Couple I have to mention as well:
Steve Lukather, not only an incredible player, but man, i just totally groove to that cat's attitude, vibe and style. I love his interviews, he's so straight up.
Steve Hackett, we know I'm a fan; better to play choice notes that a flurry of notes hoping that in amongst the 600 notes played, there were a few good ones in there.
Steve Howe, he kept me interested. That said, he kept me interested when I was high, so hard to say how that would translate to today's listening experience.
That's a lot of "Steve's"...
I think
Frusciante is a killer player - period. I just hope his departure from RHCP doesn't lead him back from whence he came.
I actually think
John5 is pretty awesome, because he's different.
Paco, period.
Dweezil, obviously.
2 cents, er, 4 cents added... Probably get up to a dollar added by the end of the week
Mo