Nice Question! Difficult to answer, but when i think about it, for me the greatest guitarists of all time would be Eric Clapton and Angus Young...Clapton, in particular, i love his technique, he looks as though his hand is floating/gliding over the fret board and he's so disciplined yet producing such an immense sound that strikes the heart! from time to time, when performing live, he has those moments where he hits some extraordinary solos still maintaining that depth and sophistication that i love(songs especially powerful are Layla, Wonderful tonight and tears in heaven even though it is simple)! As for Angus Young, his energy is what drives me! he has a lot of energy, and his playing style is plain awesome! representing real classic Metal! Other ones that i particularly like (although they are less Metal, not that Clapton is, but still!) are Marcel Dadi, Buster B Jones, Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed. Again, i'm looking at the technique, and Marcel Dadi's technique is striking, he manages to make his one guitar sound like an ensemble playing a particular piece! Woo there's a lot of guitarists, but still going on the list of favourites, i particularly like Jimmy Page (even though for Led Zeppelin in my opinion, i'd say Plant is what differentiates Led Zep from other classic bands his voice is the power!), Steve Vai is awesome, Chris Broderick is totally worth the mention! he's great! And rounding off with the obvious mention of Jimi Hendrix. That's just my opinion though, and being an aspiring guitarist i look for technique and sophistication, not necessarily speed, even though that would be a plus point for many. Eddie Van Halen cannot be forgot! he is fantastic! and basically if you want a demo of his work, check out Eruption!
