Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time
By thom·May 6, 2026
Who doesn’t love an epic guitar solo ? You know the feeling… that moment when a song just lifts off and suddenly you’re gripping an imaginary Strat like your life depends on it.
Rolling Stone just dropped its list of the 100 greatest guitar solos, and it’s a full-on time warp. We’re talking everything from Hendrix to Jimmy Page, all the way to newer names like St. Vincent and John Mayer — plus a few rising rebels for good measure.
Some of these solos sprawl out into the cosmos. Others hit fast and leave a mark in about ten seconds flat. Either way, they’re the parts you hum in the car… or absolutely butcher in the shower. No judgment.
The list isn’t about sales or radio play — just pure six-string magic. The kind of solo that makes the song, not just rides along with it.
And yeah… the debates over what made the cut? Probably louder than the end of “Voodoo Chile.”
Here’s the Top 10:
1) “Purple Rain”, Prince 2) “Machine Gun”, Jimi Hendrix 3) “Hotel California”, Eagles 4) “Comfortably Numb”, Pink Floyd 5) “Eruption”, Van Halen 6) “Johnny B. Goode”, Chuck Berry 7) “Stairway to Heaven”, Led Zeppelin 8) “Kid Charlemagne”, Steely Dan 9) “Maggot Brain”, Funkadelic 10) “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, The Beatles
Bottom line: everybody’s list would look different — and that’s kind of the point. But if you need an excuse to turn it up and air guitar like nobody’s watching… this is it.
Here is the full list from Rolling Stone