
4) John Petrucci Speed picking and sweeps.
5) Steve Routh find your own sound.


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## Sang-Drax (Jan 12, 2009)

I tried to point out only 5, but couldn't. Sorry.

*1. Mikael &#197;kerfeldt. *I usually can't make dissonant chords work that good, but I do heavy use of opeth-like both acoustic passages as well as layers through heavy parts.

*2. Alexi Laiho.* Since he's the only shredder I really like, whenever I play fast I tend to sound a little bit like him (hopefully).

*3. Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle, Ashes Divide). *It's funny how this guy is such a bad player as far as technique goes, but even so he manages to sound awesome most of the time. I love his simple melodic riffs, and I make use of them a lot.
*
4. The Edge (U2).* Because delay rocks and he's the king of delay.

*5. J&#243;nsi Birgisson (Sigur R&#243;s).* I do use a cello bow on my guitar, and, of course, this is my major reference concerning the subject. Plus, given the fact that Sigur R&#243;s is my favorite band these days, I always look up for them writing slow, sad leads (even when not using my bow). 

- Extras:

*6. Bulb.* This is new, actually. Periphery is the only math metal band I liked so far; so, his work is all that I care for under this genre. No Meshuggah or Sikth for me (I need more melody than that). Of course, there are plenty of other great guitarists in the ss.org that write math metal stuff, but they're usually short instrumental clips, not the work of a full band - and, thus, not enough to influence me as much as Periphery.

*7. Dave Gilmour. *Even though it's more of having a magical talent of always choosing the best note for your solo, I try to make my leads an important, melodic part of the song rather than just porn for other guitarists.

*8. Doods that layer lots of open chords:* Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, and Placebo are my major references here. I love the nostalgic feeling this kind of stuff produces.


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## AeonSolus (Jan 12, 2009)

1. James Hetfield - I thank him for making me downstroke every single riff i do 
2. Bulb - He's made out of win. Even tho i'm listening to his stuff since late '06, everything i do since then sounds Bulb'ish
3. John Petrucci - Who hasn't he influenced?
4. Pete Loeffler - Another one of my early influences
5. Daron Malakian - Yep, him... the first stuff i could attempt to play on the guitar was SOaD


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## Daemoniac (Jan 12, 2009)

*Eric Powell (16volt):* The man who got me into guitar, and distorted, detuned guitar. Still some of my favorite (but simplest) riffs ever.

*Fredrik Thordendal / Marten Hagstrom (Meshuggah):* While i only really got into them recently, the way they play really speaks to me, and i feel like the time signatures etc.. are similar to how i play without realising, so again, it speaks to me  Especially obZen.

*Bryan Ottoson R.I.P. (American Head Charge):* Again, pretty simple riffs,but really _really_ heavy, and again, really got me into playing. Also started getting me to think about more than 'just' power chorded riffs 

*Tim Skold (KMFDM/Marilyn Manson/Skold): *Kind of simple riffs, but a rad-awesome crunchy tone. Love his work with KMFDM, and gave me a bit more of a respect for slightly classic 80's riffs.

*Mick Thompson/Jim Root (Slipknot):* One of my favorite guitar tones ever, and kickass hectic but not real extravagant playing. Love everything about their playing.

Micheal Amott (Arch Enemy), Jason Novak (Acumen Nation), Silenoz (Dimmu Borgir), Christian Olde Wolbers (Fear Factory), and Mushroomheads XIII all get mentions as well. Its a close one 

I have a thing for simplicity (generally) with riffs. I like it when its really primal and rhythmic


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## vampiregenocide (Jan 12, 2009)

Demoniac said:


> I have a thing for simplicity (generally) with riffs. I like it when its really primal and rhythmic



Same


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## Splinterhead (Jan 12, 2009)

Allan Holdsworth - its been said, his legato is pretty much the benchmark. Beautiful phrasing, killer technique. 

Frank Gambale - sweepmaster general. Great note choice and has a really cool jazz sensibility. 

Shawn Lane - musical genius...that's pretty much it 

Jimmy Page - imo one of the best rock riff writers to come along. his sense of arrangement and production for the guitar will influence guitarists for years to come.

Scott Henderson - great sense of feel. i do prefer him in the fusion context as opposed to the blues thing. he would sometimes push his playing to the limit until he almost lost it and then he would bring it back. he really plays with a tremendous amount of heart and conviction.


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## CrushingAnvil (Jan 13, 2009)

In No order, just the top 5.

Barrett, O'brien, Rutan, Azagthoth, Van Halen.


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## bulletbass man (Jan 13, 2009)

Petrucci- Amazing technique and melodic content. Inspired me to get into 7 strings (which is likely the biggest influence on my playing more than anything else).

Loomis- I love his solo album. Easily my favorite album released by anyone who can still physically play guitar

Becker- My all time inspiration both as a guitarist and person.

I don't really need anyone else.


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## 7StringedBeast (Jan 13, 2009)

1. Dime
2. Chuck Shuldiner
3. SRV
4. Jeff Loomis
5. Jesper Strömblad & Björn Gelotte

Too bad that 3 of them are already gone (RIP).


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## DeathShred1 (Jan 13, 2009)

Paul Gilbert- His string skipping and alternate picking with different time sigs did it for me.

Yngwie Malmsteen- Really it was him swinging his guitar around his body that got my attention. Then I actually got into his playing afterwards...haha.

Shawn Lane- His speed got me for sure.

Rusty Cooley- His multiple tapping licks that sounds like his running a shit load of arps did it.


Scott Stine- This guy blew me away when I was Younger. Think of Rusty Cooley but before Rusty's time. Great Player.


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## Desi (Jan 13, 2009)

My turn.

hide of X-Japan: When I first discovered Jrock and before I bought my first guitar, hide blew me away with his playing, stage presence and charisma. It was the straw that broke the camel's back and I bought my first guitar because of him. 

John Petrucci: His speed, precision and melody grabbed me and did not let go. 

Marty Friedman: His phrasing just kills me, such a melodic player.

Jeff Loomis: The kind of shredder I aspire to be.

Steve Morse: His compositions are out of this world beautiful, an awe inspiring rock guitarist as well as a classically schooled player.


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## Stengah_2012 (Jan 13, 2009)

1. David Gilmore - His phrasing, touch and sense of melody are impeccable. 
2. Jimi Hendrix - "Machine Gun." 'Nuff said. 
3. Jerry Cantrell - Great song writer with an excellent sense of melody. 
4. Dino Cazares - Awesome, awesome rhythm player. Extremely tight. 
5. Frederik Thordendal - Jaw dropping leads with a beautiful tone and insane touch.


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## Guitarast (Jan 13, 2009)

1. Steve Vai
2. Joe Satriani
3. John Petrucci
4. Richie Blackmore
5. Greg Howe


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## Sindwulf (Jan 13, 2009)

These are really in no order:

1. John Petrucci
2. Alexi Laiho
3. Fredrick Thordendal (Now starting to influence)
4. Gus G. He's my current hero, his vibrato is awesome and also pretty clean
5. Also, Jeff Loomis is starting to get me going.


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## Nick1 (Jan 13, 2009)

This list keeps changing for me. But heres what I got at the moment....


1.Guthrie Govan- His playing is amazing! Just hearing him play makes me wanna pick my guitar up and practice till my fingers fall off.

2. George Bellas- Ive been learning from him the past 3 years now so needless to say Ive picked up a few things

3. Paul Gilbert- For picking and pentatonics 

4. John Petrucci for melody and tone and riffs that stick in my head for weeks

5. Yngwie for his vibrato and phrasing. 

6. Is a tie between Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Eddie Van Halen and Dimebag 

#6 is more past tense but I listened to all of their stuff for so long some of it rubbed off on me. Like Pride & Glory for Zakk and Passion and Warfare for Vai and anything by SRV or Dime but as for EVH pretty much anything except the Van Halen III album. What the hell was he thinking?


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## TaronKeim (Jan 13, 2009)

1. *David Torn* - In musical approach, wang bar usage and textural playing. Also - his film scoring and drum programming are ingrained in my compositional membranes.

2. *Omar Rodriguez-Lopez* - At the Drive-In riffage/chord voicings and the overal cinematic appeal of The Mars Volta. Omar is a true "punk" and his riffing style is permanently blueprinted into my right hand mechanics.

3. *Kurt Rosenwinkel* - His unique voice and overal tonal themes. He is very complex in his melodies and counterpoint while still remaining quite listenable. I strive for his fluidity, compositional chops and sense of wholeness as an artist; he is a voice unto himself.

4. *Paul Masvidal* - His alternate picking as riffage and _Holdsworth-ian_ solo style are hugely influential to my overal skill set. *Cynic* first opened my eyes as to what truly is possible on the instrument; his dedication to creating a unified and personal theme through his compositions and playing is amazing.

5. *Kurt Ballou* - Everything I love about heavy music mixed into one player; heavy doomy riffs, ridiculously aggressive tone, punk aesthetic to leads and bending, thrash and grind influenced riffage and above all a tendency to the progressive and furthering ones musical reach/intention. He is the Hardcore version of _Jimmy Page_ - production chops to spare, custom/alternate tunings and from the gut playing.

There are others that have influenced me but these are the players whose ideals complimented my vision and technique on the instrument. I am more influenced by my comprehension of these player's artistic intent than anything else; they are beyond reproach when it comes to innovation.

_TJK*


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## oompa (Jan 13, 2009)

cant really pick five a total, so ill pick five from the each of the three main eras in my life/development:

Page, Di Meola, Gilmour, Lifeson and Bourge: growing up my Dad fed me their music and they got me interrested and inspired enough to push through the first obstacles and keep going as a beginner guitarist.

Hetfield, Petrucci, Bj&#246;rler, &#197;kerfeldt and Thordendal: as a young teenager they all made me into a metal guitarist in their own ways and eventually pushed me into technical and progressive music.

Tiso, Sui&#231;mez, Masvidal, Mongrain and Bryssling: towards the end of my teens and the ~10 years up to now i mainly get inspired by guys like those, as i very quickly get bored with anything that lacks personality and complexity, and i think that if i made a song on demand now, it'd sound like a mix of the five above or something like that.


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## mattofvengeance (Jan 13, 2009)

Chuck Schuldiner
Marty Friedman
Dimebag Darrell
Jeff Loomis
Adrian Smith


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## Harry (Jan 13, 2009)

At number one, is Joe Satriani.
No one's lead guitar playing has ever affected me so much as his playing.
Every ounce of his soul and personality shines through his lead playing and his phrasing is always perfect IMO.

The rest in no particular order but numbered anyway

2. Steve Vai (for being the second guy after Satriani to grab my heart with his playing)
3. Marty Friedman (some of the best phrasing ever, and vibrato that gives me goosebumps)
4. Yngwie Malmsteen (I don't like the bulk of his music, but his absolute control and command of all aspects of his playing is mind boggling)
5. Dave Mustaine (rhythm guitar)


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## JouniK86 (Jan 14, 2009)

*1 - Shawn Lane*
Pretty much self-explanatory, this late great guitar artist showed that it is possible to shred like a madman and still maintain a dynamic, musical touch to lead guitar playing. "Powers of Ten" still remains as one of my favorite solo albums.

*2 - Jeff Loomis
*Elite of metal guitarists. He can add so much harmonics to an already pumped-up sound that it's almost incredible. It's not his Nevermore stuff which got me to appreciate this guitarist, but his excellent solo album "Zero Order Phase".

*3 - Fredrik Thordendal
*He is partially responsible for the sound and feel of a modern, technical thrash metal (and somewhat also metal-/deathcore ) . The earlier works displayed brutalized Holdsworth-esque lead/solo guitar work which has developed quite nicely throughout his career, yet it is his rhythm guitar playing that has forced me to bow down before my new god.

*4 - Steve Vai
*Ok, there's no denial that he is (one of) the most technical, most versatile and most musical guitar player in rock scene up-to-date. Placing him on the viewpoint of this ranking would be exaggerated since I don't like all his composition that much. However, there is no denial that including him is pretty obvious, regardless of whether you prefer rock over metal or either way.

*5 - Nuno Bettencourt
*A cocky rock guitarist with both attitude and style. Excellent guitar solos on the Extreme albums as well as ballsy riffing. Nuff said.

Other guitar players I look up to:
*Dimebag Darrell, Kristian Niemann, Chuck Schuldiner, Christoffer Malmstr&#246;m, John Petrucci, Michael Romeo *and probably a bunch of others I forgot to mention.


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## Triple7 (Jan 14, 2009)

Adam Jones
Jeff Loomis
David Gilmour
Justin Longshore (only the stuff from "Bloodlust")
Fredrick Thordendal


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## liamh (Jan 15, 2009)

5) Steve Morse
4)Allan Holdsworth
3)Guthrie Govan
2)John Petrucci
1)Steve Vai (one of the most talented people to ever live imo)


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## Chelseadevil21 (Jan 15, 2009)

My Top 5 are....
1. Chris Amott (Arch Enemy) - Love his lead work. To me he is a God
2. Joel Stroetzel (Killswitch Engage) - Love his thrashy rhythm/tasty leads 
3. Peter Wichers (Soilwork) - Incredible..that's about it
4. Buz McGrath (Unearth) - Love his all around playing
5. John Petrucci (His solo work) - He is just an amazing player all around also


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## punisher911 (Jan 16, 2009)

No order here.
SRV-how can you not like the blues?
Steve Vai-speed, skill, and feeling. "The audience is listening" is in my iPod.
TOM MORELLO-made me actually want to learn guitar. I love his riffs and the outside the box thinking for solos and sounds.
Dimebag Darrell-Again, I love a good riff. 
EVH-every kid I knew learned "air guitar" to 1984, including me

I couldn't honestly put Satch, although he's great. I just never heard him until I bought a G3 dvd while in Iraq. Yes, I was sheltered.


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## EliNoPants (Jan 16, 2009)

though i started on bass and am only recently giving guitar a sincere effort beyond "i just wanna be able to throw down the rhythm parts without having to spend 9 hours explaining 2 riffs to a halfwit"

David Gilmour - Pink Floyd is WHY i like music, and even 29 years later, no solo has touched me more than Comfortably Numb still does, even in shitty halfassed cover versions
James Hetfield - Metallica is the first metal band i ever heard, and i still remember FREAKING out during the video for One when it was on Beavis and Butthead
Chuck Schuldiner - dude managed to pull off the same degree of free and pure expression that Hendrix did, only he had discipline and technique
Glenn Tipton/KK Downing - a little while ago Hellion/Electric Eye came on the radio, and for like 3 minutes i couldn't figure out what the hell it was, but i knew it was the greatest use of dual guitar i'd ever heard, and that i'd heard it before despite not having my finger on it exactly...then Rob Halford came in, and i felt like a retard and went "wow, even after all this time, their dual guitar work still sounds unique and ahead of everyone elses use of it"
Adam Jones - Tool rules, and despite his general avoidance of lead or solo work, those riffs, even tuned down to just D are so much heavier than most other bands could ever hope to be


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## canuck brian (Jan 16, 2009)

Petrucci - made me want to start learning more than rhythm playing.

Gilbert - his vids broke everything down for me. I improved my playing a thousand fold just by his teachings alone. I've focused heavily on cleaning up high speed alternate picking and the Intense Rock DVD just completely cleaned up my playing.

Loomis - this guy is insane. He's one of the few newer guitar players who sounds like he has a voice of his own. Easily one of my favorite players for being able to incorporate such heavy melody in his most extreme runs. As said by Desi - this man is what I aspire to.

Kirk Hammett - Metallica was one of the first bands I checked out for metal, the other was Slayer and I'm sure as hell not giving Kerry King the credit. I heard Metallica and wanted to play metal. Simple as that.

Recently! 

Doug Steele! - I love your vids man. Anything to make myself a better player is something I'll check out and your videos definitely cleaned up some of my playing.


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## E Lucevan Le Stelle (Jan 16, 2009)

I'd say...
Paul Masvidal
Fredrik Thordendal
Allan Holdsworth
Jason Becker
Chuck Schuldiner


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## Scar Symmetry (May 6, 2009)

Steve Vai
Per Nilsson
Jeff Loomis
John Petrucci
Muhammed Suicmez


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## synrgy (May 6, 2009)

Dimebag
Dave Navarro
Adam Jones
Tim Mahoney
Steve Vai
(not necessarily in that order.)

Basically, anyway. Kirk Hammet should probably be in there too, although technically I think James _wrote_ all the riffs I give Kirk credit for playing...


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## demontamer (May 6, 2009)

Good question...Hard to answer to...I like this challenge ^_^

1 - Kai Hansen(Helloween/Gamma Ray): when I was a teenager,the Helloween albums makes me play a guitar...he's not a shreddy guy,but he has some feeling on his playing.

2 - Adrian Smith(Iron Maiden/Bruce Dickinson): some of his chops has make it from the 80's till know,and are still som of the best riffs you ever listen.

3 - Jason Becker(Cacophony/Solo): He is the best guitar player and composer I've ever listened to...Hope that in the future someone would find a cure for his disease...his also a great example of a great human being...

4 - Micheal Ammott & Christopher Ammott(Arch Enemy/Spiritual Beggars/Carcass/Armageddon): I love their riffing and solos!!!Especially Chris guitaring,that I consider one of the absolutely best in Europe!!!

5 - Jeff Loomis(Nevermore): he is the best shredder actually on the music business...he has feeling,and great chops and riffs...and I love how he sweeps on that 7 strings!!!!

Okay I have forgotten other great guys(like Chris Broderick,Micheal Romeo,Jesper Stromblad and Bjorn Gelotte,Roy Z,Bill Steer,John Norum,Brian May and so on so on....)but you've limited this to 5 guys...eheheheh


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## HorseCalledWar (May 6, 2009)

Ron Thal
Mattias Eklundh
John Petrucci
SRV
EVH


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## robotsatemygma (May 6, 2009)

No particular order for this one... but I'll try.

-Kurt Cobain: This motherfucker influenced me to pickup a guitar. Got into Nirvana about a few months after he died with Nevermind. Met a friend who played guitar, he showed me a few chords, and that was about it.

-Stephen Carpenter/Deftones: Around high school I was asked to join a band and yada yada... hadn't played my guitar in a few years. Picked up an axe, drop tuned it, and started playing Bored without knowing it. Deftones have always been my numero uno band and always will. Once my musical skill grew a little bit I would sit in my room playing along to Adrenaline and Around the Fur for hours. So much angst and beauty. 

-Ben Weinman/the Dillinger Escape Plan: About the time I created my current band I was all metalcore'd out but had a basic idea of how I wanted my style. I was experimenting when a friend introduced me to this band and it BLEW MY MIND! I'm talking full on aneurism mixed with a 4some orgy of orgasms. This was the noise I was hearing in my head. I quickly gathered all their albums and tried learning their style. These guys really inspired me to go explore other genres of music and ultimately not limit myself to just metal. 

-Django Reinhardt: No introduction needed for this guy. His playing has been an inspiration of mine... I watch guys like Vai and others just insanely sweep pick the hell out of their guitars and it's a bummer as my wrists and fingers are weak due to years of bmx injuries and carpeltunnel. Then I listen to Django, so much passion and emotion is poured into his music and he does it with only 2 fingers. His playing has been an inspiration to so many musicians through the years. It's truly an amazing legacy. 

-Louie Armstrong: Weird inspiration for a guitarist. My band in high school lost our bassist right before our 1st show so I switched to bass and we picked up another guitarist. I fell in love with the bass and learned everything I could. My parents would listen to all the big band/swing and blues on the weekends while they cleaned or got ready to go out. So I began playing along to it and instantly fell in love with Louie. Now I turn on a Louie album and play my guitar adding lil bebop lines to the music and harmonizing with his trumpet.


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## Shawn (May 6, 2009)

Earlier, it was Kirk Hammet, Warren DeMartini, Jake E. Lee, Joe Satriani and a lot of guitar players in the 80's, then I got into James Murphy, Terrance Hobbs, Doug Cerrito, Chuck Shuldiner and a lot of death metal shredders. In the past decade or so it's been Eric Johnson, Tony MacAlpine, Steve Vai, Vernon Reid, SRV, John Petrucci, etc, etc -I could go on.


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## synrgy (May 6, 2009)

yeah, I suppose if I were being more honest with myself, Kurt and Stefan would both be on my list too. It's just such a tough call when I have so many influences and I can only pick 5.


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## iabetesfo (May 6, 2009)

Andy Laroque
Jason Becker
Zakk Wylde 
Eric Johnson 
My father


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## NegaTiveXero (May 6, 2009)

1 - Lance Arny (and Jason Daunt) of Flaw; this band got me into playing guitar and 7 strings, and they also shaped my rhythm style. I started out trying to play their sngs and it really had an effect on me. If I only had to choose one player/band that influenced me the most, it was Flaw (and their guitarists). They were there in the beginning and started it all

2 - Head and Munky; they made me think outside of normal playing and got me into adding more atmosphere ito my songs with cool and weird sounding effects in the higher registers. They also helped me look at songs in a bigger picture, instead of just the guitar parts. If you listen to a lot of their songs the guitar parts sound weird without the rest of the music, like they wouldn't fit normally.

3 - John Fucking Petrucci; this guy got me into lead playing. I always said I would rather do rhythm because it's more fun, but that was only because I was afraid of not being good at it. I heard him play and I said "fuck it, I need to be able to lead".

4 - Meshuggah; This is a more recent influence, but they've been making me think. They made me want and 8 String, but my goal (and their influence) was how to play an 8 String and NOT sound like them. I fucking LOVE Meshuggah, but I don't want to be Meshuggah. I'll throw out a tribute once or twice, but I don't want my band to be just like them. I want to take it the other way and play like I always play on my 7s and make great sounding, super low-tuned music. 

5 - I have to think of a 5th one.


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## Monk (May 6, 2009)

1. James Hetfield - Inspired me to play guitar
2. Dino Cazares - Inspired me to play a 7-string guitar
3. Head and Munky - Inspired me to break out of sounding like James/Dino
4. Devin Townsend - Inspired me to think further outside the box
5. Fredrik and Marten - Inspired me to play an 8-string guitar; even further outside the box.

Oh yeah, can't forget to mention Ihsahn.


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## willyman101 (May 6, 2009)

James Hetfield - Master of Puppets made me pick up guitar. Especially that and Creeping Death made me force myself to practice downpicking.

Paul Gilbert - I literally spent hours studying him and his lessons, and I don't even do lead. Just general legato and picking inspired me.

Jeff Loomis - Showed me heavy seven string shred.

Mark Smith/Munaf Rayani - Introduced me to ambient layers in dual guitar playing.

Robb Flynn/Phil Demmel - Seeing as MH are my favorite band it's just all the solos and riffs that make me headbang like a beast.


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## ShadyDavey (May 6, 2009)

Blergh, these lists of top 5 "X" always make me sweat - my likes and influences change but I guess for guitarists then I have a couple of permanent influences, and then a couple that change depending on my current listening habits.

1) Jason Becker (musicallity, fire, vibrato, chops, quirky attitude - "All time great")
2) Joe Satriani (taste, tone, vibrato, knowledge, musicallity and variety - "All time great") 
3) Yngwie Malmsteen (killer vibrato, great tone, attitude, chops - "Neo Classical" choice)
4) John Sykes (perennial favourite and has a god-like vibrato - "trad rock" choice)
5) Shane Gibson (he's the best of the current breed of guitarists if you ask me - has the chops and enough sense to let musicallity come through with a twisted sense of rhythm - "modern" choice)

Those are just this week, but in the past I have been influenced by Chris Poland, Steve Vai, Allan Holdsworth, Frank Gambale, Tony Macalpine, Gary Moore, Jeff Healey....all the usual names that I'm sure we're all familiar with. For the future? Who knows..


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## Variant (May 6, 2009)

Alex Skolnick
Rocky George
Criss Oliva
Devin Townsend
Mikael Åkerfeldt


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## CHAWLthornacus (May 6, 2009)

my right side think's-

angus young- for style and sound.
jimmy page- for riff's, improv and tone.
brian may- for the delayed effect.
uli roth- for being a bad ass guitar player!
willie nelson- for songwriting and acoustic sound(nylon).

my left side feel's

james hetfield- heavy riff's and rhythm time changes.
tony iommi- heavy sound and his acoustic playing.
steve vai-for making a fake mistake sound good.
SRV- for playing clear, soulfull blues with some jazzy feel.
EVH- for tone,sound and improv feel.

i've seen and listen to alot of other guitarist that i like just as much as the ones above.
but that is my 5X5 today, it might change tomorrow?


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## Æxitosus (May 6, 2009)

again, in no order

Tool - Adam Jones. These guys were always one of my favorite bands and his playing really interested me. He didn't necessarily show off talent, but when you listen to him, you still get the impression that he's really good and just holding back. And, I have to say he has about the best guitar tone out there. 

Machine Head - Demmel/Flynn. Their style isn't incredibly original, but they are still pretty great, and when I was a kid (like, 12-13 years old) they were pretty much my favorite band, so they were pretty influential. 

Gojira - Joe Duplantier. These guys have a very distinct style that I ahve always loved. It really has inspired my guitar playing. 

Opeth - Mikael Åkerfeldt. Need I really say more?

Underøath - Timothy McTague. I know these aren't most guys style, but they have really influenced my playing. If you really pay attention to the guitar work it's pretty technicle, especially for the genre. They don't always reflect in my work but they do influence soem of my writing.


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## Thin_Ice_77 (May 6, 2009)

In no order:

1. Sam Totman. I know I'll probably get flamed for this, but he writes all the vocal lines on guitar, he has amazing melody and his harmonies are awesome. He has speed and I really enjoy his solos. Not a lot of people like Dragonforce because of whatever, but I think Sam is really underrated.

2. Paul Gilbert. Do I really need to explain that?

3. Andy McKee. This guy inspired me to pick up my acoustic for the first time in months and really try and be creative and experimental with it.

4. Buckethead. No doubt in my mind, best guitarist in the world.

5. JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler from August Burns Red. Amazing metalcore guitarists, they come up with some amazing riffs and their solo work is none too shabby either. They're probably the biggest influences on my rhythm playing.


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## Cyco Nino (May 7, 2009)

-Dimebag Darrell from Pantera
-Jerry Cantrell from Alice in chains
-Dino Cazares from Fear Factory
-Larry Lalonde from Primus and Possessed
-Munky and Head from Korn
-Page Hamilton from Helmet
-And a lot of hc guitarists.


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## oompa (May 7, 2009)

it feels strange to say but ive played for 15 years and if i take some chronological approach to this, i end up with 4-5 guys who has influenced me strongly along the way but are not of any interrest to me today.

1: Kirk Hammett - Was a metallica fan when i started playing guitar, adopted his "stiff fingers" right hand picking technique for a long time, and chewed metallica riffs in and out.

2: Jimmy Page - got back to 'my' roots, and rediscovered zeppelin, not only did i grow up with 70's rock from my dad, but now i rediscovered that also there were kickass guitarists involved, like Page, Iommi etc. got me goin in rock, both single notes and chords.

3: Mårten Hagström - discovered Future Breed Machine when it was just released and i was 13 yo. it blew my mind as i was always really into rythms and how they could enhance melody (wich meshuggah had none of). been one of my most frequently played groups throughout my life. mårten and fredrik taught me all about tight polymetric djentleness.

4: as i was apparently a sucker for technical and progressive stuff, Dream Theater was just around the corner and i discovered them almost at the same time. i had heard them earlier but they sounded way to cheesy. now i had gotten good enough to recognize the awesome of petrucci and as i started deciphering DT songs and his style i grew several levels as a musician and guitarist. his instructional gave me alot in ways of technique.

5: Jerry Cantrell - in my mid-teens i headed deep into the grunge genre for a little while and discovered a great contrast to all this technical stuff i had been so obsessed with. i was already all into Shuldiner and the likes and when a guitarist friend who was older and i really looked up to, started talking about how very simple three chord songs could do so much i had a period where all i did was playing alice in chains and stone temple pilots songs. 

nowadays im mostly into experimental music and technical death metal but i guess those above 5 dudes are the ones that i have spent the most time trying to analyze and those have probably shaped me the most as a guitarist, even if i dont listen much to any of them groups nowadays, except meshuggah 

runner up guitarists that also influenced me alot and who i spent many hours playing along with: 
Mikael Weikath (helloween), Jesper Strömblad (in flames), Head+Munky (korn), Amott Brothers (Arch Enemy), Anders Björler (at the gates, the haunted), Mikael Åkerfeldt (opeth), Kerry King (slayer)

later inspirations:
Brent Hinds (mastodon), Muhammed Suicmez (necrophagist), Daniel Mongrain (Martyr), Davide Tiso (Ephel Duath), Paul Masvidal (cynic), Nils Frykdahl (SGM, Faun Fables etc.)


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## hairychris (May 7, 2009)

Mike Clark/late 80's Suicidal Tendencies
James Hetfield
Tommy Victor/Prong
Adam Jones

Er can't think of a 5th one. The first 3 were very influential in my playing when I started out as a thrasher in the 80s. I love Adam Jones's precision & style.

Possibly Page Hamilton/Helmet. Possibly Devin Townsend/SYL. Possibly Jeff Hanneman/Slayer. And recent ones... The Unearth guys, and I'm a relatively new convert to the joys of Paul Gilbert & his instructional DVDs.


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## eaeolian (May 7, 2009)

That's actually pretty easy for me:

Ritchie Blackmore - my single biggest influence, although you don't hear it in the ways you might expect.

James Hetfield - I wouldn't have the right hand I have without learning the first four Metallica albums note-for-note.

Chris Poland - Apparently (from listening to my own playing) my most noticeable current influence. According to Noodles, anyway. 

Tim Calvert - The guy I hear most in my own playing, especially the way I use arpeggios.

Dave Mustaine - Supreme weirdness in composition. Didn't influence my soloing, but definitely my rhythm playing and writing - at least up until Rust In Peace.


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## AK DRAGON (May 7, 2009)

1. C.C. DeVille - this crazy guitarist got me wanting to play guitar.
2. Eric Clapton - Showed me that it wasn't all about how fast and how many notes I could play, it was all about the notes that were NOT played
3. Joe Satriani - Need I say More?
4. John Petrucci - the King of Prog. Had me looking at myself to how to improve my technique and theory
5. Steve Vai - the upside down ? with wild hair.


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## DslDwg (May 7, 2009)

1. Randy Rhoads - This was my first concert July 4, 1981 - life altering watching this guy - 50,000 people in the Oakland Coliseum pumping their firsts in time with Crazy Train - I knew I needed to learn to play guitar.
2. Tony Iommi - I just love his style heavy and evil.
3. Dave Murry/Adrian Smith - I think they showed me that great rhythm playing could be cool. 
4. Glenn Tipton/ K.K. Downing - Again loved the double guitars - showed me that you didn't need to be the next great shred meister to write/play great songs.
5. James Hetfield/ Kirk Hammett - I don't like the direction they've gone in recent years but saying that the first four albums didn't influence my playing would be a lie. For me it was the natural progression from Maiden and Priest and now speed it up - yipee .

Other Honorable mentions but probably not heard much in my playing (my fat little fingers just don't move fast enough)- Petrucci, Lifeson, Poland, Friedman, MacAlpine, Loomis.


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## groph (May 7, 2009)

This list will include multiple players at once because I view a band as a whole most of the time.

In no order

1) Pat O'Brien/Jack Owen/Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse - I'll never forget seeing videos of these guys playing, warping my mind with how their left hands went all over the fretboard. Gore Obsessed and Bloodthirst are Cannibal Corpse at their instrumental prime. Credit also goes to Bob Rusay and Rob Barrett.

2) Ruben Rosas of Devourment - Devourment, IMO are the most intensely brutal band around and they have a unique style that breaks free from a cookie cutter sound. He influences my playing style a lot.

3) Kerry King/Jeff Hanneman of Slayer - I love Slayer. No Metallica for me.

4) Terrence Hobbs/Guy Marchais of Suffocation - Recently they're influencing my playing style. I love the raw, sloppy old school style.

5) Jean-Francois of Kataklysm - I love his really basic riffs. Kataklysm is also very unique sounding. Heavy = Simple in my books.

EDIT: Jesus Christ the last two people who posted are named Geoff and have RG7321's.


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## Konfyouzd (May 7, 2009)

in no particular order

steve vai
akerfeldt
jeff loomis
jerry cantrell
stanley jordan


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## DslDwg (May 7, 2009)

groph said:


> Jesus Christ the last two people who posted are named Geoff and have RG7321's.



We should start a club


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## Joeywilson (May 7, 2009)

BULB- The first time i heard him play it changed my entire approach to guitar.

Tosin Abasi- Followed this guy religously as of late, i love how he uses the whole spectrum of the guitar in such a creative and unique way, im floored every time i hear him play even if ive heard whatever it is 50 billion times

Textures guys- brilliant writers

Ron Jarzombak- Firt guitarist to make me really think outside of the box, incredible musician

Dimebag darrell- Ive grown out of my "dimebag" phase but i have to give him credit as he was the guy who made me want to be the best guitarist i can possibly be

honorable mentions-

paul gilbert- whom i owe a lot of my playing to due to all those great insructional dvds, Leo Dennett from No made sense, browne from fell silent, Jeff loomis, tesseract dudes are all amazing, dan weller and pin from sikth and cyclamen [hayoto i forget his last name]
and david from the mind of solaris, i love all of his compositions and ive been listening to TMOS continuously for the past while, working on getting down sacred mirrors as of late.


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## Excalibur (May 8, 2009)

Certainly not in any order, but these are my 5 main influences off the top of my head.

Mark Knopfler - Just an incredible all-round guitarist, and vocalist too, the solo to Sultan's of Swing got me interested in guitar.

-Alex Lifeson - I love his use of suspended chords and the voicings he applies, not too much a fan of his lead style though.

-Greg Howe - I adore this man's phrasing, his lead style, and his fluidity, plus he's incredibly successful and still manages to be humble as hell

-Eric Johnson - Incredible phrasing, incredible playing, incredible tone.

-Trey Anastasio/Andy Summers - I love his use of chords, and the way he arpeggiates some of them


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## Scar Symmetry (May 8, 2009)

Excalibur said:


> Mark Knopfler - Just an incredible all-round guitarist, and vocalist too, the solo to Sultan's of Swing got me interested in guitar.



+100

Mark Knopfler is actually an extremely understated player amongst modern guitarists. his phrasing is absolutely PERFECT. I've never known such good phrasing from any other guitarist, and on top of that, Knopfler knew how to write a catchy riff. he is simply a genius, a very, very smart guy.

he's a perfect example of taste over shred, and the reason I started playing guitar.


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## Excalibur (May 8, 2009)

Scar Symmetry said:


> +100
> 
> Mark Knopfler is actually an extremely understated player amongst modern guitarists. his phrasing is absolutely PERFECT. I've never known such good phrasing from any other guitarist, and on top of that, Knopfler knew how to write a catchy riff. he is simply a genius, a very, very smart guy.
> 
> he's a perfect example of taste over shred, and the reason I started playing guitar.


I'm glad we're in agreement for once 
I certainly agree with every point, his brother's no slouch on rhythm either


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## Variant (May 8, 2009)

^
And interestingly, to despite the anti-'shred' sentiment, Knopfler said that he'd just prefer to play guitar and that the vocals were just to "complete the song".


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## Scar Symmetry (May 8, 2009)

Excalibur said:


> I'm glad we're in agreement for once
> I certainly agree with every point, his brother's no slouch on rhythm either



yeah how bout that 

every time Dire Straits recorded, Mark actually went back over each of David's tracks and rerecorded them because he thought they weren't good enough.



Variant said:


> And interestingly, to despite the anti-'shred' sentiment, Knopfler said that he'd just prefer to play guitar and that the vocals were just to "complete the song".



yeah, and seeing as soloing on guitar and vocals can be very similar and he'd nailed one, he could hardly mess up the other 

 Mark Knopfler


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## 74n4LL0 (May 8, 2009)

1) Paul Gilbert: I started to do also a lot of string skipping thanks to him. I also dig alot his pop albums and his work with Racer X.
2) Frank Gambale: My style is really different from him. But it's thank to him if now I play the way I do (slightly jazzy). I once went to a clinic and he was so awesome. It help me a lot to focus on what I want to play.
3) Allan Holdsworth: His legato influenced me so much. When I broke part of my right hand years ago I started to do solos with legato and now I do almost only solos with legato, I regained speed for the picked parts but I like the fluid sound that you achieve with legato.
4) John Petrucci: If I do proggy stuff is thanks to this man.
5) The Edge: he's a big inspiration too. When I was 14 years old I learned a lot of U2 songs and that influenced me a lot later then


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## JohnIce (May 8, 2009)

1: John Petrucci: I'm not a rabid fan of prog at all, but he encompasses everything I strive to be as a guitarist. His phrasing, his dynamics, his tone, his versatility, his rhythm (or comping I should say), composition, everything! And I barely even care about his speed.

2: Richie Sambora: A hugely underrated guitarist. He can shred better than most people think, but that's not it. His extreme versatility and sense of knowing what a song needs is what I admire most about him. He's a master of walking the fine line between adding melodic and harmonic interest to a song without being distracting from the vocal melody. Most guitarists fail horribly at this.

3: Sugizo: This guy taught me all about atmosphere and layering, how you can create huge soundscapes without need for keyboards. Aside from that he's also really good at the same things I mentioned about Richie, and he's also a huge inspiration for my writing for a two-guitar band. He and co-guitarist Inoran play off eachother extremely well, and barely ever play the same thing.

4: Brian Setzer: He got me into using a more theoretical approach to create more swinging music. A lot of both my rhythm playing and lead work is really inspired by him.

5: Steve Lukather: Again, someone who has a really good sense for what a song needs, and what it doesn't. He's really good at understating himself to add to the song, but also and insane soloist. So he has it all.

+1 to Mark Knopfler though, he'd be next on my list.


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## dougsteele (May 8, 2009)

1. Eddie Van Halen
2. George Lynch
3. Paul Gilbert
4. Jason Becker
5. Greg Howe


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## ADAMAKAGORE (May 8, 2009)

1. My dad
2. Loomis
3. Satriani
4. Petrucci
5. any person that plays better then me (so, most people  )


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## grogarage (May 8, 2009)

1-Zakk Wylde, for his vibrato, pinch harmonics and making simple pentatonic stuff sound good

2- Marty Freidman, at first when i heard him with megadeth, i didnt like his weird sounding scales, but it have grown on me, realy unique.

3-Jeff Loomis, awesome shredder, song wrighter and uses the 7 string for more than djent

4-Steve Vai, we all know why!!!

5-James Hetfeild, he IS Metallica and made me understand that you better be able to play 95% of the song thight, than being able to shred 5%

and many others: Dime-EVH-Jimmy Page-Steve Stevens, there's so many GREATS!!!



eaeolian said:


> That's actually pretty easy for me:
> 
> Ritchie Blackmore - my single biggest influence, although you don't hear it in the ways you might expect.
> 
> ...


 
i tought i was one of the only one who knows Tim Calvert, from his days with Forbidden to his short stint with Nevermore, i realy like his playing


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## auxioluck (May 8, 2009)

1. My dad
2. Tom Morello
3. Petrucci
4. Thom Yorke/Johnny Greenwood (Radiohead)
5. My buddy Ryan (t o k u g a w a on here, he really made me push myself to get better at metal and sweeps.)


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## darshan (May 20, 2009)

1. Paul Masvidal - for his wonderful phrasings and songwriting
2. Dave Mustaine - my first guitar teacher
3. David Torn - for his use of vibrato and loops
4. John Petrucci - for his pick tecnique
5. Robert Fripp - for his amazin (and sick) sounds


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## Varcolac (May 20, 2009)

My choices are in no particular order, and more related to songwriting and attitude than shred or technique. Sure, Malmsteen is fast, but I guess I like songs more than I do solos...

*David Gilmour* - Tasteful or overblown as the song demands. Pink Floyd sort of taught me that guitars aren't the be-all and end-all of a song. You can be somewhere in the background, or working with the other instruments to create an almost symphonic sound. But then the time changes from 7/4 to 4/4 and you let rip like a giant bluesy bastard. Awesomeness.

*Ihsahn* - For teh br00talz and teh pr0gz. I feckin' love the guy's arrangements, and how he can go within two minutes of an album's opening from baroque harpsichords to almost cheezily epic to tremolo-picked black metal riffery without it ever sounding out of place. The opening riff from "The Prophet" was the first time I though "Hmmm, maybe I oughta get a 7-string..."

*Devin Townsend* - For making me tune my damn guitar to open C and opening up a world of weird rhythms. I also admire the daft sense of humour that he puts into his songs and live shows. I mean, seriously, "Far Beyond Metal"? "My favourite lesson in high school was English, because it was.... AFTER MATH!"? And of course, the entire Ziltoid album. Hilarious, and metal. At the same time. Good stuff.

*Pete Townshend* - Because more guitarists with similar last names is a good thing. Simplicity and riffs. Simplicity and riffs. And huge proto-prog sequencer parts. The man could make _three chords_ the most epic thing imaginable. Well, it was until CSI:NY remixed and raped it... 

*Chuck Schuldiner* - I don't really need to explain this. Powerhouse of riffwriting, progenitor of an entire genre, and modest about it. Every time I write a freakin' riff I can't shake the feeling that I've probably stolen it from Death. This means that I open iTunes and play a bunch of Death songs to see if I did, which means I get to listen to a lot of Death, which is no bad thing!


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## TheMasterplan (May 20, 2009)

Mick Kenney/Irrumator (Anaal Nathrakh) - Influenced my playing in the sense of creating atmosphere and raw emotion. The riffs and variations are often simple, but always very evil sounding. One of my, if not, biggest influences in my actual work.

Jesper Strömblad (In Flames) - Influenced my playing in using beautiful clean melodies and creative distorted riffs simultaneously.

Noah Carpenter (Skinless) - Influenced my playing in making catchy riffs that are still very heavy.

Jonas Bryssling (Spawn Of Possession) - Influences my riff writing in being able to create a technical stream of seven string riffs while staying very fresh.

Jeff Loomis (Nevermore) - Really goes without saying. Not unlike many others, he's the main reason I started playing seven strings.


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## Scar Symmetry (May 20, 2009)

1. Kirk Hammet 
2. Kirk Hammet
3. Kirk Hammet
4. Kirk Hammet
5. Kirk Hammet


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## Deadfall (May 20, 2009)

1-anyone from Mike Varney's bag-Malmsteen-Moore-Becker/Friedman-Tmac
2-Michael Wilton/Chris Degarmo from Queensryche
3-Jim Matheos/Frank Aresti from Fates Warning
4-Albert Lee
5-Gawd I really have to stop at 5?Lifeson-Adrian Smith/Dave Murray-Chet Atkins-Jerry Reid-.....I give up.Too many to properly mention as it all mattered.
Thanks for the thread rez by the way.Interesting to see what everyone cut their teeth on.
lol yeah Kirk and James of course.Alex Scholnick..good lord I feel so guilty leaving people out.
And of course both my grandfathers who taught me...*sigh*


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## redlol (Oct 4, 2009)

1- chuck schuldiner-hes better then dimebag an hes only got one sig model...
2- john sykes- my favourite 'feel' player and an awseom songwriter and player
3- george lynch- you dont need to shred to play an awesome solo
4- jeff loomis- made me want to get a seven string.. which i did
5- adam d- for introducing me to pinched harmonics and drop tunings...


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## Loknik (Oct 4, 2009)

1. Jason Becker
2. Joe Satriani
3. Steve Vai
4. Jeff Loomis
5. Buckethead


You don't need lyrics to convey feelings/emotions...


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Oct 4, 2009)

1. Tore Østby - The guy has awesome tone, awesome vibrato, awesome phrasing, awesome sense of dynamics, is a great writer, has a unique sound, and makes metal flamenco on electric guitar sound more authentic than actual flamenco players.

2. Stéphan Forté - Technically precise, but musical. Writes some of the most chromatic passages I've heard, and makes them sound entirely tonal. I daresay that he could outsweep Malmsteen, but he idolized the guy, so I don't think he'd admit it. Also a master of the Floyd Rose in a way that nobody else is.

3. Glenn Tipton - The guy started playing guitar at 21 and is a metal god to boot. He did the three chord thing, but can also shred like nobody's business.

4. Alex Lifeson - He got me into prog, and prog is my life.

5. Chuck Schuldiner - I've only discovered Death recently, but his music changed my outlook on metal. Genuinely smart music, and a way of writing riffs that none has equalled, in my experience.


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## Gamba (Oct 4, 2009)

1 - Max Cavaleira
2 - Elvis Presley
3 - Alex Webster (yeah he is a bass player, but who cares...)
4 - Dino Cazares
5 - Marten Hagstrom


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## ilyti (Oct 4, 2009)

Mind you this is by no means a list of my 5 favourtie players. My top guitar player of all time is Shawn Lane, but I can't even begin to understand the things he does with his instrument, so I don't know how to take influence from him. Maybe some day.

1 - Laif, my guitar teacher for 8 years. It's hard to deny that the guy who's been teaching you week after a week from the ground up isn't your biggest influence.

2 - Jason Becker. Huge inspiration, making one of the best and most versatile guitar records at age 18.

3 - Jacob Binzer. The reason I picked up the guitar was that I wanted to learn D-A-D songs, but I don't think there's any of his style that still shows in my playing.

4 - James Hetfield. If I hadn't gotten into Metallica when I was 15, there's a lot of bands I probably wouldn't have heard of and I owe it to Metallica that I met my fianceé (long story, don't ask). Again, I can't tell you if his style shows through in my playing.

5 - Arjen Lucassen. The man writes music the way I want to write music.


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## I_infect (Oct 4, 2009)

1. James Hetfield- downstroke rhythm, right hand from hell.
2. Stevie Ray Vaughn- man/instrument connection; he and the guitar were one inseparable unit.
3. Dave Mustaine- rhythm picking and fingering finesse.
4. Dime- gave me a whole new meaning to the tremolo and harmonics.
5. Zakk- more harmonics, but chord vibrato as well.

As you can probably guess I'm more of a bluesy influenced player who plays metal on 7 strings. I'm focused more on songwriting and rhythms now, but in my day I would have to name Alex Skolnick as a wild card for leads. I really dug his knowledge of theory and his approach to solos really influenced mine.


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## TomParenteau (Oct 4, 2009)

Mark Farner

Ted Nugent

EVH

John Sykes

Steve Vai


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## Bloody_Inferno (Oct 4, 2009)

It's gonna be very hard to limit to only 5:

My late Father - left some cassette recordings for me back in 83. His fingerstyle was second to none and he can sound like an orchestra just with one guitar. 

Joe Satriani - a pure rock heart. No matter the insane chops and finesse, it was always about the song. Great sense of melody to boot. 

Steve Vai - for continuing to push the musical boundaries of the guitar. And I have tremendous respect to one with total devotion to the instrument. 

Adam Jones - one who thinks outside the box. He has the ability to sound huge in a 1 guitar band, not only by tone but a sharp sense of riff arrangement. 

You (Janne Da Arc) - among the most complex rhythm players, no matter how much sonic information is going on, his guitar parts (even every other instrument) fit perfectly in the mix, and they still sound like songs. Plus he's got taste and technique down too. 

Other mentions:

Tom Morello
John Petrucci
Daita
Eric Johnson
Eddie Van Halen
Allan Holdsworth
Brian May
Robert Fripp
Adrian Belew
Sugizo
Uli Jon Roth
Michael Schenker
Alex Lifeson

... I feel bad for leaving them out.


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## Arminius (Oct 4, 2009)

Buckethead- probably the first guitarists i was influenced by, mostly in the manner of trying new and strange things
Jeff Loomis- From the dissonant thrash of his early stuff to his more reason progy stuff 
Trey Azagthoth- I like his solos and such, but the utter grooviness of everything he writes is amazing.
Chuck Schuldiner- His riffs are pretty great, but the little licks and melodies ( like that ascending run in crystal mountain) are beautiful.*
*Jason Mendonca- A genius in guitar harmonizing, also has a beautiful voice.


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## 74n4LL0 (Oct 5, 2009)

Maynly this 5:


Paul Gilbert
Allan Holdsworth
Jimmy Page
Robert Fripp (and Adrian Belew too)
John Petrucci 

Some other mentions:

Jimi Hendrix
Bill Frisell
Joe Satriani
Tom Morello
The Edge
Eddie Van Halen
Eric Clapton
George Harrison
Eric Johnson
Brian May
Steve Vai


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## Joelan (Oct 5, 2009)

1. My guitar teacher, Harry Shcuster
2. Kirk Hammet, as much as I hate to admit it
3. Mikael Åkerfeldt
4. Joe Satriani
5. My bass teacher, Zac Barter (yes, he has influenced my guitar playing also )


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## JohnIce (Oct 5, 2009)

Bloody_Inferno said:


> You (Janne Da Arc) - among the most complex rhythm players, no matter how much sonic information is going on, his guitar parts (even every other instrument) fit perfectly in the mix, and they still sound like songs. Plus he's got taste and technique down too.


 
You already know I agree with this, but it's a matter of principles: 

You can hear his guitar parts totally clear, while still not being distracted from the vocal melody. Extremely few players manage to do that.


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## BrainArt (Oct 5, 2009)

I can't name 5, that's impossible. I'll double it and name ten. 

1.) Vai - It's pretty much self-explanatory, I saw the video of For The Love Of God, and he got me back into playing the guitar.

2.) Gilbert - Again, self-explanatory.

3.) Petrucci - Dream Theater got me into Prog Metal and has since remained my favorite band, because JP writes amazing fucking music and is a freaking GOD!

4.) Loomis - He inspired me (along with Meshuggah) to tune a half-step down on my 7.

5.) Thordendal and Hagstrom from Meshuggah - My second favorite band, just from them pushing the envelope in all of their songs and using 8s.

6.) Richard Z. Kruspe from Rammstein - He's the guy who inspired me to put an industrial flair to some of my riffs.

7.) Per Nilsson - He's an awesome soloist and can play amazing riffs.

8.) My grandfather - He played more Traditional Hawai'in music, and has inspired me to start listening to it again a lot, so I could take that and put it in my music, on a distorted 7.

9.) Buckethead - Holy shit, he has long fucking fingers.

10.) Devin Townsend - He inspired me to try out Open C Major, and I love it!


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## Riff Obsessed (Oct 5, 2009)

I really can't narrow it down to just 5, because I've tried to learn something from everybody over the years, so it's gonna go like this:

1) Jimmy Page: THE influence on me, ever since I first heard Led Zeppelin and ever since I picked up a guitar at 14. Back then I was drawn to the riffing and the solos, and I learned a lot from that initially. But what I've seen in him over the years is his ability to cover so much musical ground, from acoustic stuff like Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, blues like Since I've Been Loving You and Tea For One, all the way through to epic hard rock like Achilles Last Stand, and still have it make sense and have his own personality shine through it.

From there, there's been a number of influences on me, so I'll break them down like this:

RHYTHM:

1) Dexter Holland and Noodles (The Offspring): Back when I first started playing I was VERY into punk, especially the faster paced stuff like these guys. Their semi-thrashy rhythms had a big effect on me, and ended up first developing my right hand. 

2) Dino Cazares (Fear Factory): This was the next biggest influence on my rhythm technique, though not as a writer. Rhythm so tight it was suffocating, and it drew me in to become a tighter rhythm player as I've always been focused mainly on being tight in both my rhythm and lead playing (perhaps even to a fault these days I find...).

3) Mille Petrozza (Kreator), Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) and Scott Ian (Anthrax): These guys are where I perfected my right hand work as well as where I got a key part of my riffing style from. Scott Ian's downpicking is insanely tight, and the other two have a knack at playing rather intricate notey riffs at VERY high tempos, yet are still extremely tight and locked in.

4) Tommy Vetterli (Coroner), and Joe Haley (Psycroptic): This is where my right hand was developed further and I learned how to become more creative. These guys could play riffs that sounded pretty much like leads, and yet it would still make sense. 

LEAD

1) Randy Rhoads: The first guitar player that really had me sitting down to learn tricks from (after Jimmy Page anyway!), and still the only guitar player I went out and bought a tab book to learn from. His solos really appealed to me, as they were technically-advanced, yet had a lot of flavour and depth that a lot of lead players I knew of at the time didn't.

EDIT: 2) Dimebag Darrel: Dime was the total package. I got into Pantera and Metallica at around about the same time, but Dimebag had a MUCH bigger effect on me than Kirk and James ever did. His riffing and lead playing were very technically proficient, and his rock-and-roll on steroids type lead playing had a huge effect on me when I was younger, as he was taking the stuff I'd learnt from Page and bringing it to a new extreme. Above that, he was also incredibly inventive (a hundred times more so than the people that ended up copying his style) and was able to cover a lot of ground within metal.

3) Andreas Kisser (Sepultura): After I was done with punk I went into thrash full-force and stayed there for ages. Andreas to me had a rather distinct style, which could go from rather frenzied to very structured, yet still made sense and followed the rhythm.

4) Alex Skolnick (Testament) and Marty Friedman (Megadeth): Really inspired me, especially lately to broaden my lead playing and use some rather weird note choices (ESPECIALLY Friedman in that regard). 

5) Preston Reed, Andy McKee and Kaki King: Seeing as I know that my left hand is MUCH weaker than my right hand, I started looking for ways to compensate for that. These guys got me into right-hand fretting, overhand fretting and a few other tricks to get me blazing a little faster.

There's plenty more that have influenced me over the way, but it'd take WAY too long to type them out (not to mention boring for you to read through ), so I'll leave it there.


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## signalgrey (Oct 5, 2009)

Jake and Rob from Strung out
Ian McKaye from Fugazi
Billy Corgan
the boys from Cave in
Edge from U2 (dont flame me....i have my rights)


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## Bloody_Inferno (Oct 5, 2009)

Hey, the Edge influenced me too.  From the textural simplicity and the justification of buying a crapload of effects pedals.



JohnIce said:


> You already know I agree with this, but it's a matter of principles:
> 
> You can hear his guitar parts totally clear, while still not being distracted from the vocal melody. Extremely few players manage to do that.



And it's because of his influence is that reawakened my sense of hero-worship and reinvent my overall playing. 

And he has plenty of great solos: Sister, Explosion, I just blush talking about it.


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## CrushingAnvil (Oct 5, 2009)

Mike Davis (Nocturnus) - Shredding for the sake of shredding? Hells yeah!

Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal) - 'Dogma Condemned' Solo made me cry the first time I heard it. The combination of climactic epicness and a digitech harmoniser just spells win for me...and also a few augmented notes just to throw me off when he runs down those at first, conventional sounding scales. And who could forget his work on Morbid Angel's 'Formulas Fatal To The Flesh' and 'Gateways To Annihilation'? Summoning Redemption makes me come buckets.

Zeb Nilsson (Aeon/Defaced Creation) - I'm speaking about Aeon in General but I first heard 'Soulburner' and 'Forever Nailed' about a year ago and I spent about 2 weeks blasting those tracks whilst playing GTA: Vice city  - I honestly am not too sure who plays the chromatic-mindfucks of the solos in Aeon but the Rhythm guitar is made of god and win. Praise the almighty swedish gods, Aeon 

Trey Azagthoth (Morbid Angel) - Heavy got invented but sort of gave up when it found out about Trey Azagthoth. I heard Bob Marley started taking Prozac when he first heard 'Altars Of Madness'.

Allen West (Obituary) - He's just the fucking shiznit? okay?


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## cow 7 sig (Oct 5, 2009)

hetfeild
petrucci
vai
satch
dino
and i sound nothing like any of them[thats not a bad thing],but have picked up little things from each to develop my own style


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## datalore (Oct 5, 2009)

TaronKeim said:


> *Kurt Ballou*



This. Listening to Kurt Ballou is like being fought over by a pair of giant snakes that both want to eat you alive. I also love Devin Townsend, John Petrucci and Nuno Bettencourt.


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## Yngtchie Blacksteen (Oct 5, 2009)

My five greatest influences:

Ritchie Blackmore
Jimi Hendrix
Eric Johnson
Shawn Lane
Brian May


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## Scar Symmetry (Oct 5, 2009)

not 5, just 2: the dudes from Attack Attack!


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## ma7erick (Oct 5, 2009)

Scar Symmetry said:


> not 5, just 2: the dudes from Attack Attack!



haha yeah right, that crab style is so catchy right?


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## Scar Symmetry (Oct 5, 2009)

ma7erick said:


> haha yeah right, that crab style is so catchy right?



I want to know how it's possible for crabs to play guitar. I mean, it must be hard with those claws and all. Am I right?


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## minusthemonkey (Oct 5, 2009)

signalgrey said:


> Jake and Rob from Strung out
> *Ian McKaye from Fugazi*
> Billy Corgan
> the boys from Cave in
> Edge from U2 (dont flame me....i have my rights)



Awesome. I'd say Ian and Guy really influenced the way I write rhythms. especially in contrast to the the bass line. I guess that's two, but their lines were so interdependent I don't think it would have worked as well one without the other.

And the other 4:

Paul Gilbert; melodic and terrifyingly fast. Regardless of how fast his runs are, you never lose the melody. Absolutely brilliant.
Pat Metheny; his phrasing is just amazing, and his experimentation with injecting different styles into his music expanded where I look to inspiration.
Michael Hedges; completely changed the way I looked at the guitar. I didn't have a guitar in anything approaching standard tuning for a couple years due to his influence.
Steve Vai; When I was 15 or 16, all I wanted to do is play like Vai. My propensity for melodic and admittedly long solos and, well, guitar wank-age in general is due chiefly to him.


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## C-PIG (Oct 5, 2009)

1- slash
2- kirt hammett
3- marty friedman
4- Dave mustaine
5- dimebag


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## norrin radcliff (Oct 5, 2009)

In no particular order:

Van Halen - too obvious...he's a pretty much a douche, but I wore out every cassette I had listening to him.

Prince (up to the late 80's) - frenetic solos and good rhythms.

Paul Gilbert - I think this guy has probably influenced me the most in retrospect.

Satch - I think he has a great sense of melody...

Tom Morello - taught me to do whatever the hell I wanted to a guitar to get a sound.

Honorable mention:
Tony Iommi - Riff meister


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## 777 (Oct 5, 2009)

Steve Vai
Joe Satriani

That is all


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## -mouse- (Oct 5, 2009)

Bryan Aubert (Silversun Pickups)- I like his playing. Reminiscent of Billy Corgan, but with his own flavor.

Billy Corgan- Great fucking player. Say what you want about his personality but Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie have some of the best rock guitar riffs ever, IMO.

Stephen Carpenter- A perfect example of not needing to be super technical to make beautiful, heavy songs.

Die and Kaoru- I have expressed my love for Dir en Grey on multiple occasions, so I will not do so here.

Zakk Wylde- Stillborn was actually the first song I learned on guitar... I had listened to all kinds of heavy shit before, but when I heard stillborn's "I waited here for you" chug-chug passage, I went "Now that's fucking awesome."

Runner ups- The guitarists from Mercenary, Brent Hinds, Tim McIrath and Joe Pricipe of Rise Against, Mick Thompson of Slipknot, Both guitarists from Protest the Hero. Oh, and Akerfeldt


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## Scar Symmetry (Oct 5, 2009)

I keep thinking this is the "5 bands you can't stand" thread, reading through it, getting really angry, then realising this is the thread in which people are saying who influenced them


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## AbstractAsylum (Oct 5, 2009)

Frederik and Marten from Meshuggah
John Petrucci (I hate the icon he's become, but he influenced me)
Mike Akerfeldt
Cynic, Shawn Lane, Allan Holdsworth (I'm only counting jazz as one lol)
Yngwie Malmsteen (and Paganini)

Those are the major ones. Runners up would be Adam Jones and Satch.


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## JohnIce (Oct 5, 2009)

AbstractAsylum said:


> Cynic, Shawn Lane, Allan Holdsworth (I'm only counting jazz as one lol)


 


Jazz? Cynic? Shawn Lane? Holdsworth? _Jazz_?

Really?


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## Scar Symmetry (Oct 5, 2009)

JohnIce said:


> Jazz? Cynic? Shawn Lane? Holdsworth? _Jazz_?
> 
> Really?



Jazz? No.

Jazz Fusion? Yes.


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## JohnIce (Oct 5, 2009)

Scar Symmetry said:


> Jazz? No.
> 
> Jazz Fusion? Yes.


 
Indeed. Not totally covinced that Cynic can be called Jazz Fusion either, but I guess it applies for the other two, or at least Holdsworth. But Jazz, it ain't.


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## AbstractAsylum (Oct 5, 2009)

That's what I meant. I know they're not jazz lol, I play alto sax also. I left it out by accident, my mind moves a lot faster than my fingers. Linda figured people would get the idea, I guess I should've been more specific. Holdsworth, Lane, and Cynic are all fusion or fusion influenced...correct? Although I suppose you already knew what I meant, why else would you post like that.


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## Scar Symmetry (Oct 5, 2009)

JohnIce said:


> Indeed. Not totally covinced that Cynic can be called Jazz Fusion either, but I guess it applies for the other two, or at least Holdsworth. But Jazz, it ain't.



Cynic are deeeefinitely Jazz Fusiony!


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## MaKo´s Tethan (Oct 5, 2009)

1-Brian Welch (the first one I try to imitate)
2-Steve Vai (the one who say to me: dude, get practice)
3-Dino Cazares (he influenced my metal technique)
4-Nicolas SanMartin (a friend) (He always play better, so I work harder on my guitar)
5-David Gilmour (he`s from space, or another dimension, I wish to do that)

I know, weird mix, but, it`s what I am.


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## JohnIce (Oct 5, 2009)

Scar Symmetry said:


> Cynic are deeeefinitely Jazz Fusiony!


 
Haha fusiony, not fusion...  Haha nevermind.



AbstractAsylum said:


> That's what I meant. I know they're not jazz lol, I play alto sax also. I left it out by accident, my mind moves a lot faster than my fingers. Linda figured people would get the idea, I guess I should've been more specific. Holdsworth, Lane, and Cynic are all fusion or fusion influenced...correct? Although I suppose you already knew what I meant, why else would you post like that.


 
Yeah man it's all cool.


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## liamh (Oct 5, 2009)

News just in:
Steve Morse is the shit


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## EdgeC (Oct 5, 2009)

1. Joel Stroetzel/Adam Dutkiewicz
2. Jeff Loomis
3. Buz Mcrath/Ken Susi
4. Dimebag 
5. Matt Freeman (yes he's a bass player but I also play bass in a punk band. Huge influence)


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## OnImpulse (Oct 6, 2009)

mikael akerfeldt! hes so tasteful. its rediculous.
devin townsend. so creative.
paul masvidal. always plays awesomely structured solos.
tosin abasi. completely in love with his song arrangements.
aaaaand the guys from mors principium est! melodic death metal shred always gets me hard.


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## AbaddonHammer (Oct 6, 2009)

-Mikael Akerfelt (Opeth)
-Willie Adler and Mark Morton (Lamb Of God)
-Adam Jones (Tool)
-Chris Poland (Megadeth and Ohm)
-Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains)


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## Prydogga (Oct 6, 2009)

Marty Friedman - His technique and Phrasing is just astounding, it just makes me want to learn thousands of new licks to incorporate into my playing

Steve Vai - His music is always unique and some songs sound very different from his other songs, I find that to be a good songwriting ability

Jason Becker - While he can play immensely fast, he still brings emotion into his music, like the Altitudes Arps, they have a good progession that is heavely 

Tom Morello - I was really into him for a while, and still listen to Audioslave and RATM frequently, he does great effects without sounding stupid and his simplicity in riffs and melody is discounted by how awesome they sound.

For my last mention I would like to put Paul, Gustavo or Yngwie, but I'd like to put two people who influenced my metal writing;

Willie Adler/Mark Morton - While their riffs are based in low D chugging they still make every song sound unique with great timing and sound combos in between and awesome Harmonic Minor based fills.

Other Favourites that haven't necessarily "influenced" me:
Steve Morse
David Gilmour
Al Di Miola
Andy Timmons
Joe Satriani
EVH
Vinnie Moore
Dimebag
Dave Mustaine
BB King
Can't be bothered coming up with more at the moment...


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## Deaths Madrigal (Oct 6, 2009)

1. Mikael Akerfeldt - Quite possibly the greatest songwriter in metal today, mixing beauty and brutality flawlessly. 

2. Jeff Loomis - The king of shredding solos and face crushing rhythms, hes pretty much the pinnacle of everything i hope to achieve with guitar.

3. Muhammed Suicmez - Jaw dropping technical accuracy and attack, Im always left wishing to hear what he has in store next.

4. Ihsahn - Chaotic masterpieces, his riffs are completely unique and never cease to inspire me.

5. Dan Swano - The most underrated face in the metal world, his riffs are classic, brutal and progressive in a way that is unheard anywhere else.


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## BrainArt (Oct 6, 2009)

-mouse- said:


> Stephen Carpenter- A perfect example of not needing to be super technical to make beautiful, heavy songs.



I love his playing, Deftones is one of my favorite bands. 

Stef is actually pretty technical if you listen to some of his riffs. You don't have to shred to be crazy technical.


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## box (Jan 21, 2010)

No order of importance.

Hetfield
Petrucci
Gilbert
Delonge
Waters

I've been playing for a year.

Hetfield helped me prevent myself from alternate picking everything because I couldn't keep up with the paste in riffs.

Petrucci showed me how practice through playing without an amp and especially without distortion made me realize how many mistakes I was making without even knowing and the learn from those mistakes.

Gilbert basically wrote technical difficulties and I've watched the video of him playing it around 300 times and each time I feel like my goal is to be able to play that song and due it justice.

Delonge gave me simple material to practice when I first started but explained how that solo's are cool but if you can write a song that the rest of the world can sing along to, you get more of a feeling of connection with others and that's the best thing ever.

Waters was a recent discovery since I'm only 17 and Annihilator was not very familiar to me, but Alison Hell has given me a song that I can learn the entire thing and not just some intro. Being able to play along with songs over my entertainment system was my first goal as a guitar player and now to experience that goal gives me a feeling of accomplishment and more determination to continue playing music.


This was probably a really long and boring response, but these are the top 5 guitarists who have influenced me.

Keep rocking and stay sic.


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## Ram150023 (Jan 21, 2010)

1. Eddie Van Halen - The reason why I picked a guitar up in the first place... 
2. Willie Adler and Mark Morton ( Lamb of God ) 
3. James Root and Mick Thompson ( $LipKnoT ) 

4. Jimmy Page

5. SRV

... I know these are very different ends of the spectrum... but each has helped to shape how i play and how I present not only myself, but the music as well...


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## Troegenator (Jan 21, 2010)

1.Willie Adler & Mark Morton
2.Adam Jones
3.Chris Poland
4.Pepper Keenan
5.Django Reinhardt

But mainly Willie & Mark. Nobody plays or sounds like those guys, and the way they compliment each other is perfection.

...and those are only my top five influences.


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## FearFactoryDBCR (Jan 21, 2010)

1 - Dino Cazares
2 - James Hetfield
3 - Eddie Van Halen
4 - Martin Hagstrom/Fredrik Thorendal
5 - Stephen Carpenter


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## Concr3t3 (Jan 21, 2010)

1. James Hetfield - MetallicA
2. Scott Ian - Anthrax
3. Anders Bjorler- At The Gates/The Haunted
4. Joe Duplantier - Gojira
5. Fredrik Thordendal - Meshuggah

...and countless others.


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## ArtDecade (Jan 21, 2010)

Whenever I look back on how I play, all I hear is a mashup of the following:

1. Frank Zappa
2. Marty Friedman
3. Dan Swanö
4. Sugizo (Luna Sea)
5. Dave Brock (Hawkwind)


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## Rogueleader (Jan 21, 2010)

ArtDecade said:


> Whenever I look back on how I play, all I hear is a mashup of the following:
> 
> 1. Frank Zappa
> 2. Marty Friedman
> ...



Hawkwind are one of the greatest bands of their era. Everytime i listen to them I think its a shame that they aren't at least as popular as pink floyd. Warrior on the Edge of Time and Hall of the Mountain Grill are such epic records.

Edit:

For myself:

At any given time its 5 of these

Schuldiner
Kai Hansen
Criss Oliva 
Iommi
Blackmore
Murray/Smith
Tipton/Downing
Schuldiner
Akerfeldt
Lynch
YJM
EVH
Hetfield/Hammet
Mille Petrozza

At the moment though its mainly Petrozza and Schuldiner


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## ArtDecade (Jan 21, 2010)

Rogueleader said:


> Hawkwind are one of the greatest bands of their era. Everytime i listen to them I think its a shame that they aren't at least as popular as pink floyd. Warrior on the Edge of Time and Hall of the Mountain Grill are such epic records.


 
They are still a great live act, but nowhere near the intensity they were back in the day. Lemmy, on the other hand, still kicks ass and takes names everytime I see him.


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## Rogueleader (Jan 21, 2010)

ArtDecade said:


> They are still a great live act, but nowhere near the intensity they were back in the day. Lemmy, on the other hand, still kicks ass and takes names everytime I see him.



Is the newer stuff any good (post 2000)? I never really got into anything after chronicles of the black sword (Elric Fanboy).


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## SerratedSkies (Jan 21, 2010)

1.) Mikael Akerfeldt - Opeth is the best. Fuck you.
2.) Muhammed Suicmez - Physical, tonal genius.
3.) Ron Jarzombek - 12 tones mother fucker.
4.) Fredrik Thordendal - Groovey, baby.
5.) Tosin Abasi - Tappin' them licks.



Honorable mentions - Loomis, Vai, Malmsteen, Govan, Gilbert, Becker, Bulb, Keene, and of course, Dickey Betts and Duane Allman.


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## Banana Wedgie (Jan 21, 2010)

1) Jeff Hanneman - Slayer
2) Michael Amott/ Bill Steer
3) Kyle Sanders - Nile (Not a fan of the band)
4) Chuck Schuldiner - Death (obvious)
5) Phil Demmel/ Rob Flynn - Machine Head

So yeah.


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## Koshchei (Jan 21, 2010)

1. Allan Holdsworth
2. Shawn Lane
3. Yngwie Malmsteen
4. Al DiMeola
5. Marty Friedman

I don't consider guitar to be my primary musical influence. I listen to piano in the context of classical music far more than I do anything else.

There are also lots of "newer" guitarists who are very innovative, like Devin Townsend, Ihsahn, etc, who I'm trying to incorporate into my repertoire too.


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## primerib (Jan 21, 2010)

just 5?

1) Mattias IA Eklundh
2) Paul Gilbert
3) Frank Gambale
4) Jimmy Page
5) Petrucci

and your mom


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## ArtDecade (Jan 21, 2010)

primerib said:


> just 5?
> 
> 1) Mattias IA Eklundh
> 2) Paul Gilbert
> ...


 
My mom can outplay everyone on your Top 5!  RAWK!


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## ry_z (Jan 21, 2010)

All in different ways:

Paul Gilbert
Mattias Eklundh
Devin Townsend
Ron Jarzombek
Mikael Åkerfeldt, probably

I'm no shredder, (far from it) but I've learned the most about technique from Gilbert. He's a superb teacher - all of his instructional videos are fantastic.​


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## ddtonfire (Jan 21, 2010)

In chronological order:

*Jimmy Page *- Had I not started listening to Zeppelin, I never would have picked up the guitar.

*Edward Van Halen *- Introduced me to tapping! For a while I thought he was the greatest guitarist ever, but then a friend let me listen to...

*John Petrucci* - His playing inspired me to really learn my instrument. Long practice hours and lots of scales and dates with my metronome ensued. I am the guitarist I am today because of him.

*Joe Satriani* - I'm influenced by his sense of melody and the feeling he puts in his tunes.

*Misha Mansoor* - His composition inspired me to get a seven. His pristine mixes inspired me to really learn the recording process. My playing and recording has never been the same.


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## lava (Jan 22, 2010)

Eddie Van Halen
Nuno Bettencourt
Dave Navarro
John Fahey
Bulb


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## Phlegethon (Jan 22, 2010)

alright . . .time to give this a shot (although I deal more the the "who inspired you" as opposed to influence, just a minor detail)

kirk hammet: the man responsible for me wanting to do something musical in the first place

john petrucci: after kirk, wanted to learn harder things. and john sure gave me the difficulty I was looking for

steve vai: took me a while to get into him oddly enough, but when I did, it clicked. this one is most likely related to be buying my first RG and wondering what people did with them in general

eric johnson: the sense of control that I get from him when he plays something shouldn't be dismissed from anybody 

Tosin Abasi: found him by happy accident, and wanted to learn things from someone that used seven strings exclusively to learn some songs from (on bad days, I wish I picked someone easier to learn, but I think that everybody does if they're having an off day). still learning how to obtain his "awareness" of a seven string that he has, I think it'll take a while . . lol


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## Andrewsonfire (Jan 22, 2010)

slash - I went to walmart when i was like 14 and wanted to buy a cd. so i bought appetite for destruction and when i heard the solo at the end of paradise city i was like  and wanted to start playing guitar.

Dimebag - I was sitting on my practice amp playing my first guitar a dean baby ML when i seen the news report about his death on fox news after the simpsons.

Paul Gilbert - I just love paul gilbert, i bet hes a chill dude. I allways admired him and enjoy watching him play. I learned alot from watching his videos on youtube and stuff.. even though im not 10% of the guitarist he is.

Brian Eschbach - My favorite rhythm guitar player for sure. Black dahlia murder has been my favorite band since 2007 when i heard nocturnal. I love everything about the band, the tone of everything and every ones style. I can listen to them all day every day and be the happiest person in the world.

Devin Townsend - Canadian Pride, He can play any style of music he wants and ill still be totally in love with it.. Hes just the fucking man.


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## JohnIce (Jan 22, 2010)

Eh, I posted once way back but I'm bored and decided to update it.

I don't care much for all-out lead players or shredders, I like band players who know how to embellish a vocal melody and gel with the other members. That's much more important to me than shred chops. However, I do a lot of lead playing in my bands for the fun of it, and I work on it a lot. So I'll split my lead influences and my rhythm influences 

*Lead influences:*
John Petrucci: His versatility is something that, to me, puts him above most guitar players. He can glide very smoothly from jazzy lines and funky stuff to all-out shred or really emotive, Gilmourish stuff. And he does it with so much taste. His tone is also one of the best I've heard, my lead patches on my Axe-Fx are all Mesa-based.

Sugizo: The guitarist from Luna Sea. His style, although sometimes a little repetative lick-wise, is completely his own. I've never heard anyone play like him. Well, except for the hordes of second-generation VK bands that copy his every move, but that's another story.

Brett Garsed: He inspired me to work on my hybrid picking (along with Mark Knopfler), which is now one of my stongest techniques, and something I get a lot of comments on after shows. Appearently, it's not that common to see a rock guitarist doing it. Garsed also has impeccable phrasing, and a very smooth, minimally distorted tone that I love. And his humble and just all-out nice personality is inspiring too.

Mattias IA Eklundh: Totally freaked out guitar player, but underneath his insane chops and weird sound effects, he also writes some of the catchiest songs and solos I've ever heard. That's really inspiring to me, because I hate it when a guitarist's technique overshadows melody and phrasing. IA has both innovative technique AND phrasing, which is just awesome! 

Brian Setzer: Amazing sense of swing and coolness, he can shred up a storm and still make you want to dance to it! He's actually more of a jazz player than anything else, but he plays it with so much energy that it's not always obvious.

*Rhyhrm Influences:*
Teppei Inoue: The guitarist/vocalist of Bazra. This dude revolutionized my playing and writing. Take one half jazz and one half punk, and you get Teppei. There's so much sophisticated harmony and complex chords in his playing, but he just bangs on the guitar and shouts in the mic. 90% of my rhythm playing follows that concept.

Steve Lukather: He's just a legend. I was never a huge fan of his soloing and I don't think much of his tone these days, but it's his rhythm playing and compositions/arrangements that grab me. He really, really knows how to add to a vocal line and to a band arrangement. In some songs you can barely hear him, but if he stopped playing you'd notice immediately and the song wouldn't sound half as good. That's the mark of a great band player.

Richie Sambora: Although he's a much better lead player than he gets credit for (or takes credit for), he's at the top because he fits so well with his band. He doesn't steal any attention, but he gets it at just the right times. He's very versatile, while he doesn't have as much of a trademark style as for example Slash or Van Halen, he instead never repeats himself stylistically and each new Bon Jovi album sounds different to the previous.

Ben Kasica: Guitarist of Skillet. He plays a lot of chugging drop B, but he comes from Radiohead and that kind of layering style which makes him very well rounded. As with all my other rhythm influences, it's his ability to fit in an arrangement and play interesting parts without stealing the attention that makes him awesome.

Richie Kotzen: Just a cool, laid back rock n' roll feel with some sophisticated jazz and soul influences. When you hear him, you just get proud to be a guitar player, you just feel cool. Telecaster into amp, instant win. He can really take you back down to earth if you've been drifting off too much into pretentious soundscapes and big multi-guitar arrangements for too long. This guy pretty much says: "I can be completely bare-bones meat and potatoes, set up in 2 minutes, and still humble your ass, you little prog nerd".


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## BrainArt (Jan 22, 2010)

JohnIce said:


> John Petrucci: His versatility is something that, to me, puts him above most guitar players. He can glide very smoothly from jazzy lines and funky stuff to all-out shred or really emotive, Gilmourish stuff. And he does it with so much taste. His tone is also one of the best I've heard, my lead patches on my Axe-Fx are all Mesa-based.
> 
> Mattias IA Eklundh: Totally freaked out guitar player, but underneath his insane chops and weird sound effects, he also writes some of the catchiest songs and solos I've ever heard. That's really inspiring to me, because I hate it when a guitarist's technique overshadows melody and phrasing. IA has both innovative technique AND phrasing, which is just awesome!



Yes, to both of these. I have been listening to a LOT of Freak Kitchen lately, and love every minute of IA's songs and solos.


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## distressed_romeo (Jan 22, 2010)

I've avoided answering this so far, as it's actually difficult for me to pinpoint just five...

In my early days, I would have said these guys...

1) Randy Rhoads (my first inspiration!)
2) Eddie Van Halen
3) Jeff Beck
4) Allan Holdsworth
5) Pat Metheny

Plus honourable mentions for Alex Lifeson, Marty Friedman, Richie Blackmore, Steve Howe, Satch and Vai, and Robert Fripp.

Nowadays it's way too hard for me to single out just five, as there're too many guys who've contributed important elements to my playing, including some in less immediately obvious ways, and some in more blatant ways than my early favourites.


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## avenger (Jan 22, 2010)

Chuck Schuldiner - DEATH - I love how he put the songs together. Lots of faster stuff and abit of solo shred but incoporated with great mid paced riffs. \m/

Jeff Loomis - NEVERMORE - Welcomed me to the world of seven strings. Still makes me cry at how good he is and how pathetic his guitar work makes me feel!

Alexi Laiho - CHILDREN OF BODOM - Really got me started into guitar, hatebreeder and follow the reaper had many a songs that were practiced and practiced...

Of course the METALLICA DUO - This is what really got me into music (metal)! I heard ONE and was sold. Metal ever since. Stilll admire their older works.

SRV - Yeah he was a great player, love his groove.


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## mikernaut (Jan 22, 2010)

I would say-

Per from Scar Symmetry
Eric Johnson
Jim Matheos and Frank Aresti from Fates Warning
Chris Poland

are the ones that really come to mind for me


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## stuz719 (Jan 22, 2010)

My top 5:

Paul Gilbert, Mick Jones, Steve Jones, Alex Lifeson, Alex Skolnick.

And an honourable mention for Andy LaRocque, who I think is great, too.


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## Hollowman (Jan 22, 2010)

In order:
Trey Azagthoth
Chuck Schuldiner
Zakk Wylde
Dime
Reb Beach

Honorable Mention Dave Mustaine,Gary Holt, Andy Larocqe,Eric Peterson and Alex Scholnick


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## Necky379 (Jan 22, 2010)

in no specific order:

Jimi Hendrix
EVH
Brian Eschbach
Dickey Betts
Brent Hinds



honarable mention:

Warren Haynes
Pepper Kennan
George Lynch
Jesper Stromblad
Bjorn Gelotte
Buzz Mcgrath
Sammi Curr
Kirby Johnson


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## ShadyDavey (Jan 22, 2010)

I don't even have a clue. There are guitarists I listen to, and guitarists I feel have a particular approach that is great...but with so much time off from playing I haven't absorbed many influences so I do sometimes feel like I need to go back in time 16 or 17 years and start from there.

Then:

Jason Becker
Shaun Baxter (technically, and for incorporating insane theory into a rock format)
Shawn Lane
Allan Holdsworth
Chris Poland

Now...well....thanks to multiple inspirational suggestions from this forum I totally respect Shane Gibson who's rhythm playing kicks my arse...Per Nilsson...Tosin and Bulb, Chimpspanner, Jeff Loomis....

Inbetween times you can bet that I went through a period of liking pretty much everyone that recieved any recognition....and as for the future - I expect it to be a little jazzier so I'm sure that Metheny, Mclaughlin, Bruno et all will make an appearance.


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## ArtDecade (Jan 23, 2010)

JohnIce said:


> *Lead influences:*
> Sugizo: The guitarist from Luna Sea. His style, although sometimes a little repetative lick-wise, is completely his own. I've never heard anyone play like him. Well, except for the hordes of second-generation VK bands that copy his every move, but that's another story.


 
It's nice to see Sugizo getting some props. He is a great player and very unique. You are right - no one sounds like him. I love that he is playing out with X-Japan.


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## Abstract_Logic (Jan 23, 2010)

Shawn Lane: Perfect tone and technique with INCREDIBLE musicality.
Chuck Schuldiner: Gotta love those octave harmonies and soulful soloing
Steve Vai: Expression filled playing with a tone that is to die for.
Per Nilsson: Probably one f the tastiest metal players out there.
Kiko Loureiro: Why isn't this guy worshipped??


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## JohnIce (Jan 23, 2010)

ArtDecade said:


> It's nice to see Sugizo getting some props. He is a great player and very unique. You are right - no one sounds like him. I love that he is playing out with X-Japan.


 
Ain't that the truth  It's funny about X, so many people were saying he wasn't good enough to replace hide and that X was too far from his own style, and I always used to say he would fit right in, he's a very versatile player and has plenty of shred chops. Now he's in X, and sure enough, he did fit right in


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## Bobo (Jan 23, 2010)

Jimmy Page - Influenced me to start playing. One of the first really innovative rock guitarists to me with all the unique writing he did.

James Hetfield - Got me into harder sounding and technically harder guitar. (I guess Kirk deserves an honorable mention on this one)

Steve Vai - Never saw that much emotion played through a guitar.

Jeff Loomis - So technically brilliant and yet he can still write great songs.

Adam Jones - Just great song writing that moved me.

Only 5 is unfair  lol


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## Zugster (Jan 23, 2010)

Steve Howe
Daron Malakian
Jimi Hendrix
Leo Kotke
Jerry Garcia


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## Loomer (Jan 23, 2010)

1) Adam Jones - After all, he was the dude that got me convinced to start playing. Not much of his actual style has rubbed off on me, though. At least not these days.

2) Tony Iommi - for creating the genre I have chosen as my home. 

3) Bulb - I'm not sure, but I think the way I incorporate big, "pretty" chords into my riffs might be due to having been a fan of his for many years. 

4) Chuck Schuldiner - Got me to tighten up my picking hand. Taught me to harmonize. Play leads with feeling. The guy was a genius. 

5) By far the biggest right now: Scott Hull. 

Getting into Pig Destroyer and ANb has made me more comfortable with the way I'm wired up as a guitarist. I used to feel a bit weird and "Less worthy" about not really caring enough about shredding to learn. I just wanted to riff my ass off and write awesome songs, but in the guitarist community it will always be about the solos a lot of the time. 

However, hearing a record like "Terrifyer" where everything is so damn well put together, convinced me I was right all along. This guy just lays down riff after riff after motherfucking awesome riff, and it is just awesome no matter what. The man is a genius. His solo record "Requiem" is also a beatiful piece work, albeit VERY different from the stuff he's known for. That just served to heighten my respect for him as a musician and composer.


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## ArtDecade (Jan 23, 2010)

JohnIce said:


> Ain't that the truth  It's funny about X, so many people were saying he wasn't good enough to replace hide and that X was too far from his own style, and I always used to say he would fit right in, he's a very versatile player and has plenty of shred chops. Now he's in X, and sure enough, he did fit right in


 
Sugizo can play in whatever band he wants... he just brings his guitar and the cool ass solos follow.


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## Joel (Jan 23, 2010)

Holdsworth, his legato is just unbelievable, something which I strive towards as I prefer legato to alternate picking.

Garsed, his tone, phrasing, hybrid picking and leagto are just brilliant, he really inspires me. 

Pin/Weller (sikTh), basically I just love their songs, I also like the tapping parts and their use of octave tuning. Great band 

Guthrie Govan, he changes styles so easily and never sounds out of place. His tone and technique are just excellent and I never get bored of his tracks. 

Gilmour, the guy is a legend, I don't even need to explain this one.

I know I'm only meant to do five, but Shawn Lane is too good to leave out of here!


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## Sephiroth952 (Jan 23, 2010)

randy rhoads-this dude is the one who inspired me to pick up the instrument.

Herman li/sam totman-the dudes who made me wanna learn to shred.

Yngwie-he is just awesome

Petrucci-Inspired me to start to learn theory.

Micheal romeo-He is probably my favorite guitarist.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Jan 23, 2010)

David Gilmour
Adam Jones
Muhammed Suiçmez
Allan Holdsworth
Fredrik Thordendal


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## TheSyncopath (Jan 24, 2010)

Paul Masvidal - His phrasing, unconventional melodic sense and impeccable legato technique has influenced me incredibly.

Daniel Mongrain - Jazzy phrasing and note choice, incredible technique, insane riff writing.

John McLaughlin - The sheer amount of soul he injects into his playing moves me every single time. His versatility and wide repertoire of styles is something I aspire to attain as well.

Fredrik Thordendal - Practically invented a whole new school of metal guitar riffing, and ships with a very distinctive solo voice as well.

Daniel Gildenlow - Incredibly impassioned guitar playing, he injects every note that his escapes his guitar with so much more emotion than most other players. Also a very innovative songwriter.


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## Navo (Jan 24, 2010)

the 5 guitarists that have most inspired my songwriting (currently, it always changes as we musicians grow):

1.John Petrucci (liquid tension Experiment, Dreamtheater, etc.)
2.Jeff Loomis (nevermore)
3.Michael Paget/ Matt Tuck (Bullet for my Valentine)
4.Gus G. (Firewind, Epica)
5.Joe Satriani and Adrian Belew (they're tied and i cant choose!)


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## daemon barbeque (Jan 24, 2010)

YJM was the first guy

Scott Ian pushed me to pick up a guitar and riff the shit out of it.

Dave Mustaine pushed me to get speed and precision

Marty Friedman showed me the ways of tasteful playing and melodic ocean surfing

Chuck Schuldiner gave me to opportunity to see music in another way, and let the emotions flow instead of macho song composition!


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## Abstract_Logic (Jan 24, 2010)

TheSyncopath said:


> Daniel Mongrain - Jazzy phrasing and note choice, incredible technique, insane riff writing.



WHY DID I LEAVE THAT OUT??? lol


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## asphyx123 (Jan 24, 2010)

Glenn Tipton
Dave Mustaine
Andy LaRoque
Joe Satriani
Jake E Lee

Jeff Loomis - today. Not when I started guitar back then..


----------



## revclay (Jan 25, 2010)

Billy Corgan - I just love all of the different tones and atmospheres he created on Mellon Collie. That CD got me into music and guitar in general.

Justin Broadrick - Sometimes, simplicity is key. Jesu and Godflesh prove that point and I have tried to incorporate that into my music. Also one of the reasons I picked up a 7 string in the first place.

Blakkheim (Anders Nystrom) - I love all of the little melodies from Katatonia and he can write a pretty great track to boot. His riffing in Bloodbath is also pretty awesome.

Mikael Akerfeldt - I don't know what else I can say that everyone else hasn't said. One of the best guitarists in metal today.

Buckethead - But not for his shred stuff. I love Electric Tears and Colma. Those songs are beautiful and his solos and melodies on those two CD's are incredible. Some of my favorite things to jam to and a huge inspiration to me.


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## cpnhowdy (Jan 25, 2010)

Adrian Smith - Iron Maiden really influenced me alot from 80-85 and I think I preferred Adrian`s style the most back then.

Hetfield - RTL blew me away in 84

The Edge 

Greg Hetson - I pretty much devoured every Bad Religion / Circle Jerks album , just loved playing those songs.

Vernon Reid - I like his out of the box way of playing and rhythms. 
Even went so far as to buy the same ESP with geometric patterns on it, wish I had that guitar now.


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## guitar4tw (Jan 25, 2010)

Per Nilsson - Scar Symmetry (my favorite)
John Petrucci - Dream theater
Yngwie Malmsteen
Jeff Loomis - Nevermore
Steve vai


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## Adam Of Angels (Jan 25, 2010)

John Petrucci - When I first heard this guy play, I was immediately his biggest fan. I went from liking Pink Floyd and Marillion and various metal bands to liking Dream Theater in an instant

Eric Johnson - The first time I heard "Cliffs of Dover" at 12 years old, I knew what I was doing with my life. EJ's sweet, melodic approach, and unparalleled clean-guitar work have influenced my playing in countless ways

Jesper Stromblad and Bjorn Gelotte (In Flames) - the way these guys weave melodies in and out of downright awesome rhythm patterns and grooves is so fucking addictive. I've listened to these guys so much in the last 8 years that I can basically play any of their stuff in my sleep.. this, of course, has rubbed off in my own material.

Jani Liimatainen (Sonata Arctica) - He taught me how to play tasteful classical-inspired catchy melodies and added an element of shred to the folky scandinavian riffing that I learned from In Flames. One of the best, in my opinion.

Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth) - the man! EJ taught me how to play pretty, clean chord voicings, and Mikael taught me how to blacken them  Additionally, I was instantly attracted to the bluesy, tasteful-as-fuck leads in a metal setting, so Opeth opened a lot of doors for me.

Here's a video of Jani riffing around, since he's probably the most obscure one on my list:


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## CrushingAnvil (Jan 25, 2010)

This isn't ordered:

1. Both Silenoz and Galder (Dimmu Borgir) - I never thought about it but they have influenced me A LOT over the past 5-6 years.

2. Erik Rutan (ex-Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal)

3. Trey Azagthoth (Morbid Angel)

4. Zeb Nilsson (Aeon) - The solo on 'Forever Nailed' is just fucking genius...amazing....

5. JAKE-E-Mother-Fuckin'-LEE (Ozzy Osbourne) - Fuck yes, Fuck-Fuckin-YES!


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## signalgrey (Jan 25, 2010)

revclay said:


> Billy Corgan - I just love all of the different tones and atmospheres he created on Mellon Collie. That CD got me into music and guitar in general.
> 
> Justin Broadrick - Sometimes, simplicity is key. Jesu and Godflesh prove that point and I have tried to incorporate that into my music. Also one of the reasons I picked up a 7 string in the first place.



Fuck yes. i wrote those two as well. After i saw Jesu i bought the same Schecter he played, its a cheap piece of crap too hahaha. buts its all in the wrist.

and Corgan....hes a crotchety ol bastard now but he tore shit UP back in the day.


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## Seedawakener (Jan 25, 2010)

Frank Gambale - Decided to go over to economy picking because of him. everything just seems so effortless.
Brett Garsed - Best improv phrasing in the history of mankind.
Scott Henderson - Best thematics and time when improvising IMO.
John Petrucci - Dream Theater kinda opened up my appreciation of melodic music instead of just heavy riffs.
Bulb - One of the only interesting metal guitarists these days IMO. Such a fantastic arranger and composer!


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## JohnIce (Jan 25, 2010)

Seedawakener said:


> Frank Gambale - Decided to go over to economy picking because of him. everything just seems so effortless.
> Brett Garsed - Best improv phrasing in the history of mankind.
> Scott Henderson - Best thematics and time when improvising IMO.
> John Petrucci - Dream Theater kinda opened up my appreciation of melodic music instead of just heavy riffs.
> Bulb - One of the only interesting metal guitarists these days IMO. Such a fantastic arranger and composer!


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## revclay (Jan 25, 2010)

signalgrey said:


> Fuck yes. i wrote those two as well. After i saw Jesu i bought the same Schecter he played, its a cheap piece of crap too hahaha. buts its all in the wrist.
> 
> and Corgan....hes a crotchety ol bastard now but he tore shit UP back in the day.



Haha, I know about JKB. But his sound is so hefty and I just love how simple and effective his playing is. He says it himself, he sucks at guitar. But he gets a ton of mileage out of his limited abilities and I think that says a lot about one's imagination and musical ability.

And yea, beyond Billy being a crotchety old prick, most of the new Pumpkins stuff sucks. But that doesn't take anything away from everything that happened up until Adore and Machina. Hell, even Machina II and III had some really cool stuff on it. I'm still just trying to block Zwan from my memory.


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## Nights_Blood (Mar 8, 2010)

There are so many good players, but as far as ones that i can say have actually influenced the way i play...

1. Petrucci: While I do not consider him to have the BEST tone, the BEST technique, or the MOST emotional playing, he is strong across the board. It is this sense of versatility i got from JP.

2. Guthrie Govan - Just... amazing. He is near the top of the list for technical skill, bet doesn't sound like a scale-spewing robot. He plays with so much emotion that every note just feels "drenched" in... emotion. His tone is apparently bottled in underground geysers, because it is that pure. Not to mention that for all the skill he has, he's pretty much the nicest guy you'll ever meet.

3. SRV: He was the definition of a badass texas guitar slinger. His tone had absolutely massive balls, yet it was somehow beatiful at the same time. I've always been of the mindset that if you spend enough hours playing scales in your bedroom, you can sound like Batio, but that the only way to sound like SRV would be to play air guitar to an SRV album in your bedroom.

4. Jesper Stromblad - In Flames: The Jester Race was pretty much what introduced me to Scandinavian metal when i was 13. While i was into Maiden before then, Jesper's melodicism was basically what taught me to harmonize by ear (Dead Eternity, anyone?)

5. Timo Tolkki - Stratovarius: I have always found his playing somehow refreshing. Although many would accuse him of being a Yngwie derivative, I find them different. I have always loved how non-stanard his playing was, and i think he wrote some great riffs.

6. Jani Limatainen - Sonata Arctica: Great songwriting, great skill, though not a huge fan of his tone, even though it does sound good within the songs. In some subtle way, guitar work may have affected me more than anyone else's (probably because i listened to them just about every day from 13-15 years old).

7. Isahn: Not necissarily for the guitar playing per se, though i am a fan of it. When i heard Emperor for the first time, i heard how black metal could be epic, beautiful, and dark at the same time. For such a supposedly primitive genre, the intrumentation and music was amazing. 

8. Chris Broderick - I actually heard him pretty early on, around the time i got into In Flames. Jag Panzer's Casting the Stones is still one of my favorites, but i haven't exactly dissected his playing the way others weem to have. It was more the sense of "wow, this guy really makes me want to get better". I also liked how his playing and dark tone (powerball woot) contributed to the feel of that music.

9. Tony Macalpine: What? A talented shredder who makes good music for all to enjoy? Yep, just listen to Maximum Security.

Like others have said, these aren't necissarily my favorites, just those who i feel i have taken the most from. There are others, too, like Yngwie, Rhoads, EVH, Gary Moore... Hmm

10. Gary Moore - I couldn't leave him off. He's just too badass. In fact, I proclaim him supreme.


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## Cadavuh (Mar 8, 2010)

Guthrie Govan from the second I heard him
Ryan Morgan from Misery Signals
Tosin Abasi as of late
Per Nilson and Allan Holdsworth - Both of these guys have the same kind of lead work going on IMO. Maybe not the same keys, notes, tonalities, etc.. but their licks just flow and flow together seamlessly so well and thats what I admire. Same kinda thing going on with Guthrie Govan too

A few runner ups I just have to mention

Marco Sfogli
Andy Mckee
Guys in Born of Osiris
and Jeff Loomis just because he inspired me to start shredding hard


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## angryman (Mar 8, 2010)

1, Jeff Irwin - Will Haven, The simplicity & openness of his Riffs taught me alot about what & what not to play to make things effective.

2, Kirk Windstein - Crowbar/Down, His no nonsense Riffs & melody lines are some of the heaviest & most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard.

3, Fredrik Thordendal/Marten Hagstrom - Meshuggah, need I say more

4, James Murphy - Death/Obituary/Cancer/Testament/Disincarnate, His solo's are just amazing.

5, Trey Azagthoth - Morbid Angel, a true ground breaker.

There are countless others but far too many to mention.


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## Fzau (Mar 8, 2010)

The list is endless 

Number 1 for me is Guthrie Govan, everything about his playing and composing is amazing 

2. Jason Becker & Marty Friedman - opened up my world to melody, harmony and sheer virtuosity

3. Paul Gilbert - made me want to shred my balls off (which I still can't  ) and is the godfather of alternate picking and string skipping (my mind exploded when I first heard Scarified)

4. John Petrucci & Dream Theater - introduced me to the world of prog metal and 6 billion note per second riffs

5. Bulb - great songwriter and a distinctive style 

Others include Allan Holdsworth, Jeff Loomis, Pin, Acle Kahney, Eric Johnson, John Browne, Frederik Thordendal/Marten Hagstrom, Tosin Abasi, etc


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## SnowfaLL (Mar 8, 2010)

havent fully adapted all the influences yet, since it takes years to get those small nuances of a players style, but im getting there.

Marty Friedman 
Tony MacAlpine
Greg Howe
Alex Skolnick
hide from X-Japan, but this last 5th spot could go to afew others also.


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## youheardme (Mar 8, 2010)

1 ) *Jani Liimatainen* - From Sonata Arctica... Awesome player... Inspired me to sit for hours working on scales and my speed.

2 ) *Paul Gilbert* - Master of shred, his lessons are awesome

3 )* Dave Murray* - I cannot believe that no one has said Dave was one of their influences... Awesome player. Perfect legato solos with awesome rhythms.

4 ) *Kirk Hammett* - Not so much of an influence anymore... but when i first started playing I started with Metallica solos... Until i realized that everything he plays is far too chromatic.

5 ) *Alexi Lahio* - Great player.... There was a couple months that I sat down and learned several cob solos and songs.


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## s_k_mullins (Mar 8, 2010)

1. James Hetfield- Metallica was THE band who got me into heavy music when I was a kid, thanks to my dad who force fed me hard rock and heavy metal albums. Despite everyone's hate for the band, Metallica is still one of my favs, and Hetfield is still at the top of my list for rhythm guitarists.

2. Jerry Cantrell- besides Metallica, Alice in Chains was another band that I was exposed to as a kid. Jerry is still one of my favorite guitarists and vocalists. His style and tone have always been fucking superb to me! He definitely taught me that sometimes less is more, and that I don't always have to try to play as fast as possible. I loved his dark writing style and lyrics. He showed me that sometimes is nice to be laid back and simplistic in your playing, and not to be afraid of throwing in some mellow acoustics, or maybe even through some experimental "outside the box" kind of shit. 

3. Dimebag Darrell- Yeah, I know a lot of people aren't fond of him here, and his tone may have been pretty shitty  But the first time I heard Vulgar Display of Power, I knew I'd play fucking metal guitar for the rest of my life.. Big ass riffs and blazing solos, and Dimebag knew how to fucking groove as well!

4. Zakk Wylde- Another guy who doesn't get any respect around here, but he is another player that I was exposed to as a child. I remember hearing No Rest for the Wicked and No More Tears, and I loved the fucking riffs and solos that Zakk was doing. Plus, I was completely obsessed with pinch harmonics when I first started playing. It pissed me off tremendously that I couldn't get those squeals like he did . I admit, his stuff is getting pretty stale these days, but I still like the guy and I always give his new stuff a listen.

5. Munky and Head (Korn)- Around age 13 (around 1999), I started branching away from the "classic" stuff my dad was listening to (i.e. 80's era Metallica, Ozzy, and Megadeth). I know that the 80s stuff isn't that old, but to me at the time it was fucking ancient  The first band that I found that really intrigued me was Korn. A friend at school loaned me a copy of Follow the Leader, and then I was fucking hooked. I loved the downtuned 7-strings, the bizarre riffs and sounds, and all the wacky sound effects that they were making with their enormous pedalboards. I promptly bought their older albums and couldn't wait for Issues to be released. I was always fascinated with their strange experimental style and sound, and they began to fuel my gas for 7-strings and effects pedals. Still love listening to their old albums (Issues and older), but their new stuff leaves me less than thrilled


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## Itsmychapel (Mar 8, 2010)

I've played on and off, from 2004-2006, then i took a break to focus on my musical direction. then from 2008-present I've played consistently

2004-2006
1. EVH
2. Kirk Hammet, James Hetfeild
3. Tony Iommi
4. Slash
5. Mick Thompson

2008-present
1. Mark Heylmun, Chris Garza
2. Alex Wade, Ben Savage, Zach Householder
3. Marc Okubo
4. Lee McKinney


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## dream-thief (Mar 8, 2010)

Back when I first started playing guitar, some 7 years years ago, I didn't have much interest in it, having just moved into the big city, and just jumped from a primary school with 7 pupils to a high school with over two thousand, I just wanted to play it to be 'cool'. Needless to say at that stage I wasn't concentrating much on what was going on, just getting some basic lessons from a (not exactyl amazing) tutor.

Upon my discovery of metal some years later (beyond Nu-Metal anyway) I started playing religiously, using two people as my main Idols - *Jani Liimatainen*, and *John Petrucci*. I gained most of my base techniques from these two (John Petrucci's ideas of melody and harmony, and a strict alternate picking regime, and Jani's speed and scalewanking techniques). From there my playing was fairly singletrack for a long time. After another epiphany some more years later that Power and Prog metal were not the only genre's on the planet, other more diverse influences started creeping in.

I started meeting other guitarists on a social level, and listening to their playing. For the last few years, I have always gained more listening to someone jam in person, or even talking to them, than I have gained from listening to album after album, and practising techniques of guitarists I've heard of but never met. The first of these was *Daniel Stubbs*, who gave me what I would call a kind of melodeath style, using a lot pedal notes and short 'du-du-dun' pseudo triplets.

The second was *Stuart Howlette*, A local SS.org-er who I recorded a demo with some time ago. He posted on this thread himself, so you can look at that to see what I got from him 

More recently, *Jeff Loomis* has had a huge influnce on my playing, since I finally got round to listening to Nevermore properly, I can't find anyone whose riffing and aggresive lead style I like more.

I have many more influences on the composition front, I've always tended to spend more time and effort doing that over the last few years than playing.

That seemed like a bit of an essay, haha, but I thought i'd write something a bit different to everyone else, to give a bit of background on how they came together to shape my current style.


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## DrewsifStalin (Mar 8, 2010)

1. All of Tesseract (Acle!)
2. Fredrik Thordendal
3. Dino Cazares
4. Marc Okubo
5. Misha Mansoor

Quite a surprising list, I know


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## omgmjgg (Mar 8, 2010)

Layne Meylain - Danza
Josh Travis - when knives go skyward, the goddamn rodeo, and now Danza
Ben Weinman - DEP
Grant - Kissyface fashion faux pas
Guys from The number 12 looks like you
chris arp - psyopus

ya i did 6 too lol


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## mrhankey87 (Mar 8, 2010)

Jason Becker above all, for soloing. He was simply THE BEST.


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## blister7321 (Mar 8, 2010)

in order 
mark tremonti
james hetfield
dime 
alexi laiho
SRV
Santana
scar symmetry
trivium
snake sabo(skid row)

runners up(not in order)
dino 
kse
loomis
lamb of god


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## Gitte (Mar 9, 2010)

1. Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit)
2. Brian Head Welch (Korn)
3. Steph Carpenter (Deftones)
4. Adam D. (Killswitch Engage)
5. Drew Goddard & Mark Hosking (Karnivool)


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## HeartCollector (Mar 9, 2010)

People who influenced me? As in not who i think is best, but who i think rubbed off the most on my playing?

hmm.

In order from most, to least influential

Paul Gilbert
Jani Liimatainen
Marty Friedman
Jeff Loomis
Muhammed suicmez

Paul Gilbert pretty much taught me to play. Plain and simple. His instructional DVDs are great. He taught me many licks and patterns that I use today. And "Get Out of My Yard" is a fucking great album.

I really don't even listen to any of Jani Liimatainen's music. I just saw some videos of him on youtube, and realized that he does a lot of stuff that I like. I am also capable of doing a lot of it, so I mimicked his style.

Marty Friedman is self explanitory.. haha. He has his way of making his solo's sound so new and innovative while maintaining a technical aspect. I think that is really cool, man. Megadeth is a perfect example of how much he stands out. Compared to the other unique guitarists megadeth has had (Notably Chris Poland and Chris Broderick) Marty still manages to stick out and kick ass in the process. "Lucretia" solo anyone?

A lot of the diminished stuff I play comes from Jeff Loomis. The way he uses arpeggios also made me think entirely different about utilizing sweeps in solos and stuff. Jeff is probably my favorite guitarist. Fun random fact: My friend's dad went to high school with Jeff Loomis. Fucking... nuts...

Muhammed Suicmez = Harmonic minor maniac. I wouldn't know shit about that beautiful scale if it weren't for necrophagist. I use it all the time now. My friend says he learned to play harmonic minor from Yngwie Malmsteen, but I never looked in to his stuff unfortunately.


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## Harry (Mar 9, 2010)

Hmm interesting seeing how from my last post in this thread a year ago, how my playing has changed and the direction it's taken has changed too.

My list is more looking like this now

Joe Satriani (for the same reasons as listed the first time

2. Joe Duplantier: Just really inspired me to lift my game for rhythm guitar playing in a death metal and groove metal realm

3. Aaron Turner : Showing how a more minimalist style of playing could be artful too, but yet not at all lacking in skill.

4. Omar - Rodríguez-López: For really making me want to think outside the box a little and just "go for it"

5. Tom Morello : He was always a big influence of mine, but lately his influence has come back more strong in my playing.
From his groove, to his experimental approach, all highly influential on my own playing.


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## Zugster (Mar 9, 2010)

To me Daron Malakian (SOAD) is very influential. He really understands how guitar cab be a precussion instrument.


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## TheWreck (Mar 9, 2010)

-DimeBag
-Dan Mongrain (Martyr,Capharnaum)
-Miesko Talakcyk (Nasum)
-John Gallagher (Dying Fetus)
-Pat O'Brien (Cannibal Corpse)
-Fredrik and Marten (Meshuggah)

And the Guys in Cephalic Carnage, Dillinger Escape Plan, Ion Dissonnance, Opeth, Dimmu Borgir(Puritanical Era), Emperor, .....and alot of other guys and band....


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## Louis Cypher (Mar 9, 2010)

Pretty unoriginal I guess but here's mine... 
Eddie Van Halen - Reason I started in the first place, Eruption just changed my world
Randy Rhoads - other reason I begged for a guitar for Xmas off my folks, Blizzard of Oz
George Lynch - Massive influence, specially dynamics from slow to blazing legato runs, awesome player
John Sykes - Fcuking Still of the Night. Nuff said. 
Nuno Bettencourt - The guy just is outstanding rhythm player, taught me to think outside the norm and play with and behind the beat. It's a Monster or Pornograffiti.....

Honorable mentions
Dimebag - same as everyone else am sure, This Love & Suicide Note pt1 & 2
J White Zombie - again just the awesomeness of the rhythm playing! All abtou the groove!
Head & Munky - changed the game totally
Richie Kotzen - not shred era Kotzen but blues era, Electric Joy, Bi Polar Blues
Trent Reznor - not so much in a pure guitar sense but in my feeble attempts at song writing the man just showed me the way. Downward spiral still the one cd I would save from a house fire
Jimmy Page - Black Dog & Since I been Loving You. listen and learn... 

wow... how old school am I?? No pure shredders! haha!! g0d I am old! LOL!!


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## Sjusovaren (Mar 9, 2010)

1: Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) - My main-influence and the guy that made me want to play. Just so melodic and memorable, I love his playing.
2: Alex Skolnick (Testament, Alex Skolnick Trio) - One of my absolute favourite players, extremely memorable solos that are almost songs within songs as well as a great riff-writer plus I admire him for leaving something successful for what he wanted to do instead.
3: Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)
4: Marty Friedman (Megadeth, Cacophony, solo)
5: Dave Murray (Iron Maiden)


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## Vicissitude27 (Mar 9, 2010)

1. Joe Pass - jazz doesn't get any better
2. Guthrie Govan - he can play everything
3. Paul Waggoner - Btbam's genius
4. Omar Rodriguez Lopez - The Mars Volta
5. Tosin Abasi - if you don't know him, get off of 7string


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## thraxil (Mar 9, 2010)

1. Angus Young. Not what I'm into these days, but AC/DC singlehandedly led me into metal and guitar.
2. Robert Fripp.
3. Dave Mustaine. Best right hand in the business.
4. Bill Steer.
5. Ihsahn.


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## Gamma362 (Mar 9, 2010)

James Hetfield
Kirk Hammett
Dave Mustaine
Jeff Loomis
Alex Skolnick
They all have influence on my rhythm playing since im not much of a lead player


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## Winspear (Mar 9, 2010)

1. My friends uncle who could play popular movie themes on my demand - he was the reason I got my first guitar.

2. Another friend who had learned Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on guitar a year later  He convinced me to pick up guitar again (it had sat under my bed for a year because I wasn't instantly as good as my friends uncle.) Somehow I wrote a simple single note riff the next day and played it on loop for around 10 hours. I was in love.

3. I spent a while playing Metallica pretty exclusively in a shitty teenage bedroom cover band. I wouldn't call Metallica influences though really. Perhaps I would if I had 6 spaces instead of 5. So this slot goes to *John Petrucci* when I fell in love with DT later on. This was the first time I had really payed attention to music and what a guitarist was playing.

4. I'd gone almost a year not playing much guitar after getting into World of Warcraft. When my main PC fried I was left on my laptop for 5 weeks with nothing to do except play guitar. That's when I found this forum and *Bulb*. I was instantly in love with guitar and music again, and uninstalled WoW the moment I got my PC back. My life as a whole completely changed for the better at this point, actually.

5. *Tosin Abasi*, when I found the Animals as Leaders album via this forum. He is now my favourite guitarist and has completely revolutionized my taste in music and playing style.


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## machinehead91 (Apr 29, 2010)

1) Dino Cazares - Enough said ;D
2) Alexi Laiho
3) Marten Hagstrom/Fredrik Thordendal
4)Mark Morton
5) Mick Thompson


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## ittoa666 (Apr 29, 2010)

1-Steve Vai
2-Mark Morton (The reason I use so much harmonic minor)
3-Paul Waggoner
4-Rob Barrett
5-Sami and Kirby from Himsa
6-Scott Hull

Extras-Paul Gilbert, George Lynch, Warren Demartini, Petrucci, Malmsteen, Ihsahn, Abbath, David Gilmour, Trey Azagthoth, Coheed and Cambria, SRV, Deron Miller, Michaeil Akerfeldt, the list just goes on.


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## behemoth91 (Apr 29, 2010)

1. Nergal, Seth
2. Pat O'Brien
3. Corey Beaulieu
4. Dino Cazares
5. Chuck Schuldiner

Ill just go ahead and do top 10

6. Ihsahn
7. Orion, one beast guitarist and bassist
8. Mick Thompson.
9. Roope Latvala
10. My guitar teacher Chris


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## the red rocket (Apr 29, 2010)

1. Mark Morton & Willie Adler- first metal songs i learned to play were lamb of god songs

2. Mikael Akerfeldt - Opeth is by far my favorite band and mikael is pure genius

3. Brian Eschbach, Ryan Knight, & John Kempainen - Black Dahlia Murder guitarists

4. Joe Satriani - The guy that made me first want to learn guitar

5. Chuck Schuldiner - RIP


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## -One- (Apr 29, 2010)

1 - James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett of Metallica - The guys that inspired me to pick up a guitar for the first time, James' powerful rhythm style and tone, to this day, have influenced me. I've mainly kept in standard tuning, thanks to these guys, and I've still been heavy, and my soloing style borrows heavily from Kirk's, especially in my earlier songs.
2 - John Petrucci of Dream Theater - The guy that inspired all of my weird time signatures (except, I've gone more Dillenger than Dream Theater, so I'm more math metal than prog metal now ), and also influenced my soloing greatly. I incorporate a lot of weird shapes into my runs and sweeps because of this guy.
3 - Kris Norris, formerly of Darkest Hour - This guy right here. He has a great sense of rhythm and melody at the same time, something that some day I hope to have, at a level like the one he's on. His playing is just phenomenal, and I have _nothing_ bad to say about it.
4 - Chris Broderick of Megadeth and Nevermore - Chris was definitely my main influence in picking up a seven-string guitar, that's for sure. He also added greatly to my soloing, in that I now incorporate wider vibrato that he's been known to use, and interesting string skipping techniques and arpeggios.
5 - I'll get to this later


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## AllNitemareLong (Apr 29, 2010)

1. Kirk Hammett
2. Jimi Hendrix
3. Jimmy Page
4. Mark Morton
5. My Brother

Each influenced me in style and in passion. My brother was probably the biggest influence though, when I was only 8 yrs old I used to just sit and watch him shred, and seeing how natural he was with it and how passionate he was was inspiring. He gave me his first guitar when i began to learn when I was 15. And it is still the guitar I use today.


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## Voodoo Turkey (Apr 29, 2010)

The top 5 guitarists who influenced me are:

1. Kiko Loureiro (Angra)
2. Michael Romeo (Symphony X)
3. Stephan Forte (Adagio)
4. Jorge Salan (Mägo de Oz / Solo)
5. John Petrucci (Dream Theater)

Other favourites are Tony Hernando from Saratoga, Charly Sahona from Venturia and Elias Viljanen from Sonata Arctica..


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## vhmetalx (Apr 29, 2010)

alright ill throw in some info about me..
1. Alexi Laiho. This is a constant, him and bodom got me into metal and playing guitar. He introduced me to my LIFE. Noone will be able to take the number 1 spot from him. 
2. Chris Storey. I mean.. cmon, any 15 year old that will listen to awaken the dreamers will wet his pants from excitement. ive dreamt about playing like chris until i found out he gives lessons. and now i get them  and he is a super amazing cool guy. makes him that more awesome to shred and teach and be nice.
3. Michael Keene. this guy is whats been pushing me to get into the tech death mindset. fast solos fast playing and fast riffs. exactly how i like it nowadays. 
4. Eddie Van Halen. i know he doesnt really fit in with these guys but he is another man that inspired me to pick up the guitar (before i knew of bodom. i had taken a longgggg break from guitar before the bodom madness started)
5. Brendan Small. This guy, he got me into the schweeps and the low tunings at a young age (other than what i was already playing). He also made me want to get an explorer.. which i did! but then i sold it (finally) because i now play 7's.. almost exclusively too. 

Theres tons of more players that influence me though, like muhammed from necrophagist, the whitechapel boys, suicide silence boys (when i used to crave "deathcore") Willie Adler and Mark Morton deffinently, their songs taught me alot. The Amott Brothers, end of the line was the first song i learned to play fully. and basically anything amazing i hear, i wanna somehow incorperate it into my style.. so yeah..


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## Varcolac (Apr 29, 2010)

Hmm. It's more difficult than I'd have thought to come up with guitar players who've influenced me. If it'd been bass players it'd have been easy (Pastorius, Lee, Clarke, Wooten, Manring). I guess I'm not particularly influenced by the guitar parts to songs, rather by the songs themselves and in that case I'm not influenced by Frank Zappa the guitarist but rather by Zappa the composer. Anyway, after a cursory analysis of my playing style, here's what's influenced me, in no particular order because arbitrary ranking is pointless.

*David Gilmour*, for making me truly appreciate guitar solos as an art form, for coming up with some of the most interesting chord progressions in rock, and general awesomeness. He also takes partial credit for my purchase of a double bass: I saw his live DVD on a big home cinema system drunk out of my mind on a New Years' Eve in about 2005, and decreed that I must have one of those things. I now have one of those things, and I still fucking love that DVD. 

*Johnny Ramone*. Downstrokes downstrokes downstrokes downstrokes downstrokes downstrokes downstrokes. Weaponised barre chords, three of them, used to create some sublimely simple and yet punishingly intense and ridiculously catchy music. My abuse of the humble downstroke, and possibly my overuse of the leather jacket as an item of clothing, can be traced to this man. 

*Eddie Van Halen* has really influenced my lead playing. Well, tapping and random blues licks at least. Then there's his tone, which is pretty awesome. Considering the amount of relatively simple tap licks that I try to shoehorn in to any solo that I write, the influence of Van Halen runs pretty deep.

*Ihsahn* for uh, seven string guitars. "The Prophet" by Emperor was the first song I learned for the seven string. The man's approach to riffs has been a major influence in getting me to think well outside the limitations of diatonic tonality. Between that and Gilmour's screwy chord progressions (Gm>F#>Bb, anyone?), I'm on a good road to creating either ugly or beautiful music. 

*Chuck Schuldiner*. If I have to explain the influence of Chuck Schuldiner, you clearly need to listen to more Death. Jesus H. Nonexistant Christ the man could riff, write, and shred. There's so many times that I think I've written an awesome riff, only to realise a few days later that I just ripped off "Flattening of Emotions" again. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery they say...


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## ittoa666 (Apr 29, 2010)

the red rocket said:


> 3. Brian Eschbach, Ryan Knight, & John Kempainen - Black Dahlia Murder guitarists



The original lineup is amazing. Also an influence to me. Johns playing inspired my legato a lot.


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## clintsal (Apr 30, 2010)

1. Tosin Abasi - A friend of mine gave me the best compliment I've ever received as a guitarist when I played a new song for him and he said "I wish I had written that." I apply that statement to the entire AAL album, in all terms, including tone, playing styles (shred, tapping, hybrid, etc), phrasing, and the uncanny ability to make something so beautifully heavy. 

2. Pin/Weller of Sikth - I love odd time signatures and dissonant / atonal chords/progressions. These two destroy those categories with ridiculous rhythmic feel. 

3. The Meshuggah Duo - See above. 

4. John Petrucci - My intro to Prog. I envy / aspire to his stupidly perfect technique. 

5. Kurt Cobain - The singular reason I purchased my first Squier guitar / amp combo was the Nevermind album. I was in 7th grade when I heard it, and it couldn't have been better timing. I rarely listen to it now, but I still remember spending hours learning that album and the fretboard like it was yesterday.


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## KillerKay (May 1, 2010)

-Zakk Wylde
-Dimebag Darrell
-Mick Thompson
-Pat O'brien
-Kerry King
-Mark Heylmun
-Chris Garza
-Munky

I layed down......(counting)...... 8!


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## Faded Grey (Jun 21, 2010)

Wow, this is gonna be hard. Oh well, here goes.

1. Michael Romeo-A beast of a player, writer and one with some awesome tone. Impliments the Neoclassical style and shredding in very interesting ways. Kills in every technique, and keeps it musical. Got me heavy into the Neoclassical style, was essentially the reason I started to dig Legato and Tapping, also a huge influence on my approach to writine. MJR! 

2.Paul Gibert-Great guy, and a killer technician. He's the reason I started taking guitar seriously. His solos are epic, melodic and memorable, but still rip your face off with shredding awesomeness. He has a great approach to teaching, and is innovative with his methods of teaching. I've learned tons from him.

3. John Petrucci- A great player. A master of writing memorable guitar parts. His riffs and solos are amazing. Really like his use of phrasing in his solos, he has his own sound going for him. Big influence on my approach to solos.

4. Jeff Loomis- I first found out about him right when I started practicing Shred. He's the archetypical Metal guitarist. Plus, the designer of one of the most badass sevens on the market .

5. Guthrie Govan- A great player. If there's a guitar trick, he can do it. A multi stylistic, versatile and amazing guitarist, Guthrie is just out of this world. His sense of melody is unparalled imo, and his technique is otherworldly. He's put out some of the most interesting and well written instrumental guitar in ages. GG, simply rules.


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## Matt-Hatchett (Jun 21, 2010)

Christopher Bradley|Beneath The Massacre
Andy Mckee|Andy Mckee
Tosin Abasi|Animals As Leaders
Dave Davison|Maps And Atlases
Alex Wade|Whitechapel


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## gstacey1 (Jun 21, 2010)

Mark Morton (Lamb of God)- I had heard about him because of his Jackson signature but 2 years ago my friend showed me the redneck music video and cause of Mark's playing my perspective on music changed. I had never liked metal before that buy his groove was just insane and after checking out other LoG stuff I was in love and they became my favorite band and still are. I'd say %90 of my metal playing his based off of just droped tunedand very groove based riffs.

Eric Clapton- After being introduced to LoG I had become a metalhead. Before that I never really had a genre I loved in itself. Then I started listening to a greatest hits of Eric Clapton and I fell in love with how simple but great his stuff was. He wasn't just playing blues though it was pop and rock all based around blues. That's when I decided I wanted to try playing mire blues myself and I was quite astonished on how well I developed by nor actualy learning songs but just by purely listening to blues. If you ask me now why is a genre that I can put on a radio station and enjoy without every wanting to change the song it's blues and metal has taken a side to it.

Chris Letchford (Scale the Summit)- I only started listening to Chris' music recetnly but wow the only person I can think of that makes ther guitar tell the story instead of lyrics as well as Chris does is Andy McKee. This man has an insane sense of phrasing and him combined with Travis, Pat, and Jordan just create some of the best sounding music ever. Plus he's a really nice guy who takes alot of his free time to respond to everysingle comment anyone leaves him. Even if it's as simple as "I love your music" he'll respond with a thanks.

Thomas Erak (ex The Fall of Troy)- Honestly I've never thought of him as much of an influence until just now. His work has aspired me to create my own project which will be like the math rock post hardcoreness of tFoT but heavier. His playing also to me syncs perfetly in a band enviroment although it constisys of alot of wierd time signatures and all that other math rock/metal stuff. It's complicated but still offers room for the bass and drums to keep there own complicated parts without inducing a head ache.

Misha Mansoor (This needs not to be filled in)- I know most of you are thinking "oh cliche he likes misha and I bet he wants to copy him and create another generic periphery Djent ripoff." Well that's true and not true. I'd love to be in a band that sound like periphery but that's not why he's here. The reason Misha is here because in my opinion he's doing everything write. He's got his band signed to labels all around the world all while still ownin the masters to the tracks himself. He's found a way to best the music buisness much like Tom DeLonge has with his whole midlife site. He's also extremely dedicated and the reason most of us here love Periphery is cause Misha took time and went out of the way to get his stuff out to the world, thus making SS.org on of the places the Periphery cult following started at. He's also an extremely talented producer who works in between a amazingly busy scedule to record. Overall he's whole deication to music makes him deserving of being a great influence to me. If I could compare him to anyone it would be the guys from Anvil except Misha has met more sucesess. Plus his music is awesome.


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## chucknorrishred (Jun 21, 2010)

yea pretty much..

i started playing cuz of kurt codain...... yep...and i learned the style too...deftones...the first 3 albums.....yep....learned them and wrote my own shit.....THEN....started learning metal,...all by ear by the way till i heard my first shred solo that was done by monstrosity....i asked a music teacher "HOW DA FUC" and he said "I hear a malmsteen influence in their solos and ever since then...bought malmsteen books....then from there i got into strict shred....by the time i was done with the malmsteen books i knew how to read music.......THEN got vai and classical books.......all this was yrs back by now u know .....its been yrs (prod 2or3 max) since i played the way i use too...(job related) now i got the time to mess around again but....if i wanted to play shred shit from the get go id have it down to the bone....even now i got it but its just playing an undisturberbered shred 4 bout 6 mounths max to sound grand master


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## metulkult (Jun 22, 2010)

1. Paul Waggoner - Between the Buried and Me
The jazz interludes, with the huge, grindy breakdowns, (he plays quite original breakdowns IMO), and of course, the epic melodic soloing from him. One of the best writers in music right now IMO

2. Stu Ross & Ryan Morgan - Misery Signals
Same reason as Paul Waggoner. Really making a huge impact on metalcore I think. Original riffs & breakdowns. They're re-defining the genre. Which is great, because it REALLY needs to be shaken up right now.

3. Mark Okubo - Veil of Maya
I like to call him a riff shredder. He's quite underrated as a guitar player I think. HOw he manages to pull of playing both parts live, while looping, is insane I think.

4. John Petrucci - Dream Theater
Obvious reasons.

5. Mark Lambert - Painted in Exile
The next big band. I think these guys are gonna burst out onto the scene soon enough. It's impossible not to, they can shred their asses off, while combining lovely jazzy interludes, with epic guitar melodies.


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## guitareben (Jun 22, 2010)

1) Steve Vai - The master . He is such a great inspiration, and the dedication he puts into his music is incredible. This is the only defined spot, the rest can be in any order.

2) Joe Pass. For when I need some chilled out jazz 

3) Marty Friedman - I have passed my phase of listening to him all the ime, but in that i picked up a phew guitar licks and stuff, and these still remain with me .

4) Andy Timmons - He is just sick!

5) Allan Holdsworth - Legato! And obv all the other skills he has.


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## Hosenbugler (Jun 22, 2010)

Well, for famous guitar players, it would have to be:

1) *David Gilmour* - The man is a as close as it gets to a deity for me. He's just incredible; his feeling, his soaring sound, his touch, his chord sequences, his tone....the list goes on. Pure distilled genius.

2) *Steve Vai* - His technical prowess, teamed with his knowledge, his obvious love for the guitar, the cool songs he writes and just his inherent natural ability. You'll find this guy in the dictionary under "awesome".

3) *Jimi Hendrix* - I love the passion he put into his playing, as well as his oft-underrated technical ability.

4) *Eric Clapton* - Mainly from his days in Cream. Back in the day, he was the man, until Hendrix came along.

5) *Joe Satriani* - This one was difficult, there were a few contenders (Petrucci, Blackmore, Page). I could have picked Blackmore or Satriani, but I plumped for Satch because, as far as I can tell, he seems to have had more of an influence on my playing, at least for the last year or so.


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## Emperoff (Jun 22, 2010)

*IN METAL CONTEXT:*

*James Hetfield -* Metallica's first five albums are just a showcase of incredible riffs. Heavy music wouldn't be what it is now if it wasn't for him.

*Buz McGrath/Ken Susi -* Unearth's "Oncoming Storm" Is the reason that got me into 7-string guitars. Pure ferocity and raw brutality oozed from that album. Shame later albums couldn't top it.

*Jeff Loomis* My main influence when it comes to over the top shredding on a metal context. His melodic sense when sweeping and menancing sounding diminished licks always have a place for me, as well as his brutal riffs.

*Keith Merrow:* Discovering Keith merrow was like the answer to worn out metalcore and meshuggah wannabes. Absolutely tasteful writing without abusing of any cliché. Just fresh brutal music with a futuristic flavour (and I fucking love futuristic sounding music).

*Bulb:* Opposite to the infamous "D" word kidstream, my love for Bulb comes from those mystical sounding clean passages, with progressive chords and epic choruses that makes me polish my technique on weird fingering chords. And of course that Nobuo Uematsu touch in his playing, which is totally awesome.


*IN A NON-METAL CONTEXT:*


*Gary Moore -* The first time I listened to a song from him (It was a friend of mine playing "The Loner") is a moment that i can never forget. That day my approach to guitar playing changed forever, and ditched the mindless shredding in favor of tasteful soloing power.

*David Gilmour -* I remember when I first heard the "Animals" album. I didn't know what the fuck was listening to, but thought: "holy hell, what is this that is so awesome?". Since then, Gilmour simplistic but touching style is always a reference for me when playing blues and hard rock, kinda mixed with Gary Moore.

*Mikael Akerfeldt -* A pure musical genius. His jazzy soloing style in metal context and his unorthodox way of writing striked me like a hammer when I started to get into them, and still it does now.

*Juan Valdivia -* Even though not a technically great guitar player, his writing and melodic sense when writing clean parts with just simple chords are awesome.

*Andy Timmons -* My most recent influence. The guy is one of the bests guitarists I've ever had the chance to see live (He smoked Satch and Vai easily). He just has it all: Tone, feeling, grove, phrasing, technique... Everything in his playing is perfect.


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## AChRush1349 (Jun 22, 2010)

I'm gonna try and limit myself as much as I can, but i'm already sure it'll go over 5.

1. Randy Rhoads: My first guitar idol, he has never stopped amazing me.
2. Yngwie Malmsteen: He changed my entire view on the electric guitar.
3. Jeff Loomis/Chris Broderick: Some of the best players i've ever heard technically, while still keeping things unique and original.
4. Ihsahn: Some of the darkest, ugliest, most dissonant and confusing, but beautiful music i've ever heard. Extremely unique style.
5. Marty Friedman/Jason Becker: Expressive, technical, exotic, beautiful, emotional and hard hitting. Both of these players made me want to explore different techniques and approaches to music
6. Mikael Åkerfeldtr: Can't say enough about Opeth. Some of the most interesting music i've ever heard. Beautiful melodies starkly contrasted with brutal death metal, but never anything stereotypical or boring.
7. Chuck Schuldiner: The undisputed god of death metal. One of the few death metal guitarists I could listen to all day without getting bored. 
8. Paul Gilbert: The crazy king of shred. Interesting and quirky techniques that make you think. Blazing speed, and a great sense of control, and able to convey emotion.
9. John Petrucci: The man who got me into progressive music. Must have listened to pull me under 1,000,000 times when I first discovered dream theater. Even now, the images and words, and Metropolis albums never cease to amaze me.
10. Jari Mäenpää: Very melodic and beautiful, with crazy amounts of chops. Probably one of the most technically proficient guitarists i've heard, yet he knows how to craft a song.
11. Jani Liimatainen: Great technique, amazing melodies, and a perfect balance of soul and speed.

EDIT: Micheal romeo belongs somewhere on there, because he completely blew my mind when I heard the tapping from "sea of lies", And at that time I KNEW what tapping was, and what it sounded like. I still wasn't ready for something as revolutionary sounding as his tapping style.


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## Sang-Drax (Jun 22, 2010)

In no particular order:

Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth)
Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom)
The Edge (U2)
Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle)
Gelotte/Strömblad (In Flames)

Those keep changing though. I recently came to the conclusion that the only shredder I really enjoy listening to is Alexi. Whenever a listen to CoB I feel like practicing to be a guitar hero again .

edit: I had cited Dave Gimour, but I'm a lot more influenced by In Flames, even when not playing metal.


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## Jtizzle (Jun 22, 2010)

I have a weird approach to music. I don't really "admire" many guitarists. And even now, it's hard to think of 5 players that have influenced me, not only into playing, but in my technique and style too. But I think I have 5 players who have pretty much defined how I play, but not limit my style to the kind of stuff they play. I'm gonna go in a time line order.

Thomas Erak (The Fall Of Troy) - Back when I was playing guitar, and never practiced, I was horrible. At that time, I could barely play power chord and pop punk shit, despite the fact that I had been playing for well over 6 years. Then in '06 I found out about TFOT, who's music was really complex for me at that time, and I loved the music. So I learned all the songs I possibly could, which increased my playing speed so much and just helped me play way more complex stuff. 

Paul Waggoner (Between The Buried And Me) - I later on got into more heavy music, and BTBAM was just mindblowing for me. They had everything I'm into and always wanted to listen to. Unconventional time signatures, heavy ass riffs, and shredding. I learned a couple of song parts from these guys, learning a whole song would've been too much for me haha. I learned stuff like the Alaska intro sweep, the Foam Born A breakdown around the middle-end of the song with all that chromatic movement, and the White Walls solo at the end of the song, which helped me in even better technical playing.

Wes Montgomery - Years later, I started college as a music major and my teacher gave me a bunch of music recommendations, since I was absolutely new to jazz, having heard it only like 3 times at most and never played it. Wes Montgomery was amongst those, and he blew my mind. His way of playing is just unbelievable. It's crazy how he can recycle licks so much. He plays the same minor sweep in every single solo he takes and it always sounds fresh. I transcribed one of his solos and learned about 5 or 6 songs of his. Analyzing them made me look at music in a whole different direction.

Joe Pass and Jim Hall - I had to put these two together cause they both complement each other in what I learned from them. Jim Hall plays the best chords on guitar out of any guitarist. I don't care what anyone says. The rhythm and voicings he plays are just extremely good. He does things that I would have never thought of. Joe Pass, while at the same time of playing awesome chords, can add a beautiful melody at the same time. Watching his DVD, he showed me a lot of ways to play chords to play a melody at the same time, which is not the easiest thing to do.

Tosin Abasi - AAL came out a few months after I got in college. I heard this album and I came. This was the best thing I've ever heard in my life. He hasn't really influenced the way I play at all, since I kinda suck still so I can't play his stuff, but just the fact that I've heard his stuff and have the power to analyze and appreciate it is enough for me. He's pretty much the lever I want to be at, so he's basically my goal haha.


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## cwhitey2 (Jun 22, 2010)

Paul Waggoner (BTBAM) - Cause his sweeping along with everything else he does blows my mind...hes pure shred

Stephen Carpenter - I love his rythem and i think hes one of the best in the business at what he does, + hes in the Deftones...awesome

Trent Hafdahl (After The Burial) - Hes is just another one that blows my mind and is a chill dude

Marc Okubo (Veil of Maya) - increbile timing patterns and sweet riffage

Brian Eschbach (TBDM) - *shredtaculous*...thats all that needs to be said


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## Murmel (Jun 22, 2010)

Sang-Drax said:


> Whenever a listen to CoB I feel like practicing to be a guitar hero again .


I honestly don't think that Alexi does anything but drink and play guitar. He doesn't sleep nor does he shit.
He craps through his guitar (in a good way) and the alchohol brings him the sleep 

What he does for feeding... Let's just say no one but him should know about that.


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## Sang-Drax (Jun 22, 2010)

Murmel said:


> I honestly don't think that Alexi does anything but drink and play guitar. He doesn't sleep nor does he shit.
> He craps through his guitar (in a good way) and the alchohol brings him the sleep
> 
> What he does for feeding... Let's just say no one but him should know about that.



You're right haha

I saw in an interview or something a question like, "how's your life outside music?", and he answered, "what do you mean?"  . In another occasion, someone asked him how he could afford to handle three bands (at the time he was in CoB, Sinergy, and Impaled Nazarene). He said, "dude, I don't do anything besides playing. I don't study, I don't work, nothing. Of course I have the time"

He's not the most technical or cleanest shredder out there, but his are my favourite fast riffs and solos by far!


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## rockdisciple (Jun 23, 2010)

Jeff Beck - For innovate phrasing, and melodic use of the whammy bar

David Gilmour - For impeccable taste, and memorable solos

Derek Trucks - His style of fusion is bluesy, rock-oriented and incorporates interesting scales and styles without losing sight of good phrasing.

Mikael Åkerfeldt - Mike's songwriting keeps me interested in metal more than other band's, and his use of chords is always exciting.

Eric Johnson - His tone rocks, but what really does it for me are his awesome, open chord voicings. What makes it better is the fact that he looks at each note of a chord as part of an individual melody, and it shows in his voice-leading.


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## CrushingAnvil (Jun 23, 2010)

Trey Azagthoth

The Hoffman Brothers

Kelley & Rutan [Ripping Corpse]

Mike Davis [Nocturnus]

Buck Dharma [Blue Öyster Cult]


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## djpharoah (Jun 23, 2010)

Satriani
Eddie Van Halen
George Lynch
Carlos Santana
Eric Clapton


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## xRANDY_SAVAGEx (Jun 23, 2010)

These aren't listed in any order.

1.Andrew Mikhail - Oceano
2.Steven Funderburk / Joel Moore - Wretched
3.Chris Garza / Mark Heylmun - Suicide Silence
4.Brandyn Love / Mychal Wright - We Are The End
5.Tony Reid / John Burd - King Conquer

These are only a few of my main influences. I can go on for days naming guitarists whose style has influenced me so much but those are the ones that came to mind right away.


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## xRANDY_SAVAGEx (Jun 23, 2010)

Scar Symmetry said:


> not 5, just 2: the dudes from Attack Attack!



faggot...
those guys got no talent


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## eclipsex1 (Jun 23, 2010)

Yay. Third post. Haha.

1. Misha: For a million and one reasons. His music is superbly clean, which is saying a lot for how technical he can get. Also, his music is so in-depth, it has so much going on at the same time, but it all fits in together, and it ends up sounding amazing. There is no part of any song of his that doesn't grab my attention and hold it, rather it be the amazing melodies and harmonies, or the nice djenty rhythms. Haha.

2. Jeff Loomis. Even if he doesn't do polyrhythmis, I always feels like he puts a good emphasis on the rhythm, as opposed to most people who just do something overly simple that doesn't even sound good. Also, his melodies are always great. Even if they're fast, they have a great amount of feel to them. Plus, he's just an amazing player. Amazingly clean, considering the shredding he does.

3. Stephen Carpenter. He can create such emotion in his music, by doing very little. Everything he makes seems to be amazing, and has a very unique feel to it. He's all around just amazing, haha.

4. Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarsist (not sure of the name) Just because they can make a nice groove like metal bands, make it sound good, and yet at the same time not be heavy at all.

5. Adam Dutkiewicz (Yeah, KSE haha) for making good music. Everything he makes is relatively simple to play, yet it sounds really good. His music is fun to play. Also, his music is heavy, but it's unique to the genre. Instead of pure chugga chugga riffs (which are great also) he includes a lot of clean riffs, and also often has a little more technicality to his riffs than just chugging on a drop-tuned guitar.


Or, that's what I think.


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## Ricky_Gallows (Jun 24, 2010)

in no particular order...

1.Zach Ordway - I have yet to hear a player use scales to bridge leads the way he does....what i would give to be able to write like him lol 

2.I know its been said a billion times but Marc Okubo. Love his approach to poly's and his tone is raw and clean. Truly inspired me to just think outside of the box.

3. Ryan and Stuart from Misery signals... Controller is like my go to album. Love the tone, the arrangements, their use of verbs and delays...just perfect.

4. Chris from Beneath the massacre...inspired me to tap whenever i wanted....screw if its tasteful. 

5. and finally AJ from the human abstract...just all around well rounded player. 


other mentionables.
The dudes from BoO, Tosin (derp), Misha (self taught and amazing), the dudes from circle of contempt, Ken susi (made me want to go harder live  ), After the burial, the guys from BTBAM the dudes from both necrophagist and the faceless.


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## distressed_romeo (Jun 24, 2010)

This isn't a definitive list, as my top five of all time would be basically impossible to settle on, but at the moment...

1) Steve Morse. Tone, technique, use of delay, chromatic approach and compositional brilliance.

2) Eric Johnson. Tone, smoothness, chord voicings, phrasing.

3) Alex Lifeson. Riffing style, chord voicings, tone.

4) Ihsahn. Riffing, compositional genius.

5) Jim Matheos. Mostly for his work with OSI.


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## Lord_Elixer (Jun 24, 2010)

In no particular order...
Joe Satriani,
Paul Gilbert,
Jason Becker and Marty Friedman (Speed metal symphony helped me so much...)
Eric Clapton,
and Stanley Jordan...Can't wait to get another guitar so I can try his style! :-D


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## Chiba666 (Jun 24, 2010)

This isnt easy as easy as it first seemed.

Hetfield - Down picking and well MOP.
Ishahn - Showed that BM could rise above the necro sound and that nothing was out of bounds.
Abath - One man frost making machine, the acoustic passage in Solarfall and the At the Heart of Winter intro, while not the most technical of guitar playing just fit and made me look at how I arrange my own songs and how it dosnt have to be pedal to the floor at all times.
Adrian Smith - Along with Hetfield made me pick up a guitar.
Michael Amott - To me this man has had a hand in writting some of the greatest melo death songs around, and forms a great guitar team with his brother. Plus he played on Heartwork and that adds big plus points.


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## eaeolian (Jun 24, 2010)

Easier than I thought, actually:

1.) Ritchie Blackmore - the reason I got serious about playing back when I was a teenager, and you can still hear his imprint on my playing now, especially when I'm descending.

2.) Chris Poland - I didn't actually realize it until Noodles pointed it out. Wish I could bend like him, though. 

3.) Alex Skolnick - I still sound like Skol when I sweep, and he was the one that introduced me to it back in 1987.

4.) James Hetfield - My right hand stuff in rhythm playing is 100% Hetfield - his brutally precise rhythm work on the first for Metallica albums is still the gold standard.

5.) Tim Calvert - Influenced me way more than I realized until I went back and listened.

For the record, #6 would be Adrian and Dave from Maiden, and #7 would be Lifeson.


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## kung_fu (Jun 24, 2010)

These days, my list is probably something like this:

Jeff Beck - no explaination required. He's just the coolest
John Scofield - this cat grooves, enough said.
Pat Metheny - Very melodic player. I could listen to him play for hours. Like Jim Hall on steroids. His influence on me extends into my rock/pop/folk songwriting as well. 
Allan Holdsworth - His lead style is what got me into him initially, but his unique chord choices are where i draw my influence.
Dimeola/Gambale - I'll lump these guys together purely because they both played with chick corea and elements of both of thier styles (as well as chicks) are part of my style

aslo Fripp/Belew for thinking outside the box


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## Acatalepsy (Jun 24, 2010)

Terrance Hobbs (Suffocation)
Bill Frisell (a load of John Zorn projects, solo stuff)
Vogg (Decapitated)
Luc Lemay (Gorguts)
Marlon Friday (Abhorrent)


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## M3CHK1LLA (Jun 24, 2010)

eaeolian said:


> Easier than I thought, actually:
> 
> 3.) Alex Skolnick - I still sound like Skol when I sweep, and he was the one that introduced me to it back in 1987.
> 
> 4.) James Hetfield - My right hand stuff in rhythm playing is 100% Hetfield - his brutally precise rhythm work on the first for Metallica albums is still the gold standard.


 

 right on! my 6th would be alex



im an old guy now so mine will reflect that 

mostly the early stuff from these guys, in this order - how i discoved them

1. phil collen - def leppard: they got me into guitar. after many years i got the infamous ibby dt-555bk

2. mick mars - motley crue: alot of killer riffs & hooks

3. kk downing - judas priest: awesome twin guitar attack w/ glenn tipton - got a flying v, even if it is an epi

4. kirk hammett: great, memorable guitar work & i dont care what the haters think. got a custom shop, neck thru mkII esp

5. james hetfield: what can you say...the palm muting king - my first guitar was an explorer knock-off of his


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## caughtinamosh (Jun 24, 2010)

David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth)
Dave Murray/Adrian Smith/Janick Gers (Iron Maiden)
Jeff Loomis (Nevermore)
Chris Amott (Arch Enemy)


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## Murmel (Jun 24, 2010)

xRANDY_SAVAGEx said:


> faggot...
> those guys got no talent


And how serious on scale of 1-10 do you think he was?


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## anne (Jun 24, 2010)

Aside from Mårten Hagström, I haven't really copped anything directly off of anyone -- too noob to even know how to do that. If I could, I would take a thing or two from Kaki King! *swoon*


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## dime3334 (Jun 25, 2010)

James Hetfield
Scott Ian
Eric Peterson
Kerry King
Gary Holt

And more recently...
Dino
Jeff Loomis

Sorry, thats's more than 5, but I had to add those guys.


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## 6string40 (Jun 25, 2010)

Growin up...
George Lynch (Dokken/Lynch Mob/Souls of We)
Zakk Wylde (Ozzy/Pride & Glory/Black Label Society)
Dime (Pantera/Damageplan)
James Hetfield (Metallica)
Adrian Smith & Dave Murray (Iron Maiden)

More recently...
Mark Morton & Willie Adler (Lamb of God)
Jeff Loomis (Nevermore)
Brent Hinds & Bill Kelliher (Mastodon)
Adam Dutkiewicz & Joel Stroetzel (Killswitch Engage)
Mikael Akerfeldt & Fredrik Akesson (Opeth)


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## jaretthale78 (Jun 25, 2010)

tosin abasi, buckethead, jason becker, shawn lane, zakk wylde, i could go on..


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## Rapture (Jul 13, 2010)

1. Trey Azagthoth 
2.Yngwie Malmsteen
3.Ritchie Blackmore
4.Eddie van Halen
5.Paul Gilbert


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## Huntor (Jul 13, 2010)

Dimbag Darrell: taught me to use my left hand better back in the day when I started learning metal.
Dino Cazares: ditto, but for right hand more, plus overall tightness
Jeff Hanneman: back in the day fast playing for both hands, some cool fills
Ihsahn: made us intrigued enough to experiment with writting my own different sounding riffs
Devin Townsend: Showed us the value of being a musician and using the guitar as an expression tool.


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## Guitarman700 (Jul 13, 2010)

Ihsahn: Simply my favorite musician, period. His approach to guitar and music in general, changed the way I think about music. His new album convinced me to buy an 8-string. NGD incoming!

Peter Wichers: The king of Melodic riffs, I love the way he incorporates different styles of music into his riffs and solos.

Per Nillson: His lead playing made me seriously look at the way i play lead, and try to improve my technique. Amazing guitarist.

Jeff Loomis: The man is not human! his leads and rythyms are insane, and his interplay with Warrel dane on the nevermore records is amazing.

Dave Mustaine: Screw the haters, this man is the god of rythym guitar. His guitar work travels outside the boring chugging of other thrash bands, and really lends a progressive vibe to megadeth's music.


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## Blake1970 (Jul 13, 2010)

1.) Dave Mustaine 
2.) James Hetfield
3.) John Frusciante
4.) David Gilmour
5.) Jimmy Page


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## metallatem (Jul 13, 2010)

Randy Rhoads
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Neal Schon
Adrian Smith
Matthias Jabs


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## Dan (Jul 13, 2010)

1) Jari Mäenpää (Wintersun/Ensiferum)
2) Christopher/Mike Ammott (Arch Enemy)
3) Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth)
4) Adam D/Joel Stroetzel (Killswitch Engage)
5) Jesper Strömblad/Björn Gelotte (In Flames) 

Theres also Loomis, Witchers, Nilsson and Laiho to add as well but thats the main influences


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## GalacticDeath (Jul 13, 2010)

My dad: I started playing becuase he let me borrow his acoustic guitar and he taught me some basic chords.

My brother: Got me listening to Heavy metal and rock, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be playing the kind of music that I do.

My teacher (Alex McIntosh): His lessons in music theory have really helped me to better understand what it is I'm playing. He got me listening to jazz.

Steve Howe: Probably the first well known guitarist that I ever looked up to. I've been playing prog music ever since I first heard his stuff.

Paul Gilbert: I had never heard/seen anyone play with such great technique until I heard him play. The little bit of technique that I have I think I got from listening and watching him play. Got to meet him once. He is awesome!


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## Guitarman700 (Jul 13, 2010)

Plug said:


> 1) Jari Mäenpää (Wintersun/Ensiferum)
> 2) Christopher/Mike Ammott (Arch Enemy)
> 3) Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth)
> 4) Adam D/Joel Stroetzel (Killswitch Engage)
> ...



I forgot about jesper and bjorn, two of my favorites. Really sucks jesper left the band though...


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## Warchest1 (Jul 13, 2010)

1. Jeff Loomis - Such a fucking god. He's got everything that I want my playing to be. His vibrato is fuckin vicious.

2. Dave Mustaine - The fact that he's written some of the greatest records in thrash metal strung out on heroin is astonishing to me. His use of the blues scale in his riffs is completely original and sounds unreal.

3. Paul Gilbert - I definately developed my alternate playing chops by learning his licks. One of the best players alive for sure.

4. Marty Friedman - I get my sense of melody from Marty Friedman. Never have I heard a guitarist with such taste in his solos. 

5. David Gilmour - He's written some of the greatest solos of all time and I've gotten a few licks from him and put my own spin on it. Love Pink Floyd.


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## Chopsession (Jul 13, 2010)

Jeff Beck, the man who could phrase the same line a million differant ways.

Michael Schenker, melody with some serious bite.

Gary Moore, the jack of all trades?

Shawn Lane, "Blazing Amazing Phrasing."

James Hetfield, the once upon a time riff king.


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## Antimatter (Jul 13, 2010)

Marten Hagstrom (Meshuggah is one of my all time favorite bands)
Adam Jones (Tool got me into metal, they have a special place for me)
John Petrucci (Mostly Train of Thought style)
Dino Cazares (fuck yeah alternate picking palm mutes)
And ever since I heard Solace; Antoine Lussier
I think my music's gonna get crazier as I get more skilled.


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## prh (Jul 13, 2010)

John Petrucci
Guthrie Govan
Steve Vai

and at the moment, Misha Mansoor and Paul Ortiz


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## TreWatson (Jul 14, 2010)

my all time 5 are as follows:

Paul Gilbert
Carlos Santana

(most people say they hear those the most in my blaying as well)

and as of late...
Steve Vai
Per Nilsson
Paul Ortiz


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## Sofos (Jul 14, 2010)

Top 10 would be a little easier: 

Quorthon (Bathory)
Euronymous (Mayhem)
Kerry King (Slayer)
Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O))))
Tony Aziz (Acrassicauda)
Ihsahn (Emperor/Ihsahn)
Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom/Synergy)
Charles Hedger (Cradle of Filth/Imperial Vengeance)
Paul Allender (Cradle of Filth/The Blood Divine)
James McIlroy (Cradle of Filth/Chaosacnt/Order of Apollyon)

(yes I am being a Cradle fanboy, but if it weren't for Cradle, namely the Nymphetamine album, i would never have gotten into metal, or even rock for that matter, and thus wouldnt have picked up a guitar.)


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## CONTEMPT (Jul 14, 2010)

Vai (Vai)
Cobain (Nirvana)
Jones (Tool)
Maxwell (Nothingface - but don't get me wrong, I FUCKING HATE Hell Yeah)
Thordendal (Meshuggah)


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## Hollowway (Jul 19, 2010)

Robert Smith (The Cure - don't be hatin', the man can craft some wicked layered guitar parts).
The Edge
Eddie Van Halen
Yngwie
Jake E Lee

I'd love to include John Frusciante, George Lynch, and some more recent guys, but I gotta respect the rule of 5!


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## ittoa666 (Jul 19, 2010)

CONTEMPT said:


> Cobain (Nirvana)



He played guitar?


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## MorbidTravis (Jul 19, 2010)

1. Rusty cooley, mainly technique wise. just because you wrote a sweet solo doesnt mean you are going to execute it very well if your technique doesnt go well.
2. Randy Rhoads, my all time biggest influence of guitar and song writing.
3.Karl/Dallas, i consider them one but they are my influence for death metal
4. Steve Smyth, former guitar teacher(will be again when i have the money) influences me theorywise. a lot of practice riffs and runs for scales have changed my sound.
5. Jason Becker, speed metal symphony is what got me into shred. But back then i knew it as speed metal lol.


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## mattofvengeance (Jul 20, 2010)

Jason Becker
Chuck Schuldiner
Fredrik Thordendal
Steve Vai
Marty Friedman


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## bodom69 (Sep 19, 2010)

Alexi Laiho
Jari Maenpaa
Muhammad Suicemez
paul Gilbert 
Ron Jarzombek...or Seve Vai both are equal to me


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## Double A (Sep 19, 2010)

1.Jeff Loomis. He is my biggest influence.
2. Chuck Schuldiner 
3. Tosin
4. Mikael Akerfeldt
5. James Blackshaw. This man is amazing and more should listen to him.


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## chucknorrishred (Sep 19, 2010)

kerry king, dime, vinnie moore, yjm, and trey from morbid angel


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## Halogran (Sep 19, 2010)

1&2. Steve Vai & Eric Johnson, because back in the day they were my influences.
3. John Petrucci, because like so many others rock disipline changed my life.
4. Tosin Abasi, his stuff in Reflux was inspirational, and to think his solo stuff is that much better.
5. Misha Mansoor, his writing style brought me back to the guitar.


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## Yaris (Sep 19, 2010)

1. Brian May
2. Eddie Van Halen
3. Marty Friedman
4. Paul Gilbert
5. Steve Vai

I'll add some information about why tomorrow.


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## TomParenteau (Sep 19, 2010)

Chronologically:
My dad
Mark Farner
Ted Nugent
=vH=
Yngwie


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## ziggurat (Sep 19, 2010)

in no particular order

1. Kirk Hammett - When I first started playing guitar I was trying to play his solos and it made me work harder in my early learning years to be able to play them.

2. Paul Gilbert - His ability to be technically amazing without chaining sweep arpeggios made me build up my speed in alternate picking.

3. Chuck Shuldiner - His approach to guitar and playing style that was so expressive. It's inspired my phrasing quite a lot.

4. Ihsahn - To me he is an inspiration that black metal doesn't have to be sloppy or simple and he is an amazing songwriter.

5. Buckethead - When I first heard him I was blown away, which is what tends to happen with most shredders, but I didn't get bored of it. 
Despite his appearance of his expressionless mask, he is able to convey emotions through his guitar. Whether its sad clean tones or the chaotic sounds of an exploding computer.


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## aslsmm (Sep 19, 2010)

1 dave lopez. my dad played and i wanted to impress him so i started playing
2. joe perry from aerosmith. his solos are kind tricky to nail spot on, not that they are technically hard just his groove is hard to catch.
3. vai, the first vai song i ever heard was "when i was a little boy" then i heard "warm regaurds" and i really wanted to get good. 
4.zakk wylde. the perry mason solo was my fav when i was growing up.
5. andy james. devils day. need i say more.
6. this is a three way tie, mark kendall for his solo in the song "rock me" and the melody of "save all your love". curtis chapman of tesla for "edisons medicine. vito bratta for the "radar love" solo.


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## Joose (Sep 19, 2010)

No particular order, and this is with a lot of thought put into it. These are the absolute 5 as it stands right now and over my entire time playing guitar. Of course there are many, many more. But, based on how I write/play/am working on a record deal with the band that I've been in for 5 years, these are the definite players. 

1. Dimebag Darrell (Pantera)
2. Drop (Sybreed)
3. John Connolly (Sevendust)
4. Devin Townsend
5. John Petrucci

Honorable Mention:
James Hetfield

I'm more of a rhythm player. I've always been more into what "drives" a song, as opposed to what sticks out the most.


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## PyramidSmasher (Sep 19, 2010)

Michael Romeo - Symphony X
Kiko Loureiro - Angra
Ryan Morgan - Misery Signals
Dan Weller - SikTh
Marc Okubo - Veil of Maya


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## Unknown Doodl3.2 (Sep 20, 2010)

Luc Lemay
Daniel Mongrain
James Hetfield
Chuck Schuldiner
Steve Vai


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## blr5109 (Sep 20, 2010)

1) Dimebag Darrell
2) Devin Townsend
3) Fredrik Thordendal/Marten Hagstrom
4) Adam Jones
5) Bjorn Gelotte/Jesper Stromblad


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## WickedSymphony (Sep 20, 2010)

In no particular order - 

1. Randy Rhoads - As much fun as it is to just rip and go nuts, if there isn't something in your solo that you can actually hum (at least the contour of the melody) then it's pretty much worthless. I learned that from him very early on, and it's always stuck with me.

2. John Petrucci - Awesome technique and also very sweet melodies and solos. Even when he plays super fast and in odd time, it's all very connected and natural feeling. Gotta love that.

3. Kiko Loureiro - Brings a lot of fusion stuff to heavy metal and it sounds great. 

4. Paul Gilbert - String skipping what? The cleanest alternate picker ever, and not sweeping everything made me realize there's more than one way to play anything and you can get a lot of cool sounds from experimenting. Also if anyone's watched his videos he's gotta be one of the most humble, down to earth dudes around.

5. Steve Vai - I remember when I started out my cousin said most of what Vai does is just making noise, but I tend to like a lot of his noise haha. 

Kinda hard to pick out just 5 since there's so many other great guys who influenced me, but those guys are definitely at the top for me. At least gotta mention Syu, Marco Sfogli, Cooley, Wylde, Laiho, Mark Jansen, and Niklas Sundin/Martin Henriksson. Some for chops, others for songwriting more than anything.


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## Koshchei (Sep 20, 2010)

1) Shawn Lane
2) Allan Holdsworth
3) Yngwie Malmsteen
4) Devin Townsend
5) Ihsahn


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## Black_tear (Sep 20, 2010)

Well, they're so many, but the most important ones, chronologically are:

1) David Gilmour
2) John Petrucci
3) Paul Gilbert
4) Guthrie Govan
5) Tosin Abasi

They're one of the reasons why i always try to improve my playing.


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## Rapture (Sep 20, 2010)

Ritchie Blackmore
McLaughlin
Shawn Lane
Jimi Hendrix
Yngwie Malmsteen


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## aleXander (Sep 20, 2010)

1. Trey Azagthoth
2. Dino Cazares
3. Jeff Loomis
4. Steve Vai
5. John Petrucci


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## Customisbetter (Sep 20, 2010)

Jack White
Matt Bellamy
Steffen Schackinger
Tom Morello
Paul Gilbert


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## Thaeon (Sep 20, 2010)

I can't really narrow it down to just five guys... There are things I take from each player that are very important. So I'll make five categories, and put the people in them that are the biggest influence on me.

Category 1: Rhythm

James Hetfield/Dave Mustaine: They started a genre, and without them, I'd probably be playing jazz (not that jazz is a bad thing).

Thordendal/Hagstrom: This speaks for itself.

Adam Jones: The culmination of the above influences for me adding that he knows that silence speaks as much as his notes. A novel concept in Metal.

Category 2: Atmospherics

The Edge: This guy has mastered FX so well he can strum lazily on one chord and the verse of a song comes out. My clean sounds are something I've ripped off of The Edge. HUGE influence on me.

Adam Jones: Also a master of FX, but also of doing weird things to the guitar in conjunction to creep you out.

Category 3: Leads

Petrucci: Sounds like he smoked a bunch of meth before recording, looks like he can bench press your car. Neither are true, but he really can shred. When studying chops is what I'm doing, there are at least a couple warm ups or leads of his that I'm looking at. His alternate picking is monstrous.

Vai: Great choice of scales. Injects a lot of rhythmic and chordal inflections into his solos. Usage of unusual emotional content for rock/metal music (humor). When I think of how I want a solo to make someone feel, I try to think of what Vai's approach would be.

Dave Navarro: He just simply burns live. Check out some vids if you haven't.

Gilmore: For me, he is to solos what Adam Jones is to rhythm.

Category 4: Note/Chord Choice

Satriani: He doesn't play as fast as Vai or Petrucci, but the way he voices his solos over his chord progressions gives you then sense of movement. There's a bit of wisdom in the way he shreds (if that makes any sense). And there's a certain amount of intent that he plays with that always draws me in. His melodies are haunting... And his solos sound like a melody sped WAY up. One of my absolute favorite guitar players.

Ian Thornley: Played in a band called Big Wreck in the late '90's. The band broke up in the early '00's and his new stuff is shite. I talked to him about it, and he said that he guessed that the Big Wreck stuff was too off the wall for some people, and he's fallen into the 'nickleback' style in order to survive.  Really sad that good talent and song writing can't be appreciated. He's a bluesy guy, but his solos sing. He's also one of my favorite rock vocalists. 

Eric Johnson: His chord voicings are delicious...

Category 5: Song Writing

The Edge: Just a master of simple catchy guitar stuff.

Matt Bellamy: Incredible song writer, drawing on countless influences. As far as writing goes I think he's a genius.

Johnny Greenwood: Radiohead writes some of the most haunting music ever. If you disagree, we aren't capable of being friends.

Robert Smith: The Cure's songs have always stuck with me. Another less is more kind of guy. Lots of jazzy chords in there if you're listening for it.

Brent Hinds/Bill Kelliher: Incredible metal masterpieces... Especially on Crack the Skye.

Adam Jones: Again... Tool is just bad ass. From the rhythms/riffs themselves to the arrangement of the songs... They never fail to blow me away.



Honorable mentions: Prince for being a pint sized badass. Trent Reznor for being the most metal piano player ever (Nails is one of my top two favorite bands ever), and my dad... Without him sitting around the house playing/singing Simon & Garfunkle songs when I was little I never would have thought about playing the guitar.


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## nojyeloot (Sep 20, 2010)

Thordendal
Holdsworth
Petrucci
Godwin
Gilbert


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## straightshreddd (Sep 20, 2010)

This isn't in any order. I'm just listing by the ones that came to mind first.

1. Voice Gajic
2. Mario Camarena and Erik Hansel of Chon(big time)
3. Jeff Loomis
4. Marc Okubo of Veil of Maya
5. Brian Betz (My guitar teacher. You can find his playing on youtube and I believe he has albums on amazon or something.)


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## AliceLG (Sep 20, 2010)

That's a very hard one &#8230; Right of the top of my head I'd have to say

1.- Dimebag Darrell
2.- Mårten Hagström
3.- Mikael Åkerfeldt
4.- Steven Wilson
5.- Björn Gelotte

But 5 years ago it would've been totally different, and it probably will 5 years from now


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## MetalBuddah (Sep 20, 2010)

Currently....

1. John Petrucci
2. Frederik Thordendal
3. Misha Mansoor (Bulb)
4. Keith Merrow
5. Kirk Hammett


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## Thaeon (Sep 20, 2010)

Good call on Steve Wilson...


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## Black_tear (Sep 20, 2010)

Thaeon, i could relate a lot with your post, everything you wrote makes sense (to me, at least).
I never saw Dave Navarro live though, not even a video of him palying live (have to check that out) mainly because the ones i saw didn't cause a good impression on me.


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## nnmore (Sep 20, 2010)

That's a tough one, but if I had to choose, I'd say the following: 

Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth) - the guy that made me want to play guitar in the first place, mainly the guitar solos in Windowpane, but total inspiration. 

Jonas Kjellgren & Per Nilsson (Scar Symmetry) - These two guys are just amazing at song writing and riff crafting, their solos continually blow my mind. 

Bulb - Made "crazy" riffing melodic in a way that I could finally understand, really great player (obviously). 

Scott Henderson - Amazing player, need I say more? 

Daniel Gildenlöw & Johan Hallgren (Pain of Salvation) - weird patterns, odd riffs, totally left-field = amazing.


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## Kairos (Sep 20, 2010)

Methinks I'll join in. They're in the order that I listened to them in my musical Journey

1. Randy Rhoads: The first guitarist I ever admired. He played so fast (that's all I used to care about) and his neoclassical style was so great. But the deal sealer was that he still managed to play with SO much emotion.

2. Buckethead: He was also super tech but had equally many (if not more) melodic pieces. He sounded like a robot on a rampage, or breaking down, or crying and I just love it!

3. Brian May: He just has it together. A homemade guitar, a recognizable sound, a consistent style, a tasteful and melodic ear, just everything. I still listen to Queen an a regular basis.

4. Frank Zappa: Frank is criminally underrated. His ability to write anything from a bunch of quick melody's (Peaches En Regalia) to a long vast solo (Watermelon In Easter Hay) blows my mind. Everything he did was wonderful and I love listening to just about anything from his colossal library.

5: Tosin Abasi: Just a beautiful mix of metal, jazz, classical, technique, 8-string guitars, originality, and songwriting ability. One of the newest guitarists I've been listening to and I'm itching for more (not like I'm even close to discovering everything of AAL's debut).

Honorable mentions:
Guthrie Govan: probably the best guitarist in the world imho.
Jeff Beck: Fantastic feel/melody.
The Meshuggah Guys: 
Tom Qualyle: Hybrid picked fusion. Yeaaah.
Dave Fiuczynski: An interesting Guitarist.
Django Reinhardt: The master. So innovative.
Devin Townsend: Great Guitarist.


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## paintkilz (Sep 21, 2010)

Tosin Abasi, Stephen Carpenter, Chris Bradley, Josh Travis, Marc Okubo


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## UGH (Sep 21, 2010)

Tony Iommi
Glen Buxton
Randy Rhoads
Chris Poland
Jon LeVasseur


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## Asrial (Sep 21, 2010)

Just in random order:

Steve Vai
James Schaffer
Devin Townsend
John Petrucci
Buckethead


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## TheSilentWater (Sep 21, 2010)

TonalArchitect said:


> Al Di Meola/John Mclaughlin/Paco De Lucia- Upon hearing Friday Night in San Fransisco, I found some of the most passionate virtuosity and admirable technique I've ever heard. This in part caused me to forsake sweep picking, focus on strict alternate picking, and I now practice and play on a steel-string acoustic.
> 
> Allan Holdsworth- First, legato. He's one of the big reasons that I work so much on my legato technique. His stretches have inspired me to work on my own reach. His unusual chord voicings have had a profound impact upon me, as I now constantly toy and compose with unusual chords, and unusual voicings of chords. His use of unorthodox and extremely varied tonalities is something I admire very much. His vibrato is one of the few guitarists vibrato that I wish to emulate, and I'm currently working a bit on developing control over it with the side-to-side technique that he (and classical musicians) uses. An absolute master of the instrument.
> 
> ...


Friday Night in San Francisco is an amazing album. 
Most of mine have already been mentioned in this thread. Although one that I will add is Steven Wilson, just because of his genius songwriting and producing, even if he's not particularly technically proficient.


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## Cabinet (Sep 21, 2010)

Hm...

In no particular order
1. Buckethead
2. Paul Gilbert
3. Muhammed Suicmez
4. Misha Mansoor
5. I don't know what to put.

I haven't listened to that many solo artists, and not a lot of them have really left a mark on me except for these few. Paul Gilbert got me into exploring string skipping and massive hand stretches, I occasionally borrow licks from Buckethead, Necrophagist sounds just awesome to me, and Misha/Periphery have written some really cool guitar licks and have made me play around with a lot of intervals, particularly 4ths.

It's really hard for me to say they have all heavily influenced me though, I usually just take tiny things I hear in the riffing, evaluate the theory behind it and then try to use that bit of theory to make something that sounds better to me. Just the whole influence term seems foggy to me, it just seems so vague.


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## Crometeef (Sep 22, 2010)

man, there's too many to list. if i didn't have a blistering headache from this flu, i'd go into more detail. but to sum it up, i feel Mikael Åkerfeldt and Paul Waggoner have had a huge impact on the way i try to play leads. minus Waggoners sweeps and extensive technical wankery every now and then, i find the slow, bluesy feel to their leads very inspiring. i love death metal but it's hard to keep up with necrophagist solos (although i'm a huge fan)

as far as rhythm, the boys from dark tranquility have been influencing me for years. Paul Masvidal, Buckethead, Devin Townsend (such a dynamic sound with an awesome tuning i find myself playing in all the time), Petrucci, Michael Keene, Peter Wichers, Adam Jones, Dan and Pin done a lot for me in just 2 albums(Sikth). Steven Wilson is very underrated imo, and a big influence on me. He can cover multiple styles and his acoustic passages are ace. He also possesses the ability to sound completely discordant and eerie with riffs off In Absentia(i.e. the leads in wedding nails). Chimp Spanner and Misha also changed the way i look at a lot of rhythm passages, mainly in a low tuning or on a 7. Eric Johnson's one to make me feel terrible about not only my phrasing and overall playing, but my tone as well. also i'm obsessed with Guthrie Govan. i'd love to just sit and drink coffee with this guy. you can tell he's a genuinely nice guy and is a musical genius imo.


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## Seventary (Sep 22, 2010)

James Hetfield
Jesper Strömblad
Michael Åkerfeldt
Adrian Smith
Michael Amott


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## ttiwguitar (Sep 22, 2010)

Alex Lifeson - Rush was the band that made me really get into music in a serious way. Still my favorite guitarist.

Mikael Akerfeldt - In the same way Rush got me into music, Opeth got me into real metal. Such a great overall player and songwriter. Writes the best solos in metal, and his fingerpicking stuff is really underrated in my opinion.

John Petrucci - Blew my preteen mind. I'd never heard anyone play guitar like that before. I still prefer the 90's stuff though.

Paul Gilbert - This is more recent, but he has such great feel and an effortless playing style. Most "shredders" bore me, but he has a great sense of melody.

Adam Jones - Another more recent one. Understated, even simple sometimes, but he plays guitar in one of the best bands of the last twenty years and knows exactly what to play and what not to play.


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## gui94 (Sep 22, 2010)

1 - Paul Masvidal
2 - Paul Masvidal
3 - Paul Masvidal
4 - Paul Masvidal
5 - Paul Masvidal


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## 7thdimension (Sep 22, 2010)

1) Chuck Schuldiner
2) Buckethead
3) Francesco Tarrega (gotta check spelling)
4) Mohamed Suicmez
5) Randy Rhoads

Yyyyesirr lol


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## bostjan (Sep 22, 2010)

^ All of these.

I guess my #1 influence overall would be Buckethead.

But Bucket was influenced by Paul Gilbert who was influenced by Yngwie who was influenced by Randy Rhoads who was influenced by Glen Buxton who was influenced by Jeff Beck who was influenced by Les Paul who was influenced by Django who was influenced by Eddie Lang who was influenced by someone, but I don't know whom. I'm sure everything in modern music traces back to Bach. 

I would also like to think that Jan Akkerman has had a strong influence on my playing.

And, of course, spending hours and hours trying to figure out Dream Theater songs should certainly count as an influence.

As a sort of personal goal, I always wanted to be able to play the guitar to the same artistic effect that Salvidor Dali could paint or that Nikolai Golgol could write.


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## itscurbe (Sep 22, 2010)

My list is exactly the same as OP's, only Adam Jones is on Top, and Bulb instead of Seether's guitarist


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## beefshoes (Sep 22, 2010)

1. Kurt Ballou (Converge)
2. John Petrucci (Dream Theater)
3. Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad)
4. Efrim Menuck (Godspeed You! Black Emperor)
5. Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth)


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## alfred (Oct 27, 2010)

1. Dino Cazares (Fear Factory, Asesino)
2. Chuck Schuldiner (Death, Control Denied)
3. Adam Jones (Tool)
4&5. Anders Björler & Martin Larsson (At The Gates)


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## RWelsh727 (Nov 24, 2010)

In no specific order:
1 - Trent Hafdahl (After The Burial)
2 - James Hetfield (All Kirk Hammet has is tweaker fingers.)
3 - Michael Keene (The Faceless)
4 - Tosin Abasi (Animals As Leaders)
5 - Professor Satchafunkilous


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## Randy (Nov 24, 2010)

1 - George Lynch
2 - Jake E. Lee
3 - Emil Werstler
4 - Paul Gilbert
5 - Guthrie Govan

No, I'm not even remotely as talented as these guys but I borrow from their styles. Oddly enough, I have two heavily pentatonic guys on top but that's not really my main deal anymore. The big thing I take from their styles are the chromatic modifications they do to the basic scales they play, along with some of their phrasing and vibrato. 

I try to borrow from Emil's abrupt alternate picked -> legato -> alternate picked lines, Paul's alternate picking runs and arpeggio choices, and I've been trying to borrow from Guthrie's unpredictable phrasing, odd note choices, and diversity in a passage.

The operative word is "try".


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## GiantBaba (Nov 24, 2010)

1. Fripp (Literally the King. Untouchable)
2. Iommi (Heavy Metal Thunder incarnate)
3. Jonny Greenwood (Endlessly, spookily creative. Technically better than he gets credit for)
4. Johnny Marr (Dear Lord, the wonders he's worked with a very clean tone)
5. Clapton (I don't think I need to expound on this one)

Listing just five is tough, I tried to limit my list to just the people who've ultimately made the biggest on my own actual style and sound. I'd like to at least mention a few others that influenced me: Prince, Captain Sensible, Jus Obom, David Torn, Masami Tsuchiya, Robert Smith, Andy Summers, David Gilmour...all right, I have to stop myself or I'll be up all night!


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## SirMyghin (Nov 24, 2010)

In no order

1) Alex Lifeson
2) Joe Satriani
3) Ritchie Blackmore
4) John Petrucci
5) Mark Knopfler

Seeing as I am a bass player this list is more important, listed in the order they influenced me.

1) Geddy Lee
2) The Ox
3) Victor Wooten
4) Stu Hamm
5)John Myung


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## Mordacain (Nov 24, 2010)

David Gilmour
Mark Knopfler
John Petrucci
Rory Gallagher
Jimmy Page


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## SirMyghin (Nov 24, 2010)

Mordacain said:


> David Gilmour
> Mark Knopfler
> John Petrucci
> Rory Gallagher
> Jimmy Page



Nice list, good to see some Knopfler love.


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## PyramidSmasher (Nov 25, 2010)

1. Ryan Morgan
2. Kiko Loureiro
3. John Petrucci
4. David Isen
5. 10000 other people.


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## Polythoral (Nov 25, 2010)

AJ Minette of The Human Abstract - He's simply a musical genius, seriously. His music has shown me a lot and he's also straight out taught me a fair bit himself.
Tim Millar/Luke Hoskin of Protest The Hero - Band that first got me into paying attention to msuciainship. Whether it's their fast tech wankery on Kezia or the more obscure progressive stuff from Fortress, I've learned quite a bit.
Thomas Erak of The Fall Of Troy - Learned a lot of chord stuff from his work, along with open string stuff and tapping.
Paul Waggoner/Dusty Waring of BTBAM - They've done too much for me explain the influence they've put over me, haha.
Joe Cocchi/Jay Vanschelt of Within The Ruins - Gave me a new take on the importance of rhythm to riffs/songs/everything. 

Runners up:
Eric Morgan/Patrick Jeffers of A Hero A Fake
Andy Mckee
Chris/Travis of Scale The Summit
John Petrucci
Mikael Akerfeldt

I'm definitely in one area with most of this list, haha... Oh well.


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## Kh-2 (Nov 25, 2010)

1. James Hetfield 
2. Dave Mustaine
3. Zakk Wylde (especially NRFTW, NMT, Book of Shadows and Pride and Glory)
4. Alexi Laiho
5. Alex Skolnick


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## C2Aye (Nov 25, 2010)

1) John Frusciante
2) Jimi Hendrix
3) Paul Gilbert
4) John Petrucci
5) Tosin Abasi

Thought I'd through in Frusciante for good measure.


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## EvolDerek (Nov 25, 2010)

no real specific order....

1. Eric Johnson
2. SRV
3. David Gilmour
4. Pat O' Brien (frantic Disembowelment....fuck)
5.....Brad Paisley...dude can shred

I need a sweet strat, all the guys i love play(ed) them


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## DevourTheDamned (Nov 26, 2010)

in no particular order:

Jeff Loomis [ok, maybe he was the entire reason i decided to get serious about it... lol]
Guthrie Govan
Misha Mansoor
Kirk Hammet/James Hetfield [dont laugh, my mom brough me up listening to good old Metallica and not that i ever really learned a lot about their styles, i can tell that it definitely shows up in my playing]

and really thats all i can think of mainly, but honorable mention and definitely good influences on music:

Paul Ortiz
Fredrik Thordendal
Michael Akerfeldt
Mike Amott


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## ST3MOCON (Nov 26, 2010)

There is a lot but id say, not in any real order.

1. Jason Becker
2. Paul Gilbert 
3. Tom Morello - Made me pick up a guitar 
4. Micheal Keene
5. Marc Okubo


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## PyramidSmasher (Dec 28, 2010)

Bringing this back to avoid making a new thread. I feel like mine is realistically more like this.

1. Ryan Morgan
2. Michael Romeo
3. Luke Hoskins
4. Thomas Erak
5. Kiko Loureiro


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## JakePeriphery (Dec 28, 2010)

John Petrucci - Wins every category for me, tone, phrasing, melodies. It's an obvious choice and I can go on for days about why JP is the best guitarist ever.

Dimebag Darrell - Not enough Dime in this thread, it's funny to hear people bitch about his tone when it was highly sought after in the 90's and everyone was trying to copy it. He made the guitar seem like a lot of fun to play much like Eddie Van Halen's playing. Legendary solos, haunting melodies, crushing riffs, truly memorable.

Misha Mansoor - I know it might seem whack to name someone from your own band but to put things in perspective - I was a fan of Misha's work before I joined Periphery and that's why I knew I had to be in a band with him. Everything is usually off the cuff, rarely premeditated, and he can finish ideas or songs in a matter of hours without it seeming rushed. His style is part of what I enjoy most about playing guitar.

Paul Ortiz - What can I say about Pual? He's a lot like Petrucci in a lot of ways - sick fucking tone, super tasteful phrasing, and note choice while remaining heavy and emotional.

Paul Waggoner - The Silent Circus is the album that really solidified the fact that I want to be in a heavy metal band and tour for a living, it's showed me that chaotic passages and simple melodies can be blended together. I get the vibe that they don't dig that album too much anymore but I only listen to it when I have the time to listen from start to finish.


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## PyramidSmasher (Dec 28, 2010)

JakePeriphery said:


> John Petrucci - Wins every category for me, tone, phrasing, melodies. It's an obvious choice and I can go on for days about why JP is the best guitarist ever.
> 
> Dimebag Darrell - Not enough Dime in this thread, it's funny to hear people bitch about his tone when it was highly sought after in the 90's and everyone was trying to copy it. He made the guitar seem like a lot of fun to play much like Eddie Van Halen's playing. Legendary solos, haunting melodies, crushing riffs, truly memorable.
> 
> ...



I avoided the first 2 because I feel like the influence all or most of us are influenced by them, even if its indirect.


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## theperfectcell6 (Dec 28, 2010)

JakePeriphery said:


> Misha Mansoor - I know it might seem whack to name someone from your own band but to put things in perspective - I was a fan of Misha's work before I joined Periphery and that's why I knew I had to be in a band with him. Everything is usually off the cuff, rarely premeditated, and he can finish ideas or songs in a matter of hours without it seeming rushed. His style is part of what I enjoy most about playing guitar.



Awwww 

Well one thing I can say; I think most of the forum is here with you on that one! Including myself.


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## lookralphsbak (Dec 28, 2010)

1- James Hetfield- He is one of the main reasons I play guitar. Both his style and skill are flawless and the music he/Metallica has written has inspired me to progress as a guitarist since day 1. Almost everything from his style of picking to his stage presence has influenced me. I've done the James Hetfield stance countless times in private, although, I have yet to unleash that beast live . Meh also, the reason I play in Eb is because of James Hetfield, they play in that tuning live and I tuned to that tuning so I could play to their live stuff. Never tuned back to standard... I like Eb though, you get a nice heavy and low sound.

2- Kirk Hammett- Same as Hetfield, I've always had two main goals when it came to guitar and music; to inspire people through music the way my favorite bands have inspired me and to become a better guitarist than Kirk Hammett... I've accomplished one so far... hahaha. Also same as Hetfield, I feel that I have taken a piece of his stage presence, when I'm playing mellow parts or melodies I find I have the laid back stance that Kirk has when he's playing those types of parts in his songs.

3- Tom Morello- RATM is one of my favorite bands and their music has definitely influenced me to some degree. I feel that through learning RATM songs and seeing the way Tom Morello uses a "think outside of the box" approach to his playing I've taken a piece of his style. The music I play is nothing like RATM but I've always had a huge interest in guitar effect pedals and I've always wanted to be able to create my own sounds and style through effects. Atmosphere is a huge part of the music my band writes so guitar effect pedals are a huge part of my rig and when it comes to applying effects to my guitar parts I often use the "think outside of the box" approach.

4- Jon Nödtveidt (Dissection)- Jon influences me everyday. I always tell myself I want to write a song in the vein of Dissection but when I think of riffs I end up throwing them out because I don't feel they are as good as the band that influences them. I hope to one day be half the guitarist/composer that this man was. Jon was able to take an "evil" form of music and make it absolutely beautiful. Everything is perfect; the tone, the notes chosen, the melodies, and the solos.

5- Mark Morton- Though I've grown to hate groove metal, it seems it's over saturated every band/genre, at one point Lamb of God was a huge influence in the music I wrote. There were a number of years where I composed music in the same style as this band. I'll probably never drop tune my guitar again unless it's to jam to LOG or some other band that uses this tuning. Also, because of Mark Morton I learned to boost my mids. I used to scoop my mids back before he told us this info (used to post on the LOG forum).

Honorable mentions- as sad as it is Kerry King has a huge influence on the music I write for my thrash band... Even though I try not to end up sounding like Slayer it happens involuntarily


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## DLG (Dec 29, 2010)

not enough love for Marty Friedman here. best solo player in metal ever imo. the perfect combination of being impressive technically but still melodic and memorable.


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## Pippers (Dec 29, 2010)

Slash
David Gilmour
Hendrix
Albert King
SRV
Mustaine
Smith/Murray
Charlie Hunter

i dont know how to count


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## Guitarman700 (Dec 29, 2010)

Re doing my list.

1.Anders Bjorler
2.Stephen Carpenter
3.Daniel Gildenlow
4.Buz and Ken from Unearth
5.Bjorn and Jesper from In flames


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## RaceCar (Dec 29, 2010)

In no particular order:

John Petrucci - Dream Theater ---> big shocker right there. Best guitarist in the world, for several reasons that are unnecessary to list.

Eddie Van Halen - Van Halen ---> So innovative, great tone, great melodies and style.

Stephen Carpenter - Deftones ---> Inspired me to pick up the guitar/get into metal. Love his tone and his simplicity. Great melodies and style.

John Mayer - Love his weird chord voicings and weird key changes. A natural musician. Perfect live in concert. Music literally pours out of his soul 24/7. 

Mike Eiziger - Incubus --->Love his use of effects, love his unusual chords. Inspired me to start buying/using effects.


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## Nazca (Dec 29, 2010)

I can't name 5, so I'll name the main ones.

Adam Jones (made me pick up a guitar)
John Petrucci - huge influence on technique and tone and just godly
Steve Vai
Paul Gilbert
Allan Holdsworth
Guthrie Govan
Jason Becker
Kiko Loureiro
Per Nilsson
Michael Akerfeldt
Jeff Loomis
Chris Broderick


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## BlackWinds10 (Dec 29, 2010)

1. Pat O'Brien (Cannibal Corpse)
2. Nergal (Behemoth)
3. Corey And Matt (Trivium)
4. Mick Thompson (Slipknot)
5. Steffen Kummerer (Obscura)

And a couple others are

Jeff Loomis
Chris Garza
Emil Werstler
Ihsahn
Michael Ammot


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## JamesM (Dec 29, 2010)

This was surprisingly easy. All of my choices are not based on abilities but instead on songwriting ability.

1. Jeff Loomis
2. Nergal
3. Keith Merrow (in this recent portion of my playing)
4. Mikael Akerfeldt
5. Tom Waits (yes, he does play )


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## RaceCar (Dec 29, 2010)

distressed_romeo said:


> We need more love for Pat Metheny on this thread I think he's an amazing guitarist.


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## Adam Of Angels (Dec 29, 2010)

lookralphsbak said:


> 4- Jon Nödtveidt (Dissection)- Jon influences me everyday. I always tell myself I want to write a song in the vein of Dissection but when I think of riffs I end up throwing them out because I don't feel they are as good as the band that influences them. I hope to one day be half the guitarist/composer that this man was. Jon was able to take an "evil" form of music and make it absolutely beautiful. Everything is perfect; the tone, the notes chosen, the melodies, and the solos.



Really out of place on your list, but highly commendable


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## Miek (Dec 29, 2010)

Not in any particular order:
Graham Pinney/Dan Weller
Paul Masvidal
Mikael Akerfeldt
The guys from Textures
Steven Wilson


----------



## Clydefrog (Dec 31, 2010)

Jon Shaffer. Right hand of a god.


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## Pippers (Dec 31, 2010)

Clydefrog said:


> Jon Shaffer. Right hand of a god.



Forgot about this guy. Clean and brutal.


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## Trev (Dec 31, 2010)

This list is in no order:

5. Christian Kuhn (Defeated Sanity) because of how he can blend elements of the most brutal death metal with jazzy poly rhythms and make it sound incredibly memorable and catchy. Also his ability to write catchy, off the wall, syncopations is incredibly unique in death metal.
4. Mike Hoggard (Ulcerate) for his seemingly unparalleled ability to blend melody and dissonance seamlessly in a polyrhythmic riff
3. Jon Levasseur (Cryptopsy) for his uniqueness. Some of the stuff on Whisper Supremacy and ... And Then You'll Beg is just absolutely mind blowing to me; it's just super technical off the wall death metal without losing sight of song writing integrity.
2.Pin/Dan from Sikth because before I heard them I never thought it would be possible to incorporate so many diverse influences in a metal context and make it somehow sound cohesive and flow seamlessly.
1.Not trying to be a kiss ass here but Nolly has some incredibly unique ideas as far as melody and phrasing go and they have influenced me to improve the way I write my own leads. His lead playing just has a deliciously smooth, flowing quality to it that I love.


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## Meatbucket (Dec 31, 2010)

#5 Devin Townsend.
#4 Peter Wichers from Soilwork.
#3 Adam D from Killswitch.
#2 An old roommate of my dad's back in the day named Brandon. If he wasn't around during my freshman year in high school, I dunno where I'd be musically.
#1 My Grandpa.


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## lookralphsbak (Dec 31, 2010)

Adam Of Angels said:


> Really out of place on your list, but highly commendable


Thanks, I blame winter. I've been a fan of Dissection for a number of years but I've been listening to them everyday on repeat. Hell I even did a cover of their song which I'm logging my progression on youtube haha.


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## Backlash01 (Dec 31, 2010)

1. *Dimebag Darrell *- Pantera/Damageplan - Simply amazing in my opinion, had it not been for him, i would have never picked up a guitar
2. Mark Morton / Willie Adler - Lamb of God - the most worthy successors of Pantera, and too talented for words, have influenced my playing/writing style so much.
3. Peeper Keenan / Kirk Windstein - Down - keeping groove and sludge metal alive, so heavy yet bluesy and powerful at the same time, they are terribly underrated.
4. Steven Carpenter - Deftones - so much emotion and power in his work.
5. Zakk Wylde / Nick Catanese - Black Label Society - they prove that you can just as heavy as the other guys without being super technical, even though they dont get much respect, they are amazing.


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## CrownofWorms (Dec 31, 2010)

Tom Morello- He inspired me to go and pick up the guitar and do crazy stuff with effect pedals and stuff

Jimmy Page- Took me out of that masking your playing with a bunch of effects and start to get serious

Dave Mustaine- probably my biggest metal role model, He took my playing even further former to play metal,but also in a technical sense too. Fact that Deth is my fave band and opened me to metal is a huge influence.

Mike Amott/Alexi Laiho- Inspired me to venture into death metal/black metal etc. The reason i have two is because they both inspired me the same way at the same time equally. 

Any band i'm listening to right now- My lead playing is influenced by Marty to Suicimez to holdsworth to well anything. I'm trying to find my own style of lead work, though it is a more Middle eastern mixed with jazz/classical approach and blend it in.


----------



## Threex4 (Jan 1, 2011)

1. Paul Gilbert for being a badass.
2. Adam Jones for killer but simple riffs and textures
3. John Petrucci for sick leads and alternate picking
4. Dave Mustaine and James Hetfield for essentially creating thrash
5. Guthrie Govan for ridiculous versatility and technique


----------



## timbaline (Jan 1, 2011)

Chris Broderick- He's my guitar teacher for one thing. He's been teaching me since I was 11 (roughly 6 years now). I feel pretty bad though, since I really started into guitar about 2 years ago, which was after he got into Megadeth and was doing extensive touring; so, now I only get lessons from him every now and then when he isn't on tour. I know for a fact had I spent more time playing guitar when I was younger instead of playing video games I would be a million times a better player. He's also the man who got me into 7-strings and he gives me a lot of free stuff. His Jag Panzer and Megadeth stuff are amazing as well. Also, who influences you more than your teachers(when it comes to guitar)? 

Satriani- He's the man who made me fall in love with the guitar and music. His tone and his songs always make me feel better.

Kiko Loureiro- I am a Kiko fanboy... His songs are amazing and I really love how he mixes Latin Jazz and Metal.

Shawn Lane- No explanation needed for this man. Seriously.

Dave Pircher- My other guitar teacher when Chris is on tour. Only a few people influence me more than my teachers (when it comes to guitar).


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## devolutionary (Jan 1, 2011)

Bear witness to me, the rhythm guitarist!

1) Rob Arnold - Chimaira are the biggest influence on my playing and also the band that have pushed me to get better
2) My Father - Local R&B legend in the 70's and 80's, and the one person I can talk guitars to
3) John 5 - Any of his live work with Manson was utterly brilliant when I was in High School
4) Adam Dutkiewicz - Biggest influence on my lead/scale development, though I am far, FAR from a lead guitarist
5) A list too big to fill - My music tastes vary too wildly at this point to pin down a number 5


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## 123 (Jan 1, 2011)

My teachers Borislav Mitic and Conrad Simon and

- Ron Jarzombek 
- Stephan Forte
- John Petrucci
- Tosin Abasi and other djent dudes like the guys from Scale the Summit


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## MetalMike04 (Jan 1, 2011)

hmm in no particular order its gotta be 
1.Christian Muenzer (Obscura,SOP,ex-Necrophagist): definatly a huge influence on how i style my solos and the whole approach to the guitar
2.Paul Masvidal (Cynic): paved a way for beautiful melody 
3.Ron Jarzombek (Blotted Science): just an untouched player who in my opinion is one of the best around. 
4.Allan Holdsworth: has to be one of my favorite guitarists of all time when it comes to his lush chords.
5.Brian Echbach (The Black Dahlia Murder): TBDM were the 1st real metal band i got into and really got me started onto playing metal guitar 


What can i say im a sucker for Progressive Metal...


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## Acatalepsy (Jan 2, 2011)

Trev said:


> This list is in no order:
> 
> 5. Christian Kuhn (Defeated Sanity) because of how he can blend elements of the most brutal death metal with jazzy poly rhythms and make it sound incredibly memorable and catchy. Also his ability to write catchy, off the wall, syncopations is incredibly unique in death metal.
> 4. Mike Hoggard (Ulcerate) for his seemingly unparalleled ability to blend melody and dissonance seamlessly in a polyrhythmic riff
> ...



Cool list. DS and Ulcerate are the business.


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## cregmachine (Jan 3, 2011)

1. john petrucci - pretty much my idol on guitar would give so much to shred like him and come up with such beautiful melodies at the same time

2. steve wilson - porcupine tree are my favourite band and i no steve doesnt do much technical stuff or shredding on the guitar but what he comes up with is absolute musical genious

3. david gilmour - most beautiful solos ever and a fantastic sound

4. mattias eklundh - spent a week with him in sweden aswell as knowing his band freak kitchen for a while not a fan of his tone but his playing style is totally unique his use of exotic scales in metal is unreal

5. munky, head - (old school korn stuff) loved the stuff they used to come up with and wer the first truly heavy band i listened to and i still maintain that they are still one of the heaviest bands ever


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## indrangelion (Jan 3, 2011)

1. Jimi Hendrix - Gotta give him top spot. The man who inspired me to pick up the guitar in the first place.

2. Leda (DELUHI) - Insanely good on both guitars and bass. Knows how to write solid and catchy passages. Varying his leads every single time, and would often branch out and incorporate exotic/ethnic elements into his songs.

3. Kon Tsuyoshi - Session guitarist and solo artist. First heard of his playing when he used to work for Utada Hikaru in the studio and on stage. Very Jazz-fusionesque, and definitely inspired me to dive deeper into the genre. One of the best tones in the genre as well.

4. Paul Masvidal (CYNIC) - I don't think this one needs further explanation. AWESOME!

5. Jeff Loomis - God among men! Gotta give him the bottom spot though. The man who almost inspired me to give up playing the guitar


----------



## Kermes (Jan 4, 2011)

1. Pete Townshend - Seeing the Woodstock and Monterey movies literally changed my life. At that age 9-10(?) stuff like Hendrix went off my head, but The Who just killed! 
2. John McLaughlin - Could have picked Zappa, but Mahavisnu is something that's probably in my dna.
3. Dennis D'Amour - Truely a sonic sculpturer.
4. Tony 'Bones' Roberts - The king of minimalism. The opening of 'Born To Die In The Gutter' still gets me everytime.
5. Dr. Know - Great, somewhat a forgotten player. I love everything from the early 7"s up to the 'I Against I' era.

And of course all my buddies who can outplay me left and right! Whether in bands or not.


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## ashek (Jan 5, 2011)

in no particular order.

Benjamin Weinman - The Dillinger Escape Plan
Adam Jones - Tool
Fredrik Thordendal - Meshuggah
Brian 'Head' Welch - previously from Korn
Stephen Carpenter - Deftones


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## ittoa666 (Jan 5, 2011)

PyramidSmasher said:


> I avoided the first 2 because I feel like the influence all or most of us are influenced by them, even if its indirect.



Never avoid good playing.


----------



## Philligan (Jan 5, 2011)

1. Dean Ween - This guy really opened my eyes to versatility. He can make a pentatonic scale sound like anything. He's not the fastest, or cleanest, but he goes straight for tasteful.

2. Kerry King/Jeff Hanneman - Reign In Blood was the fastest, craziest thing I'd ever heard. Still is. I remember when I first played it, I was like "how can anyone play this stuff?" Took me a while, but they're pretty much solely responsible for helping me get my speed up.

3. Jimmy Page - The reason I started playing guitar.

4. Jon Schaffer - No surprise here, he introduced me to tight ass playing.

5. Josh Kelley - This dude I was in a band with for a while. He was way better than me, at first I thought "shit..." but my playing improved more in the six months I was in that band than in probably the last three years on my own.


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## Chris Kult (Jan 5, 2011)

Hard to name just 5, but here goes.
1) Yngwie Malmsteen- I love his playing, his perfect pitch and his godlike vibrato!
2) Akira Takasaki- I was hooked as soon as I heard Crazy Nights.
3) Jason Becker- A true revolutionary in guitar. Awesome use of notes and different modes.
4) Jeff Loomis - Brilliant rhythm player and with lead he is the second coming of Jason Becker.
5) Chris Impellitteri- He was so fast when he first arrived, he didn`t sound human....and his last album brought some of that back.
Honerable mentions- Joe Stump, Tony Macalpine, Katsu Ohta, Takayoshi Ohmura.


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## Treeunit212 (Jan 5, 2011)

1: Daron Malakian (System of a Down)
2: Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage)
3: Dimebag Darrell
4: Brian Eschbach (The Black Dahlia Murder)
5: John Mayer


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## Steve08 (Jan 5, 2011)

Trev said:


> This list is in no order:
> 
> 5. Christian Kuhn (Defeated Sanity) because of how he can blend elements of the most brutal death metal with jazzy poly rhythms and make it sound incredibly memorable and catchy. Also his ability to write catchy, off the wall, syncopations is incredibly unique in death metal.
> 4. Mike Hoggard (Ulcerate) for his seemingly unparalleled ability to blend melody and dissonance seamlessly in a polyrhythmic riff
> ...


This list rules


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## Zugster (Jan 6, 2011)

Treeunit212 said:


> 1: Daron Malakian (System of a Down)
> 2: Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage)
> 3: Dimebag Darrell
> 4: Brian Eschbach (The Black Dahlia Murder)
> 5: John Mayer


 
I am sooo glad to see someone else mention Daron Malakian!


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## kennydoe (Jan 7, 2011)

My top 5:
1. Steve Vai
2. Stevie Ray Vaughan
3. David Gilmour
4. Edward Van Halen
5. Gary Moore


----------



## Ghost40 (Jan 7, 2011)

Top 5 for me:
Trey Anastasio
Jim Root
Vince Varialle
Paul Gilbert (Racer X days)
Alex Skolnick


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## JamieB (Jan 7, 2011)

1. David Gilmore- Pink Floyd where i gained my prog roots and grew up with Pink Floyd
2. Tom Morrelo- Rage Against the Machine for jsut pushing boundaries with effects
3. Tosin Abasi- Animals as Leaders is the reason i bought a 8 string
4. Victor Wooten- I know hes a bass player but he massivley influenced my guitar playing with his percussive bass ideas
5. Eddie Van Halen- Just for the pure cheese


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## Virtual Scott (Jan 7, 2011)

I've always loved this question, for as much as I like to evolve and progress and imbibe new influences as a musician, guitar player and songwriter, my basic guitar influences have always remained the same:

*Neal Schon (Journey):* for the obligatory massive amounts of tasteful playing, soaring melodies and speed when needed. Great songwriter.
*George Lynch:* Style and unorthodox technique, and originality make him probably my biggest influence. I'm a borderline fanboy here.
*Tony MacAlpine:* I guess the reasons are probably obvious. A massive shredder with huge amounts of guitar virtuosity and being a virtuoso on the piano as well, well, that's just damn depressing! Very versatile player.
*John Petrucci:* While all my friends were taking lessons from him (and I was driving some of them there, bastards!) I was still taking what they learned and absorbing it "secondhand". Growing up in Suffolk County, LI during the late 80's/90's and being a metal/prog guy, one couldn't help love the dude and his massive abilities. 
*Eddie Van Halen/Yngwie Malmsteen: *2 different sides of the guitar players coin. EVH came first and revolutionized guitar playing, and Yngwie did the same, albeit with a different style and influence.


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## edsped (Jan 8, 2011)

John Petrucci
Paul Gilbert
Ty Tabor
Greg Howe
Tosin Abasi

I put Tosin there because I went to the Atlanta Institute of Music with him and it's so crazy seeing just how big and influential he's gotten. So I find myself thinking, well if this guy can do it then I don't see why I can't. I really envy him but I also really respect him.


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## Scar Symmetry (Jan 9, 2011)

Tasteful:
1 - Mark Knopfler
2 - Per Nilsson
3 - Mikael Akerfeldt
4 - Steve Vai
5 - Guthrie Govan

Shred:
1 - Vogg
2 - Jeff Loomis
3 - Muhammed Suicmez
4 - Michael Romeo
5 - Vinnie Moore

What? It's still 5


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## Path (Jan 9, 2011)

In order of when i discovered them..

Hendrix - Its clicha but thats what got me into rock music in the 1st place, which soon led to me buying my 1st electric and my 1st song i learnt was Purple Haze
Mike Einziger - Love Incubus, love his use of Metal + Funk/Jazz, could also drop in Larry Lalonde (Primus)
Tom Morrello - I used to listen to rage non stop, i could play every album all the way through (apart from some of the shredding riffs), ahh Digitech Whammy, how i miss you.
Adam jones - Started getting into riffing more and learnt more about song structure and such from listening to Tool
Bulb - ....


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## jkspawn (Feb 3, 2011)

I would say these are my top 5 as of late. Check out my recordings and let me know what you think my influences are (no particular order). Just curious of what fellow musicians think. Thanks! 

1. John Petrucci
2. Jeff Waters
3. Dave Mustaine
4. Chuck Shuldiner
5. Dimebag 

Slanderus's sounds on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


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## SenorDingDong (Feb 3, 2011)

This is VERY hard, but my RECENT list is
(in no order)

1. Paco De Lucia
2. Jeff Loomis
3. John Petrucci 
4. Jim Matheos
5. William Ackerman


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## great_kthulu (Feb 4, 2011)

ya, its really hard for me to! anyway, Ill give it a shot.

1.Chuck Schuldiner
2.Mike McKenzie
3.Jason Becker
4.Paul Masvidal
5.Mike Akerfeldt


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## jalmetalman (Feb 5, 2011)

Can't do top 5 but here's my top 7 
In no particular order: 

1. Jim Root - Slipknot/Stone Sour
2. Mark Morton & Willie Adler - Lamb of God
3. Alexi Laiho & Roope Latvala - Children of Bodom
4. Ola Englund - Feared/Scarpoint
5. James Hetfield - Metallica
6. Dimebag Darrell - Pantera/Damageplan
7. Gus G - Firewind/Ozzy


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## ChrisOfTheSky (Feb 5, 2011)

In terms of influences

1. John Petrucci
2. Luke Hoskin/Tim Millar
3. Bulb
4. Fredrik Thordendal 
5. Tosin Abasi 

And the obligatory Kirk Hammett/James Hetfield for making me pick up the guitar to begin with.


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## Addison90 (Jun 10, 2012)

1. Paul Gilbert (Racer-X, Mr.Big)
2. James Hetfield (Metallica)
3. Marc Okubo (Veil of Maya)
4. John Petrucci (Dream Theater, LTE)
5. Ryan Morgan (Misery Signals, 7 Angels 7 Plagues)


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## Adam Of Angels (Jun 10, 2012)

Its likely that I've posted in this thread two or three time, but I can't remember any of that, so, in no particular order:

1. Eric Johnson
2. Bjorn Gelotte and Jesper Stromblad (In Flames)
3. Mikael Akferfeldt (Opeth)
4. Jani Liimatainen (ex-Sonata Arctica)
5. Michael Romeo (Symphony X)
6. Peter Wichers and Ola Frenning (Soilwork)
7. Steve Vai
8. John Petrucci


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## CrownofWorms (Jun 10, 2012)

This is for Rhythm and Lead

Dave Mustaine
Chuck Schuldiner
Marty Friedman
Erik Rutan
Paul Masdival
Shawn Lane
John Petrucci
Allan Holdsworth
Fredrick Thordendal
Jeff Loomis
Steve Vai
Mohamed Suicimez
Devin Townsend
Chris Poland
Trey Azagtoth
Pat O brien
Rob Barret
Terrance Hobbs
Doug Cerrito
Ralph Santolla
Hoffman brothers
Alexi Laiho
Randy Rhoads
Tom Morello
Kerry King
Jeff Hanemen
Joe Duplantier
Christian Muenzner
and more

wait thats more than 5


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## BucketheadRules (Jun 10, 2012)

Probably this lot:

*Gary Moore* - first person I ever heard really making a guitar scream, have been in pursuit of that kind of feel in my bending and vibrato ever since (with mixed but gradually improving results). He really knew how to make a guitar sing, and Still Got the Blues was the first solo that ever really grabbed my attention, way back when. Still love his playing... and he could really fucking shred when he wanted to as well.

*Vogg* - from Decapitated, responsible for some amazing screaming bends that sound way more dramatic than the half-tone changes in pitch they often are. And he's ridiculously fast and clean, only really using fairly common scales but just completely owning them every time. I really love his soloing style.

*Guthrie Govan* - wary of stating him as an influence, because there's no way I'll ever reach his kind of level, but in my recent explorations of his stuff I've been very much inspired to start checking out some new scales and modes, and adding in or taking away notes from ones I already use to get some new mileage out of my tired old licks.

*John Petrucci*, particularly around 1992-4 - again, wary of citing him here because my playing sounds nothing like Him, and probably never will (sadly) but He's a constant reminder that no matter how good I think I am, I will never be as good as Him. Gives me the constant desire to improve and perhaps is a constant influence subconsciously telling me not get too full of myself... and yes, I did capitalise the Hs on "He" and "Him", for obvious reasons.

*Ben Tovey* - from Rise To Remain - he's my guitar teacher, so his influence on me is less abstract than with the ones above, but since starting lessons with him I've found that my playing has come on in leaps and bounds - not to mention that he's a superb guitarist (superb is probably an understatement, come to think of it)... needs to be heard to be believed.


Also - people I would have fitted in if I'd had the chance:

Michael Keene
Dimebag
Steve Lynch (from Autograph, fucking look them up, you need to hear this dude)
Nuno Bettencourt
Devin Townsend

And my dad, who got me started and showed me the first steps!


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## bhakan (Jun 10, 2012)

In order oldest to most recent:

James Hetfield- Metallica was the band that really got me into metal, so without Hetfield, none of the others would even be relevant for me. I also learned a lot from his picking style, and I learned how to control dynamics and palm muting in my picking hand from him. 

John Petrucci- Dream Theater was the first really technical band I listened to. Petrucci's playing really opened me up to a lot of things, from technical riffs, to seven strings, to long songs with weird arrangements. 

Adam Jones- Tool made me look at music and compositions differently. They really made me think about odd time signatures and weird effects and song structures. Whenever I'm trying to write a riff with a weird time to it, I think back to Tool. 

Acle Kahney- Tesseract was the first band i heard using the expansive clean layers over metal. I use layering now all the time. 

Mark Holcomb- I watched some lesson he did a year ago or so, and he showed all the chords he uses. I have consistently ripped off and used variations of those chords in the majority of stuff I write.

There are a whole bunch of players who I love, but I think these come through in my playing the most.


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## isispelican (Jun 10, 2012)

Mark Holcomb
Misha Mansoor
Guthrie Govan
Allan Holdsworth
Brent Hinds


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## Ninetyfour (Jun 10, 2012)

*For leads:*

John Petrucci
Michael Keene

*For rhythm*:

Marc Okubo
Mark Holcomb
Thomas Erak (I think)


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## Ralyks (Jun 10, 2012)

John Petrucci
Frank Aresti
Allan Holdsworth
John McLaughlin
Josh Christian (Toxik)

While I've been a huge fan of his for a good chunk of my life, I've only recently finally realized that Petrucci is my biggest influence, and embodies everything I want to know and understand about guitar, namely his 90s work when he still had a more Fusion influence.

Edit: Honorable mention goes to Eric Clapton.


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## flexkill (Jun 10, 2012)

#1)Does not anyone have any love for Ty Tabor??? Ever??? Guy is incredibly God like on guitar!!!

Paul Gilbert
SRV
George Lynch
Jimi
Alex Skolnick (The guy who really turned me on to heavier style guitar and changed my lead approach to a more technical style than just blues riffing all the time)
Marty Friedman
Vai(When I heard PAW for the first time I had to see this played live to believe it was real! No mere mortal should be able to control anything like that!)
Blues Saraceno

And many more......


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## JayFraser (Jun 10, 2012)

1) Shawn Lane- the dude was just insane. The phrasing, the melody, the originality, the speed, the technique, the vibrato, the note choice- everything was just taken to 100% with that guy. The only guy (IMO) to ever truly 'know' the guitar. If I could have even 1% of his skill, I'd be better than nearly every other guitarist alive, I think.
2) Guthrie Govan- versatile, a fantastic teacher, a beautiful tone, and so well versed in almost every style I can think of as well as having incredible improv skills.
3) Tom Quayle- dat legato. Seriously. Dat legato.
4) Buckethead- possibly the only guitarist more versatile than Guthrie. He can play every style, and play it well. He's quirky and fun, but beyond that, Electric Tears is one of the most emotional albums ever produced, and a quick listen to Witches On The Heath just shows some of the most incredible note choice, phrasing, tone and vibrato.
5) Rick Graham- fantastic technique, true, but just listen to 'Just A Dream' and tell me that that isn't some absolutely fan-fucking-tastic playing. He's got everything, not to the same extent as Lane (obviously) but one of the best all-rounders, and just incredible good in every measure.


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## Rypac (Jun 10, 2012)

Though I get ideas from lots of different guitarists, these ones have really influenced my playing and how I think about music (in no particular order):

Dave Mustaine
Marty Friedman
Joe Satriani
Tommy Emmanuel
Frank Gambale


Recently I've been listening to lots of Jeff Loomis, John Petrucci and Paul Gilbert, so these guys are the ones I'm learning lots from currently.


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## GhostsofAcid (Jun 10, 2012)

I'm sure I've posted here before, but oh well.

1. Muhammed Suiçmez - My all time favorite lead player, which is why I'm slowly learning all the solos on _Epitaph_ and _Onset_ 
2. Christian Muenzner - Rediculous lead player, amazing songwriter.
3. Jesper Stromblad - Unparalleled rhythm player IMO.
4. Jerry Cantrell - AiC is one of the first bands I got into, and of them the only one I still regularly listen to. His playing is a big reason why.
5. Paul Waggoner - Not technically brilliant but a great songwriter.
6. Daron Malakian - Made me pick up a guitar in the first place.
7. Jeff Loomis - The only shredder whose work I can really get into.


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## Rain (Jun 10, 2012)

The biggest influences on my playing style have to come from:

1. Buckethead: He was my first really big guitar playing influence and he inspired me to keep going. He's weird and bizarre but I like that about him. His playing is amazing and people greatly underestimate him.

2. Signar Peterson/Martin Buus(Mercenary): I put these two together because their lead guitar playing in Mercenary's albums were my first taste of melodic death metal and they ultimately sent me down the path that has led me to develop the style of lead guitar that I currently play as well as the way I compose music.

3. Per Nilsson(Scar Symmetry): Alongside Mercenary, Per Nilsson's guitar playing in Scar Symmetry was also a big early influence on my playing and his sometimes abstract songwriting and lead playing has showed me that not everything has to be in the same scale throughout the entire song to sound good.

4. John Petrucci(Dream Theater): The demi-god Petrucci has had a big influence on me, not just for his guitar playing, but for his instruction video xD The Rock Discipline instruction video has helped me to greatly improve my speed and accuracy as well as my warm up exercises. I never play guitar without going through his warm up routine. John has been the best teacher I've had, even if he did it through an instructional video.

5. Jeff Waters(Annihilator): I'm not actually a big fan of Annihilator but I do love a lot of their songs and Jeff's one of my favorite guitar players. I love his riffs and despite the fact that he mostly only uses blues scales on his lead guitar style, he gets really creative with it and he's really brought the thrash metal solo sound into my style.


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## Dawn of the Shred (Jun 10, 2012)

1#Dimebag got me liking metal. Made me want to play leads and solo. 
2#John 5
3#Paul gilbert
4#Adam jones
5#Slash


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## Ageispolis (Jun 10, 2012)

I have 3 bands who influenced my playing but I don't think I can point to any specific people. 

-The Mars Volta
-Vildhjarta
-Explosions In The Sky.


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## HOKENSTYFE (Jun 10, 2012)

1. Jake E. Lee

2. Kirk Hammett

3. Frederik Thordendal

3A. Mårten Hagström


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## USMarine75 (Jun 11, 2012)

I was only able to narrow down to 7 because I'm old and been playing awhile:

My rock rhythm style: Jerry Cantrell, Ty Tabor, and EVH (also leads)
My metal rhythm style: Dave Mustaine (I pick exactly like him)
Lead: Alex Skolnick (Practice What You Preach is exactly what my lead playing often sounds like to this day), Paul Gilbert (out of the box style, rhythmic soloing, string skipping, etc), Satriani; and Jason Becker (& Marty Friedman) for exotic modes/scales, bending, and trem work.
7-string: Jeff Loomis

[And for a period of time also: Hendrix, Satriani, Vinnie Moore, Bruce Bouillet, and Marty Friedman]


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## Ocara-Jacob (Jun 11, 2012)

1) Tosin Abasi 
2) Dave Grohl 
3) Misha Mansoor 
4) Grant Henry 
5) My Dad.


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## neurosis (Jun 11, 2012)

It's funny cause to this day the music I listen to the most is Metal, but when playing the most fun is still Rock for me. Maybe it is the classic influence of blues when starting with the instrument that has stuck with me overtime, or maybe it's just the plain lack of time to perfect the stuff I learn from more technical musicians.

My top five for many different reasons regardless of the bands they have played with are:

-Mattias Ia Eklundh
-Pete Lesperance
-Adam Jones
-Kiko Loureiro
-Paul Gilbert

If I would have to make a list regarding specific aspects it would look kinda different, but these guys are the ones I have been more impressed with.


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## 2ManyShoes (Jun 11, 2012)

Can't pick 5, but these guys come to mind:

SRV
Hendrix
Clapton
Pete Townshend
Angus & Malcom Young
Jimmy Page
Tony Iommi
Gary Moore
EVH
George Lynch
Randy Rhoads
Joe Satriani
Guthrie Govan


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## chickenxnuggetz91 (Jun 11, 2012)

No order.
For the time being:

Myself -  i always tried to step back and listen to my playing and say "wow that's great!" or "that's really bad." i like the feeling i give myself when I listen to my playbacks

Matt and Cory from Trivium - Went home the first day I got my guitar got on youtube and typed in "guitar". The video of them doing that King Diamond Cover came up. Said that's what I wanted to do. 

Andy James - Just pure awesome

Classical Guitar Instructor at my college - helped me get back into expression and feel

Good friend and guitar playing buddy - we just have fun making stupid guitar noises and laughing. always trading back and forth guitar ideas and philosophies. never really been competitive against each other. two totally different styles but has always supported my ideas. or not if they were truly bad ones.


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## bob123 (Jun 11, 2012)

1) Eddie Van Halen
2) Alex Lifeson
3) Joe Satriani
4) Steve Vai
5) Paul Gilbert


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## Volsung (Jun 12, 2012)

In my early days it was (in no order):

-*Kurt Cobain*: The very first time I seriously picked up a guitar, the first riff I tought myself was 'Come as You Are'. Later on I found it interesting that Kurt 'borrowed' that riff from Killing Joke. 

-*Dino Cazares*: A riff king. It's because of him that I wanted my right hand to be fast. 

-*Dimebag Darrell*: Been a Pantera fan since childhood. It's because of him that my first guitar was a Washburn (the company he was with at the time).

-*Quorthon*: His playing style in the early and viking days of Bathory just blew me away. Hell, even his 'solo' alternative records are great. His guitar playing alone was enough to make him the legend he became. 

-*Jonas and Per of Scar Symmetry*: Two players (along with Mr. Cazares) that drove me to get a 7. I've been a fan ever since the first record, but it was just until recently that I realized how much they've influenced my taste in tone. 

Today (also in no order):

-*Dino Cazares*: Still a riff king. He'll always be one of my absolute favorites. 

-*Eric 'Doc' Hammer*: Before he was writter for the 'Venture Bros.', he was the guitar player in Requiem In White and Mors Syphilitica. I've mentioned him several times before on this site, but I still can't get over just how killer those two bands are. Since he came from the NYC goth scene he's no technical wizard, but he is what all players should strive to be...a damn good song writer. I love (trying) to play his tunes. 

-*Tom G. Warrior and V. Santura of Triptykon*: Ever since Warrior's return in '06 with 'Monotheist', he has proven (yet again) that it doesn't have to be technical to be intresting (in his case damn good). Plus, Tom is very lucky to have a guitar player like V. Santura in his ranks. The leads to all of the Frost classics have never been played better until Santura came along. Lately I've found myself playing along to CF and Triptykon more often then not. 

-*Jeremy Wrenn*: He is the mastermind behind what I think is one of today's best shoegaze bands Airiel. After being introduced to them on this site (thank you AdamMaz), I _have_ to listen to them everyday. I wish I knew the tuning to their song 'Firefly' because I love it to death. I also wish I knew of them sooner. 

-*Euronymous*: An old influence, but his right hand stamina and chord progressions impress me more so than they did before. He may have been a megalomaniac in the end, but he truly was one hell of a player.

Other artists I wand to mention:

-John Petrucci (I'm a little late to the Petrucci party)
-Michael Hedges
-Rick Agnew (original Chrstian Death)
-Valor Kand (current Christian Death)
-Nergal
-Justin Broadrick


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## iRaiseTheDead (Jun 12, 2012)

1-Oli Herbert (All That Remains) - first metal band I started listening too and has great technique

2-Chris Storey (ex-All Shall Perish) - mainly his speed xD

3- Alex Wade (Whitechapel) His theory and skill are just... well get to me everytime. Love that guy!

4- Paul Waggoner (Between the Buried and Me) - He keeps modern metal with a more classic feel. I thought that was pretty neat.

5- Joe Cocchi (Within The Ruins) - There is WAY too much I could say about this dude!


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## opti (Jun 12, 2012)

5. James Iha - _Let It Come Down_, that is all. Just perfect songwriting 

4. Shoji Meguro - The composer for the Atlus Shin Megami Tensei video games. His eclectic mix of rock, jazz, funk, and hip-hop and his impeccable flourishes are what make my style for leads. I prefer the "feel" of technique rather than outright speed because of this man. 

3. Paul Masvidal - Besides being a superhuman on the guitar, he's simply a good person. He's always inspired me to explore spirituality and the inner-self when confronting songwriting, hardship, and life alike. Truly a good man and a fantastic songwriter.

2. Terrence Hobbs/Doug Cerrito - Suffocation is my second favorite band of all time, and the riffs are out of this world. The evolution of brutal death metal rested solely on their hands and...

1. Jon Levassuer - Cryptopsy, you released your first 4 albums and my mind shattered. Hearing 'Benedictine Convulsions' for the first time was when I realized what death metal was really all about, to me. _None So Vile_ is still the reason I started playing in B Standard (which led to a 7-string, but Cryptopsy rocks 6's so that's not from them). Simply the best death metal band, hopefully Jon can put them back on track after TUK

Honorable Mentions:

Mikael Akerfeldt/Peter Lindgren, Conor Oberst, Chuck Schuldiner, Jerry Cantrell, Andy McKee and literally hundreds more. Music is my inspiration, not just one or two people.


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## Atomshipped (Jun 12, 2012)

1. Adam Jones
2. Aaron Turner
3. Jeff Boyle
4. Michael Gallagher
5. Andrew Stephen Othling


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## Alcojuana (Jun 12, 2012)

Im going to go with in no particular order

Paul Gilbert
Jason Becker
Marty Friedman/Dimebag
Jeff Loomis
Jerry Cantrell/Mike Mcready

Hard to pick only 5.


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## fps (Jun 12, 2012)

It's nice when people explain why, some good reads!
Mine in no order, the ones who have, I think, clearly influenced my most regular playing.

1) Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains)- note choice, chord choice, songwriting, tone, playing for the song, it's all there. He really knows how to write a song to break your heart. 
2) Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth)- probably my main soloing influence. Wonderful Gilmour-esque bends and a slightly fussy, very melodic approach to his soloing that's brilliantly melodic and feels very classical and carefully thought out. Great use of melody/discordancy in Opeth's brilliant middle period (MAYH, Still Life, BWP)
3) Adam Jones (Tool) - Amazing tone, always, can make a single chord sound like an epic and spine-chilling thing (eg the smashing distorted chords at the start of H). Plays textured parts which evolve and advance Tool's rhythmic workouts beautifully. Off-time grooves are awesome.
4) Tom Maxwell (Nothingface)- here for one album, Nothingface's Violence, which I consider one of the most underrated albums in the history of metal, I could listen to it forever, crunching riffs, great songwriting, odd time and odd rhythm stuff with good variety. 
5) Tim Sult (Clutch)- I love grooves in odd times, people who take the regular nuts and bolts of playing, like the blues, and turn it into something new and crunchy. His soloing is always cool, not too flashy, his playing is right in the pocket, the riffs are all so similar and yet stick out in my head so much. Top player, very underrated.
6) Jeff Loomis (Nevermore)- he is what I would aspire to be as a soloist, some time way in the future, I like his approach to riffage and get told repeatedly that what I've come up with sounds a lot like his riffing. At this point I then change it so it's not too derivative.


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## heregoesnothing (Jun 12, 2012)

*'Influences' doesn't mean 'Favorites'*

Paul gilbert - alternate pickings
Marc okubo - riffs
James hetfield - riffs
John petrucci - skippy soloings
Ryan morgan (misery signals/7 angels 7 plagues) - riffs/dissonant chords

composers/musicians:

Shoji meguro 
Yasunori mitsuda
J.S bach
Seba jun/Nujabes
Eric brosius (really captivating works in System Shock 2)


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## Panacea224 (Jun 13, 2012)

Not really in any particular order:

1. James Hetfield (Metallica got me into metal and heavily influenced my early playing). 
2. Kirk Hammett
3. Jeff Loomis (a huge influence on my current playing, definitely what I would aspire to be as a lead player. Also Nevermore is the band that got me into seriously playing 7 string).
4. Mark Morton
5. Alexi Laiho

Honorable mention: Ryan and Greg from Allegaeon are becoming a big influence on my current song writing.


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## Don Vito (Jun 13, 2012)

Lil Wayne
Ke$ha
Rihanna 
Lady Gaga
Justin Bieber

Honorable mention: Fred "The Chocolate Starfish" Durst


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## ASoC (Jun 14, 2012)

1) James Hetfield - Papa Het, the whole reason I started playing metal and the source of my speedy downpick

2) Noodles - More downpicking, helped me develop into the player I am today

3) Tony Iommi and John Frusciante - Living legends who've left their mark on my lead playing style

4) Kirk Hammett - Left his mark on my speedier playing and taught me to love the wah pedal, although my favorite Hammett solos both dont use wah

5) Tosin Abasi and Misha Mansoor - Pushing the envelope in how I see metal, my style has changed alot in the past year. Because of these guys I started playing clean and trying for a groove instead of the fast, thrashy riffing of my past


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## MrPepperoniNipples (Jun 14, 2012)

1. Christian Muenzner

2. Derek Taylor

3. Brendon Small

4. Jonas Bryssling

5. Rusty Cooley


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## 3074326 (Jun 14, 2012)

Jimmy Page - love his voicings, melodies, progression. Easily the biggest influence on my playing. 

Mikael Akerfeldt - I love his general sound. You can tell he's playing guitar when you're listening. He has that eerie/powerful style that really stuck with me. 

John Petrucci - God

Misha Mansoor - Changed how I listen to and write metal. Probably got me to think about my playing and what I want out of it a lot more than anyone else. 

Adam Jones - I still need to listen to my inner Adam Jones influence more.. simple is awesome, sometimes. Always plays the right note or chord.


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## Blitzie (Jun 14, 2012)

James Hetfield, Adam Jones.

And James Hetfield


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## Don Vito (Jun 14, 2012)

Lovin' all the Hetfield love.

Monster rhythm player.


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## Korbain (Jun 14, 2012)

Adam Jones

Dimebag

Mikael Akerfeldt

Tom Morello 

Munky (the reason i got into 7 strings )

As easy as it is, Kurt Cobain inspired me heaps as a lot of the first songs i learnt to play were nirvana. Huge fan of Wes Borland, Kirk Hammett and Daron Malakian as well.

While I'm at it, Jeff Buckley...amazing guitarist


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## Daken1134 (Jun 14, 2012)

1. Goncalo Pereira
2.Thomas Erak
3. Dave Martone
4. Christophe Godin
5. John Pizzarelli


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## Zippoman (Jun 14, 2012)

John Petrucci
Guthrie Govan
Tosin Abasi
Buckethead 
Kurt Rosenwinkel


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## ManOnTheEdge (Jun 14, 2012)

Adrian Smith
Gary Moore
Jeff Loomis
SRV
Michael Schenker


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## grey dog (Jun 14, 2012)

in no order:

Euronymous (mayhem) - really all of the original black metal bands have a massive influence on my playing but if i had to pick one it would be euronymous.

johnny ramone (ramones) - i play a lot of punk stuff and he has the best punk style of playing.

tristan (the nugs) - just a small band from newcastle but as soon as i got home from seeing them live i piucked up the guitar and started p;laying their songs.

wes borland (limp bizkit) - say what you will about limp bizkit, they do have shit lyrics but wes is a brilliant guitarist.

tony rombola (godsmack) yep...very influencial.


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## BrianUV777BK (Jun 16, 2012)

Jimi Hendrix
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Steve Vai
Joe Satriani
Jeff Loomis


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## BodyOrigami (Jun 17, 2012)

Buckethead
Tosin Abasi
Jeff Loomis
Josh Elmore
Ron Jarzombek


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## wizbit81 (Jun 17, 2012)

kirk hammet - oops
satch - still kind of oops
Holdsworth - the best
krantz - genius
Ackerfeldt - opeth just rule!!!


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## reau (Jun 17, 2012)

Tosin Abasi
Dave Suzuki
Chuck Schuldiner 
Muhammed Suicmez
Kurt Ballou


----------



## FireInside (Jun 17, 2012)

James Hetfield
Dimebag
Tosin
Tony Iommi
Jade Puget


----------



## s4tch (Jun 17, 2012)

Now I consider myself as a bedroom rocker, I do not have influences anymore, instead I have some idols. So my influences go back to the early '90s when I was a wannabe guitar hero.

1. Satriani
2. Malmsteen
3. Petrucci
4. Pete Lesperance of Harem Scarem
5. Alex Skolnick of Testament

Man, it's too hard to leave out Nuno and Friedman... So after some reconsideration, here's the true list:

1. Satriani - best songwriter of them all, and those legatos, once you've learned them, they make you feel you can play just about anything. (That's wrong, though.)
2. Malmsteen - his technique was groundbreaking, fine songwriter, too, and that speed...
2,5. Petrucci - Images and Words & Awake, need I say more?
3. Nuno - Van Halen meets Brian May and Al DiMeola, just WOW.
4. Lesperance - Mood Swings is the best hard rock record ever, all the solos are just perfect, this guy rules the world. I wish I could play Had Enough.
4,5. Friedman - unmistakeable style, huge melodies, so different than all the shredders in the '90s. Tornado of Souls, Lucretia, Hangar 18, Ashes in your Mouth, etc. I all learned them, shit, they were hard to play.
5. Skolnick - one of the best guitarist in any '90s thrash band, so intelligent, so underrated...

If I were a young lad nowadays, I'd probably pick Guthrie, Andy Timmons, Marco Sfogli, Petrucci and Scott Henderson.


----------



## MrRCJ (Jun 17, 2012)

In no order..
1. Guthrie Govan
2. Marty Friedman
3. John Petrucci
4. Paul Gilbert
5. Dimebag Darrell
6. Randy Rhoads
7. Greg Howe


----------



## theleem (Jun 17, 2012)

1. Doyle from The Misfits- I spent my first year of guitar playing in a band that covered like 20 Misfits songs.
2. Satriani-first real shredder I listened to.
3. Chuck- inspired me to start playing death metal.
4. Tosin Abasi- convinced me to buy a 7 and an 8.
5. Tony Iommi- really who started me on playing and listening to metal.


----------



## Ambit (Jun 17, 2012)

No order at all...

Andrew Goddard/Mark Hosking - Karnivool
John Petrucci - Dream Theater
Adam Jones - Tool
Joe Satriani
Steven Wilson


----------



## Gitte (Jun 17, 2012)

I have to say, right now the only guy for me is *Josh Travis* (TDTE, Glass Cloud). So freaking creative!!


----------



## JosephAOI (Jun 18, 2012)

At the moment-

Lee McKinney: Sense of melody, tapping ideas, groove, syncopation, etc.
Marc Okubo: Riffing style
Misha Mansoor: Tapping ideas, chord ideas
Jason Richardson: Shred
Joe Cocchi: General style, riffing, shred

My style has turned out to be a sort of heavy, groovy seven string thing with a lot of shred. Just my kind of thing


----------



## thedonal (Jun 18, 2012)

David Gilmour
Jimmy Page
Gary Moore
Joe Walsh
Eddie Van Halen

Next five would be

Peter Green
Buck Dharma
Joe Satriani
Steve Vai
John Petrucci


----------



## Pat_tct (Jun 18, 2012)

I had a break at the guitar for a couple years and re-learned how to play and improved so I would go with the guitarists that helped me, find my style.

No order:
Tosin - AAL is just... u know what i mean
Chris letchford - scale the summit helped me find my strenght in two handed tapping and ambient play
Jake Bowen - Best guitarist in periphery imo
Mikael Akerfield
Marc Okubo - Got me into challenging riffs


----------



## tm20 (Jun 18, 2012)

-Jimi Hendrix
-Ben Orum
-Willie Adler
-Mark Morton
-Dimebag


----------



## karjim (Jul 30, 2012)

Well, where do I start, I'll put those who define my style not whom I love
-Dave Mustaine/ J Hetfield ak Jesus/ Moses: 
They defined the metal, the fast rythms of nowadays heavy music

-Daron Malakian ak Melody Guy:
Because of him I learned how to make a great simple catchy heavy melodic song, the most important thing when you have a band 

-Shawn Lane/ Jason Becker ak Mozart/ Beethoven:
They teach me everyday what "perfection" is...I drop always a tear listening the "Hill is other people" solo (Personae album) and Perpetual Burn...BEST SOLOS EVER MADE...Pure Geniuses. I WANNA PLAY THAT FAST WiTH THAT MUSICALITY!!!! Shawn is dead the day of my twentieth anniversary, it's not a coincidence 

-Fredrik Thordich & Ben Sharp (Cloudkicker) ak The Brain Crushers:
They teach me the groove, reason I bought a 7 string

-Paul Gilbert/ Steve Vai ak The Teachers: 
That's why I picked a guitar, the most coolest and nice guitarists ever, so gentle, so full of knowledge
With Shawn it's how I wanna play Solos for the rest of my life


----------



## Alpenglow (Jul 30, 2012)

right now my biggest influences, in no particular order - 

Robby Baca/Cameron Maynard (The Contortionist) - really got me into beautiful cleans and heavyness crafted well into the same song
Marc Okubo (VoM) - those crazy riffs and the style of breakdowns 
Misha/Bulb - really got me into syncopation in 4/4 and groove riffs (with occasional tapping). Also to a lesser extent echoing clean guitar ambiance over groove riffs that sound easier than they are to play.
Luke Hoskin (PtH) - emulating his style and learning Fortress is how I learned to sweep and tap. 
Kris Coombs Roberts (FFAF) - Funeral for a Friend was one of the first bands I fell in love with and learned to play. Really brought me into the idea of having both cleans and badass distorted riffs with feeling in the same song. They still kick ass.
Acle Kahney - The main reason I like to write echoing clean guitar ambiance on top of groovy riffs.

That's 6, and I have a ton more like Tosin Abasi, Dez and Jo (TSF), Tim Collis (TTNG), Ben Sharp (Cloudkicker), and probably 10 more. I didn't realize how many different guitarists have influenced so much until I thought about...


----------



## IbanezDaemon (Jul 30, 2012)

Angus Young
Gary Moore
Yngwie
Vinnie Moore
Paul Gilbert


----------



## InfinityCollision (Jul 30, 2012)

Technical influences, in no particular order:

-George Benson, for his picking style. I struggled with the normal picking style for several years due to some wrist issues, so discovering a style that my hand was better able to play was a big deal for my flatpicking.
-George van Eps, for fingerpicking and chord-melody styles.
-Allan Holdsworth and his distinctly un-guitar approaches to chords and lead lines showed me that there's so much more to guitar playing and its sonic possibilities than the sounds and styles I knew before.
-Sean Malone, specifically on the live cut of Grace, introduced me to the possibilities of two-hand tapping.
-Tosin Abasi introduced me to some techniques and also new ways to apply old techniques.


----------



## Yngwie_5 (Oct 26, 2012)

1.Yngwie Malmsteen
2.Jeff Loomis
3.Pat O'brian
4-Chuck Schuldiner
5-James Hetfield and Kirk Hammet


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Oct 26, 2012)

Dunno if I posted here yet, but fuck you, I'm doing it anyways.

1) Dino Cazares
2) Tony Iommi
3) Jerry Cantrell
4) Michael Wilton
5) Chris DeGarmo

Honorable mention: Richard Kruspe.


----------



## Spaceman_Spiff (Oct 26, 2012)

Guthrie Govan
Chris Letchford (those bloody add 9s)
Paul Waggoner
Charlie Hunter
Tony Iommi


----------



## Kiwimetal101 (Oct 26, 2012)

Chris Letchford (Just love how he doesn't need to shred to impress people)

John Petrucci (Hes just the grandaddy.. Old wise one we will always fall back on)

Tosin (.... Its Tosin ... shouldn't have to say anymore)

David Gilmour (Comfortably numb solo still makes me cry occasionally)

Joe Satriani (Just love his tone, and his super clean playing)

Randy Rhoads (Fuck knows were metal/guitar would be at if he was still around)


----------



## Compton (Oct 26, 2012)

in no order and cheating

Dimebag Darrell (okay he's #1)
John Petrucci
Misha Mansoor, Jake Bowen, Marc Holcomb (DIY all day)
Michael Keene and Wes Hauch (really got me into diminished type riffs and its stuck with me since their first stuff back in 06', wes brings a new element the faceless that just floors me to play!)
Jason Richardson (i'm not into the chelsea grin stuff yet but i remember favoriting his videos when he was like 14 and that kid has got discipline)

their are tons of amazing guitar players such as Guthrie Govan, Allan Holdsworth, Stanley Jordan that have inspired me but some of the ones I appreciate a lot are also in consideration of my age and seeing people doing/playing the same sort of thing I am working towards.

My inspiration changes all the time, which I appreciate because I don't focus on one style of playing all the time, but for now thats mah list!


----------



## Mprinsje (Oct 26, 2012)

1: Kurt ballou (converge is my favorite band in my favorite genre of music, mostly due to his incredible guitar playing)
2: Jim Root (slipknot was the first heavy band i was really into, always more attracted to rhythm players)
3: Hillel Slovak (love those old chili peppers records, also first album i ever got was a chili peppers record from my sister. also love his playing more than john frusciante's)
4: Bart Hennephof/Jochem Jacobs from Textures (the sole reason i got a 7)
5: John Helps/Robin Southby from Maybeshewill (my favorite postrock band, very inspiring)


----------



## Sang-Drax (Oct 26, 2012)

1. Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth)
2. The Edge (U2)
3. Blilly Howerdel (A Perfect Circle)
4. Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom)
5. Björn/Jesper (In Flames)

I started using 7's because of Lacuna Coil and Pain of Salvation, though none of these bands has influenced me as much as those above.


----------



## brett8388 (Oct 26, 2012)

Al DiMeola
Yngwie
Paul Gilbert
Vinnie Moore
Randy Rhoads

Funny when I make this list because I have zero guitars in my collection relating to Yngwie, DiMeola, or Gilbert. I will have to address this.


----------



## ESP_ (Oct 26, 2012)

The main influences on my playing style is Paul Masvidal and Chris Letchford. I can't write death metal riffs worth a shit but I can write happpy proggy leads over lushious chords all day.


----------



## blaaargh (Oct 26, 2012)

Hmmmmm...
Ihsahn
Brent Hinds
Akerfeldt
Anders Nystrom
Matt Pike

If you can't tell just by that list, I'm more of a riffer than a shredder. I also really love the way these guys approach their music from a compositional standpoint (esp. Ihsahn and Nystrom). The reason I picked up the guitar in the first place though was Angus Young, which was why my first guitar was an SG


----------



## Black Mamba (Oct 26, 2012)

Dave Mustaine
Alexi Laiho
Dimebag
Ace Frehley
MAB


----------



## Force (Oct 26, 2012)

Mid 80's & my 1st guitar, so C.C DeVille kicked it off (I didn't know any better).

A fave & main influence is Adrian Smith. While Dave noodles & Janick makes lots of noises, Adrian exudes class with every calculated phrase meaning something.

My love for shred began with Vinnie Vincent. Not technically superior but back in the day it was mesmerizing.

Kai Hansen showed me how it was done when you wanted to use harmonized arpeggios as rhythm instead of lead/melody. Helloween & Gamma Ray are full of that stuff.

Lord Tim taught me a few neat tricks in our time together while we recorded Ilium albums, but I loved to sit & watch him play & though I could never achieve that level, I know his style has definitely rubbed off on to me.........thanks Tim \m/


----------



## Riffer (Oct 26, 2012)

Angus Young
Dimebag
Adam Jones
Paul Gilbert
Mark Morton


----------



## abandonist (Oct 26, 2012)

Tom Morello - I maintain he's the Jimmy Hendrix of our time (I know that's a loaded statement).
Scott Kelly - Neurosis are just... I don't really have words.
Paige Hamilton - Helmet, man.
Kurt Ballou - The guy is just amazing.
Interchangeable 2nd-Wave Black Metal Guitarist - Not a lot of diversity in there, but a huge influence on my playing.


----------



## Wings of Obsidian (Oct 26, 2012)

My top 5?...hmmm...wow....tough call since I listen to everything:

1.) Paul Masvidal (Cynic was unbelievable and still continues to inspire me with their new exploits)
2.) Michael Keene (that jazziness and chord voicings!)
3.) Shawn Lane (a god in all rights, which is why I have his signature axe)
4.) Angel Vivaldi (yes, I love his lead style and spectacular gift for melody)
5.) Tosin Abasi (Animals As Leaders broke new ground for me since I first discovered them years ago)

No particular order.

I must cast that my last pick was tough between Tosin and Drop (from Sybreed). Very tough. But those are without a doubt my tops (if not, my only REAL influences).


----------



## TristanTTN (Oct 26, 2012)

John Petrucci
Paul Gilbert
Guthrie Govan
Tosin Abasi
Misha Mansoor


----------



## bob123 (Oct 26, 2012)

No particular order, except for EVH: 


Eddie Van Halen

Joe Satriani

Hate to say it.. Mark Tremonti

Alex Lifeson

steve vai


----------



## nateriffs (Oct 28, 2012)

1. John Petrucci- I first heard his playing when I was around 10 and it's the reason I picked up guitar to begin with, Rock Discipline was the only thing I used to teach myself for the first couple years lol.
2. Mikeal Akerfeldt
3. Paul Gilbert- watching his lessons really helped me get a feel for more percussive shredding.
4. Shawn Lane
5. Paul Waggoner- he hasn't influenced my playing nearly as much as he should just because I'm not quite sure what to take from it but BTBAM has remained my favorite band for the past few years.


----------



## Dooky (Oct 28, 2012)

My Top 5 (in no particular order) would have to be:

Devin Townsend
Paul Gilbert
Steve Vai
Jason Becker
James Hetfield

(Honourable mentions: Jeff Loomis & Joe Satriani)


----------



## feilong29 (Oct 29, 2012)

Alexi Laiho
Syu
Robert Marcello
Akio Shimizu
John Petrucci

Honorable Mentions: Emil Werstler, Paul Gilbert, Paul Wardingham and Per Nilsson


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Oct 29, 2012)

MISHAMANSOOR


----------



## CTID (Oct 29, 2012)

Thomas Erak (The Fall of Troy)
Paul Waggoner (BTBAM)
Jeff Ling (Parkway Drive)
Luke Hoskin (Protest the Hero)
JB Brubaker (August Burns Red)


----------



## AbsentCurtis (Oct 29, 2012)

There are way too many, but I'll go with the top 5 that have shaped my approach to guitar...

Alex Lifeson
Vernon Reid
Bob Mould
Matt Bellamy
Steven Wilson


----------



## Jake (Oct 29, 2012)

as far as overall style and my rhythm playing: 
Mark Morton and Willie Adler from LOG
JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler from ABR
as far as most influential guitarists overall: 
Dime
Marty 
Jimi
Mr. Vai


----------



## skarz (Dec 11, 2012)

In no particular order except for D'gary:

D'gary 
Lenny Breau
Vernon Reid
Claude Teta
Caspar Brotzmann


----------



## J7string (Dec 11, 2012)

1. Jeff Loomis
2. John Petrucci
3. Paul Gilbert
4. Rusty Cooley
5. Dimebag Darrel


----------



## MSGR (Dec 11, 2012)

Jason Becker
Marty Friedman
John Petrucci
Zakk Wylde
Dimebag


----------



## PettyThief (Dec 11, 2012)

Devin Townsend
Paul Gilbert
Alexi Laiho
Michael Bloomfield
Zakk Wylde


----------



## oracles (Dec 11, 2012)

In no particular order:

Mark Morton & Will Adler
Michael Keene
Pat O'Brien 
Ryan Knight & Brian Eschbach 
Jason Leoumbruni & Roman Koester


----------



## Pablo Zuta (Dec 11, 2012)

Adam Jones
Tosin Abasi 
----
----
----


----------



## heregoesnothing (Dec 11, 2012)

Guthrie Govan
John Petrucci
Marc Okubo
James Hetfield

Sadly i don't sound anything like those guys


----------



## DarkWolfXV (Dec 12, 2012)

1. Bill Steer
2. Jon Levasseur
3. Muhammed Suicmez


----------



## zakatak9389 (Dec 12, 2012)

Guthrie Govan
Tosin Abasi
John Petrucci
Marc Okubo 
Per Nilsson


----------



## RagtimeDandy (Dec 12, 2012)

Joe Satriani
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Brent Hinds
Misha Mansoor
Tie between Paul Waggoner/Dustie Warring and Luke Hoskin


----------



## ZXIIIT (Dec 12, 2012)

Head & Munky (KoRn, Love & Death)
Dino Cazares (Fear Factory, Asesino, Divine Heresy)
Galder (Dimmu Borgir, Old Man's Child)
Infernus (Gorgoroth)
Steve Vai


----------



## Chuck (Dec 12, 2012)

In no particular order:

Ryan Morgan (Misery Signals)
Misha Mansoor
Mikael Akerfeldt
Tom Searle (Architects)
Devin Townsend


----------



## brutus627 (Dec 12, 2012)

1. Scott Hull
2. Muhammed Suicmez
3. Marten Hagstrom/Fredrik Thordendal
4. Galder
5. Michael Keene


----------



## Experimorph (Dec 12, 2012)

Devin Townsend
Guthrie Govan
Jason Becker
Steve Vai
Tosin Abasi


----------



## ArtDecade (Dec 12, 2012)

Marty Friedman
Mike Keneally
Joe Satriani
Steve Howe
John 5


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams (Dec 12, 2012)

Paul Waggoner
Alex Lifeson
Tony Iommi
Mick Thompson
Misha Mansoor


----------



## Dawn of the Shred (Dec 12, 2012)

Dimebag
James Hetfield
Adam Jones
Slash
So many that i could name but Dime and papa het are number one.


----------



## glpg80 (Dec 12, 2012)

Dimebag
Paul Gilbert
Chris Storey
Michael Romeo
Zakk Wylde

Honorable mentions:
Eddie Van Halen for the inspiration to pick up and play guitar.
Dino Cazares for my influence on heavy metal
Jeff Loomis for execution


----------



## teamSKDM (Dec 12, 2012)

Marc okubo Of veil of Maya 
Tosin of animals as leaders
Michael Keene of the faceless
Muhammed Suicmez of necrophagist
And Jeff loomis/Jason Becker/John petrucci tied Even though this isn't in any order.


----------



## DanakinSkywalker (Dec 13, 2012)

Marty Friedman
Lee Malia/Curtis Ward
JB Brubaker/Brent Rambler
Jeff Ling/Luke Kilpatrick


----------



## GatherTheArsenal (Dec 28, 2012)

1) Mick Thomson - Slipknot was the first extreme metal band that I got into and seeing Mick play live got me to buy a guitar in the first place. I splurged on a Mick Thomson Signature Series BC Rich Warlock. Woo!

2) Dimebag Darrell - made me wanna play my guitar better, and add groove to my style which to this day i can't help but incorporate into my playing. Also got me into playing solos  I used to avoid them like pariahs...

3) Steve Vai - Didn't know you could make noises like that with a guitar... also taught me to make the most out of every note that I play. Play leads with purpose as opposed to just doing scale runs.

4) Stephen Carpenter - All groove and big ass chords.

5) Video Games - yup. Games like Mega man, F zero, Street Fighter, Killer Instinct, Sonic and Knuckles, X-men, and many others... their soundtracks have some pretty sweet melodies.


----------



## MarkIBZGuin (Dec 28, 2012)

1. Marty Friedman & Dave Mustaine, the amazing scales that they made

2. Chris broderick, His amazing sweeps and two handed finger tapping 

3. Dimebag Darrell, His Ear pinching Dimebag Squeals

4. Steve Vai, his smooth slide solos

5. Gary holt, wammy bar manipulation/ abuse


----------



## ScrotieMcBoogerballs (Dec 28, 2012)

Mikael Akerfeldt/Fredrik Akesson
Michael Keene/Steve Jones
Ron Jarzombek
Tosin Abasi-Not an influence on my note choices but rather on technique
Pat Obrien


----------



## StevenC (Dec 28, 2012)

Marty Friedman (Marty/Dave and Marty/Jason) - For Shred, soloing, Tornado of Souls and Dave's input to Metal
John Petrucci - For the whole Prog thing
Chris Letchford - For instrumental stuff
Pat Martino - If you've ever watched or listen to Pat Martino , you'll know.
Steve Howe - When Yes first clicked with me, I haven't been able to get enough. A lot of that is Steve Howe's playing, like the into to Roundabout, or the solos in Siberian Khatru and Yours Is No Disgrace. Or just all of Sound Chaser. Or Clap. Or Wurm.

Tosin Abasi is probably an equal 1st with all of these guys and on any day my top five list could be any permutation of these guys.

So that's 8, then.


----------



## nostealbucket (Dec 28, 2012)

Paul Waggoner / Dustie Warning (BTBAM)
Dan Weller / Graham Pinney (SikTh)
Tosin Abasi
Brent Hinds / Bill (Mastodon)
Paul Masvidal (Cynic)


----------



## frozenfrets (Jan 1, 2013)

1. Mark morton
2. John petrucci
3. Gus G
4. Zakk wylde
5. Dimebag darrell

But it's mostly mark morton, since I'm a rhythm guitarist, been digging on lamb-of-god-ish sounding riffs


----------



## morrowcosom (Jan 1, 2013)

1) Fredrik Thordendal 
2) Scott Ian 
3) Jon Schaffer 
4) Varg 
5) Satchel from Steel Panther (I'm serious)


----------



## themightyjaymoe (Jan 1, 2013)

Mark Morton/Willie Adler
Slash
David Gilmour
Jeff Loomis
Dimebag


----------



## Black_Sheep (Jan 2, 2013)

1. John Petrucci 

Back when i had played guitar for only two years, a friend of mine told me to check out Dream Theater, so i bought their album "Awake" ...at first i didn't like it really, but then i listend to it some more, and once i heard those incredible solos i was instantly blown away. How could someone do that? So incredible... I've been a huge fan of Petrucci/DT ever since. Also, Petrucci made me take my playing seriously, that's when i also started playing and practising a lot more. 

2. Steve Vai

Back when I used to take guitar lessons (my very first years of playin guitar) my teacher told me one day to check out Steve Vai, and the next time he borrowed me the CD "Passion and Warfare" ..It was incredible, i really didn't understand how he could do all those things, make those sounds out of a guitar, and shred like a god. 

3. Paul Gilbert

Never really properly checked out PG untill i saw his video for Technical Difficulties (probably 2006) and started practising that song instantly. He's technique is almost flawless and you can see the endless hours of practising every day when you watch him play. Later i bought some of his instructional DVD's and they actually helped me a lot with many techniques I had problems with in the past. 

4. Mattias IA Eklundh 

He's weird and crazy guitar playing was something that really caught my attention when I first heard it on Freak Kitchen's album "Move" a few years ago. And he's solo stuff is even more crazy, he's technique is unique and flawless. Some say he copies Steve Vai, but I disagree with that. 

5. Chris Broderick

What is there to say really?  ...When i started to get into 7-string guitars, i checked out some guitarists who mainly use them. Jeff Loomis and Chris really caught my eye with their incredible playing and technique and further wanted me to get a 7-stringer, so I did. 


There's plenty of other guitarists that have influenced me in the past and present, but those are the first 5 i could think of. 

I might edit this post later. 


Oh yeah, and don't just write some lists people! Explain. Otherwise there's no point in reading this topic, really


----------



## jboroff (Jan 4, 2013)

1) Michael Schenker - My favorite tone, amazing note choices and his playing always fits the song
2) Paul Gilbert - The total package. Probably my favorite overall guitar player. I love the way he makes classic simple pop songs interesting. I believe he can play virtually anything.
3) Steve Vai - I don't love everything he does but you can't deny his mastery and when the songs are good he's amazing to listen to.
4) Randy Rhoads - Blizzard of Ozz came out when I was 11 and it's one of the albums that made me want to play. Diary was even better IMO.
5) Eric Johnson - Removed my belief that the gain always had to be on 10. He can be repetitive live but in the context of songs like Cliffs of Dover he's a genius.


----------



## DaemonRage (Jan 4, 2013)

1/Marty Friedman
2/Kirk Hammett
3/Alex Skolnick
4/Randy Rhoads
5/Dimebag Darrell


----------



## travis bickle (Jan 4, 2013)

andy summers
allan holdsworth
king buzzo
fredrick thordenthal
greg ginn
james hetfield
trey azagthoth

just can't narrow it down to just 5.


----------



## firegardenmusic (Jan 4, 2013)

1. John Petrucci
2. Steve Vai
3. Joe Satriani
4. Guthrie Govan
5. Faraz anwar / Marco Sfogli / ...... so on


----------



## Metal Guitarist (Jan 7, 2013)

Synyster Gates, Misha Mansoor, JB Brubaker, John Petrucci, my dad.


----------



## Enter Paradox (Jan 7, 2013)

John Petrucci
Mike Mushok/Pete Loeffler - the really-heavy-rocking movement
Misha and the rest of the Periphery guys
Mikael Akerfeldt-Steven Wilson combo
Jesper-Bjorn combo
.
.
.
Andy James
Per Nilsson
Stephen Carpenter
Mark Knopfler
David Gilmour
Lindsey Buckingham
.
.
.
can't count 'til 5


----------



## sniperfreak223 (Jan 8, 2013)

1. Dimebag, his tone was always so unique and I loved his ability to play solos with both speed AND emotion.
2. Tony Iommi, the king of the guitar riff, and the greatest influence on my rhythm playing
3. Dave Mustaine, just for his all-around versatility, and his amazing rhythm playing and picking style
4. Randy Rhodes, well, need I say more, a true virtuoso, inspired me to push myself outside of the metal world and experiment with other genres
5. Phil Demmel, the speed, fluidity, and especially his tapping style, as well as his admirable muting techniques.


----------



## johnny_ace (Jan 8, 2013)

No order except the first one,

Joe Perry; remember when living on the edge video came out and he was playing the solo and the train was coming thought it was so bad ass 

John 5: he is just insane and has a shit load of tele's

Stephen Carpenter: the diversity and the abilty to make a simple butmemorable riff in most every song 

zakk wylde: love the sothern rock feel

dino cazares:


----------



## 1968 Charger B5 (Jan 9, 2013)

Leon Kemp
Dave Mustaine/Chris Broderick/Marty Friendman
Per Nilsson
All the other typical influences...


----------



## JmCastor (Jan 9, 2013)

Top 5, kinda hard but i'll go in chronological order 
1.Jimi Hendrix- when i heard Voodoo child in 9 grade(thanks mr. clem), i knew that i HAD to get a strat immediately. 
2. SRV- as a young budding guitar player, hearing so much feel come out of a strat and a tube amp is really amazing 
3. Steve Vai- i downloaded Passion and Warfare  (bought it soon after) just to check it out, and was going through each song, not liking any of them until i came across one of them...For the Love of God literally changed my view and philosophy on guitar playing and what a song could be. a couple of listens and i eventually could listen to the whole thing all the way through...still do
4.Tony Macalpine- hope i don't sound racist or anything...but Tony, like Jimi, showed me that black people could do this thing, i no longer had to search for legitimacy, i could be a virtuoso like anyone else if i worked for it. and chromatcity is a great album 
and 5. Tosin Abasi/ Guthrie Govan- these guys are tied in my book. guthrie for the ultimate feel..i butchered my first strat to make it fretless because of a certain guthrie video...and Tosin got me into weird rhythms that somehow made musical sense


----------



## Draceius (Jan 9, 2013)

Aaron marshall
Chris Broderick
Rusty Cooley
Misha Mansoor
Marc Okubo


----------



## BHuard75 (Jan 10, 2013)

guys that made me want to play the guitar...

George Lynch & Rocky George [in no particular order]

Guys whose solos I'm tearing through now, Alex Skolnik & Marty Friedman's crap from the 90's


----------



## bytortheraindog (Jan 10, 2013)

Alex Lifeson, Ty Tabor, Tommy Victor, Jake E Lee and Keith Merrow.


----------



## nsimonsen (Jan 10, 2013)

Teppei Teranishi
Justin Beck
John Petrucci
Claudio Sanchez
Ben Weinman


----------



## Jon Levasseur (Feb 10, 2013)

Yngwie Malmsteen
Al Dimeola
John Petrucci
Paul Gilbert
Eric Johnson

But also need to mention:
Alex Skolnick
Zakk Wylde
Paco de Lucia
James Murphy


----------



## PureImagination (Feb 10, 2013)

Not in any order:
Dimebag Darrel
Misha Mansoor
James Hetfield
Treven Strnad
My brother


----------



## ttiwguitar (Feb 10, 2013)

Mikael Akerfeldt for his melodic sense, phrasing, acoustic style, and buttery goodness
Alex Lifeson for his unrivaled solos, creative rhythm playing, longevity, and his bulge from the inner sleeve of 2112
Guthrie Govan for inspiring me so much that I want to quit playing. Great ass, too
Paul Gilbert for his alternate picking, humorous instructional videos, and general sex appeal
John Petrucci for teaching me the value of a metronome, how to not get laid, and his triceps.

Honorable mention to Misha Mansoor for various favors during my band's 2008 tour with them.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams (Feb 11, 2013)

Alex Lifeson
Mick Thompson
Paul Waggoner
Kurt Cobain
Joe Duplantier


----------



## kessel (Mar 3, 2013)

1. Omar Rodriguez Lopez (Mars Volta)
2. Kaki King
3. Marty Friedman
4. Steve Vai

and I forgot number 5, if there's a number 5 at all


----------



## Jakke (Mar 3, 2013)

1. Satch
2. Jerry Cantrell
3. Clapton
4. Jeff Loomis
5. Neil Young


----------



## Nykur_Myrkvi (Mar 3, 2013)

Andy McKee for helping me see the acoustic guitar in a brand new light

Chuck Schuldiner for inspiring me to break out of my beginner power chord box and start experimenting with single note riffs

Muhammed Suiçmez for dropping my jaw and making me realize what can be done with enough skill

Stanley Jordan/Chris Arp for their 8 finger tapping (in their different ways)


----------



## -42- (Mar 3, 2013)

Well...

King Buzzo [(the) Melvins] - Listening to his music really opened up my mind regarding song structure and the role of rhythm guitar. He made me realize that being a good musician has absolutely nothing to do with virtuosity.
Kurt Ballou [Converge] - His playing got me out of low string chugging and showed me the roles that dissonance, open strings and chords could play in heavy music.
Scott Hull [Pig Destroyer/Agoraphobic Nosebleed] - Scott Hull is the mountain I one day hope to summit, his spastic riffs, rhythmic creativity and willingness to play it fast and loose with time signatures is what really sets his projects apart in the grindcore scene.
Al Di Meola - My lead playing is totally copped from him, and even if he has spent decades playing the same diminished scales over and over, his playing and rhythmic sensibility are amazing.
Ron Jarzombek - I hate shredding, but I love Jarzombek. I feel like his compositions and his playing hop right over the instrumental circle jerk that is 'shred' guitar and land him in far more interesting territory.


----------



## RevelGTR (Mar 3, 2013)

Mark Knopfler
David Gilmour
Stephen Carpenter
John Petrucci
Billy Corgan


----------



## JosephAOI (Mar 3, 2013)

1. Lee McKinney
2. Robby Baca & Cameron Maynard
3. Mark Holcomb, Jake Bowen & Misha Mansoor
4. Paul Waggoner
5. John Browne & Olly Steele

Other mentions:
Tosin Abasi & Javier Reyes
Joe Cocchi


----------



## TVasquez96 (Mar 3, 2013)

1. Dave Davidson
2. Guthrie Govan
3. Alexi Laiho
4. Tosin Abasi
5. Misha Mansoor (along with the others)


----------



## jehu12141987 (Mar 4, 2013)

Phil Keaggy.


----------



## TheBloodstained (Mar 4, 2013)

In no particular order...

Mircea Gabriel Eftemie
David Gilmour
Mick Thompson
Tom Morello
Misha "Bulb" Mansoor


----------



## goldsteinat0r (Mar 4, 2013)

1. Clapton - To me his playing is the epitome of class and understated elegance. Made me fall in love with the blues and led me to Robert Johnson and the other "real" bluesmen.

2. Pete Loeffler of Chevelle - Almost don't like admitting this nowadays because I've way outgrown the band but his tone and use of low-low tunings before it was the thing to do left their respective marks on me.

3. Stef Carpenter - I really dig what he does with ERGs. I've always loved how he seems to come up with shit we've all heard/written and thrown out 1000 times but somehow he can make it sound like the most creative thing you've ever heard.

4. Brad Delson of Linkin Park (lol) - Another one I almost hate to admit, but his playing on Hybrid Theory and Meteora is, to me, a masterclass in "serving the song" in a heavy-music context. I am not ashamed to say I still jam to Hybrid Theory on occasion. Awesome (HUGE) tone, and very subtle textural stuff. Also he's apparently a technique monster behind the scenes.

5. Jimi Hendrix - Inspired me to buy my first strat. Nuff said.


----------



## RustInPeace (Mar 4, 2013)

In no particular order..

James Hetfield - I spent alot of time when I was first learning guitar on Metallica's material.

El Hefe/NOFX - Hefe really knows how to keep things simple, yet energetic, catchy, and with great tone from a punk rocker too!

John Petrucci - I take a lot more from his rhythm playing than his solo's, actually.

Dave Mustaine - Nobody writes better riffs in metal. 

Keith Merrow - I've really been taken in by Keiths work lately, I find his riffs to be so refreshing. Great sense of melody and groove!


----------



## sleightest (Mar 4, 2013)

Steve Vai
David Gilmour
Tosin Abasi
Fredrik Thordendal 
Josh Martin


----------



## DeathMentaL (Mar 4, 2013)

Loomis
Dime
Willie Adler 
Jackson C Frank
Mikael Akerfeldt.


----------



## ohoolahan (Mar 4, 2013)

brian baker
herman li
sam totman
buz mcgrath
and hm...maybe victor smolski


----------



## Nag (Mar 4, 2013)

1) *Alexi Laiho*. COB was the first metal band I got into cause their music felt more than just noise to me back then. The melodies, harmonies, simple catchy power metal riffs and fast solos with mostly only scale runs and sweeps, dunno, I always liked that.

2) *Jon Nödtveidt*. Dissection got me into black metal, and they're still my fav BM band. The tremolo picked riffs come out as melodic black metal, again guitar harmonies but not the same as COB, more cool stuff for my ears . Also, his use of acoustic parts is just hnnnnnngh. And the fact that it's black metal and therefore doesn't rely only on power chords but on many different sounding chords is a great way to arrange sounds in my head.

3) *Jari Mäenpää*. I just listen to a lot of early Ensiferum and Wintersun, and for the most part my fav songs are the simplest ones. They're fun as hell to play, they're catchy but not technical, melodic, heavy, folk all over the place, I think I like the mix of folk and melodic death metal. As for the Wintersun part, Sleeping Stars 'nuff said.

4) *Peter Tägtgren*. Dude's just a fucking legend. He does everything and he's good at it. He says himself he "can't play his instruments" (quoted from their DVD) but he still creates great ambiences and stuff, the songs are catchy and he just lives the fun out of his life even if he doesn't try to be the fastest guitarist ever. Very inspiring, considering most of my favourite guitarists are very technique-focused.

5) *Dave Mustaine*. He's a beast on guitar, not only when taking drugs. Some of his songs are seriously tough as fuck to learn ("Tornado Of Souls" vocals/guitars = fffuuuuuuuuuu) but the riffs are just damn catchy. I usually don't focus a lot on RIFFS themselves, much more on the ambience, melodies, solos, lyrics... but Megadeth riffs are just kickass and when i'm just noodling around, I often end up playing Mustaine riffs. just nice !


----------



## s_k_mullins (Mar 4, 2013)

James Hetfield
Jerry Cantrell
Dimebag
Stephen Carpenter
Mark Tremonti (his AlterBridge and solo material)


----------



## BTD_Austin (Mar 8, 2013)

Josh Travis - Danza
Thomas Erak - The Fall of Troy
Paul Waggoner - BTBAM
Marc Okubo - Veil of Maya
Kurt Cobain - Nirvana


----------



## Dawn of the Shred (Mar 9, 2013)

Dimebag
Keith Merrow
John Petrucci
Paul Gilbert
Adam Jones


----------



## Heroin (Mar 9, 2013)

James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett - They made me get a guitar. I've always been a huge fan of James' white explorer shaped guitar which led me to buy a Jackson Kelly as my second guitar.
Misha Mansoor - Insanely inspirational stuff, Periphery and his solo work.
Chris Rubey - Super solid songwriting. I loved zombie EP.
Fredrik Thordendal and Mårten Hagström - 'Nuff said.
Head and Munky - I only have a few of Korn's songs, but every one of them is memorable. Their sound has always been appealing to me for their eery but heavy sound which I thought was different and interesting. Though I didn't ever think much of their sevenstrings growing up.


----------



## DrZoidberg (Mar 9, 2013)

AJ Minette and Dean Herrara of The Human Abstract made me take guitar seriously. 

In no order after them:
Chris Letchford
Tosin Abasi
David Gilmour 
Al DiMeola


----------



## danresn (Mar 9, 2013)

1. Steven Wilson - His technical playing may not be the best, but his note choice and detail to soundscape hugely influenced my playing.
2. Guthrie Govan - His use of vibrato and chromaticism revolutionised my view of soloing and riff writing (Waves is still my favourite guitar riff)

You can probably guess that I was quite excited for The Raven That Refused to Sing

3. Andrew Goddard/Mark Hosking - Karnivool, what else has to be said.
4. Jonny Greenwood/Tom Yorke/Ed O'Brien - Because all of Radiohead is tasty. The subtlety in their playing and the emphasis on human playing inspired me greatly.
5. Misha Mansoor/Jake Bowen/Mark Halcomb/Nolly - I just love Periphery. The riffing in Scarlet makes me want to use extended harmony with rock songs and the clean/bridge section of Oww My Feelings simply raises goosebumps. Periphery just move me emotionally and remind me that is what I want to do as an artist


----------



## AscendingMatt (Mar 9, 2013)

For me

1) Jason Becker

2) Chris Letchford

3) JP

4) John Gomm

5) Joe Pass


----------



## zgov (Mar 11, 2013)

No particular order
Willie Adler and mark morton-lamb of god
Paul waggoner-between the buried and me
misha monsoor-periphery
Marc okubo-veil of Maya (he has by far my favorite style of playing and writing...what a fuckin genius)
Tosin abasi-animals as leaders


----------



## zgov (Mar 11, 2013)

s_k_mullins said:


> James Hetfield
> Jerry Cantrell
> Dimebag
> Stephen Carpenter
> Mark Tremonti (his AlterBridge and solo material)



Man Ive always told people that I wish creed alter bridge and marks solo stuf was just instrumental I love his style just hate his vocalists lol I definitely give him respect


----------



## Curt (Mar 11, 2013)

Not in order...

Dimebag - My first major influence

Chad Ginsburg(CKY) - An early influence. he is a lot more technically proficient than his work with CKY would suggest.

Bjorn and Jesper(In Flames) - I know that Jesper left, but those two are the players whose influence shine through the most in my playing.

John Petrucci - I picked up a lot of technique while learning his solos


----------



## bondmorkret (Mar 11, 2013)

Tough. Changes a lot, but in recent years:

Allan Holdsworth
Greg Howe
Rick Graham
Kurt Rosenwinkel
Tom Quayle


----------



## CharlesTbastard (Mar 11, 2013)

Well,im prolly a lil older than most here.so...

Joe Perry. The first 4 aerosmith records have so much attitude and cool loose playing.made me wanna play.

Ace Frehley/Paul Stanley.as a youngster,my fav songs.i had to learn toplay them.still like to get drunk and jam some old kiss tunes.

Hanneman/king.i never heard anything like it til i heard slayer.at first i couldnt understand wtf they were doing.but it sure was evil.

Steve Vai.
Paul gilbert
YNgwie.
And now ive been so into Loomis,Merrow and Ola.along with Pat Obrien.

Dave weiner,dean cascione and carl roa are also big influences.


----------



## Carrion Rocket (Mar 12, 2013)

Marty Friedman
Rob Marton
Balsac The Jaws of Death (AKA Mike Dirks)
James Hetfield
Rob Barrett


----------



## rythmic_pulses (Mar 12, 2013)

My influences date back to a time where my tastes evolved gradually
staring out with:

Mick Thompson: Sheerly because of his stage presence and right hand speed, one of the first guitarists I looked up to, probably one of the few guys who can make string noise sound great in a composition F.E Disasterpiece, plus he can fair shred when he wants.

Stephen Carpenter: He opened up my mind to a lot of new chordal ideas that I wouldn't have normally used if I hadn't heard such abstract chord structures in his music , When Girls Telephone Boys is an example of these abstract chords at work.

Kirk Hammett: Back when I was into thrash, this guy was my hero, I like a lot of his earlier solo work, even if it was all speed trickery/wah and not great technique, the song And Justice For All... has my fave solo in it by him.

Igor Omodei: Out of all Modern Prog, Uneven Structure are my favourite, all the melodies this guy throws out are absolutely insane, not to mention the simplicity of some of his work even transposes as quite technically demanding, Plenitude is one of those tracks.

Fredrik Thordendal: He got me to get my Rhythm hand as tight as it is now, not to mention showing me that Allan Holdsworth style stuff can be used in metal too, his solos are just the strangest thing I've ever heard, Elastic is my fave song by them, it's just everything I want from Meshuggah in one song, brutal riffs, a weird solo and that elongated AAHHHHHHH!!! that Jens does so well. 


A lot of you won't agree with my choices, but that's okay, haters gonna hate and all that jazz.


----------



## ridner (Mar 12, 2013)

Dimebag Darrell
Tony Iommi
Kirk Windstein
Pepper Keenan
Terrance Hobbs


----------



## New Age Moron (Mar 12, 2013)

James Hetfield
Allan Holdsworth
Joe Satriani
Tommy Emmanuel
Steve Vai


----------



## Don Vito (Mar 12, 2013)

Nagash said:


> 1) *Alexi Laiho*. COB was the first metal band I got into cause their music felt more than just noise to me back then. The melodies, harmonies, simple catchy power metal riffs and fast solos with mostly only scale runs and sweeps, dunno, I always liked that.
> 
> 2) *Jon Nödtveidt*. Dissection got me into black metal, and they're still my fav BM band. The tremolo picked riffs come out as melodic black metal, again guitar harmonies but not the same as COB, more cool stuff for my ears . Also, his use of acoustic parts is just hnnnnnngh. And the fact that it's black metal and therefore doesn't rely only on power chords but on many different sounding chords is a great way to arrange sounds in my head.
> 
> ...


This, excluding Mustaine.

Alexi Laiho is still my favorite guitar player. His melodies are so catchy and amazing. Jon also has a really good ear for epic melodies.


----------



## patdavidseven (Mar 12, 2013)

Satriani
Hetfield
Petrucci
Grohl
Tremonti


----------



## crg123 (Mar 13, 2013)

Steve Vai - Actually inspired me to play guitar. The ending seen from the Crossroads movie did it haha
Andy LaRocque - King diamond/ his with on Individual thought patterns with Chuck (Don't think anyone mentioned him yet)
John Petrucci
Chuck Schuldiner - Death/ Control Denied
Michael romeo - Symphony X

Honorable mention: Misha Mansoor Periphery and Tosin Abasi who have influenced my playing the last two years. Tosin was the one who encouraged me to experiment with 8 strings. The other guys are my foundation and are forever major influences though.


----------



## lawizeg (Apr 24, 2013)

Chris Letchford
AJ Minette
Julian Rodriguez
Tosin Abasi
Misha Mansoor/Mark Holcomb. Mark Mansoor.


----------



## ZachK (Apr 24, 2013)

Prince
Jim Root (Slipknot/Stone Sour)
Josh Homme (QOTSA)
Paul Quinn (Saxon)
John 5 (Rob Zombie/Marilyn Manson)


----------



## Matthew (Apr 24, 2013)

Rivers Cuomo- I was huge into Weezer when I first picked up guitar and Cuomo is a pretty skilled songwriter.
Daron Malakian- SoaD was my other favorite when I first started and Malakian's tight rythms and simple yet interesting clean/acoustic parts(soldier side and roulette come to mind) provided some great inspiration and learning tools.
Claudio Sanchez/Travis Stever- The way they work together is just magical. I began to take guitar seriously after hearing IKSSE:3 for the first time.
John Petrucci(and the rest of DT)-The most inspiring on the list for me; I didn't know what prog was until I forced myself to tolerate LaBrie's vocals and listened to a whole DT album. 
Joe Satriani- I started with Satch after I really got into guitar. This lead me to Vai and even JP after watching a G3 DVD. My favorite piece of his is Searching.


----------



## GizmoJunior (Apr 24, 2013)

Jimmy Page- I always remember listening to Led Zeppelin with my dad when he would drive me around as a kid
Tosin Abasi- His techniques are just flawless and inspire me to work harder
Michael Keene- I really like how he overall influences The Faceless and how he writes everything.
Marc Okubo- He is extremely creative and uses so many beautiful chords. Not to mention he's the only guitarist.
Joe Cocchi- Whenever I first started getting into metal I heard Within the Ruins. It blew my mind because I'd never heard anyone play like that. They just have their own sound and its amazing.

There are many more that influence me but these are my top five.


----------



## Dawn of the Shred (Apr 24, 2013)

Changes every month or so but right now they are.
Dimebag- always my number one. Then 
2. Paul gilbert
3. Peter joseph
4. Ola englund
5. Keith merrow


----------



## bigredmetfan (Apr 25, 2013)

1. James Hetfield
2. Tom Morello (sooooo many broken toggle switches 
3. Dino Cazeres
4. Stephen Carpenter
5. Some of my friends/past and present guitarists members that push me to play better and inioncorporate there styles


----------



## s2k9k (Apr 25, 2013)

Nuno Bettencourt
Dimebag Darrell
Head/Munky
Stephen Carpenter
Steve Vai


----------



## Asrial (Apr 25, 2013)

Okay, I've grown a little older and a little grumpier since last time I wrote here about influences. So take 2.

1) Devin Townsend
Got me converted to open C tuning. It's a damn fine tuning. 

2) Brian Welch, AKA "Head"
This is more of a songwriters influence, but yeah.

3) David "Maxim" Micic
Yes it's djent, but his musical progression in his works are stunning to me.

4) Dino Cazares
Maybe he's not the biggest shredder, but when it comes to rhythm playing, that's the guy I'm looking to play like. Just fucking tightness.
(Special honorable mention to Ola Englund, but I haven't heard of him until fairly recently...)

5) John Petrucci
Do I need to say more?


----------



## DrMachino (Apr 25, 2013)

1) Steve Vai

2) Fredrik Thordendal

3) John Petrucci

4) Misha, specifically from the recording section of this forum

5) Paul Waggoner and Dustie Waring from between the buried and me


----------



## AfterTheBurial8 (Apr 25, 2013)

Right now:

John Gallagher (Dying Fetus) - In terms of what I'm writing at the moment this guys riffing is second to none, every Fetus track has a bone crushing riff. Very tight live, especially whilst doing vocals.

Mark Kloeppel/Sparky (Misery Index) - similar to above, obviously the two bands have their connections and are very similar. Some of the riffing is Heirs to Thievery is mind blowing.

Bart Vergaert/Thijs De Cloedt (Goremaggedon) & Eran Segal/Mike Wilson (Global Flatline) from Aborted - Obviously this band has been plagued with new guitarist each week syndrome, even so that the two guys who recorded the last album, aren't in the band anymore! But these two albums are driving my creativity through the roof and have been for a while.

Guthrie Govan - just everything about him, he's so wise.

Andy James - Really not a fan of Sacred Mother Tongue but his solo albums are intense. Such melody along with speed and the precision is just upsetting! Love him!


----------



## bigredmetfan (Apr 25, 2013)

Asrial said:


> Okay, I've grown a little older and a little grumpier since last time I wrote here about influences. So take 2.
> 
> 1) Devin Townsend
> Got me converted to open C tuning. It's a damn fine tuning.
> ...




Dino shreds man....just on the lowest possible string


----------



## Rizzo (Apr 26, 2013)

Thinking of what i usually play\come up with, i'd say Hetfield, Tremonti, Schuldiner, Petrucci, SRV above all the other specific influences.


----------



## RagtimeDandy (Apr 26, 2013)

Long-term influences for me:

1. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - there is Volta influence throughout all my playing and writing; He's the guy that got me playing guitar more seriously
2. Brent Hinds/ James Hetfield - I constantly hear influence from both of them in my writing. It's quite literally inescapable for me
3. Misha Mansoor - Everything about his writing has been a massive influence on me. His sense of melody and overall writing approach is very similar to how I'd like to approach music
4. Luke Hoskin - Protest the Hero is the bad that got my chops to decent. Luke's playing and writing is very inspirational overall for me.
5. Dustie and Paul from BTBAM - don't even need to explain this one


----------



## Oxygen42 (May 5, 2013)

1. John Petrucci: Hands down my favourite guitarist and favourite composer. I listen for emotion in music above all else, and there are very few things that can compare with Octavarium, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, or The Ministry of Lost Souls.

2. Mikael Akerfeldt: I love his playing style. It's Metal without being palm muted low E 8th notes. I love how he mixes styles and the dynamic and textural contrasts in each song. Also, the feeeeeels. While Dream Theater has a wider range of emotion, Opeth has a chokehold on the dark and depressing.

3. Misha Mansoor: Incredible technique for riffing, and great melodic soloing. The crazy ass riffs in Zyglrox and Buttersnips still confuse me  Again, similar to John Petrucci and Akerfeldt, there are some moments of incredible emotion in his music. "Ragnarok" "Masamune", "Mile Zero", "Letter Experiment" "Jetpacks Was Yes", etc...

4. Steven Wilson: Is it fair to choose guys more for their song crafting than their guitar playing? Porcupine Tree has some of my favourite songs ever, where it's not just a cool riff, or a cool solo, but where the entire thing forms a cohesive SONG.

5. Claudio Sanchez: I love the mixture of Punk Rock and Prog that Claudio uses on Coheed's albums. It is simply so unique and so catching. It has the intelligence of Prog like Rush, but also the immediacy and the urgency of Hardcore.


----------



## JW Shreds (May 5, 2013)

1. Jason Becker
2. Marty Friedman
3. Buz Mcgrath
4. Josh Middleton
5. Kris Norris


----------



## Vhyle (May 5, 2013)

No particular order:

1) Jeff Loomis
2) John Petrucci
3) Dimebag
4) Ihsahn/Samoth
5) Mikael Akerfeldt

Actually, Mike should be one, because he made the biggest impact on my playing by far. But meh, I don't feel like doing the list again.


----------



## Joseph Kimbrell (May 6, 2013)

I am by no means a lead guitarist, but here are the guitarists who really have influenced me:

1. Eddie Van Halen
2. Steve Stevens
3. Mick Mars
4. Chachamaru
5. hide

As for influencing the way I play, they have done a lot to influence the way I write music, guitar licks, etc.


----------



## Chasethebreather (May 6, 2013)

For my influence in playing metal, it'd probably go like this (in no real order)

1. Zack Wylde

2. Jim Root

3. Synyster Gates (Ill get hate for that one but he has a degree in jazz guitar and is overall a sick player, not that I have to justify my influences haha)

4. Alexi Laiho

5. Fredrik Thordendal


----------



## abandonist (May 7, 2013)

Many bands influenced me picking up the guitar, but only I influence the sounds it makes.

/drunk


----------



## Pat_tct (May 7, 2013)

When i started playing guitar I was mainly influenced by James Hetfield, Kirk Hammet and Alexi Laiho...... young 15 year old me^^

when i rediscovered playing guitar 3 years ago I was more influenced by the following.... and they still do have a great impact on me and my playing


Marc Okubo
Michael Keene
Michael Akerfeldt
Jake Bowen
Chris Letchford


----------



## TIMEwaveXERO (May 7, 2013)

1. Per Nilsson... that phrasing
2. Petrucci
3. Eddie Van Halen
4. Satch
5. Govan


----------



## Syriel (May 7, 2013)

1. Paul Gilbert - Will forever be no.1 for me.
2. Guthrie Govan - Inspires me to work harder and aim higher.
3. Aaron Marshalls ( Intervals ) - Ever since I first heard of them, my own playing changed. Probably currently my biggest impact in my solos / phrasing.
4. Ola Englund ( Feared / Six Feet Under ) - One of the tightest Rhythm players I've ever heard, and those RIFFS.
5. Tokunan ( Demetori ) - I got introduced to them by a classmate. Demetori pretty much just screams "anything works" in my ears.

Special mention to my guitar teacher Kato Naoki ( Traffic Information ). His playing has influenced me whether I like it or not.


----------



## sweepingDemon (May 7, 2013)

James hetfield 
Chuck schuldiner 
Christian muenzner 
Jeff loomis 
keith merrow


----------



## williammacdonald18 (May 7, 2013)

That's pretty tough but mine would have to be:

1) Eddie Van Halen - most of my legato technique is influenced off of him.

2) David Gilmour - my love for really melodic solos was garnered listening to his magic. That solo from Time (Pink Floyd) still tugs at my heart strings.

3) John Petrucci - made me realise how to actually practice guitar with a metronome and made me a lot better at my alternate picking. Also was the first to make me want to pick up a seven string after hearing The Dark Eternal Night (Dream Theater).

4) Stevie Ray Vaughn - influence my blues guitar playing and showed me that blues solos don't have to be slow but they can also be shred.

5) Synyster Gates - the guitarist who introduced me to the idea of sweep picking and playing metal guitar


----------



## Friendroid (May 7, 2013)

Trey Azagthoth
Jeff Hanneman & KK
Dimebag Darrell
Joe Satriani
Kirk Hammett


----------



## Blackheim (May 7, 2013)

1. Ihsahn... He's a genius. Period. Hid musicianship and the approach he has to music is extremely appealing to me. 
2. Steve Vai. Every time I see him playing, its a full "sexual" connection to the instrument. I know its weird, but I've never seen someone like him. 
3. Allan Holdsworth. Is there a better player than him?? I don't think so. 
4. Chuck Schuldiner. The first metal song I'd ever listened was "Living Monstruosity" at 11. Fall in love with the genre because of him. And his vocals on "Painkiller" are awesome. 
5. Paul Masvidal... I mean, Paul Fu**ing Masvidal.


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## yingmin (May 7, 2013)

For me, it's more meaningful to think of my development as a guitarist in terms of the distinct phases of my playing rather than specific guitarists. When I first started playing, I was a huge fan of Smashing Pumpkins and the Goo Goo Dolls, and it's because of Johnny Rzeznick and Billy Corgan that I developed a style similar to Alex Lifeson's, big chords with ringing open strings, before I really listened to Rush. Then I got into metal, and James Hetfield and Dimebag Darrell taught me how to really play guitar. I still subscribe to the "downstroke every note you possibly can" philosophy I learned from the Het. Then came In Flames and Opeth, with Opeth being probably the most obvious influence on my playing and songwriting. From there, I started getting into heavier bands like Decapitated, Dying Fetus and Necrophagist, though only really dabbling in playing like that. I went through a phase where I was obsessed with Lamb of God's As the Palaces Burn and the Black Dahlia Murder's Unhallowed, and still like playing through some of those songs from time to time. Nevermore and Amoral guided my 7-string playing, Chet Atkins, Doc Watson and Don Ross led the way on acoustic, and I crib from Anders Bjorler quite a lot. 

If I HAD to name five guitarists that made the biggest impact on the way I play, it would look something like this:

Johnny Rzeznick (Goo Goo Dolls)
James Hetfield (Metallica)
Anders Bjorler (At the Gates/The Haunted)
Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth)
Joe Satriani


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## ghost_of_karelia (May 7, 2013)

1. Brent Hinds
2. Jesper Strömblad
3. Bill Kelliher
4. Björn Gelotte
5. Troy Sanders (a bassist, yes, but a brilliant musician and a true inspiration)


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## zakattak192 (May 7, 2013)

1. Chuck Schuldiner
2. Matt Pike
3. Dave Murray
4. Tim Sult
5. George Lynch

Pretty eclectic list but yeah...


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## The Munk (May 7, 2013)

Jim Croce
Alex Lifeson
Randy Rhoads
Gary Holt
Marty Friedman


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## Limpbizkitfan (May 10, 2013)

1.Wes Borland(limp bizkit)
2.Head(KoRn)
3.Steve Vai
4.Munky(KoRn)
5.Mick Thomson(slipknot)


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## Limpbizkitfan (May 10, 2013)

I'm not big on slipknot but Mick is boss at guitar


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## Limpbizkitfan (May 10, 2013)

Limpbizkitfan said:


> 1.Wes Borland(limp bizkit)
> 2.Head(KoRn)
> 3.Steve Vai
> 4.Munky(KoRn)
> 5.Mick Thomson(slipknot)


 

Wes is like the most under rated guitarist I've ever seen.


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## Limpbizkitfan (May 10, 2013)




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## Santuzzo (May 10, 2013)

in no particular order:

Ace Frehley
Yngwie
Joe Satriani
Steve Vai
Wes Montgomery


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## mike90t09 (May 10, 2013)

My influences has changed over time as my writing style has moved to different genres and what not. So this would be a general list from when I started to today:

1. Angus Young

2. James Hetfield

3. Willie Adler

4. Justin Lowe

5. Mark Candelas


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## Limpbizkitfan (May 10, 2013)

pretty much everyone has Steve Vai somewhere on their list


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## yingmin (May 10, 2013)

Limpbizkitfan said:


> Limpbizkitfan said:
> 
> 
> > 1.Wes Borland(limp bizkit)
> ...



Glad you could join us, Wes.


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## bigswifty (May 10, 2013)

1 - My Granddad 
2 - Randy Rhodes
3 - Bulb
4 - Michael Romeo
5 - Guthrie Govan

Kind of in order, these are the guys that have helped me sit down and rediscover something through guitar. Now back to the woodshed


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## DeadWeight (May 11, 2013)

1. Dimebag Darrell, for making me want to pick up guitar in the first place
2. Jeff Ling from Parkway Drive, watching the Parkway Drive DVD as an early teen was what inspired me to keep playing guitar
3. A local guy I started jamming with a few years ago. I'd only been playing for 2 years or so, and playing rhythm for him really helped me focus on the importance of theory, as well as how necessary a great rhythm section is.
4. Josh from Northlane. dat tone
5. Finally Paul Waggoner, for really making me think about music and how my playing is progressing. "Does this song really need 6 breakdowns? Maybe we should put a clean section in or something?"


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## TheBloodstained (May 12, 2013)

1) Tom Morello
I'm a selftaught guitarist (started out as a bassist, so I knew my way around a fretboard). I learnt guitar by playing along to the first RATM album (which later came in handy when I joined a band who wanted to do a couple of their songs).

2) Mick Thompson
SlipKnot was my first encounter with the more "extreme" music, and Mick Thompson was my idol for many years. In retrospect, it was probably more his style than his guitar skills, which I loved. Some of my friends (those who knew who he was) told me that I looked like him when I performed with my rock/punk band! 

3) Mircea Gabriel Eftemie
After I discovered Mnemic this guy became my new idol. I loved his writing and playing style, and I still try to write music that sound like Mnemic to this date. I don't like the new Mnemic material though...

4) David Gilmour
My dad introduced me to Pink Floyd and I've been hooked ever since. "The Wall" is one of my favorite movies. I also love the solo stuff that David did after Pink Floyd. The none-shreddy, big and atmospheric solos really appeals to me 

5) Misha Mansoor
I like everything he does , be it writing, playing, producing or fooling around. He really opened my eyes to the home studio possibilities.


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## HassanIqbal (May 12, 2013)

Tosin Abasi - I picked up 8 string because of him, his style of playing is one of the more originals right now

Guthrie Govan - I don't even need to talk about his fluidness and how he can rape the fretboard

Paul Masvidal - After listening to cynic, I've started appreciating non diatonic and prog fusion music even more

Cameron Maynard and Robby Baca (from The Contortionist) - I can't describe why I like them but they're monstrous and still under appreciated not as band but as guitarists from what I think

Mattias IA Eklundh (Freak Kitchen) - He can get away with making hell cheesy music, he would use the most common chord progression ever and still sound amazing and unique

I'm still forgetting who have influenced me even more but that was off the top of my head


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## purg3be (May 12, 2013)

1. My guitar teacher
2. John Frusciante from Red Hot Chili Peppers
3. David Gilmour from Pink Floyd (no explanation needed)
4. Brent Rambler from August Burns Red (because rythm is underrated)
5. /

This thread lacks Jimmy tbh


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## sojourner (May 12, 2013)

guthrie govan
jason becker
shawn lane
allan holdsworth
john petrucci

how my playing actually sounds like: kirk hammet


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## TravisWright (May 12, 2013)

SRV
T. Anastasio
D. Matthews with T. Reynolds
M. Akerfeldt
D. Navarro 
Hetfield n Hammet
Gilmour
Cantrell


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## PyramidSmasher (May 12, 2013)

Ryan Morgan (Misery Signals)
Kiko Loureiro (Angra)
Michael Romeo (Symphony X)
Mattias Eklund
Buckethead


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## monkeysuncle (May 13, 2013)

1. Tony Iommi. Made me want to pick up a guitar and play an SG
2. Trey Azagthoth. Makes me want to attempt to play solo's and play weird.
3. Scott Hull. Dude is a riff terminator.
4. Luc Lemay. Similar to Azagthoth, but made me think about incorporating atonal, dissonant sounds to my playing.
5. Fred Durst

Honorable mentions to Dimebag, Eric Wood (MITB bassist), Allen Holdsworth, the guys from Portal, Kerry King, Cliff Burton, Justin Broadrick, Stephen O'Malley & Greg Anderson, Aidan Baker, Wata, it goes on and on ..


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## TheAmercanLow (May 13, 2013)

Shawn Lane
Allan Holdsworth
Paul Waggoner
Both of the guys in Fallujah 
Chris Letchford


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## thesnowdog (May 13, 2013)

Andy Latimer
Alex Lifeson
Robert Fripp
Steve Hackett
Jan Akkerman
(Mike Oldfield)


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## lucashowbiz (May 14, 2013)

1. -Ian D'sa (Billy Talent)
2. -Efrim (Godspeed You! Black Emperor)
3. -Marc Okubo (Veil of Maya)
4. -Matt Bellamy (Muse)
5. -Patrick (Reflections)


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## tank (May 14, 2013)

-James Murphy
-marty friedman
-alex skolnick
-jason becker
-dino cazares


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## Minoin (May 15, 2013)

- John Petrucci
- Axel Rudi Pell
- Gary Moore
- Jerry Stevenson (Be Sharp)
- My dad


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## thedonal (May 15, 2013)

David Gilmour
Jimmy Page
Eddie Van Halen
Joe Satriani
Steve Vai

I think. On a different day, Buck Dharma, Gary Moore, Peter Green or Joe Walsh may be in there. or Keith Richards, Mick Taylor and John Petrucci.

Definitely Gilmour and Pagey, tho.


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## Johnson_LACS (May 15, 2013)

1. Jeff Hanneman (R.I.P.) - I've bought my first guitar after seeing their live performance.
2. Eddie Van Halen - solos and stuff - also, do want a Frankenstrat paintjob on my 2228.
3.Justin Lowe and Trent Hafdahl - they're like 1 monstrous shred-machine.
4.Joshua Travis - math like that.
5.Javier Reyes - just as he is, without Tosin.


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## Jeef (May 15, 2013)

1.Adam Jones
2.Brent/Bill -Mastodon
3.Aaron Turner
4.Kurt Ballou
5.Stephen Carpenter


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## Cnev (May 15, 2013)

Ben Weinman
David Gilmour
Adam Jones
Michael Hedges
Frederik Thordendal


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## UV7BK4LIFE (May 15, 2013)

1. Jeff Hanneman made me want to play guitar
2. Page Hamilton showed me how to not play 
3. Stephen Carpenter for doing whatever the song asks for
4. Jerry Cantrell for memorable solos and phrasing
5. Jason Becker for awesome solos and phrasing


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