Riff Tone

Revelations (2015 Remaster)

Iron Maiden

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely 1970s or early 1980s, as used by Dave Murray and Adrian Smith on Piece of Mind)

AmpMarshall 50-watt JMP (likely 2203 or 2204 head) with Marshall cabinets (Celestion and EV speakers)

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge), DiMarzio PAF (neck) – Stratocaster with humbucker in bridge position

Amp Settings

gain6.5

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb1.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1983 Piece of Mind sessions. Both Dave Murray and Adrian Smith used Stratocasters with DiMarzio humbuckers in the bridge, running into Marshall JMP 50-watt heads and 4x12 cabinets. Effects were minimal for rhythm/riff sections; most distortion from amp. No evidence of boost or drive pedals for riff. Pickup choice: bridge humbucker. No chorus, delay, or flanger audible in riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussiveaggressive British cruncharticulate attackslightly scooped midsbright and cutting treblefull-bodied power chord soundminimal ambiencefocused, compressed distortionclassic 1980s metal rhythmfast note definition

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, fast alternate picking and palm muting at a medium-fast tempo, with syncopated rhythm and precise chord transitions typical of classic Iron Maiden rhythm work.

Sources

Interview: Iron Maiden's Adrian Smith and Dave Murray in Their First ...Amp settings for an Iron Maiden tone - forum topic | Ultimate Guitar

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