I've only been playing for 2 years but apparently I'm really good :p (not my opinion, just what other people tell me), though I know that I've still got a loooooong way to go before I'm anywhere as good as my guitar teacher or any other amazing guitarist. My biggest influence is my guitar teacher, slav simanic, and my favourite guitarists are paul gilbert, marty friedman, buckethead, john petrucci,jeff loomis, adrian smith, and dave murray, thoguh joe satriani, andy laroque, and chuck schulinder, and greg howe are kinda growing on me. I can play a bunch of (complete) songs by metallica, maiden, and system of a down, though I usually just get bored of a song and learn the solo. the best full song i can play is probably master of puppets, the best solo i know is either symphony of destruction or crazy train, and I'm halfway through learning speed metal symphony, which is by far the most difficult song that I have tried to learn without failing miserably :)