Rime of the ancient mariner amp settings — HB-20R Harley benton
The Iron maidem guitar tone for “Rime of the ancient mariner”, dialed in for a HB-20R Harley benton with a Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan Stratocaster. Studio version, Powerslave (1984) - signature galloping rhythm riff
1957/63 Fender Stratocaster (DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge) / Gibson Les Paul Deluxe into Marshall JMP 2203 / JCM800 100W heads via custom Pete Cornish pedalboard (MXR Distortion+)
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 2 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Reverb | 2 |
| Master | 4 |
01Distortion
Gain source — drives the clean channel to recreate the MXR Distortion+ hitting a British amp stack
The SRV Strat's Texas Special single-coil bridge pickup is considerably thinner and brighter than Dave Murray's high-output DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker, so roll the guitar tone knob to 8 and keep the amp treble restrained at 5. To prevent harsh, fizzy double-gain on the solid-state HB-20R practice amp, set the amp to its Clean channel with gain at 2 and use your distortion pedal as the primary gain stage. Push the HB-20R mid control to 7 to replicate the aggressive, focused Marshall midrange punch of the 1984 recording. Quiet ambient middle section: roll guitar volume back to 6-7 or step on the distortion pedal to bypass it.
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These settings are for a HB-20R Harley benton. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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