Peace Sells

The recording

Peace Sells was recorded in early 1986 at Music Grinder Studios with producer Randy Burns and engineer Casey McMackin. Dave Mustaine and Chris Poland tracked the guitars in a seven‑day, 20‑hour‑a‑day session, with Mustaine using his black BC Rich Warlock equipped with PAF‑type and DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups, routed through a Mesa Boogie Mark I and a 4×12 cabinet. A Boss DS‑1 distortion pedal was placed in front of the amp to tighten the gain. The aggressive tone sits front‑and‑center in the mix, cutting through the dense double‑bass attack.

Tuning Standard E (E-A-D-G-B-E)

Reported gear

BC Rich Warlock (black)

Guitar

Mustaine recorded the rhythm parts on a black BC Rich Warlock, his primary guitar during the Peace Sells sessions.

Boss DS-1 Distortion

Distortion Pedal

A Boss DS-1 was placed in front of the amp to push the preamp into a tight high‑gain sound characteristic of the track.

Mesa Boogie Mark I (1979)

Amp

Mustaine’s Warlock was routed through a Mesa Boogie Mark I, delivering the high‑gain tone that drives the song.

Mesa Boogie 4x12 Cabinet

Cabinet

The amp was paired with a Mesa Boogie 4×12 cabinet, providing the powerful low‑end and tight mids heard on the track.

Alternatives

BC Rich Warlock Reissue

Reissue · for the BC Rich Warlock (black)

$400 to $600

Mesa Boogie Mark I Reissue

Reissue · for the Mesa Boogie Mark I (1979)

$2,000 to $2,500

Boss DS-1 (Current Production)

Modern equivalent · for the Boss DS-1 Distortion

$80 to $120

Mesa Boogie 4x12 Cabinet (Current Production)

Modern equivalent · for the Mesa Boogie 4x12 Cabinet

$600 to $900

Practical playing approach

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

1. 1.Set the pickup selector to bridge for maximum bite.
2. 2.Use tight alternate picking on the main riff, keeping downstrokes precise.
3. 3.Engage high gain on the amp and roll off the bass slightly to tighten low end.
4. 4.Add palm muting on the rhythm chords to lock in the chuggy sound.