Before I say another word, let one thing be abundantly clear: Vito Bratta (White Lion) and Warren DeMartini (Ratt) are not in this list. Nor will they be. Sorry, I simply don't count them among the ten best hair metal guitarists.  Nor, to be honest, would they come in my top 20 guitarists. You want my opinions on them? Well, Vito is the ugliest guitarist of the decade and has absolutely no concept of how to write good cadences (not exactly challenging stuff). The nicest thing I can say about Warren is that I read an article in which Steve Vai, possibly the most technically advanced shredder of all (although also not in this list) which of his peers he particularly admired. Included in his answer was Warren DeMartini. So there you go.

10) Mick Mars (Motley Crue): I've heard Mick dubbed the "silent shredder", and certainly you don't often hear people extolling his greatness. So here the tables are turned, as Mick pulls in at slot 10. Mick's riffs and rhythm playing are rock solid, but let's be honest now, you get into shredder lists for your solo playing. Ever tuneful and suited to the song, Mick's tastiest solos of all were on the Dr. Feelgood platter, the album that brought it all together for the Crue. Sometimes he would base his solos around the song's vocal melody, and at others he would simply let rip… Fine stuff. Finest moment: "Dr. Feelgood" -- both solos totally rock.

9) CC DeVille (Poison): Dubbed "The Ace Frehley of the Eighties", CC was the perfect guitarist for Poison, his lyrical and melodic solos always borrowed just the right amount from the rest of the song to capture the essence of the Poison spirit in his playing. He never lacked speed, either, although his playing was invariably better on the rockers than on the ballads. Finest moment: "Unskinny Bop" -- those yanks on the wang bar really sound like moans… totally in keeping with the lyrics.

8) Frank Hannon/ Tommy Skeoch (Tesla): No, I'm not stupid… I know that's two guitarists. But I also know that like no other duo in heavy metal, Frank and Tommy are a duelling guitar tag team. Whether they're trading licks on a track like "Cumin' Atcha Live", playing harmonies as on "Hang Tough", or doing beautiful acoustic layering like the intros to "Love Song" and "Little Suzi", no other pair of shredders feed off each other so well. Both of them are technically proficient guitarists but with blues rather than neo-classical instincts, not lacking in speed or feel. Their creation of two different rhythm guitar parts in songs rather than simply letting both guitars chug out the same thing simply adds to their huge sound. Finest moment: "Don't De-Rock Me" -- not the best Tesla song ever but the furious solos bounce of each other perfectly.

7) Paul Gilbert (Racer X/ Mr. Big): Young Gilbert was little more than a prodigy during the Racer X days but with Mr. Big, he really came out with the goods. There is no questioning Gilbert's virtuosity, but if you feel that way inclined, may I point you in the direction of "Addicted to that Rush"… that's a two-octave run in the space of a single bar (a measure to you Americans) at the climax. What's always impressive about Mr. Big is how song-orientated they stay in spite of the astonishing standard of musicians in the band; they are never tempted off down the road of long, aimless, meandering, and self-indulgent instrumentals. They same is true of Gilbert's playing with them; fast and furious when necessary, he is just as likely to play something soulful and well thought-out. Any interest I had in Mr. Big ceased the moment he left. Finest moment: Two really… "Rock & Roll Over" (nothing to do with any Kiss or other songs you may have heard by the same name) is a fast-paced bluesy rocker and Gilbert's furious licks at the fade-out are kicking. On the opposite side, you have "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind"… the intro and outro tapping licks are infinitely more complex than they sound, but also brilliantly melodic, and the middle solo is a marvel of tasteful self-restraint.

6) Tony Palacios (Guardian): You probably haven't listened much to Palacios but I suggest you do. Find out more about him in the white metal section. He combines a serious blues sensibility into his riffs with a touch of Nuno Bettencourt's intricate riffing in his rhythm playing. When it comes time to solo, Tony kicks out the jams with flowing, fluent lines that reek of a total familiarity with his instrument. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending Guardian's Miracle Mile to anyone; the guitar work alone is worth the price of entry. Finest hour: Tough choice but "Shoeshine Johnny", with its great use of the whammy bar, building emotion through the solos, and killer hammer-on and pull-off licks really hit the spot.

5) Oz Fox (Stryper): The time is 1984 and Christian metal has never been heard. Even shredding is a relatively new phenomenon. Then out come Stryper and the first song on their first EP is "Loud n' Clear", a song not only brimming with energy but also containing a solo with a ridiculously fast opening run and major whammy bar abuse. The best was still to come. Throughout Stryper's career Foxy only improved, adding tapping, tremolo picking, and legato to his arsenal of fire power. His weird noises produced with the whammy bar and harmonics are darn near impossible to reproduce and the clean fluidity of his solos is undeniable. Most white metal fans rant about Rex Carroll from Whitecross as being the movement's proprietary axe-wielder but any time spent listening to Oz should leave you in no doubt as to the finest shredder in Christendom. Against the Law is his best album for guitar playing, blessed with slide work, melodic moments, bluesy, feel-based solos, and the obligatory manic bursts of speed (although speed in less quantities than in the past, it must be said). Finest moment: Easy. "Two Bodies (One Mind One Soul)" has the lot… great bends, great technique, great feel… and it goes on for ages, never once heading off into "I'm lost" or "I'm bored" territory. Magnificent.

4) Vivian Campbell (Sweet Savage, Dio, Trinity, Whitesnake, Shadow King, Riverdogs, Def Leppard): As you can see Mr. Campbell is a well-travelled musician, and there is a reason for the high level of demand on his services. In an interview with HM Magazine, Ronnie James Dio (Elf, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, et al) discussed Vivian's playing, commenting "He certainly had a lot of speed… and intricacy. He was a very passionate player, but with a lot of flash. He was a great player." A great player indeed. Any long time Dio follower or anyone who caught Vivian on Whitesnake's tour to support their 1987 album (simply titled Whitesnake in the USA) will be in no doubt as to Vivian's shredding capabilities. With every band since, however, Viv has become increasingly melodic, demonstrating great feel and versatility. Having spent the better part of ten years with them now, it seems that Vivian has come home to roost, settling in as the song-based player behind Phil Collen's more frenetic outbursts. Nevertheless, to this day Vivian can really kill when need be, and even if they never get that fast, his solos on "Paper Sun" and "Day After Day" from Euphoria show he can still rock out. "To Be Alive", on the other hand, introduced us to the slide-side of Vivian Campbell. If you really want to hear the full gamut of the man's abilities, check out a good quality bootleg from Def Leppard's 7 Day Weekend Tour to support Adrenalize (1992-1993).  Make sure you get one which includes a Vivian guitar solo, and then you'll hear the whole works: Neo-classical wizardry on his solo, bluesy legato licks during his lick-trading with Phil on "Rocket", and Vivian at his most passionate during his extended outro to "Love Bites". I recommend Hiroshima 93 , sometimes called Hysteric Adrenight. Finest moment: Vivian's blink-and-you'll-miss-it blast in "Disintegrate" , Def Leppard's first instrumental since "Switch 625" from High 'n' Dry, will have you punching the air in excitement. So rocking… so tasteful. And he did bags of great shredding for Dio… try Holy Diver on for size.

3) Edward Van Halen (Van Halen): Edward Van Halen deserves to be in the run down of just about ANY top 10 list of guitarists simply because of the way his highly-distorted sound, ferocious playing, originality, and technical virtuosity revolutionised guitar playing. He popularised the technique of two-handed tapping with "Eruption", a completely seminal minute and a half solo. Readers of Guitarist (UK) and Guitar World (USA) voted it the second best guitar solo of all time in entirely separate polls (In Guitarist it lost to the Eagles' "Hotel California", and in Guitar World  to Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven"). As a band player, Eddie likes to play 3-piece so he has room to improvise, and improvise he does! With his solos, Eddie misses as often as he hits, but when he hits there are few that can touch him. Solos like "Love Walks In" and "Right Now" flow brilliantly with great feel and sensitivity, yet stuff like his contribution to Michael Jackson's "Beat It" (yup, that's Eddie) is simply explosive. Listening to Right Here Right Now, there are licks in Eddie's guitar solo, "316" that leave the mind boggling at what he is acutally doing, let alone how he is doing it.  Finest moment: "Dreams" -- both lead breaks are wonderfully thought out, compliment the song perfectly, and have all the elements of a great solo. As always with Eddie, you know he's just enough on edge that he's not going to mechanically play it quite the same twice. One of the all-time great guitarists, not just a great heavy metal player.

2) Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme): If you knew Nuno like I know Nuno, you'd know Nuno is one of the greatest shredders ever. His technical prowess alone is jaw-dropping, but it's the stuff he plays which is staggering. After all, with the best solos, technically anyone could play them; what sets them apart is that someone actually did play them, and they played them with style. With Nuno, his distinctive digging into his guitar is always appropriately aggressive, and his rhythm playing is always amazing, with tapping licks most guitarists wish they could play as part of their solos simply sitting underneath vocal lines. Nuno's cascades of tapped arpeggios are always killer and his neo-classical influences mean even when he shreds it still sounds like more than a rush of notes at high speed. Truly, one of the most intelligent shredders of all. Finest moment: "Get the Funk Out" of course! This is an immense guitar extravaganza with several sections, full of crashing syncopation, funky jamming, classical arpeggios, lightning speed, and emotional vibrato. Mammoth.

AND THE WINNER IS…

1) Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi): To be a great solo, to me at least, a great solo needs to be part of a great song. A great solo is the icing on the cake of a great solo, and the chord changes of a great song lift the solo to a higher place, the changing tensions and harmonies adding interest. They don't come a great deal better at penning songs than Richie Sambora, so it's small wonder that he's no slouch at putting great solos on top of them. The most exciting thing a guitarist can be is spontaneous, and Sambora has been known to improvise entire solos and then put the first take on the final record. Bon Jovi are a pop band, and Sambora's solos are often pop, with huge slices of sing-able melody fitting right into the middle of Jovi's stadium anthems. Whatever the case, they are always just right for the song, with Sambora's musicianship making up for Jon's aspirations of movie-stardom with ease. He has speed, technique, feel, and guts in all the right quantities, with his excellent vibrato and pinched-harmonics exuding energy. His blues instincts and technique never falter, and there could be no better man for the job of axe-grinder for the world's biggest pop metal band. Finest moment: "Bad Medicine" -- serious attitude and energy seethe through this lead break, with that harmonic-ridden pick slide after the initial phrase just screaming of everything that is good about guitar. Sambora seems excited about his instrument; he digs into it with a oneness with the instrument you rarely hear.

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