GuitarDistortedSolo
Peace Sells Solo Guitar Tone Settings — Megadeth
Megadeth · 1980s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Jackson Randy Rhoads Custom (Chris Poland's main guitar for Peace Sells era)
Pickups
DiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge humbucker)
Amp
Marshall JCM800 2203 (likely unmodded, possibly boosted)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1986. Chris Poland played the solos on the Peace Sells album. Amp was likely a Marshall JCM800 2203, possibly with a boost pedal or preamp, but no explicit pedal model confirmed for the solo. No evidence of time-based or modulation effects in the solo section.
Amp Settings
Mids3.5
Bass6
Gain7.5
Reverb0
Treble7.5
Presence6
Tone Matcher
Match This Tone to Your Gear
Tell us your guitar and amp — we’ll calculate the exact settings translated to your specific rig.
7-day free trial · Cancel anytime.
Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- scooped mids
- aggressive, biting lead tone
- fast attack
- quick note decay
- high-gain saturation
- articulate single-note runs
- minimal ambience (dry solo tone)
- crisp pick attack
- cutting upper mids
Playing Technique
- Pick the accents, not every note equally · difficulty 4/5Use a firm pick on phrase starts and let hammer-ons or pull-offs connect the smaller notes. This keeps the run articulate without turning the solo into a stiff row of identical attacks.
- Keep fast position shifts quiet · difficulty 4/5Release the fretting hand slightly during slides between positions and use the picking hand to cover unused strings. Dry, high-gain tone makes transition noise obvious.
- Bend into tension, then resolve cleanly · difficulty 4/5Pre-hear the target pitch before the bend and let the release land with intention. Poland's expressive edge comes from the interval tension, not from adding more gain or wider vibrato.
- Stop the reverb from softening the attack · difficulty 3/5Use only a short room or a very restrained repeat. The solo needs a dry center and controlled bass; long trails make the fast lines blend into the rhythm guitars.
Sources
Tone Story / Why This Tone Works
- Style and eraPeace Sells belongs to Megadeth's 1986 classic thrash era, where the band paired aggressive riffing with political writing and a more adventurous lead vocabulary.
- Chris Poland's voicePoland's lead style is angular and jazz-informed, with fast interval movement, unusual phrasing, and bends that sound less predictable than standard metal runs.
- Gear rationaleA Marshall-style high-gain platform with controlled lows, present upper mids, and little ambience keeps the 1980s lead articulate without modern over-compression.
- Why the solo is iconicThe solo feels both hostile and clever because short, restless phrases cut through the thrash rhythm instead of becoming a smooth, detached lead layer.
What Fans Are Saying About This Tone?
A song that never ages.
Vote your take0% autotune, 100% Megadeth!
Vote your takeThis song shows what a badass bassist Ellefson is.
Vote your take