Riff Tone

Hook In Mouth

Megadeth

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarB.C. Rich Bich

AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 with Marshall 4x12 cabinet (Celestion speakers)

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge humbucker, likely stock for era)

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6

mid4

treble7.5

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1987-1988 (So Far, So Good... So What! album). Dave Mustaine confirmed use of B.C. Rich Bich and Marshall amps for this era. No evidence of additional pedals for rhythm/riff tone; distortion from amp. No evidence of rack effects or boost pedals for riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationbright and articulateminimal ambiencefast attackmetallic edgeclear note separationdry, focused rhythm

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking and tight palm muting at a high tempo, with precise timing to maintain clarity and aggression typical of Megadeth's thrash metal style.

Sources

Megadeth (Dave Mustaine) Amp Settings (gear and tone tips)Dave Mustaine Reflects on Megadeth's 'Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good!' | Guitar World Dave Mustaine tone evolution in Megadeth (part 1)

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