Song Rig

Hallowed Be Thy Name

Dave Murray · The Number of the Beast · 1982

Tone Overview

What Makes This Sound Unique

Widely considered Iron Maiden's greatest song — the guitar tone builds from a clean, fingerpicked intro through a mid-tempo verse to the full-gallop climax. Murray's clean tone on the intro is a warm, slightly chorus-drenched Strat that contrasts starkly with the full Marshall distortion of the heavy sections.

Signal Chain

1Fender Stratocaster (neck pickup for clean intro)
2Marshall JCM800 (heavy sections)
3Boss CE-2 Chorus (clean intro)

Amp Settings

Gain / Volume8

Bass6

Mid7

Treble8

Presence8

The intro uses a clean, chorus-drenched tone that creates a church-like, hymnal quality. The transition to full Marshall distortion for the main riff is one of the most impactful tonal shifts in heavy metal.

Technique

How to Play It

Clean fingerpicking transitioning to full distortion rhythm — the technical demand is the contrast: a delicate, precise fingerpicked intro that requires clean articulation, followed by the aggressive palm-muting and gallop rhythm of the main section.

Budget Alternative

Achievable With

Stratocaster neck pickup → Boss CE-2 → clean amp for intro; same guitar → JCM800 for the distortion sections. The clean intro requires precise fingerpicking; the heavy section requires gallop rhythm mastery.

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