Is It Still Rock If There's No Guitars?
 

like would you consider a keyboardist & drummer duo a rock band or is it something else?

are guitars a necessary part of what distinguishes a 'rock' band from any other type of band?

I certainly think they're an important part, but not necessarily the ends all to rock music in my humble opinion. For lack of better wording, it's all up to the ears to decide. If you think it sounds like rock, then I guess it is.

Pretty sure Ben Folds Five was considered piano rock.

I'd consider two hobos banging tin cans off a wall a rock band if it sounded like rock music.

What distinguishes a rock band from any other type of band, say a jazz band, is the style of music that they're playing regardless of what instruments they're playing.

Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver" had no guitars just keyboards and drums.

Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elton John say yes.

ELECTRONIC ROCK MUSIC.

EDIT: I'm almost certain that there's a guitar in here but go listen to Bontempi Latin and see what they can do with electronics.

I dont think guitars are needed for rock music. Some might argue it as pop with just keyboards and drums, but i feel like it can go either way.

Well seeing as Rock is used to describe everything from Nine Inch Nails to Neil Young, I think it's interpretable anyway. But yes, I don't think instrumentation neccessarily dominates a genre. I mean, you could say saxaphone is a trademark of jazz but it doesn't mean all saxaphone music is jazz or all jazz music has saxaphone.

No IMO guitars are not necessary for something to be "rock" because it is the music style not the instruments involved that counts.