Riff Tone

Ace of Spades (40th Anniversary Master)

Motörhead

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Deluxe (mini-humbuckers), possibly Fender Stratocaster (bridge humbucker mod) for some tracks

AmpMarshall JMP 2203/2204 or Marshall JMP Superbass II (cranked, no master volume on Superbass, likely JMP 2203 for main riff)

PickupsMini-humbuckers (Les Paul Deluxe) or bridge humbucker (Stratocaster, if used)

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid7

treble7.5

reverb0

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1980 (original), 2020 (40th Anniversary Master is a remaster, not a re-recording). All evidence points to Eddie Clarke using a Les Paul Deluxe with mini-humbuckers into a cranked Marshall JMP 2203/2204 for the main riff. No pedal effects confirmed for studio recording; distortion is from amp. Pickup selector set to bridge. No evidence of effects loop or additional pedals. Settings estimated from era, genre, and forum/user reports.

Tone Character(10)

sharp, biting toneaggressive and rawextra clarity from mini-humbuckershostile, syncopated dissonancebiting midrangenot 'fuzzed out' or 'blurry'searing guitar riffsBritish crunchtight and percussivehigh-output, saturated sound

Difficulty

The riff is fast and requires tight, aggressive picking with precise palm muting and stamina, but does not involve advanced lead techniques or complex chord voicings.

Sources

motorhead tone - forum topic | Ultimate Guitar Motörhead - Ace of Spades | Wiki @ Ultimate-Guitar.com Motörhead Members, Gear & Sound | Equipboard 30-21 - The 50 greatest guitar riffs of all time - Page 3 | Guitar World

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