Riff Tone

Wasted Years (2015 Remaster)

Iron Maiden

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarCharvel San Dimas (black, single bridge humbucker, Floyd Rose)

AmpGallien-Krueger 250ML

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge humbucker)

Amp Settings

gain7

bass5.5

mid7

treble7

reverb1.5

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1986. Adrian Smith played the main riff on a Charvel San Dimas with a DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge pickup into a Gallien-Krueger 250ML solid-state amp. This is confirmed by multiple sources for the 'Somewhere in Time' album, which is the original recording for 'Wasted Years'. No evidence of pedal use for the riff section; all drive comes from the amp. No effects loop or additional rack effects confirmed for the riff.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivebright and articulatehigh-gain saturationclear note separationaggressive palm mutingmetallic edgecompressed midrangefocused attackminimal ambiencecutting rhythm tone

Difficulty

The riff demands fast, accurate alternate picking with tight palm muting and precise rhythm at a high tempo, making it challenging for most intermediate players.

Sources

Iron Maiden – Somewhere in Time (2015 Remaster)Adrian Smith

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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