SpeedOfThought

There indeed haven't been that many people who've focused on experimental guitar sounds that I've come across and I've listened to a ton of music. I really love it though and compiled a little list of 200 artists to check out at my lastfm group "experimental guitar and noise guitar".
My personal favorites are Agata (from Melt-Banana, has a solo album too), Igor Ogogo, & Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. If you really want to hear the craziest, most extreme avant-garde guitar sounds, then you won't be disappointed with God Generator's discography.

Sequoioideae

Everything from Gypsy Jazz, open tuned Indian Raga acid fests, to noise freakouts. He does it all. I've seen glimpses of his more technical side, but he rarely ever shows it.

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Funnel From Another Lover

God Is My Solar System

Chives

John Fahey is considered avant-garde, right? Fahey is my favorite guitarist in general, so if so it is definitely him. Not that I have enough knowledge of avant-garde guitarists to have an informed opinion, but that won't stop me.

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[My last.fm] [My Tumblr]

semiartificial

Bill Harkelroad

estrx

Will Swan from Dance Gavin Dance.

joeybarten

Michael Karoli

Ghora

myspace.com/kulmyblaqwud/music/song/internecion-feat.-adon-fanion-92941656-103240641?play=1

The guy behind kulmy blaqwud plays all these far out chords and atonal melodies and several different instruments, it's pretty impressive when you get behind the theory of what he's playing. Blew my mind.

ShopVacAbortion

Ichirou Agata for sure

p.j.

I saw him in concert with another guitarist in New Haven, CT a long time ago. It was interesting. He has had a long career and explored lots of different styles. He has also used lots of aliases.

Sharrock was wonderful. His cd with Nicky Skopelitis, Faith Moves, is absolutely fantastic as is Ask the Ages. Love his Last Exit music also. I would play Last Exit really loudly when my hippie roommates in college were cranking their Dead bootlegs too loud. It was usually effective.

I was just listening to Desire in the car yesterday. I think that may be my favorite of Belew's solo work. Love both Adrian and Robert. Both did wonderful things with each other in KC and with Bowie. I especially love how both can add "outness" to pop and still kind of fit in. Fripp's lines in Bowie's It's No Game are outstanding in this regard.

Love Jaki...RIP.

Some players I did not see mentioned that are worth mentioning are Eivind Aarsett, Ben Monder, and Leo Abrahams.

Eivend Aarset has worked a lot with trumpeters Nils Petter Molvaer, Jon Hasell, and Arve Henriksen. He is very atmospheric and cinematic. Petter's Khmer cd is a great place to check out his playing although his solo cd on E.C.M. is also really great.

Ben Monder has done a lot of work with vocalist Theo Bleckman. He writes very dense music that can almost be considered modern classical even though he plays electric guitar. He was on Bowie's last cd before he passed. Ben's legato soloing and right hand fingerpicking are truly astounding. "Hatchet Face" off Excavation is something to check out to really get a good sample of what his music is about.

Leo has done a lot work with Brian Eno. His playing, like Eivind Aarset, is very cinematic and not guitaristic sounding. His solo instrumental music is calm and beautiful without being boring. Great to listen to after a hard day at the job.