Riff Tone

Fear of the Dark

Iron Maiden

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (Dave Murray's 1957/62 hybrid, likely with Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in bridge and neck, JB Jr. in middle)

AmpMarshall JMP-1 Preamp into Marshall 9200 Power Amp and Marshall 1960B 4x12 Cabinet

PickupsSeymour Duncan Hot Rails (bridge and neck), Seymour Duncan JB Jr. (middle)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5.5

mid6.5

treble7

reverb1.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1991-1992. Clean sections likely used the Strat's neck or neck+middle pickup for a glassy tone. Marshall JMP-1 preamp was used in the studio for this era, with minimal pedal use and clean amp settings. No evidence of chorus or heavy modulation, but some reverb is present, likely from the amp or studio. Effects loop likely used for rack effects, but clean section is very dry.

Tone Character(10)

glassy and articulatebright but not harshdynamic and percussive attackclear note separationslight reverb ambiencemid-forward presencefull-bodied low endminimal breakupresponsive to picking dynamicsStratocaster single-coil clarity

Difficulty

The clean riff requires accurate arpeggiated picking and dynamic control for clarity, but does not involve advanced techniques or high speed, making it accessible to intermediate players.

Sources

Iron Maiden Members, Gear & Sound Iron Maiden - Dave Murray's Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment Dave Murray (musician) - Wikipedia Guitar tone : r/ironmaiden

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