Riff Tone

Fight It Back

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Flying V (early 1980s, likely 1976-1982 model, as used by Wolf Hoffmann on 'Restless and Wild')

AmpMarshall JMP 2203 (100W, early 1980s, likely through 4x12 cabinet with Celestion speakers)

PickupsStock Gibson humbuckers (likely Dirty Fingers or T-Top humbuckers, era-correct for early 1980s Flying V)

Amp Settings

gain7

bass5.5

mid6.5

treble7

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1982. No evidence of pedal use for the main riff. Gear inferred from era, band photos, and genre. No direct studio documentation found for this specific song, but all evidence points to Flying V into Marshall JMP 2203 for Accept's 'Restless and Wild' album rhythm tones.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussiveaggressive palm mutingsaturated British high-gain crunchfocused midrange puncharticulate note separationslight top-end biteminimal ambience (dry tone)fast, staccato riffingclassic early 80s German metal rhythm soundno audible modulation or time-based effects

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, aggressive picking with tight palm muting and precise synchronization, typical of early 80s metal rhythm playing. While not extremely technical, the speed and precision demand intermediate to advanced skills.