who are your influences?

[slash-ed]

Brian May
Slash
Dime
Friedman
Zakk Wylde
Rhoads

[Frigo89]

Pick It Up:

Glenn Tipton
KK Downing
Adrian Smith
Dave Murray

Playing Style:
Eddie Van Halen
Vito Bratta
Derek Frigo
Carlos Cavaso (for writing simple, but catchy rhythms)

[Cygnus X1]

This is going to be really weird...I got my first guitar, a cheap electric, when I was 11 long, before I was "hip". So I was required to get a "folk guitar" and take lessons by my parents, if I was to get an amp to go with the electric.
The only guitar albums in the house were Segovia and Chet Atkins. I dug the "Chester and Lester" album, then I started listening to FM AOR stations and eventually acquired a real education. I hooked onto Rush, REO, Thorogood, then proceeded to go back in time to ancient delta blues, where I really learned what became my "style".

[javert]

Hm, the guys that made me interested in playing the guitar when I was a kid were

David Gilmour
Mark Knopfler
Roth/Schenker/Jabs

Actually, I started really playing metal a year ago after a 10 year early guitar retirement. As a way to improve my skills and get started again, I wanted to learn to play Megadeth's stuff. When I was young(er), I played mostly blues/rock/hard rock.

[cfh^]

When I started playing guitar, CoB was almost the only band I listened (sad? yeah.. ) and I still like the band so I'll say Laiho.
He is actually the reason why I started playing guitar.

Nowadays Dimebag Darrell goes in the first place
Cool guitarist with an kickass attitude.
R.I.P

[blindmuddy]

Beck
Blackmore
Roth
Schenker
Malmsteen
Holdswoth
Dimeola
Lots of others

[Bri]

Made me want to play in the first place
First and foremost Ace Frehley
also:
Joe Perry
Brad Whitford
Joe Walsh
Glenn Tipton
KK Downing
Adrian Smith
Dave Murray
Mathias Jabs
Ted Nugent

Had the most influence on how I play
Randy Rhoads (still blows my mind more than any other in a band)
George Lynch
Warren DeMartini
Chris Caffery
Criss Oliva
Gary Moore

Steve Vai - I hesitate to say he influences my playing, it is more just a religious experience

[Astro]

Glen Tipton, K K downing, Tony Iomy, Gary Hoey just to name a few. I have so many and like many different types music.

[JC_Denton]

Damn i had allready posted here...

[Mordor]

Made me want to play guitar:

Dave Mustaine
Tony Iommi
Dave Murray

Influences:

Chuck Schuldiner
Dave Mustaine
Randy Rhoads
Jason Becker
Alex Skolnick
Ace Frehley

[themisfit138]

Dave Mustaine
James Hetfield
Eddie Van Halen
Michael Amott

[T_money419]

Wow I'm surpised at all the Marty Friedmans. Thought I was a bit unique for being influenced by him

Hate to be cliche' here but for me it's Randy Rhoads, Alexi Laiho and Marty Friedman

[åron]

In some kind of chronological order in which I got into their playing:

George Harrison - grew up on Beatles LP's
Jimmy Page - for image and songwriting
Pete Townsend - for driving rock rhythm
Jack Eskridge - my jazz sensei
David Gilmour - for versatility and soul
Adrian Smith - I just fucking love his phrasing and tone
Randy Rhoads - 'nuf sed
EVH - for touch and tone
Steve Vai - a whole new level
Eric Johnson - for pick/fingerstyle rhythm work
Jeff Beck - for harmonics and whammy work
Jeff Hanneman - for punishing rhythm and atonal leads
Dave Mustaine - for solid metal rhythms
Marty Friedman - for exotic scales and upstrokes
Larry LeLonde - gonna go add him to underrated thread - he rules
John Frusciante - for funk and intangible talent
J Mascis - for endless and interesting solos
Matt Bellamy - for effects, tone and shredding in a non-shred context
Fredrik Thordendal - for unconventional rhythms and some amazing melodies

[Cannella]

These are all my influences and who got me to pick up guitar...
Chris Poland
Jake E Lee
Neil Schon
Tony Iommi
Dave Murray
Adrian Smith
Jeff Hanneman
Kerry King
Brian May
EVH
Dave Mustaine
David Gillmour
and of course the main reason I play; Randy Rhoads

[kmanick]

Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi and Joe Perry made me want to pick a a guitar
Jeff Beck and Robin Trower showed me what "good vibrato" meant.
Frank Marino showed me what you could do with a pentatonic scale.
Al Dimeolo showed me my first glimpse of real speed.
EVH , and the rest of the usual guys took over in the 80's
now it's guys like Joe Satch,Greg Howe, Richie Kotzen, Brett Garsed,
Frank Gambale Prashant Aswani, Derryl Gable, for the fusiony/instrumental stuff and Nevermore , Petrucci, McAlpine, Broderick, and Andy James
for the 7 string stuff that I've gotten so heavily into during the last year or so.
anyone here who hasn't checked out Andy James
f'n great player, his CD rips

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebA0r_uUD04