Who are the players that have influenced you the most, and how have they done so?

Mine have changed a lot recently, as I've steered away from heavy metal playing towards jazz fusion and alternative rock. My main influences are John McLaughlin (the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Shakti), Robbie Krieger (the Doors), George Benson, Buck Dharma (Blue Oyster Cult), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd, solo) and Chris deGarmo (Queensryche, Jerry Cantrell).

My approach to jamming and composition is pretty much a mixture of John's exoticism and George's smooth-jazz style. Robbie has influenced my rhythm playing a lot, I like the way he plays loosely with occasional linear fills. My rock lead playing sounds a bit like Buck's, in that it's tense and energetic, and a bit like David's, in that it's based around the blues with lots of vibrato and wide bending. And Chris? I'm influenced by him in that I'm constantly trying to get a tone that's half as awesome as his! :D

That said, although these players have influenced me, my "skills"(or lack thereof) shouldn't really be on the same page as theirs!