Adrian Smith's use of guitar synth?

[MartinBarre]

Can someone tell me exactly what he used them for?


I found this little demo of the Roland ones I believe he used and this is pretty fucking awesome. Did Yngwie use one of these on his earlier stuff?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WPvczdXeW0

[toejam]

Listen to the Somewhere In Time album. Dave and Adrian (and I believe Steve) used them on there. It was new technology at the time, but the synth stuff has come a long way and sounds much better nowadays.

[neilli]

The synth was used a lot on Somewhere In Time and Seventh Son, but it's difficult to pick out specific instances as the general guitar sounds are pretty processed anyway (lots of delay and chorus).

[MartinBarre]

The synth was used a lot on Somewhere In Time and Seventh Son, but it's difficult to pick out specific instances as the general guitar sounds are pretty processed anyway (lots of delay and chorus).

Well this is my point. I've been listening to Maiden since Seventh Son was out, almost 20 years. I still listen to them constantly.
But I still have no idea what, specifically, Adrian used a synth for. Or if Dave used one.
I remember them having a keyboard player hidden in the wings on one of the live videos and presumably they used real keyboards on SIT and 7th Son too, so....where exactly were guitar synths used?

I was kinda hoping someone would have a Youtube link to exact, specific parts of tracks! You seem to find ANYTHING on Youtube now, but I can't find anything about this.

[MartinBarre]

the synth stuff has come a long way and sounds much better nowadays.

Don't recall any bands recently sounding as good as SIT or 7th Son, I'll take the "old" technology any day!

[Grandturk]

The beginning of The Evil that Men Do is a good example.

[MartinBarre]

The beginning of The Evil that Men Do is a good example.

I'm still struggling to hear anything overtly "synthesizer" like there. The Maiden England live vid simply seems to show Adrian playing a normal guitar lead sound at the start while Dave just pumps the air.
IIRC there was a fair backlash to Maiden using synths around that time. I even bought into it, being a silly 12 year old boy or whatever I was back then.
But I still don't undersand what the fuck all the fuss was about.

Ozzy got away with using keyboards and synths on albums, and they sounded fucking shit ("Slow Down" for example), so how come everyone moaned like fuck when Maiden did it?

[Grandturk]

I don't know about the Maiden England live, but the studio recording clearly does not sound like a guitar.

[neilli]

I'm just speculating, but if I had to put money on it, I'd say that the synths were used for textures on both the albums, rather than as the prominent focus.

When it comes to live use, as I recall, they used a keyboard player on Moonchild and Seventh Son, and likely here and there on songs like Infinite Dreams....
I'd say 'Evil' was mainly effected lead guitar for the intro melody with some synth (guitar or keyboard) mixed in. And then the chords are a mix of synths and guitars.

[Nightbat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vD6OimPl1U

This one clearly shows Dave and Adrian using guitar synths

[MartinBarre]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vD6OimPl1U

This one clearly shows Dave and Adrian using guitar synths

That was pretty cool, thanks!

[MartinBarre]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWw2rnj7t5w

This one too then, I'm getting this now.

[Gartron]

The Guitar solo in Wasted Years has a touch of synth on it..sounds like Ultravox in places

[MartinBarre]

People moaned about the use of the synths, but it was a much better tone than the one they had on No Prayer For The Dying.

[MetalMedal II]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vD6OimPl1U

This one clearly shows Dave and Adrian using guitar synths

I had to google Iron Maiden - Walking on Glass to see if I missed a song in their catalog! I saw this tour as my second concert, but they either didn't do it (unlikely) or I totally forgot about this solo spot.
Smith is using his Jackson strat with all the bells and switches on it BC Rich style... pretty neat!