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Thin Lizzy - The Boys are Back in Town - Guitar Tab

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Key E major
Thin Lizzy - The Boys are Back in Town guitar tab video
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
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Thin Lizzy Hard Rock E major
Capo Advisor 0 E major · Original key

About The Boys are Back in Town

Few riffs in Hard Rock are as immediately recognisable as the opening guitar hook of this Thin Lizzy classic. In E major and E Standard tuning at 120 BPM, the song sits at a comfortable mid-tempo feel, but that ease is deceptive. The real challenge is the twin-guitar interplay: Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson trade and harmonise lines throughout, and if you are learning the full arrangement, you will need to decide which part to focus on before layering the other. The signature intro riff is a great starting point, built around chord stabs and a melodic lead line that requires clean pick attack and accurate position shifts. The harmonised lead sections demand careful attention to intervals, so use the Practice Toolbar to loop those passages slowed down until the notes lock in cleanly. The rhythm part also rewards close study, sitting right in the pocket of that steady groove.

  • The song features twin-guitar harmony lines played by Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson, a technique central to Thin Lizzy's sound.
  • Running at 120 BPM in E Standard tuning and E major, the mid-tempo groove suits both rhythm and lead practice for intermediate players.
  • The intro riff combines chord stabs with a melodic single-note line, making clean pick attack and accurate fretting the main technical focus.

How to Play The Boys are Back in Town

The song moves through: Intro, Verse 1, Chorus 1, Interlude, Verse 2, Chorus 2, Bridge, Verse 3, Chorus 3, Outro.

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E major · Tempo: 120 BPM · Difficulty: Medium

The arrangement runs through 10 distinct sections, so it helps to learn it in blocks rather than front to back.

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

Brian Robertson's Stratocaster provided the bright, cutting single-coil tone that balanced Scott Gorham's warmer Les Paul in Thin Lizzy's signature twin harmonies. The Strat's natural clarity prevented muddiness when pushed through Marshall amps at high gain, making the harmony parts pop with dimensional width.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Gary Moore's legendary 1959 'Greeny' Les Paul with its reversed-magnet neck pickup created Thin Lizzy's most distinctive out-of-phase quack tone on clean settings. The original PAF humbuckers delivered singing sustain and aggressive overdrive when driven hard through Marshall Plexis, defining Moore's expressive lead sound.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Scott Gorham's late '70s Gibson Les Paul Custom was the backbone of Thin Lizzy's thick, sustained midrange tone essential for harmony leads. Stock T-Top humbuckers provided responsive dynamics without compression, allowing Gorham to articulate clean-to-dirty transitions through cranked Marshall heads.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The JCM800 delivered the moderate-to-high gain Marshall tone Gorham, Robertson, and Moore relied on for natural tube saturation with strong mids. This amp never scooped the midrange, ensuring the twin harmonies cut through with clarity and sustain.

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)
Amp

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)

Gary Moore's Marshall 1959 Super Lead Plexi pushed hard for his singing sustain and aggressive overdrive, responding to every nuance of his Les Paul's dynamics. The Plexi's raw power and natural breakup were critical to Moore's expressive, blistering lead work throughout Thin Lizzy's catalog.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Scott Gorham used the Cry Baby wah sparingly for solo accents, treating it as seasoning rather than a main ingredient in Thin Lizzy's effects-minimal approach. The wah added expressive color to lead breaks while the band maintained their philosophy of tone from fingers and amp.

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