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Saxon - Crusader - Guitar Tab

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Saxon - Crusader - Guitar Tab

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Key E minor
Saxon - Crusader guitar tab video
Steph Le Gratteux
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Crusader album cover
Crusader
1984 6:35
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Saxon Heavy Metal 1984 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

Crusader

"Crusader" is the title track from Saxon's sixth studio album of the same name, released in 1984 on Carrere Records. The song captures the band's classic British heavy metal sound, built around driving riffs and powerful chord progressions. For electric guitar players, it offers a solid entry point into early 1980s heavy metal rhythm and lead techniques that defined the New Wave of British Heavy Metal era.

  • The album Crusader marked Saxon's continued evolution within the NWOBHM movement throughout the early 1980s.
  • Saxon's guitar work on this record features twin-guitar arrangements typical of British heavy metal bands of the era.
  • Released in January 1984, Crusader showcases the kind of melodic riffing that makes Saxon tracks rewarding to study and play.
Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Saxon paired Stratocasters with Les Pauls to access brighter, snappier tones for specific rhythm passages, though the Les Paul remained their primary choice. The Strat's lighter voice provided textural contrast without sacrificing the power and sustain needed for their heavy riff-based approach.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Paul Quinn's primary weapon, the Les Paul Standard delivers the thick, warm fundamental and natural sustain that defines Saxon's power chord-driven riffs. Stock Gibson humbuckers paired with cranked Marshall tubes created their signature compressed, articulate tone without need for modification.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Les Paul Custom offered similar tonal characteristics to Quinn's Standard model, with slightly enhanced sustain and output for added punch in live settings. Its premium construction maintained the warm, natural compression essential to Saxon's tube-amp-driven heavy metal sound.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The JCM800 pushed at full volume created Saxon's thick, slightly compressed tone with midrange emphasis that cuts through dense rhythm sections. Running single-channel with no switching forced Quinn to control breakup purely through playing dynamics and natural power-tube saturation.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Quinn deployed the Cry Baby wah sparingly for specific solos, maintaining Saxon's minimalist approach to effects and avoiding pedal-dependent tones. The wah's natural sweep complemented his hand-dynamics playing style without compromising the raw, amp-driven character of their sound.

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