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Riff Tone

Freewill

Rush

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson ES-355
AmpMarshall 100-watt head (likely JMP or Super Lead) into Marshall 4x12 cabinet

Amp Settings

gain6
bass6

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Effects & Signal Chain

Notes

Studio recording, Permanent Waves album (recorded 1979, released 1980). Multiple sources confirm Marshall and Hiwatt amps were used on the album, but the main riff tone is widely attributed to the Marshall stack with the ES-355. No evidence of pedal use for the riff section; effects are likely from amp or post-processing.

Tone Character(10)
bright and articulatestrident attacktight, percussive rhythmcrunchy British overdrivedynamic and responsiveclear note separationopen-string voicingsslight natural reverbharmonic richnesspunchy midrange

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, accurate chord changes with open-string voicings and tight, percussive muting, making it challenging for most intermediate players.

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