[acoustic_andrew]

I'm not much of an 80's rocker or into punk rock and that stuff. but i do play guitar so i listen to contemporary country, contemporary rock, blues rock, jazz etc...

The best mainstream (and i use that term loosley) guitarist today is Brad Paisley. He's not like some where they only play fast for a couple seconds. This guy can play lightning fast and consistently for a looooong time. if you don't believe me, give his song "Time Warp" a try. He's my #1 influence for playing guitar. not exactly saying he's the best in music, but he's in that upper echelon.
My other favorite is John Mayer. He is incredible

of course some other honorable mentions for me are players like BB King, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix.....etc