Riff Tone

The Writing on the Wall

Iron Maiden

Guitarmetal2010s+

Original Gear

GuitarJackson Adrian Smith Signature San Dimas DK

AmpMarshall JVM410H

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge humbucker), single coils (middle/neck, exact model unknown)

Amp Settings

gain6.5

bass6

mid7.5

treble6.5

reverb1.5

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2021. Gear confirmed for Adrian Smith on Senjutsu sessions, which includes 'The Writing on the Wall'. Dave Murray likely used his Fender Stratocaster with Seymour Duncan Hot Rails, but for the riff section, Smith's Jackson with bridge humbucker is most prominent. No evidence of live rig or alternate amps for the studio version.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivefocused midrangearticulate palm mutingmodern British crunchsaturated but clear distortioncontrolled low endhigh-output humbucker biteminimal ambienceaggressive pick attackdefined note separation

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, articulate palm muting and precise alternate picking at a moderate tempo, with syncopated rhythms demanding good timing and control.

Sources

Iron Maiden: Out of Thin Air - Premier Guitar iron-maiden: Latest Updates - Premier Guitar Guitar tone : r/ironmaiden Amp settings for an Iron Maiden tone

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account