GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
South of Heaven (Early Version / Jeff Hanneman's Home Recording) Guitar Tone Settings
Slayer · 1980s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
ESP Custom (Hanneman's early model, likely Strat-style, as used in home demos)
Pickups
EMG 81 (bridge), EMG 85 (neck) active humbuckers
Amp
Marshall JCM800
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio home demo recording, 1986-1987 era; settings and gear based on Guitar World and period interviews. No evidence of pedals or rack effects in this early home demo; signal chain is guitar direct to amp. Settings are for studio/home recording, not live.
Amp Settings
Mids5
Bass3.5
Gain7.5
Reverb0
Treble7
Presence5.5
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Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- aggressive palm muting
- focused midrange punch
- metallic, biting attack
- high-gain saturation
- articulate, defined chugs
- minimal ambience
- scooped low bass for clarity
- high-output active pickup clarity
- fast alternate picking response
Notes & Caveats
- No evidence of pedals or rack effects used in this specific early home demo recording; all distortion and tone shaping from amp and pickups.
- Settings are from Guitar World lesson referencing Jeff Hanneman's riff tone and JCM800 usage; presence is estimated as typical for JCM800 in this genre/era.
- No evidence of reverb, delay, or modulation effects in the home demo; signal chain is likely guitar → amp only.
- All effects and gear are specific to the early home demo version, not the later studio or live versions.
- If alternate sources suggest use of EQ pedal or noise gate in later years, these are not included here due to lack of evidence for this specific recording.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Jeff Hanneman's early home recording tone for 'South of Heaven' is high-gain but not as saturated as studio versions, with a tight low end, scooped mids, and pronounced treble/presence for clarity. The dry, raw sound and genre conventions suggest no reverb and settings typical of 80s thrash metal practice tapes.