a few of my current favorite guitarists:

Antoine Dufour: my inspiration when it comes to acoustic guitar. Obviously the appeal of his playing for most people are the unconventional percussive techniques he uses, but he also doesn't rely on them as merely a gimmick. His compositions are all very musically interesting.

Jonny Greenwood: has a really nice minimalistic style and adds a lot of colour to Radiohead's songs. Probably the best example of the sort of guitar style I aspire towards, very rhythmic, but also intricate, and blending into the song instead of trying to solo over it and be the dominant instrument.

John MacLaughlin: a technically skilled, musically knowledgable jazz guitarist who plays with far more intensity and passion than any speed metal player. Listen to the title track off of Birds of Fire if you're one of those cool kids who thinks jazz music can't be as radical and extreme as your metal.

Buckethead: I first became obsessed with buckethead during my shred guitar phase. I'm still a big fan of him however, as he has proven with several albums (colma namely) that he is capable of writing haunting, beautiful music that doesn't rely on flashy, lightning fast solos.