John Anthony Frusciante (born March 5, 1970) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he has recorded five studio albums. Frusciante also maintains an active solo career, having released nine albums under his own name, as well as two collaborations with Josh Klinghoffer and Joe Lally, under the name Ataxia. His solo recordings incorporate a variety of elements ranging from experimental rock and ambient music to New Wave and electronica. Drawing influence from guitarists of various genres, Frusciante emphasizes melody and emotion in his guitar playing, and favors vintage guitars and analog recording techniques.

Frusciante joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the age of eighteen, first appearing on the band’s 1989 album Mother’s Milk. The group’s follow-up album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, was a breakthrough success. However, he was overwhelmed by the band’s newfound popularity and as a result quit in 1992. He became a recluse and entered a long period of heroin addiction, during which he released his first recordings: Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt and Smile from the Streets You Hold. In 1998, Frusciante successfully completed drug rehabilitation and rejoined the Chili Peppers for their 1999 album Californication. Since then he has continued to record with the band and has received critical recognition for his guitar playing, ranking eighteenth on Rolling Stone’s list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" in 2003.

Frusciante was born in Queens, New York on March 5, 1970. His father, John Sr., was a Juilliard-trained pianist, and his mother Gail was a promising vocalist who gave up her career to be a stay-at-home mother.Frusciante’s family relocated to Tucson, Arizona, and then Florida, where his father still serves as a Broward County judge. His parents separated, and he and his mother subsequently moved to Santa Monica, California.

Frusciante’s musical style has evolved significantly throughout his years of playing. Although he has received moderate recognition for his guitar work in the past, it was not until Stadium Arcadium that music critics and guitarists alike began to fully recognize his work. Frusciante attributes this to his shift in focus, stating that he chose an approach based on rhythmic patterns that were inspired by the complexity of material Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen produced. On preceding records, however, he centered much of his output around the influence of various underground punk and New Wave musicians. In general, his sound is also defined by an affinity for vintage guitars. All the guitars that he owns, records, and tours with were crafted prior to 1970. Frusciante’s most prized instrument is a 1957 Gretsch White Falcon, which he used twice per show during the By the Way tour. He has since removed the White Falcon from his repertoire, feeling there was "no room for it". Virtually all of Frusciante’s acoustic work is played with a vintage 1950s Martin 0-15.

Frusciante uses a variety of vocal styles on his solo albums, ranging from the distressed screeches heard on Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt and Smile from the Streets You Hold, to more conventional styles on subsequent records. With the Chili Peppers, Frusciante provides backing vocals in a falsetto tenor, a style he established on Blood Sugar Sex Magik. He thoroughly enjoys his role in the Chili Peppers as backup singer, and feels that backing vocals are a "real art form". Despite his commitment to the Chili Peppers, he feels very strongly that his solo material and his contributions to the band should remain separate. When he returned to the Chili Peppers in 1999, Kiedis wanted the band to record "Living in Hell", a song Frusciante had written several years prior. Frusciante rejected the request, feeling that the creative freedom he needs for his solo projects could conflict with his role in the band.

Francisco de Asís Tárrega Eixea, (21 November 1852 — 15 December 1909) was an influential Spanish composer and guitarist. He is often considered to be the father of modern classical guitarplaying.

Francisco Tárrega’s music and style of guitar playing became strongly influential in the twentieth century. He was central to reviving the guitar as a solo instrument in recital and concerts. His output was modest, with just 78 original scores and 120 transcriptions - mostly for his own use - of great classical compositions. Among his most popular works for the guitar are Recuerdos de la Alhambra, Capricho Árabe and Danza Mora.

He is also the composer of what has been claimed to be "probably the world’s most heard tune": the Nokia ringtone, Nokia tune, or simply Nokia, also used in advertising spots, is based on Tárrega’s Gran Vals. His music also inspired Mike Oldfield to arrange Tárrega’s tremolo study Recuerdos de la Alhambra for the soundtrack of the film "The Killing Fields".

As with several of his Spanish contemporaries, such as his friend Isaac Albéniz, he had an interest in combining the prevailing Romantic trend in classical music with Spanish folk elements, and transcribed several of Albéniz’s piano pieces. The noted contemporary guitarist and composer Angelo Gilardino has written that Tárrega’s 9 Preludios are "… the deepest musical thought of Tárrega in the most concentrated form."

As a composer Tárrega was conservative, restricting his style to the general trends in the second half of the 19th century. A virtuoso on his instrument, he was known as the "Sarasate of the guitar".

Tárrega is considered to have laid the foundations for 20th century classical guitar and for increasing interest in the guitar as a recital instrument. Tárrega preferred small intimate performances over the concert stage. Some believe this was because he played without the nails needed for volume. Others say this was related to his childhood trauma.

Jim Fuller (born 1947, California, USA) is the lead guitarist and co-song writer of the famous 1960s rock band, The Surfaris. He is known as the "Godfather" of surf music, a Californian folk rock music that is also the early roots of heavy metal and punk. Jim Fuller with his Fender Guitar photos and sound on the Surfaris albums gave Leo Fender a large increase both in national and global sales. His name is on the "Hollywoods Rock Walk of Fame".Fuller’s lead guitar work has influenced, and is copied by many rock musicians. He was in the 1960s rock band the Seeds. Also, he is a studio musician that has performed on many other recorded rock, folk and blues songs though out his career, doing vocals, lead and bass guitar.  He continues to perform with the Surfaris and other bands as of 2004, with a fan base in United States, Europe and Japan.

Justin Steward Furstenfeld (born December 14, 1975 in Houston, Texas) is a record producer, artist, and the lead singer, guitarist, lyricist and frontman of the American rock band Blue October.

Growing up, Furstenfeld listened to hip-hop, rock, country, dance; his favorite artists included Marvin Gaye, The Smiths, Red House Painters and Pink Floyd.He has written over 500 songs and counts among his influences: Michael Stipe, The Cure, The Smiths, The Pixies, Peter Gabriel, Idaho, Elliott Smith, Blue Miller, George Winston, Jean Michel Basquiat and U2. His first musical memory was Roy Orbison’s ballad, "Crying".During his high school years at Houston’s prestigious The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, he met Ryan Paul Delahoussaye, to which they played in a band, The Last Wish, from the age of 13 until 1995 When performing solo, Furstenfeld uses the moniker 5591; the number 5591 was his patient number when he was admitted to a mental institution following a breakup with his then-girlfriend Amanda. He tells this story in the confessionals on the Argue With a Tree DVD.

When not touring with his band, Furstenfeld resides with his wife Lisa and daughter Blue (born in 2007) in San Marcos, Texas. He is the brother of Blue October drummer, Jeremy Furstenfeld.

Justin Furstenfeld has battled with bipolar disorder through most of his life. He has his condition under control, saying in an interview that "“I’m not a danger to myself"  While running the bases at a minor league baseball field in Clearwater, Florida, he broke his leg and required surgery, which resulted in the postponement of several concert dates and had many stand-ins playing guitar while he just sang. According to a VH1 online article about the band, "Into the Ocean" has had an impact on many listeners who may have been contemplating suicide.

In August of 2008, Furstenfeld toured with Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series, in a sold out 4-city book/concert tour.

Edgar Wilmar Froese (born 6 June 1944) is a German artist and electronic music pioneer, best known for co-founding the electronic music group, Tangerine Dream. Although most of his solo and group recordings name him as "Edgar Froese", his most recent solo albums bear the artist name "Edgar W. Froese".

Edgar Froese has declared himself to be a non-smoker, non drug user, and vegetarian.

Froese was born in Tilsit, East Prussia, during World War II. After showing an early aptitude for art, Froese enrolled at the Academy of the Arts in West Berlin to study painting and sculpture.  Froese’s encounter with Salvador Dalí was highly influential, inspiring him to pursue more experimental directions with his music. The Ones disbanded in 1967, having released only one single.In 1965, he formed a band called The Ones, which played rock and R&B standards at popular bohemian nightclubs. While playing in Spain, The Ones were invited to perform at Salvador Dalí’s villa in Cadaqués.

After returning to Berlin, Froese began recruiting musicians for the free-rock band that would become Tangerine Dream.
 

Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946 in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England) is a guitarist, composer and a record producer, perhaps best known for being the guitarist for, and only constant member of, the progressive rock band King Crimson. His work, spanning five decades, encompasses a variety of musical styles. He is married to Toyah Willcox. Fripp was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

Fripp’s earliest professional work began in 1967, when he responded to an ad looking for a singing organist for a band being formed by bassist Peter Giles and drummer Michael Giles, despite being neither a singer nor an organist. Though unsuccessful as a live act, Giles, Giles and Fripp did manage to release two singles, as well as an album, The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp.

Fripp began playing guitar at the age of eleven. He says he was tone deaf with no sense of rhythm when he started. His comment on dealing with the obstacle is "Music so wishes to be heard that it sometimes calls on unlikely characters to give it voice."

While being taught guitar basics by his teacher Don Strike, he began to develop the technique of crosspicking, which would later become a significant technique taught in Guitar Craft.

In 1984, Fripp began using the New Standard Tuning, which would also become the official tuning of Guitar Craft.

Fripp is left-handed, but plays a right-handed guitar.

Robert Fripp worked at Microsoft’s studios to record new sounds and atmospheres for Windows Vista.

During 2004, Fripp toured with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai as the guitar trio G3.

In late 2005 and early 2006, Fripp joined Bill Rieflin’s improvisational Slow Music project, along with guitarist Peter Buck, Fred Chalenor, Matt Chamberlain and Hector Zazou. This collective of musicians toured the west coast in May 2006.

In October 2006, ProjeKct Six played at select venues on the east coast of the U.S., opening for Porcupine Tree.

Fripp has contributed soundscapes to two songs for Porcupine Tree’s Fear of a Blank Planet. He is featured on the tracks "Way Out Of Here" and "Nil Recurring", the second of which was released in September 2007 as part of the "Nil Recurring" EP.

Marty Friedman (born Martin Adam Friedman, December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist. He was the lead/rhythm guitarist for the thrash metal band Megadeth for close to ten years. He now resides in Japan. He hosted his own television programs, Rock Fujiyama and Jukebox English on Japanese television.

Friedman is a largely self-taught guitarist,known for his improvisation and for fusing an Eastern musical feel with Western musical styles, such as neo-classical, thrash metal and later into progressive rock. When playing, Friedman often arpeggiates chords using a picking technique called sweep picking.

Friedman has played a variety of guitars throughout his career. In his days with Cacophony, Friedman played Hurricane guitars, then Carvin guitars, primarily a V220M model. He also would use Carvin on his first solo recording, Dragon’s Kiss.

Prior to joining Megadeth, he formed and played lead guitar in several other bands, including Deuce, Hawaii, Vixen, and notably Cacophony. Cacophony featured neoclassical metal elements and synchronized twin guitar harmonies and counterpoints shared with guitarist Jason Becker on their two albums, Go Off! and Speed Metal Symphony.

When Marty joined Megadeth in 1989, he switched over from Carvin to Jackson Guitars. Primarily, he was responsible for popularizing the now highly acclaimed Jackson Kelly guitar, a sleeker and faster version of the Gibson Explorer Z style shape. The first line of KE1s, which were his signature models, had alder bodies with maple neck through construction and a single Seymour Duncan JB pickup as well as a Kahler Fine-tuning fixed bridge. Later versions of the KE1 would have a Floyd Rose double locking tremolo in place of the Kahler.

Marty used Jackson guitars up until 2000, when the company was bought out by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Since 2000, Marty has endorsed Ibanez guitars. He has produced a signature model with Ibanez, but this model is as of now only available in Japan and not in the US.

It is hotly contested what amplifiers Marty first used with Megadeth on their landmark album "Rust in Peace." He almost definitely used a Bogner Triple Giant and a Tube Works solid-state preamp for solos, along with a VHT 2150 power amp. Marty and Dave Mustaine both used Custom Audio Electronics 3+ Preamps and VHT 2150 power amps on the commercially successful "Countdown to Extinction" and "Youthanasia" albums. When recording started on "Cryptic Writings, Marty switched to Crate Amplifiers.Contrary to popular belief the Bogner Fish, which is often cited as the preamp for the album, was first released one year after the album debuted, therefore making it impossible to be the preamp of use on this album, that is unless he received a pre-production model.  He used these on all of his recordings after Youthanasia, primarily using Crate’s highly successful Blue Voodoo tube amplifiers. As of 2007 however, Crate has discontinued the Blue Voodoo and Marty now uses ENGL amplifiers. He uses Special Edition heads and Vintage cabinets from ENGL.

John French (born 20 July 1952), better known with his stage name Jay Jay French or J.J. French, is the founding member and one of the two guitarists of the American heavy metal band, Twisted Sister.

Born in New York City, New York, French briefly used the stage name Johnny Heartbreaker in the first years of his career.  It was when French was recovering from a serious bout of mononucleosis, that he first heard rock and roll while scanning the AM dial.Rumour has it that his real name is John Fred Segall but he has stated that his only legal name is John French. He is the owner of French Management and Rebellion Entertainment along with his business partner, Sean Sullivan. He has a signature guitar model made by Epiphone. French is credited with playing the guitar solo on the song "The Chainsaw Buffet", by the band Lordi, on their 2006 release The Arockalypse.

As revealed during his interview with Maul Stanley, Jay Jay was in attendance for the world premiere of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi in 1983. Though he originally had no idea that the actors and producers of the film would be in attendance, he ultimately referred to it as, "an experience I will never, ever forget."

Matthew Friedberger (born October 21, 1972 in Oak Park, Illinois) is half of the indie rock duo The Fiery Furnaces. In the band he contributes the majority of the instrumentation, writes most of the songs and lyrics and occasionally sings. His sister, Eleanor Friedberger, does most of the vocals and writes some lyrics.

Matthew and Eleanor grew up singing with their grandmother Olga Sarantos and family in a Greek Orthodox Church. Details of events in Sarantos’ life are depicted on the Rehearsing My Choir album.

Prior to starting The Fiery Furnaces, Matthew Friedberger played in bands including Corndolly, Liquorette, The Mezzanines and The Grand Vizars.

The first song Matt ever wrote was in fourth grade. He was assigned to make a weather barometer for class but didn’t feel like doing that, so instead he convinced his teacher to let him write a song on the piano about weather. The song was titled “Cumulous Nimbus Cloud” and was what Matt describes as "mostly pounding on the piano".

At the age of 17, Matthew moved to Germany only to return shortly thereafter. He attended the University of Illinois for a while and continued to live there, writing comic books, until the age of 26 when he moved back home. It was after moving home that he encouraged Eleanor to start singing. The two wrote the song Duffer St. George one night while discussing a recent trip Eleanor took to England and The Fiery Furnaces began.

Aside from his work with The Fiery Furnaces, Friedberger released a two-disc solo album, titled Winter Women and Holy Ghost Language School by 859 Recordings in August 2006. He dedicated the album to his sister, saying later in an interview, "we dedicated all records to our parents, so I thought it was appropriate that this record be dedicated to Eleanor".
 

Fred Frith (born February 17, 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.

Probably best-known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-garde rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew. He has collaborated with a number of prominent musicians, including Robert Wyatt, Brian Eno, Lars Hollmer, The Residents, Lol Coxhill, John Zorn, Bill Laswell, Derek Bailey, Iva Bittová and Bob Ostertag. He has also composed several long works, including Traffic Continues.

Frith is the subject of Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel’s award-winning 1990 documentary film Step Across the Border. He has contributed to a number of music publications, including New Musical Express and Trouser Press, and has conducted improvising workshops across the world. Frith’s career spans over three decades and he appears on over 400 albums. He still performs actively throughout the world.

Currently Frith is Professor of Composition in the Music Department at Mills College in Oakland, California. He lives in the United States with his wife, German photographer Heike Liss and their children, Finn Liss and Lucia Liss.

Frith is the brother of Simon Frith, a well-known music critic and sociologist, and Chris Frith, a psychologist working at University College London.

Frith was awarded the 2008 Demetrio Stratos Prize for his career achievements in experimental music. The prize was established in 2006 in honour of experimental vocalist Demetrio Stratos who died in 1979.

Fred Frith has used a number of different guitars, including homemades, over the years, depending on the type of music he is playing. For the more structured and refined music he has often used a Gibson 345, for example on his solo album, Gravity. For the heavier "rock" sound, as in Massacre, he has used an old 1961 solid body Burns guitar, created by the British craftsman Jim Burns. On his landmark Guitar Solos album, Frith used a modified 1936 Gibson K-11 guitar.