If there was one guys that you could play like who would it be

Chris Poland, Andy Timmons, and Mikael Akerfeldt.

Chris for his overall sound and amazing legato technique.

Andy for his phrasing and overall feel.

Mikael isn't a real technical chops type of player but has the ability to create interesting, memorable, melodic leads with a lot of dynamics and emotion (which I personally favor vs. speed or "let's see how many scales/modes I can use in one song" type soloing). Rhythm-wise I've always loved the strange dissonant chords he comes up with and his incredibly creative use of harmony between different guitar parts.
 
try to stick to one guys, It's easy to rattle off a list (mine would be huge) I'm more interested in "the guy" that you really wish you could emulate.
 
I wouldn't want to play just like him, but Bill Frisell would be my model if I had to pick one of someone tapped into the various musics I like. From playing jazz with some of the best, to writing his own great genre hopping tunes, to playing with and curating singer/songwriter festivals, soundtracks (Far Side and movies) to playing with African musicians, to the best of Nashville (Jerry Douglas among others...Danny Barnes), to making records with John Scofield, now playing with Charles Lloyd, making a Lennon CD...making a gazillion CDs both on his own and with others (left his last record company because he didn't want to be limited in how many he could make).

He's got his fingers in more interesting and diverse pies than anyone I know and I totally love hearing him live. I dig his records, too, but live he's even more adventurous and always compelling. He's not for everybody, particularly those who want to hear a million notes, but this dude channels music like nobody else I know on guitar.
 
Strangely enough, for me (at the moment at least :)) despite having grown up a devout metalhead, I don't hanker to be like Dave Murray, Steve Vai or John Petrucci - possibly because I know I couldn't ever really attain such heights, particularly the latter two of course... but these days I find that Bonamassa is the guy I'd like to be

Perhaps more oddly, I don't know how to play a single song of his - never tried! There's just something about how he goes about it... even if it really isn't 'anything new' or 'outlandishly virtuosic' as such. I guess it's partly because he sings so well too, but yeah, he just lives, breathes and oozes it :)
 
Cover'd said:
Strangely enough, for me (at the moment at least :)) despite having grown up a devout metalhead, I don't hanker to be like Dave Murray, Steve Vai or John Petrucci - possibly because I know I couldn't ever really attain such heights, particularly the latter two of course... but these days I find that Bonamassa is the guy I'd like to be

Perhaps more oddly, I don't know how to play a single song of his - never tried! There's just something about how he goes about it... even if it really isn't 'anything new' or 'outlandishly virtuosic' as such. I guess it's partly because he sings so well too, but yeah, he just lives, breathes and oozes it :)
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Try Django, the Live at the Royal Albert Hall version. I heard it once and fell in love with it. Phrasing, note choice, epicness, everything.
 
Eric Johnson - He's the package. Blazing speed, flawless note selection and phrasing, plays the sh*t out of an acoustic guitar, amazing harmonic understanding (his chord voicings are killer), tone to die for...ya, EJ... :eagerness:
 
Hands down (no pun intended) Guthrie Govan. Reason is I think he's the culmination of all guitar technique, feel and theory to date. I think he's touched on every guitarist that's been listed here and absorbed all they have.
 
I have to go with Eddie Van Halen, he was my first guitar hero back around 1980, I couldn't get enough. His music has bounce to it and it always seems to be full of energy. Really fun to play.

Nuno Bettencourt is a close second, he wrote very funky (maybe "bouncy" as well) riffs that had a lot of grooving going on. Criminally underrated, at least in my mind.
 
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