Riff Tone

Take No Prisoners

Megadeth

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarJackson King V (likely custom, Dave Mustaine signature, ca. 1990)

AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 100-watt head

PickupsSeymour Duncan JB (bridge, custom-wound for Mustaine, aka 'Thrash Factor')

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6

mid4

treble7.5

reverb0

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1990. Gear confirmed for Rust In Peace album sessions. No evidence of additional pedals or effects for rhythm/riff sections. Settings inferred from era, genre, and forum consensus. Pickup and amp model confirmed by Equipboard and interviews. No evidence of live/touring substitutions for the studio recording.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutingrazor-sharp attackarticulate note separationdry and focusedminimal ambiencehigh-gain saturationcrisp high endchunky low end

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking and palm muting at high speed, with tight rhythmic precision and stamina, making it challenging for most players.

Sources

Megadeth – Rust In Peace - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album megadeth tone - forum topic - Ultimate Guitar 7 Essential Metal Amps and the Subgenres They Define - Reverb How to get Megadeth tone? [QUESTION] : r/Guitar - Reddit

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