I made a little joke about the Fab Four on another thread, and even though I'm not a fan, I understand the inspiration they've been for countless musicians. So at the suggestion of a fellow forum member (good idea Racehorse), I thought I'd start a thread asking what made you want to play, or what inspires you to keep going. Maybe something helped you get out of a rut. Some artist, album, song, or even just a lick that got that fire going. I'll go first, with a few things that have helped me to stay inspired and keep playing.

Artist: Eric Clapton
He's just my favorite, and has done so many different things. The "Layla" album still blows me away, even more so than the first time I heard it.

Album: Jeff Beck - "Blow By Blow"
My intro to JB, and it caused a radical shift in my approach to the guitar. I'd always thought guitars were for riffing until I heard this record, then I realized there are people among us who sing with their hands.

Song: Pink Floyd - "Comfortably Numb"
I'm sure I'm not the only person who just stopped whatever I was doing the first time I heard Gilmour's solos from this song. I don't know what else to say about it.

Lick: Led Zeppelin - "Bring It On Home"
Man, when Jimmy Page wrapped up the 12-bar intro and lit the fuse under the main riff, I was hooked. That simple little lick was what finally made my mind up for me that I was getting a guitar.

Please feel free to share what inspires you. Maybe we can kick a few ideas around here and help each other find something new to broaden our horizons and help us keep those strings ringing!

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Strat+Tweed=Tone

Any music that I enjoy.

At the moment, it seems bassists Pino Palladino or James Jamerson seems to ends up on tunes I am digging. Funky old school R&B or Motown with a jazz mentality.

My wife and the life we have. That is what inspires me to play every day. I am a very lucky man and all I have to do is look at her and man it is so easy to be inspired.

I believe Seek and Destroy by Metallica was the song that made me want to pick up the guitar. And lately Just Got Paid by ZZ Top has been the one to reignite the fire.

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

Out of all the thunderous riffs those boys have come with, I think that's one of their most unique. I haven't thought about that riff in years! This thread has already paid off for me.

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Strat+Tweed=Tone

I hate to keep sticking my nose in, but between airbornstrat's wife, and go-me!!!'s naysayers, I'm reminded that there are other things that keep us playing, too. Not to get too personal, but in the year since my wife left, guitar-playing has taken on a more personal and therapeutic role for me than it ever had before. I didn't even have deeper meanings, like some of the ones I've seen in just the last hour, in mind when I started the thread, but I'm very pleased to see that people are taking this to heart. It goes to show that guitars are so much more than just wood and wires. Shucks, I'm inspired to go plug in right now. I think I will. See y'all in the morning.

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Strat+Tweed=Tone

Slash from Guns N Roses defaintly inspired me 2 play guitar! Slash is like my everything I love his style of playing; that classic rock, bluesy vibe! Once I heard him & of coarse Izzy play I was hooked & I had to pick up a guitar(:

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"being a rock star is the intersection of who you are, and who you want to be." -Slash

i started playing in 1960. my early heroes were duane eddy, the ventures, and many of the other surf-instrumental bands were among my favorites.

i saw " a hard day's night" in the theatre when it first came out. i became a major beatles fan as well as the whole british invasion. to this day, when i hear any of those songs while driving, i want to go back home and play along.

today, i get excited when i hear guitarists that i haven't paid attention to, or never heard of before, and they blow me away. i listen to sonny landreth. i like the sound of los lonely boys. there's too many to mention.

i probably play guitar longer each day now, than i did many years ago. i haven't lost my desire to learn.

When I was really young we would listen to Stevie Ray Vaughan or Buddy Guy in my grandpas truck anytime we went anywhere. That did it for me.

When I saw the Beatles in 64 at the age of 9 I decided then and there like countless others I was going to be a musician.When I heard Jimi Hendrix for the 1st time I decided to take my playing to another level and became completely obsessed with Jimi and the guitar spending 8 hrs a day or more playing.These days Les Paul is my inspiration as I have developed serious arthritis in my hands and I am bouyed by his perseverence and determination and keep at it despite the horrid pain and fatigue,I refuse to let the jeezly stuff beat me.The song that inspires me most is Voodoo Child (slight return).It is so raw and powerful it just rips me apart.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

i think i always wanted to play, before i even knew names of songs and bands (age 4 was the first time it came up i think).... i got a guitar a few years ago (7) and noodled around with it for about 2 years, then i finally started lessons and continued with that for about 3 years.... for about 8 months i taught myself (i really got back into it in that time) and now im back at lessons.... biggest influences are definitely Angus and Malcom Young, and Kurt Cobain

ps: sorry for the life story lol

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Favorite bands:

Melvins
The Jesus Lizard
Cows
Big Business
R***man
Minutemen
Flight
Minor Threat
Big Black
Shellac
Karp
Scratch Acid
Wipers
Pixies

My wife inspires me to play Ballads.

My kids inspire me to play hard.

My old job inspired me to play Bluesy.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

This'll probably sound weird and you'll think I'm some kind of freak but what inspires me to play is exhaustion. When I come home from work, the more drained I am feeling, the better I play and the more creative I seem to become. I'll sit on my back porch with my acoustic, or Tele plugged into my battery amp, sink a beer or two, and I'll just start strumming a few chords. Before long I'll be off on a little journey. It's my main form of relaxation and is what gives me immense satisfaction when it comes together.

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MIM Std Tele, MIM HSS Strat, Homemade Mongrel Tele, Blues Jr, Champ600, coupla pedals...sweeeet!

My first real record album was The Batman Theme by the Marketts, so I grew up with the sounds of surf rock in my ears. As a teen I got into the Beatles, Queen, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, ELO and other groups of that era. In my early twenties I discovered the blues. Add to that my mother's love of 50s rock & roll and my father's passion for classical music, and you have a pretty good picture of my influences.

I just started playing guitar two years ago. Not surprisingly, it was two surf tunes that inspired me to take the plunge: "A Cheat" by the Blue Hawaiians and "Walk Don't Run" by the Ventures. In fact, I was driving along, listening to a CD called Big Waves: Five Decades of Surf Rock, when I turned to my wife and said, "That's it, dammit. I'm getting a guitar!" And about two months later I got my Strat.

I've been learning some surf tunes, but I most enjoy playing the blues. My current guitar hero is Muddy Waters. My ideal tone would combine Muddy's technique with the timbre from ZZ Top's "Blue Jean Blues."

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I really like all them "Aster" guitars. You know, like the Stratoc, Telec and Jazzm.