Flagship · 100 solos
The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time
The default ranking. We combined 80 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.
Updated October 2026 · ranked from 80 published lists
Key facts
- Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin is the #1 guitar solo of all time by consensus, appearing on 64 of 80 published lists.
- Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd) is #2 on 61 lists; Hotel California (Eagles) is #3 on 61.
- Jimi Hendrix has the most solos in the top 100: 5.
- The 1970s produced the most top-100 solos: 45 of 100.
- The oldest solo in the top 100 is Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry (1958); the newest is Blackbird by Alter Bridge (2007).
- The ranking combines 80 all-time lists, including Rolling Stone (2026), Classic Rock, NME, Guitar World and Guitar Player, plus reader and listener polls.
- 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
- 44Steely Dan · solo by Larry Carlton · 1976
- 45Jimi Hendrix · solo by Jimi Hendrix · 1967
- 46Yngwie Malmsteen · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1984
- 47Pantera · solo by Dimebag Darrell · 1990
- 48Ozzy Osbourne · solo by Zakk Wylde · 1991
- 49Megadeth · solo by Marty Friedman · 1990
- 50Rage Against the Machine · solo by Tom Morello · 1992
- 51Gary Moore · solo by Gary Moore · 1990
- 52The Allman Brothers Band · solo by Dickey Betts · 1973
- 53Van Halen · solo by Eddie Van Halen · 1984
- 54Television · solo by Tom Verlaine · 1977
- 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
- 64AC/DC · solo by Angus Young · 1980
- 65Dream Theater · solo by John Petrucci · 1992
- 66Kiss · solo by Ace Frehley · 1977
- 67Aerosmith · solo by Joe Perry · 1975
- 68Nirvana · solo by Kurt Cobain · 1991
- 69Chicago · solo by Terry Kath · 1970
- 70Ted Nugent · solo by Ted Nugent · 1975
- 71Deep Purple · solo by Ritchie Blackmore · 1972
- 72Queen · solo by Brian May · 1974
- 73ZZ Top · solo by Billy Gibbons · 1973
- 74Deep Purple · solo by Ritchie Blackmore · 1970
- 75ZZ Top · solo by Billy Gibbons · 1983
- 76Neil Young · solo by Neil Young · 1975
- 77AC/DC · solo by Angus Young · 1977
- 78UFO · solo by Michael Schenker · 1974
- 79Pink Floyd · solo by David Gilmour · 1973
- 80Black Sabbath · solo by Tony Iommi · 1970
- 81The White Stripes · solo by Jack White · 2003
- 82Genesis · solo by Steve Hackett · 1973
- 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 80 published rankings, Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin (solo by Jimmy Page) is #1. It appears on 64 of the 80 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 80 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 69 more, plus Guitar World's 21st-century list for modern-era rankings.
More rankings: Top 10 guitar solos · Top 20 · Most beautiful · By year · List vs list · Download the data