The Trooper
Iron Maiden
A galloping riff and a harmonised twin-guitar lead line, then back-to-back solos.
What is The Trooper guitar tone?
The Trooper guitar tone is a galloping riff and a harmonised twin-guitar lead line, then back-to-back solos, heard on Iron Maiden's 1980s heavy metal recording. It is a distorted riff tone, and Iron Maiden reportedly tracked it with Dave Murray's black Stratocaster, once owned by Free's Paul Kossoff and used, by Wikipedia's account, from about 1978 to 1988, which he described to Guitar World in 1983 with a DiMarzio Super Distortion at the bridge and a PAF at the neck, through what he called the heavy metal standard of four 50-watt Marshalls with Marshall cabinets, and a Pete Cornish pedalboard holding a Cry Baby wah, an MXR Distortion+, a Phase 90, an FET booster to overdrive the amps and a graphic EQ he left on all the time; Adrian Smith told the same interview he mainly used two guitars, an SG Standard and a stock Ibanez Destroyer, with an Ibanez Tube Screamer, an MXR Micro Amp to boost his solos, a flanger and a Boss chorus; those are their rigs of that year rather than a log of this session, and which guitar Smith played here is not documented; Smith solos first on the song, then Murray, and Steve Harris wrote it about the Charge of the Light Brigade; Piece of Mind was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau in February and March 1983 with producer Martin Birch, mixed at Electric Lady in New York and released on 16 May 1983, with The Trooper out as a single on 20 June. The bite in this kind of heavy metal comes from a boost or drive pedal pushing a loud amp, so the tone is thick but never smooth, with the mids left in.
You do not need that exact gear to land in the same place. What carries this sound is the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup choice and the order of the effects, and all four can be rebuilt on equipment that costs a fraction of the original. The numbers change from amp to amp, because a high-gain head and a small practice amp reach the same voicing from different knob positions. That translation is what Tonelify works out for the rig you actually own.
The Trooper amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 7, Bass 6, Middle 6, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 1, with the bridge pickup.
- Gain 7
- Bass 6
- Middle 6
- Treble 6
- Presence 5
- Reverb 1
- Signal chain
- Boost pedal into the amp (Smith's Tube Screamer, Murray's FET booster) → MXR Micro Amp for Smith's solos → Marshall distortion
- The control that matters most
- Two guitars in harmony. The lead riff is Murray and Smith playing a harmonised line, so one guitar is only half the sound: double it in harmony if you are recording, or expect a single take to sound thinner than the record. The gallop needs every note separate, so let a boost pedal push a Marshall-style channel, as both players did in 1983, rather than turning the amp's gain up.
These positions are free and they are a starting point. A Katana, a Spark and a valve head reach this voicing from different knob positions, so Tonelify rewrites every value above for the amp and guitar you own. Your first match is free with an account, and needs no card.
Adapt these to my amp- Pickup
- Bridge pickup
These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. If you tell Tonelify which amp you own, it rewrites every value above for the controls that amp actually has.
What gear did Iron Maiden use on The Trooper?
Dave Murray's black Stratocaster, once owned by Free's Paul Kossoff and used, by Wikipedia's account, from about 1978 to 1988, which he described to Guitar World in 1983 with a DiMarzio Super Distortion at the bridge and a PAF at the neck, through what he called the heavy metal standard of four 50-watt Marshalls with Marshall cabinets, and a Pete Cornish pedalboard holding a Cry Baby wah, an MXR Distortion+, a Phase 90, an FET booster to overdrive the amps and a graphic EQ he left on all the time; Adrian Smith told the same interview he mainly used two guitars, an SG Standard and a stock Ibanez Destroyer, with an Ibanez Tube Screamer, an MXR Micro Amp to boost his solos, a flanger and a Boss chorus; those are their rigs of that year rather than a log of this session, and which guitar Smith played here is not documented; Smith solos first on the song, then Murray, and Steve Harris wrote it about the Charge of the Light Brigade; Piece of Mind was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau in February and March 1983 with producer Martin Birch, mixed at Electric Lady in New York and released on 16 May 1983, with The Trooper out as a single on 20 June.
Sources: Guitar World: Adrian Smith and Dave Murray in their first Guitar World feature, 1983, Wikipedia: Dave Murray (musician), Wikipedia: The Trooper, Wikipedia: Piece of Mind
Tonelify reads that chain and translates it to the amp and guitar you already own, returning gain, bass, mids, treble and presence values along with a pickup position.
How do you get The Trooper tone on your own amp?
Tell us your guitar, amp, and pedals
AI researches the original tone of The Trooper
Get exact knob settings adapted to your rig
The Trooper tone questions
What amp settings do you need for The Trooper?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 7, Bass 6, Middle 6, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 1, with the bridge pickup. These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. Tonelify rewrites the same values for the specific amp and guitar you own, because a high-gain head and a small solid-state combo reach the same galloping riff and a harmonised twin-guitar lead line, then back-to-back solos from different positions.
What is the most important control for The Trooper tone?
Two guitars in harmony. The lead riff is Murray and Smith playing a harmonised line, so one guitar is only half the sound: double it in harmony if you are recording, or expect a single take to sound thinner than the record. The gallop needs every note separate, so let a boost pedal push a Marshall-style channel, as both players did in 1983, rather than turning the amp's gain up.
Can you get The Trooper tone without the original gear?
Yes. The original was tracked with Dave Murray's black Stratocaster, once owned by Free's Paul Kossoff and used, by Wikipedia's account, from about 1978 to 1988, which he described to Guitar World in 1983 with a DiMarzio Super Distortion at the bridge and a PAF at the neck, through what he called the heavy metal standard of four 50-watt Marshalls with Marshall cabinets, and a Pete Cornish pedalboard holding a Cry Baby wah, an MXR Distortion+, a Phase 90, an FET booster to overdrive the amps and a graphic EQ he left on all the time; Adrian Smith told the same interview he mainly used two guitars, an SG Standard and a stock Ibanez Destroyer, with an Ibanez Tube Screamer, an MXR Micro Amp to boost his solos, a flanger and a Boss chorus; those are their rigs of that year rather than a log of this session, and which guitar Smith played here is not documented; Smith solos first on the song, then Murray, and Steve Harris wrote it about the Charge of the Light Brigade; Piece of Mind was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau in February and March 1983 with producer Martin Birch, mixed at Electric Lady in New York and released on 16 May 1983, with The Trooper out as a single on 20 June, but the parts that define the sound are the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup position and the effects order. Those translate to other equipment, which is what the adaptation step does.
Is The Trooper a rhythm or a lead tone?
It is a riff part with a distorted character, from Iron Maiden's 1980s heavy metal catalogue.
Does Tonelify cost anything to try?
Your first match for your own gear is free with an account, and needs no card. After that both plans start with a 7-day free trial: Stage is $6.99 a month for 20 matches, Headliner is $10.99 a month for unlimited matching within a fair use limit of 150 new matches a day, and yearly billing works out cheaper on both. Reading this page and the rest of the library costs nothing and needs no account.
