Adrian smith iron maiden guitars

This provided additional onboard distortion for guitarists without necessitating the use of a distortion pedal. Former Marshall employees founded the British company in , and its amplifiers quickly made their way to Adrian Smith. Adrian Smith Pedals and Effects Adrian Smith was an early adopter of guitar pedals, adding distortion and various effects to his rig in the early 80s when many rockers were still relying on the old-fashioned plug-and-play method.

In addition to his distortion pedals, Smith employs multi-effects units, some modulation, delay, wah, and compression. The little green box from Japanese builders Ibanez graced the boards of countless guitarists, including Eric Johnson, Gary Moore, and, of course, Adrian Smith.

Adrian smith iron maiden guitars

Ibanez released the original TS in the late s when it was immediately adopted by metal guitarists looking to tighten up their distorted tone. The Tube Screamer boosts the mid-range frequencies of the guitar and amp, helping the guitar signal to stand out in the mix. Interestingly, Smith was not an early adopter of this classic pedal, only adding it to his rig in He seemed to prefer the natural overdriven sound of his roaring Marshalls throughout his original Iron Maiden years.

It was originally designed to imitate the effect of a muted trumpet but has since taken on a life of its own. In the 80s, guitarists looking to supplant the breakable, expensive tape delays of the 70s such as the Echoplex and Copicat turned to digital delays. Smith prefers to reserve delay for his lead parts and uses a drier sound for most of the rest of his playing.

Compression is popular among shredding guitarists. It makes loud sounds quieter and makes soft sounds louder. He likely uses the compressor to ensure that the volume of his lead lines does not vary wildly from a picked section to a legato section, and likewise that his higher-pitched flurries of notes are as clear as his crunchy power chords.

The GR also has built-in delay and reverb. Amps Iron Maiden was one of the first loud heavy metal bands in existence. Even though Gallien-Krueger is best-known for designing bass amps, Smith mainly used these amps for the Somewhere in Time tour, the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album, and the supporting tour for the album. During this era, Iron Maiden was moving in a more progressive direction.

This amp helped with all of the layered guitar effects while packing a serious punch. It has a built-in overdrive channel and watts of power, which is impressive for these little bass amps. Marshall Super Lead While Adrian Smith really only used this amp for the World Peace tour in , he has stuck with similar amps since then. Previously, he used watt amps but had to upgrade to a watt one when Iron Maiden started playing large venues.

The power of this amp makes it popular among hard rock and metal players. The Super Lead amps are most distinguishable by their Plexiglass panel. To achieve the distorted sound, Smith likely had to crank the amp all the way up or use a boost pedal. While their guitar work has to have a consistent theme, Smith still wanted to stand out. This is why he adopted this amp during his second tenure.

It not only sounded different from other Marshall amps he used but was different from a Marshall amp, while still being close to home. This amp has two master volume controls, four channels, built-in reverb, and an outbound effects loop. Dave Murray and Janick Gers were using this amp, so Smith added it to his arsenal. He kept it in his rig until around Blackstar Amps Adrian Smith has used a variety of Blackstar amps throughout the s.

It makes sense — the company was founded by former Marshalls employees. Smith first used an HT-5 mini stack. This amp was released around the time that Smith rejoined Iron Maiden. The EL34 tubes and the extra clipping diode for the lead channel provide extra distortion without the need for a pedal. Answer: Adrian Smith uses. Answer: Smith is from Hackney, England, and has a Cockney accent.

But as you can see in this article, he has used different guitars and gear. Bottomline Adrian Smith is one of the most recognizable guitars, specifically from his experience as a songwriter and guitar player for Iron Maiden. In his year career, he has used a wide variety of guitars, amps, and pedals to create that classic Maiden tone. His gear changes also reflect when he first joined Maiden to when he re-joined in the late 90s.

He suggested to them to have three guitarists. I'd like to have been in the room when he said that. But we tried it out. We started knocking a few ideas together in this warehouse. It was like a motorcycle club; there was all these motorbikes in there. We were all standing and looking at each other, and someone said, 'Anyone got any ideas?