unison on the upper melody note or the
lower harmony note?
Murray: Boy, you’re asking some technical questions! It’s hard to answer that exactly, because
when we learn and do a song in the studio, usually after we’re done, we just move on to something else and forget about it. There’s really no
set way, it’s more of whatever works. There’s no
formula. In fact, we try to step outside of formulas. Sometimes, if one of us has parts worked
out already on a demo, we’ll just show the parts
to the other guys. That way we can get it close
to the way we had it on the demo. Or, sometimes we’ll make up a part on the spot.
Smith: Whoever brings the song in usually plays
the main solo, and whoever figures out the best
part to go with the solo will play that part.
Gers: Sometimes, if we’re playing the same
thing, I might play a note, say, on the 3rd string
and Adrian would play the same note on the 4th
string, which thickens the sound out. I mean, if
we really want to sort it out, I’ll say, “I’ll play in
unison with you, but on a different string.” If you
listen to those old albums, there are more than
one or two guitars on it. On Tattooed Millionaire
[Brduce Dickinson’s first solo album, released
in 1990], I recorded eight guitars playing one
chord, but at different levels—high, low, a chord
in between, etc. If you mix them all together,
it sounds like one big chord, but it isn’t. It’s all
about making the guitars sound bigger, like a
wall of sound. These are little tricks of the game.
What acoustic guitar did you use in the intro
to “The Talisman?”
Gers: I did all the tracks for that. It was a Taylor,
which was very lovely sounding. There were
probably three or four acoustics mixed in on
“The Talisman.” Some had different tunings.
When we play it live, it’s just me on the acoustic,
however. I have to play one of the parts, and you
have to imagine the other. In these cases, I have
to decide which of the parts to play, and which
harmony parts to leave to your imagination.
How do you keep Maiden fresh, yet still distinctly identifiable, after more than 30 years?
Murray: Whatever that magic ingredient is, we
don’t know—it just comes out of the air. We
don’t tour as much anymore, and we record
an album every couple of years. It’s just about
doing something that you really love doing. For
example, after Rock in Rio, we took a couple of
years off. When you’re off, it’s good to just step
away from the band stuff so that when you come
back, it’s totally fresh. I would jam here and there.
I jammed with Alice Cooper and Mick Fleetwood
at a charity function, and that was a lot of fun.
Gers: We look at each other and feel each
other, because to me, bands are all about chemistry. It’s not about the individual players. You
can get the best players in the world and still
have a shitty band if the chemistry isn’t there.
Adrian Smith
GUITARS
Two Jackson Adrian Smith signature mod-
els, Gibson SG, Gibson Les Paul Deluxe,
S-style Jackson
AMPS AND CABINETS
Marshall JCM2000, Marshall 9200 power
amp, Marshall 1960A 4x12 cabs with
Celestion Greenback speakers, two Randall
Isolation cabs with custom Celestions
EFFECTS
Lexicon MX200, original Ibanez TS808,
Dunlop Crybaby wah rack system controlled by Boss FS-5L footswitch
MISCELLANEOUS
Rocktron Hush noise reduction, Tour
Supply Inc. Custom Whirlwind rackmount
MultiSelector footswitch, Yamaha MFC10
MIDI foot controller, Shure UHF wireless
with UR4D receiver, Peterson tuner, Fender
padded guitar straps
STRINGS
Ernie Ball (.009 .011 .016 .024 .034 .044)
PICKS
Custom, heavy-gauge Ernie Ball
124 PREMIER GUITAR NOVEMBER 2010
Dave Murray
GUITARS
Two Fender American Standard Strats,
2008 Fender Dave Murray Signature
Strat with Floyd Rose, sunburst Fender
California Series Strat, 2010 Gibson Les
Paul Traditional
AMPS AND CABINETS
Three Marshall JCM2000 heads, two
backup Marshall 9200 power amps, two
4x12 cabs with 75-watt Celestion speakers,
Marshall JMP- 1 preamp
EFFECTS
Fulltone Clyde Standard wah,
Fulltone Deja’Vibe, TC Electronic G-Force
MISCELLANEOUS
Rocktron All Access MIDI controller, Pete
Cornish switcher, effects loop, and power
supply, Korg DTR- 1 rack tuner, Fender
padded leather straps
STRINGS
Ernie Ball (.009 .011 .014 .024 .032 .042)
PICKS
Ernie Ball . 70 mm
Janick Gers
GUITARS
Fender Strat, Gibson Chet Atkins electric/
acoustic
AMPS AND CABINETS
Four Marshall 9200 power amps, two
Marshall JMP- 1 preamps, Mesa/Boogie
Studio Preamp, Marshall JCM800 Bass
Series 4x12 cabs
MISCELLANEOUS
Korg A4 effects processor (used as MIDI
controller), Boss TU- 12 tuner, Pete Cornish
power supply and switcher/EQ, Pete
Cornish cables, Ernie Ball straps
STRINGS
Ernie Ball (.010 .012 .017 .026 .036 .046)
PICKS
Ernie Ball
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