Where does guitar improvisation come from?

[rcwilk]

To become a better improviser, here is my recipe. These are not in order - practice all of them continually.
1) Learn the instrument - learn where the notes are on the fretboard.

So how deeply do you suggest one learns the notes? I mean it is one thing to stop and say, hmm, that is a F# in this key. It's quite another to play the note as you are reading it off a piece of sheet music.

RC