Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

The recording

The intro and main riff of “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due” were tracked at Rumbo Recorders in 1990 with Marty Friedman’s lead solo captured on a black Jackson Kelly fitted with a Seymour Duncan TB‑4 JB bridge humbucker. The signal ran through a subtle delay before hitting a Marshall JCM800 2203 head, routed into a 1960 4×12 cabinet. Producer Mike Clink and engineer Max Norman kept the amp’s reverb low, preserving the tight, articulate high‑gain tone that defines the track. The rhythm guitars were double‑tracked, both using the bridge pickup, and the mix places the solos prominently front‑and‑center with a short delay tail for added space.

Tuning E standard (E A D G B E)

Reported gear

1990 Jackson Kelly (black)

Guitar

Marty Friedman recorded the solo on a black Jackson Kelly equipped with a Seymour Duncan TB‑4 JB bridge humbucker; the guitar is shown in the official video and confirmed by Equipboard as part of his Rust in Peace rig.

Delay pedal (unknown model)

Delay

A subtle delay can be heard on the solo section, but no specific pedal model from the 1990 session has been documented; the effect is inferred from the recorded tone.

Marshall JCM800 2203 (1981)

Amp

The Rust in Peace sessions used a Marshall JCM800 2203 head for the guitar tracks; this is listed on Equipboard and matches the era‑typical choice for Megadeth's high‑gain tone.

Marshall 1960 4x12 Cabinet (1980s)

Cabinet

The JCM800 head was typically paired with a 1960 4x12 cabinet during the Rust in Peace recordings, as seen in studio photos and rig rundowns of the era.

Alternatives

Jackson Kelly (modern production)

Modern equivalent · for the 1990 Jackson Kelly (black)

$800 to $1,200

Marshall JCM800 2203 Reissue

Reissue · for the Marshall JCM800 2203 (1981)

$1,800 to $2,200

Digital delay pedal (e.g., Boss DD-3)

Modern equivalent · for the Delay pedal (unknown model)

$100 to $200

Marshall 1960 4x12 Cabinet Reissue

Reissue · for the Marshall 1960 4x12 Cabinet (1980s)

$600 to $900

Practical playing approach

Recreation guidance, not a claim about undocumented studio control positions.

1. 1.Attack the bridge pickup and set the guitar volume to full for maximum saturation.
2. 2.Use alternate picking with tight palm‑muting on rhythm parts to achieve the chugging tightness.
3. 3.For the solo, let the bridge pickup sing and apply a slight delay to add depth.
4. 4.Maintain high pick attack and use a light vibrato on bends for expressive phrasing.
5. 5.Keep the tone knob rolled back slightly to keep the mids scooped and highs cutting.