Riff Tone

Electric Eye

Judas Priest

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Flying V (likely 1974 Medallion or late 70s model, as used by K.K. Downing on Screaming for Vengeance)

AmpMarshall JMP 50 Watt Head (1978, as used by K.K. Downing in studio and confirmed auction provenance)

PickupsEMG 81 Active Ceramic Humbucker (as per 1980s era Downing Flying V mods)

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass5.5

mid5

treble6

reverb0

presence7

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1982, Screaming for Vengeance album. Gear confirmed for this era and song by multiple sources. No evidence of live/touring substitutions for the original studio riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussiverazor-sharp attackscooped but present midsaggressive bridge pickup bitehigh-gain British crunchfast alternate picking clarityarticulate note separationpercussive rhythm drivemetallic edgeminimal ambience

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking with tight palm muting and rapid chord changes at a high tempo, demanding strong right-hand technique and rhythmic precision.

Sources

Judas Priest Electric Eye Amp Settings | The Gear Page K. K. Downing | Equipboard The 25 greatest metal guitar tones of all time | Guitar World

This tone has been researched 3 times by the community

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