Flagship · 100 solos
The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time
The default ranking. We combined 79 published lists, from Rolling Stone and Classic Rock to reader polls and crowd rankings, and scored every solo on how often it appears and how high it places.
- 1Led Zeppelin · solo by Jimmy Page · 1971
- 2Pink Floyd · solo by David Gilmour · 1979
- 3Eagles · solo by Don Felder & Joe Walsh · 1976
- 4Van Halen · solo by Eddie Van Halen · 1978
- 5Lynyrd Skynyrd · solo by Allen Collins & Gary Rossington · 1973
- 6Guns N' Roses · solo by Slash · 1987
- 7Jimi Hendrix · solo by Jimi Hendrix · 1968
- 8Queen · solo by Brian May · 1975
- 9Dire Straits · solo by Mark Knopfler · 1978
- 10Deep Purple · solo by Ritchie Blackmore · 1972
- 11Guns N' Roses · solo by Slash · 1991
- 12The Beatles · solo by Eric Clapton · 1968
- 13Ozzy Osbourne · solo by Randy Rhoads · 1980
- 14Cream · solo by Eric Clapton · 1968
- 15Michael Jackson · solo by Eddie Van Halen · 1982
- 16Chuck Berry · solo by Chuck Berry · 1958
- 17Derek and the Dominos · solo by Eric Clapton & Duane Allman · 1970
- 18Jimi Hendrix · solo by Jimi Hendrix · 1968
- 19Prince · solo by Prince · 1984
- 20Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett · 1988
- 21Stevie Ray Vaughan · solo by Stevie Ray Vaughan · 1983
- 22Ozzy Osbourne · solo by Randy Rhoads · 1980
- 23Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett · 1984
- 24Steve Vai · solo by Steve Vai · 1990
- 25The Rolling Stones · solo by Keith Richards · 1968
- 26Eric Johnson · solo by Eric Johnson · 1990
- 27Led Zeppelin · solo by Jimmy Page · 1970
- 28Radiohead · solo by Jonny Greenwood · 1997
- 29Pink Floyd · solo by David Gilmour · 1973
- 30Jimi Hendrix · solo by Jimi Hendrix · 1967
- 31Jeff Beck · solo by Jeff Beck · 1975
- 32Jimi Hendrix · solo by Jimi Hendrix · 1970
- 33Led Zeppelin · solo by Jimmy Page · 1969
- 34Led Zeppelin · solo by Jimmy Page · 1969
- 35Pearl Jam · solo by Mike McCready · 1991
- 36Stevie Ray Vaughan · solo by Stevie Ray Vaughan · 1983
- 37Joe Satriani · solo by Joe Satriani · 1987
- 38B.B. King · solo by B.B. King · 1969
- 39Queen · solo by Brian May · 1974
- 40Pantera · solo by Dimebag Darrell · 1996
- 41Steely Dan · solo by Elliott Randall · 1972
- 42Jethro Tull · solo by Martin Barre · 1971
- 43Funkadelic · solo by Eddie Hazel · 1971
- 44Jimi Hendrix · solo by Jimi Hendrix · 1967
- 45Yngwie Malmsteen · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1984
- 46Pantera · solo by Dimebag Darrell · 1990
- 47Ozzy Osbourne · solo by Zakk Wylde · 1991
- 48Megadeth · solo by Marty Friedman · 1990
- 49Rage Against the Machine · solo by Tom Morello · 1992
- 50Gary Moore · solo by Gary Moore · 1990
- 51The Allman Brothers Band · solo by Dickey Betts · 1973
- 52Van Halen · solo by Eddie Van Halen · 1984
- 53Television · solo by Tom Verlaine · 1977
- 54Steely Dan · solo by Larry Carlton · 1976
- 55Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett · 1986
- 56Black Sabbath · solo by Tony Iommi · 1970
- 57The Kinks · solo by Dave Davies · 1964
- 58The Beatles · solo by George Harrison · 1969
- 59Santana · solo by Carlos Santana · 1976
- 60Pink Floyd · solo by David Gilmour · 1975
- 61Rage Against the Machine · solo by Tom Morello · 1996
- 62Alter Bridge · solo by Mark Tremonti & Myles Kennedy · 2007
- 63Joe Satriani · solo by Joe Satriani · 1987
- 64Dream Theater · solo by John Petrucci · 1992
- 65Kiss · solo by Ace Frehley · 1977
- 66Aerosmith · solo by Joe Perry · 1975
- 67Nirvana · solo by Kurt Cobain · 1991
- 68Ted Nugent · solo by Ted Nugent · 1975
- 69Deep Purple · solo by Ritchie Blackmore · 1972
- 70Queen · solo by Brian May · 1974
- 71ZZ Top · solo by Billy Gibbons · 1973
- 72Deep Purple · solo by Ritchie Blackmore · 1970
- 73ZZ Top · solo by Billy Gibbons · 1983
- 74Neil Young · solo by Neil Young · 1975
- 75AC/DC · solo by Angus Young · 1977
- 76UFO · solo by Michael Schenker · 1974
- 77Pink Floyd · solo by David Gilmour · 1973
- 78Black Sabbath · solo by Tony Iommi · 1970
- 79AC/DC · solo by Angus Young · 1980
- 80The White Stripes · solo by Jack White · 2003
- 81Genesis · solo by Steve Hackett · 1973
- 82Chicago · solo by Terry Kath · 1970
- 83Rush · solo by Alex Lifeson · 1981
- 84Santana · solo by Carlos Santana · 1970
- 85Neil Young · solo by Neil Young · 1977
- 86The Doors · solo by Robby Krieger · 1967
- 87The Allman Brothers Band · solo by Duane Allman & Dickey Betts · 1972
- 88Megadeth · solo by Marty Friedman & Dave Mustaine · 1990
- 89Eric Clapton · solo by Eric Clapton · 1977
- 90Judas Priest · solo by Glenn Tipton & K.K. Downing · 1978
- 91Extreme · solo by Nuno Bettencourt · 1990
- 92The Allman Brothers Band · solo by Duane Allman & Dickey Betts · 1971
- 93Stray Cats · solo by Brian Setzer · 1981
- 94Muse · solo by Matt Bellamy · 2006
- 95Bon Jovi · solo by Richie Sambora · 1987
- 96Stevie Ray Vaughan · solo by Stevie Ray Vaughan · 1991
- 97Free · solo by Paul Kossoff · 1970
- 98Deep Purple · solo by Ritchie Blackmore · 1972
- 99King Crimson · solo by Robert Fripp · 1969
- 100Cream · solo by Eric Clapton · 1968
Quick answers
What is the greatest guitar solo of all time?
By consensus across 79 published rankings, Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin (solo by Jimmy Page) is #1. It appears on 63 of the 31 lists. Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd is #2 and Hotel California by Eagles is #3.
How is the GreatestSolos ranking calculated?
Each appearance on a published list earns points: weight × (0.35 + 0.65 × position), where position is (101 − rank)/100. Major publications and guitar magazines weigh 1.0; polls, crowd rankings and blogs weigh less. Points are summed across all 31 lists.
Which lists are included?
Rolling Stone (2026), Classic Rock (2018), NME (2017), Guitar World reader polls (2013, 2021), Guitar Player (2024), Guitarist (2011), Planet Rock (2019, 2022), SiriusXM, uDiscover Music and 94 more, plus Guitar World's 21st-century list for modern-era rankings.