[gravitas]

I like Zakk Wylde's version of Snowblind, now that's some magical stuff. My personal favourite, actually.

But otherwise, you've got the Floyd Canon (Shine on you Crazy Diamond being the crème de la crème), most of Mark Knopfler's stuff, Eric Johnson on Classical Soul (because hey, there only is one instrument). I love the solo on Wading in the Velvet Sea by Trey Anastasion (Phish). Dimebag Darrell was excellent on the Pantera cover of Planet Caravan. Shows off his range, y'know? Solo on No Quarter I like way more than on Stairway. Robbie Robertson on the Band's King Harvest (Has Surely Come) was very good. Pinchy, eh? And a lot of the new groups are really killer. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez sounds good for the majority of the new MV album, specially those wasted bends in the Widow and the latter, punchy pieces of Cassandra Gemini.

Best guitar solo is just too subjective a term... If we were to take that literally, I could just say Speed Metal Symphony with Vai and Malmsteen and be done with it. Or really anything of Allan Van Wert practicing (http://www.musichopper.com/video.html#mid = mindless shredtertainment), because they really are the peak of technical prowess. Best solo could be any one of a vast plethora of equally deserving solos. I mean, I didn't even get to mention Hendrix or Santana. What the hell, eh?