Peter Hook (Joy division - bass): plays bass like a lead guitarist, and has produced some really really simple but catchy and powerful bass lines (just listen to "the kill").
Tom Morrello (rage against the machine): what can i say... funk on distorted guitar (it does creep into heavy metal in a few of the songs), and some really great effects..
Hendrix/ Clapton (the cream years) : this is something poeple dont seem to realize, Hendrix drew inspiration from cream, and if you listen to "sunshine on your life", you'll realize how "Hendrix" the solos are.
What i like is the fact that there's a main riff, and there are lots of little bits thrown in to spice it up (as opposed to the boring verse chorus verse routine at the moment).
Cobain (nirvana): it's quite impresive how someone who basically based their whole carrer on power chords wrote some great songs.
the list goes on, but those are the main ones at the minute.
