Dave Murray's '57 Strat

[biff maloy]

A lot of y'all are like i am with Maiden. I got started on them in the 80s as a teen and had just started playing guitar. Total nerd about them. I had heard of the band and they had my attention when an uncle that really didn't know much about me and i hardly ever saw him gave me a Powerslave cassette for Christmas. Aces High and i was hooked. I immediately went and found everything prior to that.

About my comment on Dave's neck pickup. I could've sworn i saw 2 rows of allen key magnets on his 57 neck position in a still frame of LAD. Yes. I was that nerdy. That was what led me to find out there was more than just the SD which has those magnets. There was an SD2 which is voiced for the neck.

 

[skhan007]

Great stuff indeed ! Dave Murray and live after death were such a huge influence on my early guitaring. I literally wore out the vhs. Can hear daves solo from powerslave in my head while writing this. That strat is the only celeb guitar i have ever considered attempting to duplicate. Maybe now its time

IMO, Powerslave is Dave's best solo. Slow, moody, building, melodic, articulate, and then it unleashes. Just so well-constructed and the feel is unbelievable. As always, Smith's solo compliments as well.

 

[CJReaper]

WOW!!!! GREAT GREAT stories!! You are the absolute coolest person on here. Up The Irons!

LOL, thanks man, I was just in the right place at the right time.

 

[ronmail65]

I was a big fan of that particular guitar and the similar Stratocaster that Glen Tipton was playing around the same time (it had the mirror pickguard)! A long time ago I remember reading a Dave Murray interview - all I can remember is that the guitar once belonged to "his hero, Paul Kossoff" and that the pickups were DiMarzios. There wasn't much more said about it.

I never did get the Dave Murray signature Stratocaster that was modeled after the Kossoff guitar, but I did get the later sunburst version with the single-coil rail PUPs and the Floyd (I didn't keep it for long - probably because of my dis-taste for locking tremolo systems). BUT, I did recently find and acquire one of the 2015 FSR Strats that have 2 DiMarzio humbuckers which I am really enjoying.

Maiden has always been one of my favorite bands - particularly from the first album through Powerslave. I saw them in '81 with Paul and Clive on the Killers Tour, once in '83 on the Number of the Beast Tour, and twice in '83 on the POM Tour (Bruce was amazing!). And again on the Powerslave Tour. Bruce is a very impressive person - singer / writer / performer / promoter, fencing champion, pilot, author, .....

 

[sedawkgrep]

Is it just me, or is Dave Murray smiling in every single picture ever? It’s like the guy knows he’s got the best job in the universe.

 

[Multi Angle Vise]

...Dave's neck pickup. I could've sworn i saw 2 rows of allen key magnets on his 57 neck position in a still frame of LAD. Yes. I was that nerdy. That was what led me to find out there was more than just the SD which has those magnets. There was an SD2 which is voiced for the neck...

Funnily enough I had exactly the same (false?) memory, but internet is only showing me photos of a conventional slug/screw today (maybe DP-103 - which didn't exist in 1984), so I dunno?

I've got the 15kΩ 7H dual hex pickup in there now, and I do think it's better at LAD neck tone than the 8.3kΩ pickup I tried earlier.

...That strat is the only celeb guitar i have ever considered attempting to duplicate...

Likewise it's probably the only one I ever will, as it's fairly casual & low key. For me, the chrome pickup rings tie it to Dave Murray, otherwise it's just a vaguely '50s era Strat with humbuckers.

If one showed up with a Red Special, or a JEM, or a striped Frankie, comparisons might be invited, and those guitars are very specific. Dave Murray seems to exclude opprobrium despite his skill. He appears so amiable, even if you were learning your first three chords, this guitar would suit that, and then grow with you as you progressed. I don't think this makes any particular sense, just a vague poorly formed impression I have.

 

[biff maloy]

Funnily enough I had exactly the same (false?) memory, but internet is only showing me photos of a conventional slug/screw today (maybe DP-103 - which didn't exist in 1984), so I dunno?

I've got the 15kΩ 7H dual hex pickup in there now, and I do think it's better at LAD neck tone than the 8.3kΩ pickup I tried earlier.




Likewise it's probably the only one I ever will, as it's fairly casual & low key. For me, the chrome pickup rings tie it to Dave Murray, otherwise it's just a vaguely '50s era Strat with humbuckers.

If one showed up with a Red Special, or a JEM, or a striped Frankie, comparisons might be invited, and those guitars are very specific. Dave Murray seems to exclude opprobrium despite his skill. He appears so amiable, even if you were learning your first three chords, this guitar would suit that, and then grow with you as you progressed. I don't think this makes any particular sense, just a vague poorly formed impression I have.

I may have debunked my myth as well years later on the neck pickup. I've never been completely sure other than when i installed that SD2 in the neck it gave me a "That's It" moment. On a side note this combination on my Strat is very balanced between neck and bridge. With so many years now under my belt i quit chasing artist tones many years ago but his flipping back and forth between the 2 while soloing stays with me to this day. A script Phase 90 is also a permanent pedal i use.


Somebody mentioned him always smiling. That's another thing about these guys. They seem so regular folk. You never see an instance publicly of anybody acting out or destroying **** along the years. The silly R&R thing. I'm not much on golf but I'd love to wet a hook with Adrian. I could find common everyday ground with him on that.

I mentioned meeting Steve Harris. It was quick and even me being a matured 53 year old i was still caught off guard as i couldn't believe it was my turn as i walked up to him. A thousand things flowed through my mind yet one side of my brain was telling me there's nothing i could say he hadn't heard. Later afterwards it hit me that the question i should've asked him was Dave Murray your Ian Anderson. I have always thought Murray's neck tone/legato style was very flute like.