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Motley Crue - Live Wire - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Motley Crue - Live Wire guitar lesson video
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Too Fast For Love (Deluxe Version) album cover
Too Fast For Love (Deluxe Version)
1981 3:15
Listen on Spotify
Motley Crue Hard Rock 1981 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Live Wire

From the opening moments of "Live Wire," the guitar work is all about attitude held together by tight, palm-muted riffing in Eb Standard tuning. Dropping every string a half-step gives the whole song a slightly heavier, looser feel than standard E, so make sure your guitar is tuned down before you start or the riffs will sound off against a recording. The song sits in E minor and moves at 120 BPM, a pace that is comfortable enough to be deceptive: the real challenge is keeping the palm muting consistent and the picking hand tight through the repeated low-string figures without letting them turn sloppy. Motley Crue built their early sound on exactly this kind of raw, punchy Hard Rock riffing, and "Live Wire" is a solid place to absorb that approach. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop any section that feels rushed and slow it down until the pick attack and muting are even before bringing it back up to tempo.

  • The song is played in Eb Standard tuning, meaning every string is tuned down one half-step from standard, which gives the riffs a slightly darker, heavier character.
  • Palm muting on the low strings is central to the rhythm guitar part, so focus on keeping consistent right-hand pressure throughout each phrase.
  • At 120 BPM in E minor, the tempo is approachable, but clean articulation on the repeated low-string riffs is where most players need the most practice time.

How to Play Live Wire

Tuning: Eb Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 120 BPM

It is played in Eb standard, a half step down, so tune down before you start or every position and bend will sit a half step sharp against the recording.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 120 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Mick Mars used custom Fender Stratocasters with humbucker pickups for specific recordings, providing tonal variety beyond his signature Les Paul thickness. The Strat's brighter character offered alternative textures while maintaining the aggressive humbucker-driven attack essential to Motley Crue's sound.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Mars' primary weapon throughout Motley Crue's career, the Les Paul Standard delivered the thick, sustained rhythm tones and warm PAF-style humbucker attack that define the band's heavy metal foundation. Its stock Gibson electronics and natural resonance let the cranked Marshall amp create the signature crunch without additional processing.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Mars' most iconic guitar choice, the black and white Les Paul Customs from the late 70s and 80s provided the dense, aggressive tones that powered Motley Crue's biggest hits. The custom model's weight and construction contributed to the sustained, sludgy rhythm guitar sound that became the band's sonic trademark.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The core of Mick Mars' legendary tone, his heavily modified JCM800 heads with scooped mids and cranked preamp gain created Motley Crue's characteristic thick, saturated crunch. Driven hard with a Les Paul's humbuckers, this combination produced the warm yet aggressive distortion that defined 80s hair metal.

Soldano SLO-100
Amp

Soldano SLO-100

Mars adopted the Soldano SLO-100 in later years for its smoother, more refined high-gain character compared to the Marshall's rawer saturation. The Soldano's tighter response and cleaner articulation suited Motley Crue's evolution while maintaining the band's heavy, sustain-driven aesthetic.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Featured prominently on 'Kickstart My Heart' intro and various solos, Mars' Dunlop Cry Baby wah pedal added dynamic expression to his otherwise amp-driven tone. The wah's sweeping character became an iconic texture in Motley Crue's arsenal of lead guitar effects.

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