The Trooper

The recording

The Trooper was recorded at Compass Point Studios in early 1983 with producer/engineer Martin ‘Black Night’ Birch. Murray’s lead lines and Smith’s rhythm parts were each double‑tracked, creating a massive, tightly‑choked wall of sound. Birch ran the amps through a noise gate to silence amp hiss between phrases, and placed the solo guitars slightly higher in the mix, panning them to the centre to separate them from the rhythm pair. The track’s aggressive, mid‑focused crunch comes from the dual Marshall JCM800 heads fed by a 1970s Fender Strat with DiMarzio humbuckers and a 1970s Gibson SG.

Tuning E standard (E A D G B E)

Reported gear

1970s Fender Stratocaster (DiMarzio humbuckers)

Guitar

Dave Murray used a 1970s Fender Stratocaster fitted with DiMarzio humbucker pickups on The Trooper, providing his soaring lead lines.

1970s Gibson SG

Guitar

Adrian Smith played a 1970s Gibson SG on The Trooper, delivering the tight rhythm tone that underpins the song’s galloping riffs.

Marshall JCM800 2203

Amp

Both guitars were routed through a Marshall JCM800 2203 head, delivering the bright, mid‑focused crunch characteristic of the track.

Alternatives

Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster

Budget alternative · for the 1970s Fender Stratocaster (DiMarzio humbuckers)

$150 to 180

Marshall JCM800 2203 Reissue

Reissue · for the Marshall JCM800 2203

$1,800 to 2,200

Epiphone SG Standard

Budget alternative · for the 1970s Gibson SG

$250 to 300

Practical playing approach

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

1. 1.Use alternate picking with tight palm‑muted downstrokes for the galloping riffs.
2. 2.Select the bridge pickup on the Stratocaster for maximum bite.
3. 3.Double‑track each rhythm part to achieve the thick layered sound.
4. 4.Run a noise gate in the mix to tame amp hiss between phrases.
5. 5.Set the amp’s tone controls to a bright, mid‑focused setting (gain high, treble up).