Name: Ben Powell

Track entered: The Chalice Well

Current main guitar: Lowden O25

Another finalist to have crossed over from the world of rock and blues, 34-year-old Ben explains his transition: "I spent my early years trying to imitate the tone of Eric Clapton and Peter Green. I was 26 before I heard Martin Taylor's album Solo. From that moment I locked myself in a room for the next seven years and taught myself how to play fingerstyle."

Currently busking around Italy, Ben says of the competition: "As a lifelong reader of Guitarist, to win would make a boyhood dream a reality. I am also aware it is a huge accolade, and puts the winner in very fine company indeed."

Random fact: Ben suspects he is allergic to cheese, but still consumes it with reckless abandon.