The 25 Greatest Guitar Instrumentals
These are tracks where the guitar carries the whole song, not just a break in the middle. The ranking uses how often each instrumental appears in published guitar-solo lists, from 1950s surf and rock and roll to 1980s shred and fusion.
Informed by: Guitar World – Readers' Top 50 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time (2013), Bombay Lives – 100 Greatest Guitar Solos (2008), Eric Alper – The 25 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time (2025), Gitarzysta – 100 solówek wszech czasów [100 solos of all time] (2006), Guitarist – The 20 Greatest Guitar Solos Of All Time (2011), Guitar Player – The Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time (GuitarPlayer.com readers' poll) (2024), Guitar Solo Legends – The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — Ranked (2026) (2026), Guitar World – The 50 greatest guitar solos of all time (2021), Guitar World (via Sweetwater) – The 100 Best Guitar Solos (2006), Chaospin – The 30 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time (2026), TheTopTens – Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time, GuitarMetrics – 25 Best Guitar Solos of All Time (Ranked) (2026), Orchestra Central – 30 Best Guitar Solos of All Time (2023), guitarguitar – Top 50 Guitar Solos of All Time (2026), Guitar Tricks – 200 Best Guitar Solos of All Time, Ranker – The Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time, Rolling Stone – The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time (2026), Classic Rock – The 100 greatest guitar solos in rock (2018), Digital Dream Door – 250 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos (2018), Planet Rock – The 75 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time (2022), Planet Rock – The Top 40 Greatest Guitar Solos Ever (2019), SensCritique – Top 100 des meilleurs solos de guitare [Top 100 best guitar solos], Kobalog – ギター好きが選んだ、歴史に残したい最強のギターソロランキング、トップ２０！！【完コピ必須】 [The strongest guitar solos worth preserving in history, chosen by guitar lovers: Top 20] (2019), Guitarhabits – 50 of The Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time (2014), NME – 50 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time (2017), Musician Tuts – The 51 Best Guitar Solos Of All Time (2018), Terra – Os 50 melhores solos de guitarra da história [The 50 best guitar solos in history] (2022), SiriusXM – 50 Baddest Guitar Solos (2024), Thomann – 25 Iconic Guitar Solos (2024), uDiscover Music – The Best Guitar Solos Of All Time: 108 Amazing Moments (2026), Music in Minnesota – 38 Best Guitar Solos Of All Time (2023)
- 1Van Halen · solo by Eddie Van Halen · 1978
- 2Steve Vai · solo by Steve Vai · 1990
- 3Eric Johnson · solo by Eric Johnson · 1990
- 4Jeff Beck · solo by Jeff Beck · 1975
- 5The Allman Brothers Band · solo by Dickey Betts · 1973
- 6Joe Satriani · solo by Joe Satriani · 1987
- 7Joe Satriani · solo by Joe Satriani · 1987
- 8Yngwie Malmsteen · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1984
- 9Funkadelic · solo by Eddie Hazel · 1971
- 10Santana · solo by Carlos Santana · 1976
- 11Rush · solo by Alex Lifeson · 1978
- 12Stevie Ray Vaughan · solo by Stevie Ray Vaughan · 1984
- 13Steve Vai · solo by Steve Vai · 1995
- 14Yngwie Malmsteen · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1984
- 15Rush · solo by Alex Lifeson · 1981
- 16Frank Zappa · solo by Frank Zappa · 1979
- 17Dick Dale & the Del-Tones · solo by Dick Dale · 1962
- 18Link Wray · solo by Link Wray · 1958
- 19Al Di Meola & Paco de Lucía · solo by Al Di Meola & Paco de Lucía · 1977
- 20Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield · 1986
- 21Santana · solo by Carlos Santana · 1970
- 22Jeff Beck · solo by Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page · 1967
- 23The Shadows · solo by Hank Marvin · 1960
- 24Jeff Beck · solo by Jeff Beck · 1975
- 25Extreme · solo by Nuno Bettencourt · 1990