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100 Greatest Guitar Solos (w/ Tablature)

guitar.about.com — What follows is the list of all 100 songs selected, listed with the guitarist who played the solo, the band who released the album, and the album name. Clicking on the song will take you to the guitar tab for that specific solo, and in some cases, additional notes like how to get a similar guitar sound.

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  • HolyJaw, on 10/12/2007, -7/+21***** yeah, great find!
    • theblooms, on 10/12/2007, -15/+2Where the hell is Gary Moore's Parisienne Walkways? Every guitarist worth his salt tries to play that song! Gary is one of the most kick ass guitarists on this planet!

    • Buddhist, on 10/12/2007, -3/+47*sigh* the bass never gets any love.

      ;_; Thank goodness for Les Claypool & Victor Wooten.
    • oskite, on 10/12/2007, -6/+19I haven't looked at it yet, I'm about to. I'm going to be so mad if Stairway to Heaven is on there...

      *looks*

      ...oh, hell. First one, too.
    • ben.0081, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3There's a torrent out on the internet that is this list. check it out.
    • Yez70, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Sucky find. The RIAA already ruined it.

      When you finally get to the guitar tab pages - you get:

      OLGA is currently offline while we attempt to resolve legal issues with the archive.
    • BHRecon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@Buddhist

      u should check out Brian Bromberg ( http://brianbromberg.net/ ) if u like awesome bass players
    • praisethelard, on 06/06/2008, -0/+5No John McLaughlin...tsk tsk.
    • 8177, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11Dragon Force?
    • 8177, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5^^^
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqYjqyHnVNs
    • smojo12, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@8177

      I think Through the Fire and Flames would be a great addition to the list. But looking at the list they don't have any recent songs. Maybe when they do the list in 5 years it will have some DragonForce
    • praisethelard, on 06/06/2008, -3/+5Dragonforce solos are pretty generic. I'd rather listen to some Buckethead shred. Hmm...he wasn't on the list either? Lame. Also...no Paco de Lucia?
    • smojo12, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10Buckethead gets no love. He's very underrated.
    • praisethelard, on 06/06/2008, -0/+7miliambyr, as it should be.
    • cablemodemguy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@Yez70
      the RIAA did take down the OLGA, but here is a FTP server hosting an old "copy" of the archives--
      ftp://ftp.uu.net/doc/music/guitar

      enjoy!
    • bede, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Wot? No Segovia?
    • DiggLord, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5Smells like teen spirit number 26? Thats the worst list on earth, its ranked by popularity, most bands on the list are overrated! HIM's Razorblade Kiss should be on there, its definately one of the greatest solos ever, it may be simple, but it leaves a lasting impression.
    • darkamster07, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5There is an abundance of Pantera, Ozzy, Metallica, and Hendrix (all great bands). But I am very surprised they did not even mention Slayer, a lot of Kerry King's and Jeff Hanneman's solos were really out there. Good choice in putting Eruption on top though. I also think they should have put Anthrax in there somewhere, and I think that the extremely underrated band Death should have gotten at least 1 entry also.
      PS: RIP Dimebag, RIP Chuck Schuldiner, RIP Randy Rhoads, RIP Hendrix, and all the rest....sad
    • higherness, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6@ miliambyr:
      Trivium is crap.
    • Markpdotcom, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5@ben here you go: http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3290455/100_Greatest_Guitar_Solos only 1 seeder though? Thats nuts!
    • skyshock21, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Wow, they even managed to list Under A Glass Moon from Dream Theater! Nice find!
    • skyshock21, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Dragonforce solos are pretty generic"

      Have you ever heard them live? They're sloppy as hell. Sound nothing like they do on the albums unfortunately. Do a search for Dragonforce live and see what I'm talking about.
    • alphacorvus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"Wow, they even managed to list Under A Glass Moon from Dream Theater!"

      Anyone who has heard this song will likely agree that it should be higher than 98 on this list. Significantly higher.
    • reichg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Guitar Hero needs most of these songs in the next version
    • strikerK, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1im glad they put Floods up there near the top

      rip dimebag
    • whiteslash, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1I found this guy on youtube with some excellent beginner lessons He covers all genres of music classic rock punk metal
      http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=TheNextLevelGuitar
    • whiteslash, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1 This guy has uploaded over 50 different video guitar lessons http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=TheNextLevelGuitar
      From Guns n Roses to Zeppelin This guy rocks easy to understand
    • whiteslash, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0I found a guy on youtube with 0ver 50 guitar video lessons
      www.youtube.com/profile?user=TheNextLevelGuitar
  • Innagadadavida, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Pantera f'n rules.

    So does Rage.
    • buckynekkid, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5+1 for Rage. I was just waiting to see:

      song: Know Your Enemy
      guitarist: Tom Morello
      band: Rage Against the Machine
      album: Rage Against the Machine

      Never came up though:(


    • Rayza, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2Wheres the hair metal..
    • smojo12, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1Yes it is lacking hair metal I agree. But I can't argue with most of the stuff on there. There is a few changes I would make
    • OhROFL, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This has been on my Firefox Bookmarks toolbar for 2 years. Good list, but out of order slightly. The whole thing as a playlist is pretty awesome. I'm surprised it was just submitted now though.
    • strabes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0One of my fav Rage solos is on the song "Maria" It's not fast or anything but it's really crazy
  • IvanB, on 10/12/2007, -0/+23I'm happy Smells Like Teen Spirit's solo isn't in the Top10, because it isn't really that great at all. I'm surprised it's even 26th.

    As Wikipedia puts it: "Cobain plays a guitar solo that resembles his vocal melody from the verse". Not THAT impressive or hard to play. Not that he even bothered playing it right, most of the time. :p
    • ochants76, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9it is however above satriani and vai to name a few......kinda makes me sick but whatever. i always get a laugh out of these things. its personal preference. there isnt really a way to say which is the "best".
    • rossmcd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Agreed... as much as Cobain's songwriting changed the world of rock music, his guitar solos sucked.
    • Iknockstuffdown, on 10/12/2007, -0/+17Yeah, this shouldn't be called 100 *greatest* guitar solos, more like 100 *most popular* guitar solos.
    • Wolfie351, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Having Kurt Cobain in a guitar solo list is laughable. George Lynch should have had something in the top 100
  • Br0wn, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6ya nice find, list is pretty well put together.
    also glad to see sublime made it
  • cdlavalle, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3WTF!?! Slash's November Rain right behind Jimi Hendrix... THAT, dear sir, is an abomination! Otherwise a nice resource.
  • spencenaz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Nice, I hope the RIAA doesn't find it!
    • agneovo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12Phew,thankfully its on Digg, they'll NEVER find it now.
    • Fhionnlaoch, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4ASCAP, not RIAA.
  • glooper23, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1Did I miss Nils Lofgren's solo on Youngstown?
    • glooper23, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1Whoever dug me down is probably too young to understand.
  • JamesWilson, on 10/12/2007, -5/+12I do not play guitar, so I do have an outsider's perspective.

    I have heard that using tabs is somehow weak, and that you should learn sheet music.
    I took band when I was in high school and I don't remember sheet music being that hard to learn. (I also don't find programming hard either though.)

    Is it accurate that tabs are somehow weaker? What are the benefits and disadvantages to each?
    • themaestro8, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Well its easier especially for early guitarists because instead of having to figure out notes, it tells you what fret to put your finger on and on what string.

      However, now after playing for years, I'm trying to teach myself proper notation and its quite an adjustment.
    • bblades, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Tabs are good shorthand for expressing music, in particular learning a song from a recording. Music notation is better for being able to learn the timing of a song as well as opening the door to a new interpretation of the piece. For instance by reading music notation, you can revoice a chord anyway you want, instead of just following the fingering used by the transcriber. Reading music in a way is similar to programming, because it is like learning a new language, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes very intuitive. I find that tabs are much better for learning the exact phrasing used on a popular song or solo in this case, whereas it might be better to learn the score of a jazz standard. Great list, the rankings are arbitrary, but good list of songs
    • PotatoSalad, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I know how to read either, but I still prefer tabs for the guitar. Other instruments that I play (such as the violin) really have to be in sheet music form because you don't have frets like a guitar does. I'm able to pick up on the song quicker with tabs for the guitar, especially when using alternate tuning. Tabs are somewhat limited, however, in the specific rhythms that are required for the song, but those are usually left up to the guitarist to figure out the best way to play them.
    • JamesWilson, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Why are you trying to teach yourself proper notation? What are the advantages? You've gotten by just fine for years on tabs.
    • blahtastic, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Tabs are definitely easier to follow, simpler looking, and it tells you how to play in a manner that anyone who can count can understand. Unfortunately, you have to know the song to do it right. Without super complex (and sometimes inconsistent between different tabs) symbols tabs don't really reveal that much about the rhythm of the song, where as actual sheet music will allow you to play it without hearing the song (provided your good at reading it).

      I used to be able to read sheet music in middle school band, and I've completely forgotten it all since i quit(without being too specific it wasn't that terribly long ago). Soo, now, seeing as I'm too lazy to bother learning it again, I use tabs. Honestly even then I would usually just memorize what I had to play anyway, that seems to me to be the ultimate best way to play stuff, but you have to figure it out somehow first, which is where sheet music/tabs come in.
    • Innagadadavida, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Not only are they easier to follow, but they're easier to distribute. You can whip up a tab in Notepad in a matter of minutes. Sheet music would have to be an image.
    • EntropyGuru, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6One of the "interesting" issues with the guitar is that you can find the same note at the same pitch on many different places on the guitar, as opposed to a piano which only has one of each note (at a particular pitch). Therefore, standard music notation can be more ambiguous for the guitar compared to other instruments (other string instruments have the same issue). This is not to say that standard notation can't work for the guitar -- it is just more difficult to work with for beginners compared to tablature. Also, the more relaxed nature of electric guitar study often avoids standard notation. If you take classical guitar lessons (from a good teacher) you will almost certainly begin learning standard notation.
    • onlyclave, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3Tablature is weaker. It brings music to the common masses who didn't/won't/can't learn regular notation.

      Q: How do you get a guitar player to turn down?
      A: Put a piece of sheet music in front of him.

      -OnlyClave (ASCAP)
    • joethepeacock, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Why is the parent thread getting dugg down? It's actually a fantastic question.

      My two cents - tablature lets you learn how to play a guitar, while regular notation teaches you how to play music. It's an important distinction, but honestly, it only matters if it matters to you. Wail on your axe and enjoy it, however you get the notes out.
    • Capta1nA, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Tablature is weak. It doesn't convey rhythmic information. If you can read notation, you can read any piece of music, no matter what instrument it was written for. I started playing clarinet in school in 5th grade, so I can read treble clef just fine. I started playing electric bass in 7th grade so I can read bass clef. Switching back and forth isn't much of an issue, although I do have to take it a bit slower if I'm reading treble cleff while playing bass.

      Another thing about tab, is that it can lock you into playing certain things in certain areas of the fretboard. With standard noteheads and ledger lines, you can play it wherever you want, in whatever octave you want, with less thinking involved.
    • strangeguitar, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3@onlyclave

      Whatever gets you from point A to point B in the fastest manner is the best method. I don't even bother wasting my time teaching my students 5 line staff. It's a silly, archaic system who's use was only good for passing along the information of a song before you could record the song. Now, it's more worthwhile to train the ears of my students to hear intervals and chord progressions, using simple tabs as a foundation, if needed.

      Guitar is a common man's instrument. It's the most expressive and unique instrument on the planet. It's also the easiest to learn how to express yourself. The whole reason that the guitar has 'pattern' oriented scales and chords is so that rubes like you and I can learn to express ourselves quickly. The guitar shouldn't be approached like a piano. Therefore, there is no need to learn 5 line staff.

      Wait - I should reiterate: if you want to be an artist, train your ears to hear the different notes and don't bother learning the 5line until you're bored enough to warrant the waste of time. If your goal is to recycle other people's music and never create or express yourself, then you'd better learn the staff.
    • strabes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Classical guitar pieces are all notated on treble clef.
    • onlyclave, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1@strangeguitar

      What, do you teach at Guitar Center or something?

      "Whatever gets you from point A to point B in the fastest manner is the best method. I don't even bother wasting my time teaching my students 5 line staff. It's a silly, archaic system who's use was only good for passing along the information of a song before you could record the song. Now, it's more worthwhile to train the ears of my students to hear intervals and chord progressions, using simple tabs as a foundation, if needed."

      That is probably because you can't read it yourself.

      "Guitar is a common man's instrument. It's the most expressive and unique instrument on the planet. It's also the easiest to learn how to express yourself. The whole reason that the guitar has 'pattern' oriented scales and chords is so that rubes like you and I can learn to express ourselves quickly. The guitar shouldn't be approached like a piano. Therefore, there is no need to learn 5 line staff."

      Wrong. That distinction _would_ go to the piano.

      "Wait - I should reiterate: if you want to be an artist, train your ears to hear the different notes and don't bother learning the 5line until you're bored enough to warrant the waste of time. If your goal is to recycle other people's music and never create or express yourself, then you'd better learn the staff. "

      I detect a paradox here: I need to learn to play everything by ear, therefore, I will come to Guitar Center every Tuesday afternoon so you can teach me to play the latest "Disturbed" song that you just learned from the mp3 you downloaded from bittorrent, but, I don't need to learn to read standard notation because I don't want to recycle other people's music. Is that right?

      I guess I am a rube, my B. Mus Jazz Studies 1998 University of Oregon, B.S. Music Theory 1998 University of Oregon and M. Mus Technology 2002 University of Oregon don't mean *****. I don't know why I learned to read all of them little black dots. They don't tell me where to put my fingers on my upright bass which doesn't have frets anyway.

      OC
    • strangeguitar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@onlyclave

      I'm not going to get into a war of qualifications. Suffice it to say that very few world-changing musicians needed 5line or even an education in order to express themselves. Music is about the art, the expression. The faster someone can learn to channel what's in their head onto the guitar, the better.

      "What, do you teach at Guitar Center or something?"
      -I do not.

      "That is probably because you can't read it [5line] yourself."
      -Yes, I can.

      "Wrong. That distinction _would_ go to the piano."
      -The distinction of being the common man's instrument? Not quite. Pianos are far too expensive and synthesizers are hardly expressive. You can change the world with a $100 guitar and your own developed genius.

      "I detect a paradox here: I need to learn to play everything by ear, therefore, I will come to Guitar Center every Tuesday afternoon so you can teach me to play the latest "Disturbed" song that you just learned from the mp3 you downloaded from bittorrent, but, I don't need to learn to read standard notation because I don't want to recycle other people's music. Is that right?"
      -Not quite. Influence is important. Whether it be from crappy bands or amazing, perspective-changing artists. The importance of ear training is so that the player can use the instrument as a tool of self-expression. Otherwise, he's just a copier. A facsimile. And little good has ever come from reproduction.

      "I guess I am a rube, my B. Mus Jazz Studies 1998 University of Oregon, B.S. Music Theory 1998 University of Oregon and M. Mus Technology 2002 University of Oregon don't mean *****. I don't know why I learned to read all of them little black dots. They don't tell me where to put my fingers on my upright bass which doesn't have frets anyway."
      -We're both rubes. We ARE trying to engage a debate in a forum. Learning about the little white and black kids jumping over a fence got you your credentials. If you want to learn the classics and get a musical education, then you'll have to learn about it. If you want to express yourself and effect change in those around you, there is no need. The goal of ANY art isn't an education, it's self-expression. If you're not expressing yourself, you're just copying someone else. That's just selling out of yourself.
  • bigozzy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Damn RIAA ... took down OLGA ... anyway, still a lot of good guitar tab sites out there ...
    • Dabellah, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Mind naming a few? All of my favorites were taken down...
    • mcnasby, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@Dabellah:

      Ultimate-guitar.com has been my choice site for years.
    • Wingnut233, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2In addition to the UltimateGuitar.com mentioned above, I use http://www.911tabs.com/

      That will index all of the other active tabbing sites, including UltimateGuitar.
  • ledmonkey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Dugg for Giving Jimmy Page the credit he deserves.
    • Rhine23, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1While we are on the subject credit should be given to the artist he took some of his riff's from. Don't get me wrong I love Zeppelin, but Page didn't come up with that all. (omg this took forever to type on the Wii)
    • falcon1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Like he hasen't already gotten credit? You say it like he is some poor guitarist that no one has ever really heard of.
    • fastsix, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Bring up iTunes or Amazon and listen to a song named Taurus by the band Spirit. Then you'll know who really deserves credit (or if you prefer, blame) for Stairway to Heaven.
    • jnagel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@rhine23

      so we should be listing the people who the great guitarist listened to at one time or another? give me a break. everyone was inspired by somebody else except the first person to ever play a guitar
  • longhair, on 10/12/2007, -5/+4Dimebag rules!!! R.I.P
  • themaestro8, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Wow, some of those aren't really whats going on. the tab for the Killing in the Name (#89) isn't even close.

    Its pretty awesome that Bulls On Parade by Rage Against The Machine (#23) made it. What an awesome "solo." Tom Morello is god.
    • praisethelard, on 06/06/2008, -0/+4Once you figure out how to do all the solos they don't seem as impressive.It's all about getting the right effects.
    • themaestro8, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1To me, they're a little more impressive after I figure them out. Mainly for the fact that they're pretty "easy" yet you never would have figured them out in a million years.

      The funny thing is that Morello only uses about 5 pedals (whammy, tremolo, wah, phaser, delay) while guys like Ed O'Brien of Radiohead uses around 20-30 pedals live, 5 delay units alone. Morello I think sounds better at it though.
    • gameforge, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Take a few late night TV musicians for example.

      Kevin Eubanks (the Tonight Show guitarist) is a fantastic guitar player, but only has a Mesa Boogie amp, a RAT distortion pedal, and a powersoak pedal. He also doesn't use picks, but only his hands. And he has a totally custom made Abe Rivera guitar, but that's besides the point...

      Max Weinberg (Conan's drummer) has a very simple 4 pc. drumset, but is obviously an extremely talented drummer and sounds better than a lot of well known drummers I can think of with complicated double-bass setups.

      I used to think I would never sound good until I invested lots of money into expensive equipment. But, whenever a really good musician would play my cheap equipment, they still achieved that awesome sound... turns out time, not money, is the more important investment in your sound.

      Seems obvious, but young musicians don't always pick up on that.
    • Twango, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Once you figure out how to do all the solos they don't seem as impressive.It's all about getting the right effects."

      It's not $50,000 for drawing an X. The $50,000 is for knowing *where* to draw the X.

      Effects don't fall out of trees. Pick the wrong one, and ....
    • skyshock21, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Tom Morello is thoroughly overrated. Sorry.
  • ProvidenceCrow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9What a shame of a list, they should have called it the 100 most well known guitar solos, or something to that effect.

    What could constitute a good solo is subjective, for sure as it can be based upon anywhere from pure talent/technicality, to how it is written and fits with the feel and sound of the music overall. While i would say about 40% or so of these should be on the list somewhere, none of them should be anywhere as close to the top as they are.

    Then again this was voted in by the readers of guitar world, and those kind of lists are never well made at all, remember when kurt cobain was number 8 on the greatest guitarists of all time list done by the readers of rolling stone? (nothing against kurt, love his music, but he isnt a very good guitar player)
  • dgh1973, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5"November rain" at #6? Please....
    • StellarlyAstral, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5GnR is always over rated. I remember picking up a Guitar One and seeing them list Appetite for Destruction as the number one classic rock album. Please...
  • Ibanez0, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14Dream Theater - Under a Glass Moon needs to be higher up on the list IMO
    • Rhine23, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8Hell yea, so should 21st Century Schizoid Man. That song just makes you move.
    • shucklak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4John Petrucci has much better solos too... any of which should def be higher than #98
    • dhollidator, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Anything involving John Petrucci should be higher up on any list about any individual instrument or music in general, IMO. Liquid Tension Experiment 1 and 2 are two of the best albums I've ever heard.
    • kobach, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4i think they left dream theater out on purpose because every song would be on there.
    • shasty55, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3How bout stream of consciousness? that should be higher than smells like teen spirit
    • converge, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3UAGM should be in the top 10. Smells Like Teen Spirit? ***** disgraceful.
    • whoaohh, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2+1 for king crimson
    • DTJunkie07, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Dream Theater is easily better than anything else on that list. Some of the ***** they did on A Change of Seasons is absolutly amazing IMHO. Its such a shame that there not more well known.....
    • skyshock21, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Metropolis Pt. 1 is still the most utterly impossible solo to play. Has anyone here every sat down and tried to learn it? It's tricky to the point of absurdity.
    • Ibanez0, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The solo isn't that bad once you sit down and learn it slow and then you work the speed up with a metronome. (I have been playing guitar for 8 years)
  • ImTheDarkcyde, on 10/12/2007, -12/+5for ***** sake, stairway to heaven is the most overrated song of all time
    • twst1up, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3overrated...no
      played ad nausea on the radio ...hell yeah
  • shirosamurai, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6What a garbage list. This is like that list where Rolling Stone magazine tried to list the greatest guitarists and completely failed at doing so (Kurt Cobain!). I mean really.. Hotel California? Bohemian Rhapsody? The solo in Queen's "I Want It All" is far better than the one in Bohemian Rhapsody.

    Many band's best solos are present in songs that aren't as main stream as their singles. If anyone really wants to listen to a damn guitar solo, try listening to Marty Friedman or Jason Becker, or even the band DragonForce.
    • astrosmash, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I was going to complain that Queen's "Brighton Rock" wasn't listed, but wouldn't you know, there it is at number 41.
  • markperia, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Great Guitar solos but I would've liked to see Muse's Plug in Baby in there. That song has one of the best riffs Ive ever heard.

    I like all the songs in the list though.
    • Rhine23, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I'm a Muse diehard, but PIB is horribly overrated. Assassin (the Koc single release version) now that's a solo o.o
    • jme141, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3i also agree, not one Muse song, such a shame. Surely if there was a list for best piano and guitar solo's in a single song, Muse would have the top 10 stitched up ;)
    • shasty55, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5nope, muse would have nothing on dream theater in that category, im sorry
  • alcimedes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Was White Summer Black Mountainside on there anywhere? Better than stairway IMO.
    • DeFex, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Who is that by? i know most of these tunes, being an old fart and all. i was just wondering why all the fabulous new bands the RIAA companies are pushing now are not on there? surely someone must be making decent music now..oh wait they are guitarists not skin flute players

    • Rhine23, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It's by Zeppelin on the album Coda. The live version is really something, but originally it was a Yardbird song(so was Dazed and Confused)
  • Flump5000, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2A song by Michael Jackson makes it but this doesnt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqYjqyHnVNs
    Just because the artist is more widely known or respected doesnt mean they should get into the spots easier.
    I mean 90% of those artists deserve to be on there but there are plenty that were just filler.
  • DigginDave, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1not a bad list but I would have included Stevie Ray Vaughan's version of Little Wing.
  • aragami, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7dammit

    the RIAA didn't shut olga down it was the MPA its a different organisation,

    music publishers association aren't the same entity as the recording industry artists of america

    they're still a bunch of ***** assholes

    but they're different assholes from the riaa

    the riaa sue children and grannies

    the mpa close all the amatuer tab sites down and try to force you to buy the tab book which is usually worse than the tabs from the internet.


    that aside, good list :-)

    i'd have liked to see petrucci higher up the list though,

    petrucci,
    eric johnson
    ron thal

    higher up

    kurt cobain not on it at all
    kirk hammett slightly lower
  • CaptainMordecai, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Nice one...

    I'll just save what i can, and shut up :)
  • jasmus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1As others have said, this should be "100 Great Guitar Solos" not "The Greatest". "Great" is a personal opinion. If it were up to me, the list would be completely different, but I don't listen to most of what is on the list.

    I was hoping to see something from Nuno Bettencourt on the list, an awesome guitarist (once again, just my opinion). Anyone heard Midnight Express off the Extreme album Waiting For The Punchline?
  • heaintheavy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3RIP Randy Rhoads.
  • campstriker, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1thanx mate!
  • bloodborne, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I just picked up the guitar again after a couple years hiatus. Great timing for this article. :) BTW, ultimate-guitar.com is a good alternative to OLGA for those in need of another tabs site.
  • dozerl, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1No Daydream by Vinnie Moore??
    • skyshock21, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Or Meltdown?!!?!?! Meltdown was quite possibly the most perfect guitar solo ever written.
  • AmishRefugee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Jon Petrucci's best is 98? And from Images and Words? *****, he is much better than that, and writes amazing sounding solos (not just technical ones)

    and i know what alot of legit guitarists think about dragonforce, but they deserve some credit here
    • Ozzy73, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Petrucci, Vai, Malmsteen and Luca Turilli should all be in the top of that list
  • twst1up, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0cause we've ended as lovers....perfect, no argument here
  • CluelessTroll, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Dave Navarro, Billy Corgan, Hunter/Wagner, Prince, Brad Nowell, Kim Thayil, and Kurt Cobain?!?!?

    and no favorable mentioning of Uli Jon Roth's "Sails of Charon," Jimi Hendrix's "Machine Gun," Jimmy Page's "Black Dog," etc, etc..

    Typical poll response from members of Andy Aledort's, an editor for Guitar World, fanbase.
  • raz98, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Glad to see that David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) is given more credit in this top.
    • twst1up, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0he is tasty isn't he? not a note out of place
  • tony1122, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Agreed, David Gilmour 1 of the best guitarists ever in my opinion.
    • altidude, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The two best guitar solos ever recorded are found in one song; Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb".
  • homercaholic18, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Whats this!? No love for us Bass Players??? For Shame! Where would Jimmy Page be without John Paul Jones, Metallica without Cliff Burton or Iron Maiden without Steve Harris!! This is an outrage! Bass players of Diggnation should unite!!!

    haha but honestly its a good list, few changed I would make but a good list overall.
  • johnwc723, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1OLGA has been around for awhile, I remember using that back when I used to play guitar a lot, weird that it is taken down moments after about.com's linking to it shows up on digg....
  • JimGardner1973, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3It's always funny how even comparatively well drawn up lists like this never include stuff which is too difficult for the guys transcribing the TAB to work out properly, like Michael Hedges Breakfast In the Field, or Alan Holdsworth Funnels. In fact the general lack of any "guitarists guitarists" is quite noticeable. Visions of the emerald beyond, anyone?
  • rossmcd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2My personal guitar hero Trey Anastasio (Phish) made it on the list. I always thought the band got less credit than it deserved from the guitarist crowd... and more adulation than it deserved from the power crystal-wearing hippies.

    Here's "Stash" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T904Y8k-jWc
    And another great early Phish composition, "Divided Sky" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jjg4IaFqTIA
  • wangaramus, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2thank you about.com/guitar world readers for picking the 100 shoddiest bar rock songs known to man.

    Let me know when a Psyopus song gets recognition.
    • dotdan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Psyopus is good, but hardly "Top 100 Solos" worthy.
  • Chiko, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0I might have missed it but i dont think i saw Classical Gas by Mason Williams. That definitely needs to be on the list.
    • dotdan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I must have missed the solo in that song.
    • twst1up, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i think, to me anyway, a piece like the one referenced here is in fact a solo piece
      my .02
  • EmmSee, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Avoid internet tabs... buy the official transcriptions.

    I might as well try to give bass players some love, here's me on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEeTAZ2QufU
    • rossmcd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Dugg! Nice rich sound
    • themaestro8, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@ EmmSee

      I hope you're sarcastic. Most "Official" tab books seem to have some poor transcriptions. Plus with internet tabs you learn the basic song. Like fingerprints, everybody is a little different. I never learn a song note for note, because if you do, then you might as well put the guitar down (Or any instrument for that matter) as music is about expressing yourself. A great thing to do is to take a song and re-arrange it. The hard part (writing the song) is done so then you make it the way you want. Just a suggestion.
    • EmmSee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@ themaestro8

      I make my living with music so I know how it works. People looking for the basic song should get the transcriptions done by professionals... not by 13 year olds that have instruments that are not tuned and have no ear. So many internet tabs are so far off from the actual song that it's laughable. So if people learn that way, they'll learn to have no ear and depend on horribly bad TABs their whole life.
    • themaestro8, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2There is a lot of stuff that doesn't have pro tabs for it though. Plus if a kid is picking up a guitar they don't have $25 per book especially if they are only going to use it for one song. I completely understand where you are coming from. Some of the tabs are horrible. But I think any start is good.

      And if you are trying to imply I am a 13 year old, I'm not and I have been playing the guitar for about 10 years now, so I do have a little experience.

      Either way you look at it there are pros and cons and we could go on forever raising valid points. At the end of the day all I have to say is keep on rocking.
    • EmmSee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@ themaestro8

      Keep on rocking... that IS what it's all about. As long as they're playing. I just transcribed a fun solo to play from The Shins, check it out: http://www.mattcullen.com/myspace/mc-TheShins_MNAHH_GS.pdf
  • thegodfather138, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0That list sucks, all the usual solos that show up on every list. Most of them aren't that great at all. Its the ultimate poser list. Malmsteen should be higher, Black Star is awesome.
  • Capta1nA, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Personally if you're trying to learn a song that you like, it's better to use your ears and jot notes down if you need to. Slowing things down also helps, there are several programs out there that will do that. I use Ableton Live, which is useful for pretty much everything.
  • korupture, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Horrible find. If you want good guitar solos, avoid the mainstream acts and bands because chances are you're going to find MUCH better guitarists in the guitarist-based community. IE: Paul Gilbert, Marty Friedman, Chuck Schuldiner, Andy La Rocque, the list goes on.
    • spinemangler, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Agreed. Some of the greatest solos ever were played by Marty Friedman formerly of Megadeth. Also, Your right about Testament. Chuck would kill most of these fools easily. Nirvana? WTF. This list reminds me of VH1 shows like "100 best Metal Bands", and Led Zepplin is in the top 10 with Nirvana.

      Also, Zakk Wylde needs to be higher than 61. Weak
  • CaptainHarlock, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Hmm. Nothing by Ron Jarzombek (Spastic Ink) or Mattias "IA" Eklundh (Freak Kitchen).
  • CatsAreGods, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Unlike piano...

    You can play the same note in many different ways on a guitar. Only tablature shows you exactly how a particular solo is/was played, not just note for note but also *where* on the fretboard.

    Purists say "play the sheet music", but if you want to learn how to sound exactly like the original, tab (or a damn good ear, which you can train faster with tab) is the only way.
    • EmmSee, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2@ CatsAreGods

      Dude, I'm a professional musician. That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.
    • fangorious, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I've seen plenty of tab get the notes right, but arranged in such a horrible way as to make it 5 times harder to play than it needs to be. It's often demonstrably not how the recording artist plays it, if you go see them live after reading the tab.
    • Twango, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2If you want to sound exactly like the original (why?????), you listen to the original. Then try to play it. Over and over and over. For days if you have to.
      If it was just notes, anyone could do it. There's no soul in a tab.
  • revglenn, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3man, i ***** hate lists of the top ____ rock ______s of all time. it's always the same *****.... no matter what. top 100 rock songs, top 50 rock singers, top 100 guitar solos, etc. etc..... it's all the same. a bunch of popular songs that are the same on every list with a couple intelligent choices thrown in. and ***** led zepplin is at the top no matter what.
    Where's Dragonforce? Where's Buckethead? Where's Megadeth? Where's Slayer? Where's Yngwie? where's dick dale?
    i'm sorry but there is no way Kurt Cobain ever played in any Nirvanas songs a solo thats anywhere near any of the artists i just mentioned. and i'm sorry but ***** "stairway to heaven" and ***** led zepplin. most overrated song, band, and guitar solos in history.
    this list is *****.
    • wangaramus, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1dude you re just gonna get dugg down. apparently everyone ruling the comments are middle aged morons

      i support you
    • fangorious, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think you would be disappointed to find out how many of the players you like found inspiration in Zeppelin. (Zeppelin is often credited by notable metal heavyweights as one of several pioneers of metal, along with the likes of Hendrix, Cream, and Deep Purple)
    • lars972, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Agreed on NIrvana and I am a life long Nirvana fan. Great songs, great band but in the "solo" department there is NO way it should be in there. I could think of about a 1000 better choices whilst sitting on the crapper.
    • hicamel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Hey, I'm a 53 year old guitar player and you got my dig. Some of these guitar players just ain't that hot. Maybe the list should have been called "The most loved guitar players". But what is the criteria for being a great guitar player?
    • spinemangler, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Good Call RevGlenn. Got my digg. I was pissed that the solo from Holy Wars wasnt on that list. wtf. Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman and Kerry King make these guys look like amateur guitar players. I was please to see Zakk Wylde, but far too low on the list.

      Someone who knows about guitars should have organized this list. I mean Nirvana?

      And the crackdown on guitar tabs is starting to get stupid. I cant believe how much trouble it is becoming to find tabs for some songs.
    • GNRSlash, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Anyone who says that Led Zeppelin is "Overatted" is a dumbass. Zed Zeppelin is a very popular band, and I get angry when people tell me that they are the best band ever when the only song they know is Stairway to Heaven. But Led Zeppelin is a great band. Songs like the Rain Song, When the Levee Breaks, Battle for Evermore and countless others have both great guitar and lyrics. Stairway to heaven is not an overrated song either. Mabye its not very fast and complex, but it is a wonderfull musical arrangement that definetly qualifies for one of the best songs ever.
      Jimmi Hendrix always tops lists for best guitarists and has lots of songs for the best guitar solos, do you think that he is overrated as well? I dont.
      I do agree that in no way should a Nirvana song be on this list. I learned how to play smells like teen spirt in about 10 minutes. and I am no guitar expert i learnd guitar about a year ago. There probobly should be less "popular songs" but you have to agree that some popular songs are popular for a reason. And at least they dont have any modern bands that alot of people from my school listen to, crap like Panic at the Disco and Snow Patrol.
      I wish they had some Rush songs becides Working Man in the bottem 90's but im not going to complain about the list too much, I cant play many of these guitar solos.
  • cubs2234, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3FREEEEEEBIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRDDD!
  • ramaz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Maybe should have been titled "Best-Known *Rock* Guitar Solos." If jazz guitar solos had been included, well ... among a zillion others, how about Pat Metheny "Have You Heard" (live version)?
  • ramaz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Btw, glad that Steve Howe made it into this particular list. But it's just somebody's list.
  • wtfhacksDan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Needs more Black Sabbath
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