Awesome post! And mine may change from week to week, day to day, but today it is:

1.  Hendrix, always number 1 in my heart and head
2.  SRV, for those heavy rakes
3.  Jimmy Page, for the blues inspire licks...and Stairway, hello?!
4.  Slash, great crunch (think Civil War, when it kicks in)
5.  Dave Matthews, say what you want, he is innovated and hard to duplicate (to me at least)

Ask me tomorrow; Van Halen makes the list, along with Hammet, Buddy Guy, and Scotty Moore (of Elvis' backing group).

Well for today its.

1.Chris Broderick (I recently saw some videos of him playing a classical peice with flawless classical technique)
2.Gus G.
3.Paul Gilbert
4.John Petrucci
5.Thomas Youngblood (so much melody)

jimmy hendrix
eric johnson
joe satriani
kirk hammit
dave mustane

i have a 6th too
eddie van halen

All good jonskater and welcome to chordbook. Notice the chatroom...perhaps a one of a kind item on guitarsites.

GuitarZen

1. Stevie Ray Vaughan
2. Jimi Hendrix
3. Angus Young
4. Larry McCray (local guy - got to let your soul shine!)
5. Brad DeRoche (instructs classical at the local college and nearby university, has PhD in classical guitar...unbelievable talent)

No mention of prog rock innovators like Steve Hackett, Steve Howe, Andy Latimer, Dave Gilmour, Alex Lifeson, etc.?

That was the first five that came to mind, but it's a tough choice. How about Alan Morse of Spock's Beard, or Nick Barrett out of Pendragon?

In that list, I've probably giving my passion away, but I love all sorts of music, from Hebridean Folk Music to Punk. But prog rock is my favourite genre (when it's done properly!) due to the experimentation, dynamics and light and shade

Well, there's so many great guitarists, it feels like a crime to only pick five. Still, here it goes...

1. Jimi Hendrix-It's just ridiculous how much he influenced the rock guitar. He broke the boundaries of what the guitar was considered capable of, and redefined its role in rock music. The way he experimented gave his guitar a very unique sound, and influenced generations to come. Anytime you hear lots of wah, distortion, and feedback, you can thank Hendrix for that.

2. Jimmy Page-I think what I like most about Jimmy Page is his versatility. He is great at blues guitar, but also did really well with folk rock and other styles ("Kashmir", anyone?). He didn't just excel in one style; he excelled in several styles. Plus, his solos are the stuff of legends ("Heartbreaker" and "Stairway to Heaven" have my favorite Page solos in them).

3. David Gilmour-What really impresses me about David Gilmour is how well his guitar parts fit in with the rest of what the band is playing. You never feel like his guitar is doing too much or too little; as it just seemlessly fits in with the music. His solos reflect this, as they never seem too fast. Rather, they're slow enough to allow you to appreciate what's being played, but fast/skilled enough to avoid sounding "boring".

4. Eddie Van Halen-His skill is absolutely amazing, and even that isn't fully doing him justice. His speed and precision, at the time, was unheard of in the rock and roll music scene. His ability to kick out a major solo helped to up the ante for guitar players everywhere, as they now had a new goal to achieve. His use of double hand tapping really helped give his solos a "wild" quality to them. His riffs are also of note, as they are mildly complex, but still simple enough so you can appreciate them. Overally, a legendary guitarist, fully deserving of his praise.

5. Kirk Hammett-Say what you want about Metallica, but there's no denying that Kirk Hammett is a very skilled guitarist. Able to whip out a lightning fast solo, along with an almost as fast riff, his speed and precision helped to solidify thrash metal as a new force in metal. However, he's also good at slowing it down, and sacraficing some solo time for the good of the song (Notice there's no real "solo" in "For Whom the Bell Tolls", which helps keep the song's marching momentum going, which is important given the theme). However, I think his acoustic parts deserve some recognition, as they were very innovative, and showed true compositional skill on his part ("One" has a GREAT acoustic part, matches the theme well).

Welcome to chordbook Goldenhawk11, you're going to like it here...notice the chatroom too. Hey, great first post on your favorites. Well spoken, thank you!

GuitarZen

Randy Rhoads
Eddie Van Halen
Jimmy Page
Eric Clapton
David Gilmour