The Number of the Beast (2015 Remaster) by Iron Maiden (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

The Number of the Beast (2015 Remaster) by Iron Maiden guitar tone is built on a Marshall JMP 2203/2204, dialed in at gain 7/10, bass 5.5, mid 7, treble 7, presence 6.5 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

Amp settings (0–10)

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 284 metal tones in our researched catalog: Gain 7 sits right around the metal average (7.3); mids at 7 are above average (5.2) — mid-forward, built to cut through a mix.

Guitar controls

Original gear

Guitar: Fender Stratocaster (Dave Murray signature or late-70s/early-80s model, likely with DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge pickup for riff section) · Amp: Marshall JMP 2203/2204 (Master Lead 100w/50w head, late 1970s/early 1980s, through Marshall 1960B 4x12 cabinet)

Studio recording, 1982 (original album, applies to 2015 remaster as it is a remaster of the original studio track). No evidence of live rig or post-1982 gear for this recording. No evidence of effects loop or rack effects in studio for riff section.

Gear used on this tone

Don’t own this gear? GuitarToneAdapt re-creates the sound on the rig you actually have.

Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

Fender Stratocaster (Dave Murray signature or late-70s/early-80s model, likely with DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge pickup for riff section) → Marshall JMP 2203/2204 (Master Lead 100w/50w head, late 1970s/early 1980s, through Marshall 1960B 4x12 cabinet)

Effects

Guitar → Marshall JMP 2203/2204 head → Marshall 1960B 4x12 cabinet (amp spring reverb at low level)

Amp effects: Reverb (spring, level 2)

Tone character

tight and percussive, crunchy, overdriven British amp sound, midrange-forward, articulate and defined attack, slightly scooped bass, aggressive palm muting, harmonic richness, fast, precise rhythm, layered dual-guitar sound, clear note separation

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, fast tempo, loud dynamics · high-gain distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the The Number of the Beast (2015 Remaster) sound.

Difficulty

3.5/5 · Riff

The riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking and tight palm muting at a high tempo, with precise timing and rhythm changes typical of classic Iron Maiden. While not as technically demanding as the solos, the speed and tightness needed make it challenging for intermediate players.

Worth knowing

• No direct source gives exact knob settings for the studio recording; settings estimated based on typical Marshall JMP 2203/2204 usage for Iron Maiden in early 1980s and forum/Equipboard consensus.
• No evidence of any pedals or effects used on the riff section; distortion is from amp and pickups.
• No evidence of effects loop or rack effects for this section.
• Pickup choice inferred from Dave Murray's known use of bridge humbucker for heavy rhythm sections.
• If Adrian Smith played the riff, he may have used a Strat with a Hot Rails or stock single-coil, but Dave Murray's bridge humbucker is most likely for the main riff.
• Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Iron Maiden's 'Number of the Beast' era used Marshall JMPs with moderate-high gain for a crunchy but articulate tone, tight bass, forward mids for British metal bite, and moderate treble/presence for clarity. The tone is dry with little reverb, matching the tight, punchy production of early 80s NWOBHM.

The Number of the Beast (2015 Remaster) guitar tone — FAQ

Share this tone

Sources

• Iron Maiden Members, Gear & Sound | Equipboard
• Pedals used in Piece of Mind album : r/ironmaiden - Reddit
• Guitar tone : r/ironmaiden - Reddit
• Iron Maiden's best mixing : r/ironmaiden - Reddit

Free practice tools

🎤 Online guitar tuner →  ·  🎶 Guitar chords →  ·  🎸 Guitar tunings →  ·  🎚️ Tuning chart →  ·  🎼 Guitar scales →  ·  🎚️ Chord transposer & capo →  ·  🥁 Metronome →  ·  🎶 Song chords →  ·  🎧 Guess the Tone game →  ·  🎸 Tone Legend quiz →  ·  📊 Tone data report →

🔥 The most famous guitar tones of all time →  ·  🎯 Easy guitar songs to play (with settings) →  ·  🗂️ Browse tone collections (by genre & language) →

More like this

🎸 How to get Iron Maiden’s guitar tone →  ·  🎸 more Metal guitar tones →  ·  🎚️ Marshall JCM800 settings →  ·  🎛️ best metal amp settings →  ·  🎸 more iconic guitar riffs →  ·  🎯 more scooped mids tones →  ·  📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

Related tones