Riff Tone

The Number of the Beast (2015 Remaster)

Iron Maiden

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely 1970s or early 1980s, as used by Dave Murray and Adrian Smith on the original recording)

AmpMarshall JCM800 Model 1987 50-watt head into Marshall 1960B 4x12 cabinet

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge, Dave Murray) or Seymour Duncan Hot Rails (bridge, Adrian Smith); single-coil in neck/middle positions

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5.5

mid7

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1982 (remastered 2015). No evidence of pedal use for clean sections; clean achieved by rolling down guitar volume and low amp gain. No chorus or delay on clean parts. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and amp model. No evidence of effects loop or outboard pedals for clean tone.

Tone Character(10)

glassy and articulatebright but not harshmoderate mids for claritytight low end, not boomydynamic and touch-sensitiveslight natural compression from ampno audible modulation or time-based effectsopen, ringing chordsclean sustain with quick decaystudio ambience, not pedal-driven

Difficulty

The clean riff requires accurate chord voicings and dynamic control to maintain clarity without breakup, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast tempo.

Sources

Iron Maiden – Piece of Mind (2015 Remaster) - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album Iron Maiden Members, Gear & Sound Amp settings for an Iron Maiden tone - forum topic | Ultimate Guitar Help iron maiden tone settings! I can't find anything that ...

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