Riff Tone

Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C) [2015 Remaster]

Iron Maiden

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely 1970s or early 1980s, stock or DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge pickup, as used by Dave Murray on Somewhere in Time)

AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 head with 4x12 cabinet (studio recording, 1986)

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge) or stock Fender single-coil (neck/middle)

Amp Settings

gain6.5

bass5.5

mid7

treble7

reverb2.5

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording for 'Somewhere in Time' (1986); Dave Murray and Adrian Smith both used Stratocasters with humbucker in bridge (Murray) and single-coils (Smith); amp is Marshall JCM800; guitar synths were used on the album but not on the main riff; settings estimated based on era, genre, and known rig. No explicit pedalboard or settings for the riff section found in sources.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivearticulate palm mutinghigh-gain British crunchbright and cuttingclear note separationslight reverb ambiencemetallic edgesaturated but controlledno modulation effectsfocused midrange

Difficulty

The main riff requires fast, accurate galloping picking, tight palm muting, and stamina to maintain the tempo and articulation throughout the song.

Sources

Guitar tone on Somewhere in Time : r/ironmaiden - Reddit

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely 1970s or early 1980s, stock or DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge pickup, as used by Dave Murray on Somewhere in Time)

AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 head with 4x12 cabinet (studio recording, 1986)

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge) or stock Fender single-coil (neck/middle)