Top 50 Guitar Solos according to Gibson.com

[That 70s Guy]

We’d like to send out a special thank you to every fan who voted in the poll, as well as musicians Bart Walsh (David Lee Roth) and Jeff Cease (Black Crowes), and Gibson.com’s entire editing and writing staff.

This is how the full list turned out:

1. “Stairway to Heaven,” Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page)
2. “Eruption,” Van Halen (Eddie Van Halen)
3. “All Along the Watchtower,” The Jimi Hendrix Experience
4. “Hotel California,” Eagles (Don Felder, Joe Walsh)
5. “Comfortably Numb,” Pink Floyd (David Gilmour)
6. “Free Bird,” Lynyrd Skynyrd (Gary Rossington, Allen Collins)
7. “Layla,” Derek and the Dominos (Eric Clapton, Duane Allman)
8. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” The Beatles (Eric Clapton)
9. “Johnny B. Goode,” Chuck Berry
10. “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen (Brian May)
11. “Crazy Train,” Ozzy Osbourne (Randy Rhoads)
12. “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers,” Jeff Beck
13. “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” Guns N’ Roses (Slash)
14. “Hot for Teacher,” Van Halen (Eddie Van Halen)
15. “Since I’ve Been Loving You,” Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page)
16. “November Rain,” Guns N’ Roses (Slash)
17. “Mr Crowley,” Ozzy Osbourne (Randy Rhoads)
18. “Whole Lotta Rosie,” AC/DC (Angus Young)
19. “Like a Hurricane,” Neil Young and Crazy Horse
20. “Sultans of Swing,” Dire Straits (Mark Knopfler)
21. “Texas Flood,” Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
22. “One,” Metallica (Kirk Hammett)
23. “Cortez the Killer,” Neil Young and Crazy Horse
24. “Rock Around the Clock,” Bill Haley and His Comets (Danny Cedrone)
25. “Sweet Jane” (live), Lou Reed (Steve Hunter, Dick Wagner)
26. “Purple Rain,” Prince and the Revolution (Prince)
27. “Heartbreaker,” Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page)
28. “Jessica,” Allman Brothers Band (Dickey Betts)
29. “Machine Gun,” Jimi Hendrix
30. “Crossroads,” Cream (Eric Clapton)
31. “Time,” Pink Floyd (David Gilmour)
32. “Are You Experienced,” The Jimi Hendrix Experience
33. “Race with the Devil,” Gene Vincent (Cliff Gallup)
34. “Don’t Believe a Word,” Thin Lizzy (Brian Robertson)
35. “Purple Haze,” The Jimi Hendrix Experience
36. “Besame Mucho,” Wes Montgomery
37. “Sympathy for the Devil,” The Rolling Stones (Keith Richards)
38. “Blue Sky,” Allman Brothers Band (Duane Allman, Dickey Betts)
39. “My Sharona,” The Knack (Berton Averre)
40. “Marquee Moon,” Television (Tom Verlaine)
41. “Hitch a Ride,” Boston (Tom Scholz)
42. “The End,” The Beatles (Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon)
43. “Whole Lotta Love,” Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page)
44. “Train Kept A Rollin’” (live), Aerosmith (Joe Perry)
45. “Highway Star,” Deep Purple (Ritchie Blackmore)
46. “Dirt,” The Stooges (Ron Asheton)
47. “Off the Handle,” Rory Gallagher
48. “The Great Curve,” Talking Heads (Adrian Belew)
49. “The Messiah Will Come Again,” Roy Buchanan
50. “Beat It,” Michael Jackson (Eddie Van Halen)

 

[Magic]

Why am I not suprised to see "Stairway to Heaven" as #1. This list is very similar to the one put out by Guitar World

 

[CREAM'd]

Some great songs on that list,i also wasn't surprised to see stairway at #1

 

[Magic]

Texas Flood should've been higher on the list than #21, IMHO, I just love Stevie's blues solo.....SRV makes love to the guitar for sure

 

[Mr. Shadow]

Stairway is rather BORING!!! Plus, the idea was stolen from Spirit's "Taurus." And concert versions get stretched out way too long.

 

[METALPRIEST]

No Stairway??? Denied!!!

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[Cosmic Harmony]

Why am I not suprised to see "Stairway to Heaven" as #1. This list is very similar to the one put out by Guitar World

I was thinking both these as I was reading it.

Honestly I've never seen the the massive draw of Stairway's solo. I think it's quite average really. I'd much rather take songs like "Maggot Brain" (which failed to make this list at all) over Stairway.

I'm also as a whole very unimpressed with "All Along the Watchtower", regardless of who is playing it.

On the upside though a number of my favorite guitarists and solos made it, as expected, and what's more I'm especially happy to see that Rory Gallagher made the list period since he almost always gets snubbed.

 

[joe]

Stairway is rather BORING!!! Plus, the idea was stolen from Spirit's "Taurus." And concert versions get stretched out way too long.

That was the very first thing that came to my mind.

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

Metallica........ One............ one of the most overrated guitar solos along with an overrated guitarist. Not saying it is not a good solo and that he is not good, but that solo is meh and I could name about 50 solos that are more deserving then most on this list.

Stair Way is an average solo as well. Such an overrated song and solo. Same with Free Bird.

The typical solos that are thrown on here that are IMO average and some that do not even deserve to be on guitar solo lists.