Riff Tone

Losfer Words (Big 'Orra) [2015 Remaster]

Iron Maiden

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely 1970s/early 80s, stock or DiMarzio Super Distortion in bridge)

AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 (studio, 1984 Powerslave sessions)

PickupsBridge humbucker (likely DiMarzio Super Distortion or Seymour Duncan JB, as used by Dave Murray/Adrian Smith in this era)

Amp Settings

gain7

bass5.5

mid6.5

treble7

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1984, Powerslave album. Both Dave Murray and Adrian Smith used Stratocasters with humbuckers in the bridge and Marshall JCM800 amps for rhythm/riff sections. No evidence of Gallien-Krueger or later gear on this album. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and typical Iron Maiden studio setup. No evidence of pedals or effects for the riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivearticulate and cuttinghigh-gain British crunchfocused midrange punchaggressive palm mutingclear note separationminimal ambiencefast attackclassic 80s metal rhythmslightly scooped but present mids

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking and tight palm muting at a high tempo, demanding strong right-hand technique and precise synchronization for the classic Maiden rhythm sound.

Sources

Iron Maiden Members, Gear & Sound | Equipboard Dave Murray | Equipboard Adrian Smith | Equipboard

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