GuitarDistortedRiff
The Trooper (2015 Remaster) Guitar Tone Settings — Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden · 1980s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Fender Stratocaster (likely 1970s or early 1980s, as used by Dave Murray and Adrian Smith on Piece of Mind)
Pickups
DiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge, Dave Murray), stock Fender single coils or DiMarzio PAF (Adrian Smith, bridge/middle)
Amp
Marshall JCM800 2203 (100W head, as used in Piece of Mind studio sessions)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1983 (Piece of Mind sessions, remastered in 2015). No evidence of pedals used for distortion in the studio; amp distortion is primary. No confirmed use of effects pedals for the riff section.
Amp Settings
Mids6.5
Bass5.5
Gain7
Reverb1.5
Treble7.5
Presence6
Tone Matcher
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Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- aggressive palm muting
- British high-gain crunch
- articulate note separation
- cutting upper mids
- focused low end
- slight amp reverb for space
- no audible modulation or delay
- classic 80s metal riff clarity
- bridge pickup bite
Tone Story / Why This Tone Works
studio