Riff Tone
Wake Up Dead
Megadeth
Guitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarJackson King V (custom, early 1986, likely with Seymour Duncan JB in bridge)
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 head into Marshall 1960 4x12 cabinet
PickupsSeymour Duncan JB (bridge humbucker, passive)
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass5
mid5.5
treble7
reverb0
presence6.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1986. Gear confirmed for Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? era. No evidence of pedals or rack effects for riff section; distortion from amp. Pickup and amp models inferred from era, interviews, and period photos.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivemid-heavy crunchrazor-sharp attackdry, immediate responseaggressive palm mutingarticulate and fastscooped but present midsno ambient effectshigh-gain saturationclassic thrash metal rhythm
Difficulty
The riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking and palm muting at high speed, with complex rhythm changes and tight synchronization, making it challenging for most players.
Sources
This tone has been researched 3 times by the community
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Create Free AccountGuitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarJackson King V (custom, early 1986, likely with Seymour Duncan JB in bridge)
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 head into Marshall 1960 4x12 cabinet
PickupsSeymour Duncan JB (bridge humbucker, passive)
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass5
mid5.5
treble7
reverb0
presence6.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
This tone has been researched 3 times by the community
Notes
Studio recording, 1986. Gear confirmed for Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? era. No evidence of pedals or rack effects for riff section; distortion from amp. Pickup and amp models inferred from era, interviews, and period photos.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivemid-heavy crunchrazor-sharp attackdry, immediate responseaggressive palm mutingarticulate and fastscooped but present midsno ambient effectshigh-gain saturationclassic thrash metal rhythm
Difficulty
The riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking and palm muting at high speed, with complex rhythm changes and tight synchronization, making it challenging for most players.
Wake Up Dead settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
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