# Guitar World (2013) vs the Consensus > Guitar World's greatest guitar solos list compared with 80 other rankings. Its #1: Eruption. Agreements, bold picks and omissions. Canonical URL: Guitar World's list, “Readers' Top 50 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time,” puts Eruption by Van Halen at #1. The consensus #1 is Stairway to Heaven. Of the solos it ranks, 49 are in the GreatestSolos Consensus 100, and 6 of its top 10 are also in the consensus top 10. Updated October 2026 · we show only where lists agree and differ; see [the original list at Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/uncategorized/copy-top-50) for the full ranking. ## Where they agree The highest consensus picks that Guitar World also ranked. | Solo | Guitar World | Consensus | |---|---|---| | [Stairway to Heaven](https://greatestsolos.com/song/led-zeppelin-stairway-to-heaven/) — Led Zeppelin, 1971 | #3 | #1 | | [Comfortably Numb](https://greatestsolos.com/song/pink-floyd-comfortably-numb/) — Pink Floyd, 1979 | #2 | #2 | | [Hotel California](https://greatestsolos.com/song/eagles-hotel-california/) — Eagles, 1976 | #6 | #3 | | [Eruption](https://greatestsolos.com/song/van-halen-eruption/) — Van Halen, 1978 | #1 | #4 | | [Free Bird](https://greatestsolos.com/song/lynyrd-skynyrd-free-bird/) — Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1973 | #7 | #5 | | [Sweet Child O' Mine](https://greatestsolos.com/song/guns-n-roses-sweet-child-o-mine/) — Guns N' Roses, 1987 | #41 | #6 | | [All Along the Watchtower](https://greatestsolos.com/song/jimi-hendrix-all-along-the-watchtower/) — Jimi Hendrix, 1968 | #29 | #7 | | [Bohemian Rhapsody](https://greatestsolos.com/song/queen-bohemian-rhapsody/) — Queen, 1975 | #9 | #8 | | [Sultans of Swing](https://greatestsolos.com/song/dire-straits-sultans-of-swing/) — Dire Straits, 1978 | #24 | #9 | | [Highway Star](https://greatestsolos.com/song/deep-purple-highway-star/) — Deep Purple, 1972 | #22 | #10 | ## Their boldest picks Solos Guitar World ranked high that most other lists rank low or leave out. | Solo | Guitar World | Consensus | |---|---|---| | [Cortez the Killer](https://greatestsolos.com/song/neil-young-cortez-the-killer/) — Neil Young, 1975 | #27 | #76 | | [Stranglehold](https://greatestsolos.com/song/ted-nugent-stranglehold/) — Ted Nugent, 1975 | #31 | #70 | | [Satch Boogie](https://greatestsolos.com/song/joe-satriani-satch-boogie/) — Joe Satriani, 1987 | #32 | #63 | | [Money](https://greatestsolos.com/song/pink-floyd-money/) — Pink Floyd, 1973 | #40 | #79 | | [Shock Me](https://greatestsolos.com/song/kiss-shock-me/) — Kiss, 1977 | #42 | #66 | | [Star Spangled Banner](https://greatestsolos.com/song/jimi-hendrix-star-spangled-banner/) — Jimi Hendrix, 1969 | #43 | #115 | | [Cocaine](https://greatestsolos.com/song/eric-clapton-cocaine/) — Eric Clapton, 1977 | #44 | #89 | | [Sharp Dressed Man](https://greatestsolos.com/song/zz-top-sharp-dressed-man/) — ZZ Top, 1983 | #46 | #75 | ## Consensus favorites they left out Top-30 consensus solos missing from Guitar World (released by 2013). | Solo | Consensus | Lists | |---|---|---| | [Beat It](https://greatestsolos.com/song/michael-jackson-beat-it/) — Michael Jackson, 1982 | #15 | 30 of 80 | | [Johnny B. Goode](https://greatestsolos.com/song/chuck-berry-johnny-b-goode/) — Chuck Berry, 1958 | #16 | 28 of 80 | | [Purple Rain](https://greatestsolos.com/song/prince-purple-rain/) — Prince, 1984 | #19 | 24 of 80 | | [Sympathy for the Devil](https://greatestsolos.com/song/the-rolling-stones-sympathy-for-the-devil/) — The Rolling Stones, 1968 | #25 | 22 of 80 | | [Paranoid Android](https://greatestsolos.com/song/radiohead-paranoid-android/) — Radiohead, 1997 | #28 | 21 of 80 | ## Quick answers ### What is Guitar World's #1 guitar solo? Eruption by Van Halen (solo by Eddie Van Halen) is #1 on Guitar World's list from 2013. ### How does Guitar World's list compare with the consensus? 49 of the solos it ranks appear in the Consensus 100, which combines 80 published lists. 6 of its top 10 are also in the consensus top 10. ### What is the greatest guitar solo of all time by consensus? Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin, on 64 of 80 lists. Compare another list: [Rolling Stone 2026](https://greatestsolos.com/vs/rolling-stone-2026/) · [Classic Rock 2018](https://greatestsolos.com/vs/classic-rock-2018/) · [NME 2017](https://greatestsolos.com/vs/nme-2017/) · [Guitar World 2021](https://greatestsolos.com/vs/guitar-world-2021/) · [Guitar Player 2024](https://greatestsolos.com/vs/guitar-player-2024/) · [Guitarist 2011](https://greatestsolos.com/vs/guitarist-2011/) · [uDiscover Music 2026](https://greatestsolos.com/vs/udiscover-2026/) · [Planet Rock 2022](https://greatestsolos.com/vs/planet-rock-2022/) · [SiriusXM 2024](https://greatestsolos.com/vs/siriusxm-2024/) · [Gibson.com 2010](https://greatestsolos.com/vs/gibson-2010/) · [Rick Beato 2019](https://greatestsolos.com/vs/rick-beato-2019/) --- GreatestSolos ranks the greatest guitar solos by consensus across published lists. 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