Riff Tone

Dance of Death

Iron Maiden

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (Dave Murray or Janick Gers signature or Custom Shop, as used in studio for Dance of Death era)

AmpMarshall JMP 2204 Mk II Master Lead 50w (studio, Dance of Death era)

PickupsSeymour Duncan Hot Rails (bridge), Seymour Duncan JB Jr. (neck and bridge for Janick Gers), stock single coils or stacked humbuckers for Dave Murray

Amp Settings

gain7

bass5.5

mid6.5

treble7

reverb1.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2003. All three guitarists (Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Janick Gers) tracked rhythm/riff parts, but main riff tone is most associated with Stratocaster into Marshall JMP 2204. No evidence of live rig or other amp types for the studio rhythm tone.

Tone Character(10)

crunchy and aggressivetight and percussivearticulate attacklayered harmoniesrobust and dynamicsharp pick attackmelodic yet heavyslightly scooped mids but not hollowclear note separationminimal ambience

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, fast alternate picking and palm muting at a medium-fast tempo, with precise timing and articulation to match the harmonized lines and dynamic rhythm changes typical of Iron Maiden's style.

Sources

Iron Maiden Members, Gear & Sound - Equipboard Janick Gers | Equipboard

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Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (Dave Murray or Janick Gers signature or Custom Shop, as used in studio for Dance of Death era)

AmpMarshall JMP 2204 Mk II Master Lead 50w (studio, Dance of Death era)

PickupsSeymour Duncan Hot Rails (bridge), Seymour Duncan JB Jr. (neck and bridge for Janick Gers), stock single coils or stacked humbuckers for Dave Murray