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Riff Tone
For the Love of Pain
Testament
Guitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarJackson Soloist (likely SL1 or custom shop, 1980s, used by Alex Skolnick in studio)
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 head with Marshall 4x12 cabinet (studio recording, 1988)
Amp Settings
gain8
bass6
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Notes
Studio recording for 'The New Order' album (1988). No direct evidence for pedals or effects on this specific song's riff. Gear inferred from era, genre, and known studio setups for Testament at the time. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for this section.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate note separationchunky low endcrisp, biting treblemodern thrash metal attackfast, controlled pickingminimal ambience
Difficulty
The riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking and tight palm muting at a high tempo, with precise synchronization and clarity typical of late-80s thrash metal.
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Create Free AccountGuitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarJackson Soloist (likely SL1 or custom shop, 1980s, used by Alex Skolnick in studio)
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 head with Marshall 4x12 cabinet (studio recording, 1988)
Amp Settings
gain8
bass6
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
Notes
Studio recording for 'The New Order' album (1988). No direct evidence for pedals or effects on this specific song's riff. Gear inferred from era, genre, and known studio setups for Testament at the time. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for this section.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate note separationchunky low endcrisp, biting treblemodern thrash metal attackfast, controlled pickingminimal ambience
Difficulty
The riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking and tight palm muting at a high tempo, with precise synchronization and clarity typical of late-80s thrash metal.