which is the best guitar solo??

Have you ever listened to Jimi Hendrix? He's always been a favorite of mine and certainly was a master of the guitar. I agree with you that Stairway to Heaven is great but I think Hendrix did some better stuff. There's also a new group called Back Door Slam who has an amazing guitarist. They have a page on MySpace where you can hear some of their stuff and it's pretty awsome.

I was a guitar player for many years before losing part of a finger in an oilfield accident. There is a guitar solo in a song called "Reach Down" by the band Temple of the Dog that made me put my guitar down in frustration for several months because I knew I could never equal what this guy was playing. The guitarist's name is Mike McCready; he is actually the guitarist for the band Pearl Jam but recorded one album with some friends under the other band name.

ps- I thought "Fade to Black" was from Metallica, or are you talking about a different song?

I like Jimi Hendrix for guitar solos,I still think he's one of the best.
Of course I could never leave out my fav, Toni Iomi from Black Sabbath.
And, I was presently surprised when I saw Peter Frampton in person, I was amazed at what great solo work he was capable of, so much more than I expected.

My son loves playing Classical Gas - it's nice and challenging, and you can add a bit of impro! He does Stairway to Heaven as well - it's one of his favourites.

How about the November Rain solo by Slash? Classic Guns N' Roses. I also like the solo in Moneytalks by ACDC. The song Machine Gun by Hendrix is amazing. Another good one is called The Ballad of Jayne by LA Guns. That solo inspired me when I first started playing guitar.