1. Tony MacAlpine

Tony plays the guitar and keyboards and is technically proficient in both. He is known for blending elements of neo-classical metal and jazz fusion. One of Tony's principal musical influences is Chopin and tribute is given by beautifully played Etudes of Chopin on most of his solo albums. Also noteworthy is MacAlpine's versatility in musical styles, He has covered just about the whole spectrum of musical styles throughout his solo career, often with songs that would usually be considered to be in different genres appearing next to one another on the same album. His solo album Edge of Insanity along with Yngwie's Rising Force are to me the pinnacle of guitar instrumental music.

2. Yngwie Malmsteen

Yngwie single-handledly invented the neo-classical metal genre of music. He was instrumental in advancing guitar playing from the Eddie Van Halen/Randy Rhodes influence to the now famous classical oriented style. He is what made me want to play guitar back in 1985. He remains the player for which modern guitarist in general are measured against.

3. Vinnie Moore

Vinnie began his professional career at age of 12 and played clubs and bars until Shrapnel executive Mike Varney discovered him. Vinnie recorded his first solo album, Mind's Eye, released on Shrapnel Records and featured Tony MacAlpine on keyboards. The album received several awards from guitar magazines and is one of the best instrumental albums of all time.

4. Joe Satriani

Joe is a rock guitarist and former guitar instructor. His success is notable in a genre typically unfriendly to instrumental musicians. Joe has received 14 Grammy nominations and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. His self-released debut album, Not of This Earth, opened the way to a world of instrumental rock music in what was then a pop-dominated world. Influenced heavily by Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, Joe often incorporates a warm sound of guitar with a dominant blues tone. His most notable pupils include Steve Vai, Kirk Hammett (Metallica), David Bryson (Counting Crows), Kevin Cadogan (Third Eye Blind), Larry LaLonde (Primus, Possessed), Alex Skolnick (Testament), Rick Hunolt (Exodus), Phil Kettner (Laaz Rockit) and Charlie Hunter.

5. Randy Rhoads

Randy was a heavy metal guitarist who is best known for playing with Ozzy Osbourne. Despite his short career, he died in a plane crash in 1982 at 26 years old, he is cited as an influence by many contemporary heavy metal guitarists. A devoted student of classical guitar, Rhoads often combined his classical music influences with his own heavy metal style. He along with Eddie Van Halen dominated the guitar world until Yngwie arrived on the scene.

6. Eddie Van Halen

Whilst relatively commonplace today, Eddie's ground-breaking techniques were originally a closely guarded secret; before the release of Van Halen's first album, Eddie would often play solos and more complex riffs with his back to the live audience. His innovative use of two-handed tapping, natural and artificial harmonics, vibrato, and tremolo picking have influenced an entire generation of guitarists. Two notable examples of his skills are the instrumental "Eruption" showcasing the two-handed tapping technique (The solo in "Eruption" was also voted #2 on Guitar World magazine's readers poll of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos). Another being "Cathedral" showcasing hammered notes on the fret board with one hand while rolling the volume knob with the other. This altered the attack and decay of the notes so they mimicked the sound of a keyboard.

7. George Lynch

George is a highly respected guitarist often compared with other guitar heroes such as Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads and Steve Vai. George is well known for his famous legato technique and common use of the scale he calls the 'Gothic Octave'. His work with Dokken provides a vast canvas of extremely creative and innovative guitar work.