Holy Wars...The Punishment Due Amp Settings
by Megadeth
Holy Wars features Dave Mustaine's signature tight, razor-sharp thrash tone. A modified Marshall JCM800 with extra gain stages creates a sound that's precise, aggressive, and surgically tight — the opposite of sloppy.
What Makes This Tone Iconic
Mustaine's tone is thrash metal at its most precise. While Metallica went for a thicker, scooped sound, Megadeth's tone is tighter, brighter, and more cutting. The modified JCM800 has more gain than stock but retains the amp's naturally tight, punchy character. Every riff and lead line cuts through with surgical precision. It's thrash guitar as a scalpel rather than a sledgehammer.
Key Tone Elements
- Modified Marshall JCM800 2203 with extra gain stages
- Tight, aggressive midrange for cutting through the mix
- Jackson King V with active pickups
- Precise, fast alternate picking and complex riff patterns
- Less scooped than Metallica — more mids for definition
Original Recording Settings
Original Gear
- Guitar
- Jackson King V / Soloist
- Pickups
- Seymour Duncan JB (bridge) / Jazz (neck) (bridge)
- Amplifier
- Marshall JCM800 2203 (modified)
- Channel
- High gain
- Tuning
- standard
- Pickup Selector
- bridge
- Strings
- 0.010-0.046
Modified for more gain while retaining tight Marshall character.
Amp Settings
Effects Chain
Playing Technique
Extremely fast alternate picking and downpicking. Complex riffing with time signature changes. Spider-chord voicings. Technical solos.
Sources+
- Guitar World: Dave Mustaine Rust in Peace interviews
- Equipboard.com - Dave Mustaine
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