Vote for the greatest guitar solo ever

This man is no stranger to the fine art of the guitar solo
This man is no stranger to the fine art of the guitar solo

What is the greatest guitar solo of all time? It's a difficult one, we have to admit. Are we talking about sheer technical ability or the difficulty level of the playing? The quality of the tone? Or what about the kind of memorable melodic hooks that you can hum along with? Maybe it's a combination of all three…

Whatever your criteria, there's nothing that causes arguments quite like the results of a poll. That said, if you haven't used your chance to vote, you really have no grounds to complain about who wins.

Quite simply, the guys and girls at Total Guitar magazine want to know what you think are the greatest guitar solos ever. The results will be compiled into a blistering top 50 that will likely be a who's who of rock guitar, but there will no doubt be some surprises.

The last time Total Guitar asked readers to vote on this subject in May 2006, Jimmy Page's lead break on the mighty Stairway To Heaven proved victorious, but who will take the crown this time around?

We spoke to TG editor Stephen Lawson, who had this to say: "Stairway is certainly one of my favourite solos, but it will be interesting to see if something post-1987 can topple this magnificent rock beast!"

So, what are you waiting for? Click here to nominate your five favourite solos, and don't forget to email a picture. Who knows, your mugshot might even make it into the hallowed pages of the magazine itself…

The closing date is 23 November, with the results set to be revealed in the April 2009 issue which will hit the shelves on 25 March. It'll be worth the wait for the results as TG plan to speak to as many of the winners as possible.

Chris Vinnicombe worked with us here on the MusicRadar team from the site's initial launch way back in 2007, and also contributed to Guitarist magazine as Features Editor until 2014, as well as Total Guitar magazine, amongst others. These days he can be found at Gibson Guitars, where he is editor-in-chief.