Riff Tone

Deja Vu (2015 Remaster)

Iron Maiden

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely 1970s or early 1980s, stock or DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge pickup for Adrian Smith, stock single coils for Dave Murray)

AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 Head with Marshall 1960B 4x12 Cabinet

PickupsSingle coil (stock Fender) or DiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge, Adrian Smith); most likely single coil for clean riff section

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5.5

mid7

treble7

reverb1.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1986, for 'Somewhere in Time' album (2015 Remaster). Clean riff likely played by Adrian Smith or Dave Murray using Stratocaster into Marshall JCM800. No evidence of pedals for clean section; chorus and delay are present on leads but not on clean riff. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and typical Maiden clean tones. No direct evidence of pedals or amp effects for clean riff.

Tone Character(10)

bright and glassyarticulate and percussiveclear note separationslightly compressedminimal reverbdynamic responsetight low endno audible breakupclassic Stratocaster snapfocused attack

Difficulty

The clean riff requires tight alternate picking at a fast tempo and precise articulation for clarity, but does not involve advanced techniques or complex chord voicings.

Sources

Iron Maiden – Somewhere in Time (2015 Remaster) - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album Iron Maiden Members, Gear & Sound Amp settings for an Iron Maiden tone

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account