For the person who asked, yes i'm new around here. For the person who brought up the blues/string-bending thing you've got it right, i'm very much blues oriented because my friend who taught me started my soloing with stuff like Hendrix and Zepplin. My first solo was a very basic version off All along the watchtower without the bends in it. Later I found the bending the strings and holding notes was a good thing to do if trying to simplify a solo.

Dont get me wrong, i love to play fast but i dont have as much variety when it comes to playing fast patterns of notes. My style with speed was influenced a lot by Kirk Hammet coz when i first started i was nuts on metallica. I later added fast stuff from Slash, Blackmore and Page.

I find the great guitarists are the ones who can use an effective combination of slow and fast solos: it gives a greater musical variety. My favourite player is Alex Lifeson from Rush and what i like best about his playing is that he achieves this balance superbly. (Oh, and he's a ****ing genius with string bends :)