Best Of Lists
Greatest guitarists, riffs, and rigs of all time — ranked.
The Guitar Plugged's Best Of Lists are the definitive buyer's guides for guitarists at every level and budget. Whether you're looking for your first acoustic, a gigging amp under $500, or the best overdrive pedal for blues, we've tested and ranked the options so you don't have to.
Top 15 Guitar Intros You Know in One Second
Some songs need a chorus to announce themselves. These barely need the guitarist to get started — 15 intros ranked on recognition, personality, and pure gut reaction.
20 Songs That Made an Entire Generation Want to Play Guitar
Every guitarist has one: the song that made a guitar feel less like an object and more like a doorway. These 20 didn't just become classics — they created players.
Top 20 Guitarists Defined by One Solo
One unforgettable guitar moment can turn a great player into a permanent part of rock history. These are the 20 guitarists most defined by a single solo.
10 Best Guitar Riffs From Grammy-Winning Songs
The Grammys do not hand out trophies for individual guitar riffs—but these 10 riffs from Grammy-winning songs made their recordings impossible to forget.
The 15 Best '80s Metal Guitarists of All Time
From Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads to George Lynch, Steve Vai and Dimebag Darrell, these are the players who made an entire generation want to turn the gain up.
20 Easy Guitar Riffs That Sound Way Harder Than They Are
Great riffs are not necessarily complicated riffs. Some of rock's most recognisable guitar moments are built from two strings, three chords and a rhythm that refuses to let go. Here are twenty of them — and how to make each one sound like the record.
Top 25 Classic Rock Bands of All Time
From Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones to Rush and the Allman Brothers, these are the 25 classic rock bands that shaped everything that followed — ranked on influence, songwriting, musicianship, longevity and legacy.
Happy Birthday, Slash: 10 Guitar Solos That Defined a Rock Guitar Hero
Top hat, Les Paul, cigarette, Marshall stack — the image is instantly recognizable. But it's the playing that made Slash a rock guitar hero. Ten solos that explain why.
The 25 Greatest Blues Guitarists of All Time, Ranked
From B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan to Robert Johnson, Buddy Guy and the Three Kings — The Guitar Plugged's editorial ranking of the 25 greatest blues guitarists ever to plug in.
Best Electric Guitars Under $500 (2026 Guide)
Forget the snobbery — the best electric guitars under $500 in 2026 punch way above their price tag. Here are the models pros actually recommend, and what really matters when you're shopping at this level.
The 25 Most Influential Guitarists of All Time (Ranked)
From the man who invented the solid-body electric to the players who bent it into something new every decade — a definitive, storyteller's ranking of the 25 guitarists who shaped the instrument forever.
The 10 Best Overdrive Pedals That Actually Sound Like Money
From transparent touch tools to iconic mid-humps and Klon chime, these 10 overdrives under $300 in 2026 punch above their weight with pro tones, tough builds, and real-world value.
Best Guitars Under $1,000 in 2026: The Ultimate Buyer's Guide
If you've got $1,000 to spend on an electric guitar in 2026, you're in one of the sweetest spots in the market. Here are the five we'd actually buy — plus the used picks that punch way above their weight.
Guitar Center vs Sweetwater in 2026: Which One Should Guitarists Trust?
Guitar Center and Sweetwater are the two biggest names in music retail — but they offer very different experiences. Here's an honest, experience-driven comparison to help you decide which one to trust with your next guitar purchase.
Best Acoustic Guitars Under $500 in 2026: The Ultimate Buyer's Guide
You don't need to spend a grand to get an acoustic that sounds great and stays in tune. Here are the six best acoustic guitars under $500 in 2026 — ranked, compared, and reviewed with Amazon buying links.
Best Guitars for Metal in 2026: From Budget Shredders to Stage-Ready Machines
From the Jackson Soloist to the ESP LTD EC-1000 and Schecter C-1 SLS Elite — the 10 best metal guitars of 2026 ranked, compared, and reviewed with Amazon and Reverb buying links.
The Top 25 Guitar Riffs of All Time, Ranked
From Whole Lotta Love and Smoke on the Water to Crazy Train and Enter Sandman — the 25 greatest guitar riffs ever recorded, ranked.
The 25 Greatest Classic Rock Albums of All Time
Classic rock never really disappeared — it just changed generations. These 25 albums didn't just sell millions of copies. They rewrote the rulebook, defined tones, and taught generations of guitarists what rock music could be.
The 25 Greatest Guitarists of All Time
From Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen to Mark Knopfler, Randy Rhoads and Duane Allman, these are the players who changed what the guitar could do.
The 25 Greatest Women Guitarists of All Time
From Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Nancy Wilson to Jennifer Batten, St. Vincent and Sophie Lloyd — the pioneers, icons, shredders and trailblazers who changed the guitar forever.
The 20 Greatest Bass Riffs of All Time
The low-end lines that made songs instantly recognizable — from John Deacon and Chris Squire to Flea, Geddy Lee and John Entwistle.
The 15 Greatest Guitar Duos of All Time — When Two Guitars Became One Sound
Rock history is full of guitarists who became greater because of the person standing on the other side of the stage. These are the 15 partnerships that changed the sound of electric guitar.