Poll: What's Your Favorite Acoustic Rock Song?

Features
By published

"Gave my love a chicken that had no bone ...?"

You're not gonna find any of that crap around here!

These are tried-and-true acoustic rockers that have scaled the highest echelons of radio immortality. Some are sweet, some are somber, and some just rock, despite having a musical engine based on meticulously aligned wood and steel strings.

But hey, sometimes the simplest statements are the most profound. Take a look at Guitar World's list of 50 great acoustic rock jams and vote for your favorite. And if you have a tough time deciding, check out this photo gallery and overview of the tunes that made the cut.

Happy voting!

More about music releases

“That required some right hand training. It was like a tongue twister for my hands”: Mike Dawes has transformed a Sleep Token song into a solo acoustic guitar masterclass – and the results are awe-inspiring

“Alternative metal reimagined for solo acoustic? The results are quite mesmerizing”: April 2025 Guitar World Editors' Picks

“There's something really magical about it”: Bon Jovi's Phil X on why he prefers single-pickup guitars – and his one-of-a-kind neck pickup 'mods'
See more latest
Most Popular
1964 Epiphone Riviera: By 1964, the earlier ‘Mickey Mouse’ body ears of the Riviera had slimmed. The six-string is an unusual sunburst with narrower dark edges, while the 12-string E360TD-12 is the more common Royal Tan
Played by everyone from Magic Sam and Otis Rush to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robbie Robertson, Noel Gallagher, and Robben Ford, the Riviera remains Epiphone's semi-hollow superstar
Jenna Fournier
“Smashing Pumpkins taught me that music doesn’t have to fit neatly into a box… it’s not as easy as pie. It’s pie with a side of metal!” Billy Corgan asked Jenna Fournier to go back to bass, and she says the timing is perfect
Pictured from below, Doug Aldrich of the Dead Daisies plays his Gold Top Les Paul onstage.
“I always used it with Whitesnake, which was perfect because it sounded like John Sykes' Les Paul”: Doug Aldrich on how Randy Rhoads’ inspiration helped him find a “killer” Les Paul – that was owned by the man who co-wrote Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven
A Klon Centaur pedal
Klon Centaur creator Bill Finnegan once said that the hype around his pedal was “ridiculous,” yet originals still fetch $10,000 or more on the secondhand market. With plentiful, far cheaper clones, why does the Klon remain a holy grail pedal?
Jason Sinay
“Norm was like, ‘Do you want to play with Joe?’ Before I could say ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ he brings Joe over and tells him, ‘Jason wants to play a set’”: Jason Sinay on jamming with Joe Bonamassa – and why his early sessions with Mike Campbell were a struggle
Toby Lee stands in front of a blue velvet curtain and wears a Breton stripe T-shirt and plays a Gibson Firebird.
“I remember there was a video of Gary Moore and he played Red House on this Fiesta Red Strat, and I thought it was just the most incredible thing”: Is Toby Lee Britain’s next blues-rock superstar?
Steven Wilson plays his Custom Shop Fender Telecaster onstage with Porcupine Tree – that Tele is all over his new solo album, The Overview Effect
“I love the guitar, but essentially it’s an instrument that belongs to the 20th century in many ways. So it’s a question of, what can you do to try to reinvent that vocabulary to make it seem relevant?”: Steven Wilson on the making of a cosmic prog epic
Nicole Fiorentino
“I had big shoes to fill, but I knew I had a lot to offer on my own. I think Billy Corgan saw that in me”: From Veruca Salt to the Smashing Pumpkins and Garbage, Nicole Fiorentino has become alt-rock's go-to bassist
Wednesday 13
“We both wanted to shred. Joey wanted to be as crazy on guitar as he was on drums”: Wednesday 13 on getting his guitar confidence back – with help from some heroes – and the Murderdolls future that never happened
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins is haloed by a stage light and wears black as he performs live with his white signature Reverend electric guitar.
“I still use the Strat and Big Muff sound here and there for overdubs, but when I watched Eddie Van Halen play 3 feet in front of me, I learned that it’s about the hands”: Billy Corgan on critics, tone secrets, and how he keeps Smashing Pumpkins fresh