It's furnny that you mention some of the people that you do. I used to go to the NAMM shows in Anahiem from '86 to '90 when I was associated with a studio in Pomona, Ca. In that time frame, I met...
* Tony McAlpine
* Paul Gilbert
* Eddie Van Halen (I used to see him and Alex at a sushi bar not too far from where I lived)
* Vivian Campbel
* Ted Nuget (Who was just downright Cool!)
* George Lynch
* Earl Slick
* Ronnie James Dio (I know, he doesn't even play guitar) while taking a leak
... and prolly a couple of others that I don't remember.
The funniest thing about all of this was that I was more of (and still am) a punk (they call it alternative now) player. So I had these Speed Classical licks that I would pull out for parties, jam sessions, and music stores, but then would write songs that had no power cords, no solos, and sounded like a cross between U2, The Police, Malmsteen, Souix and the Banshees, and Judas Priest.
Those were the days.
Now I just like to play and who cares about the rest. I've lately been listening to a lot of SRV (I saw him three times in the 80's) and Mississipi Kid, who may not be as good as SRV was, but is still kinda fun. I'm thinking seriously about finally forcing myself to sit down and learn Scuttle Buttin' like I've been telling myself I'm going to do for some time now.
One more thing: I think the best guitarist ever, even still to this day, is Jason Becker. Ever listen to some of his newer stuff?
Cheers,
BDKR