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Saxon - 747 - Guitar Solo Tab

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Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key E minor
Saxon - 747 guitar tab video
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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.
Wheels of Steel (2009 Remaster) album cover
Wheels of Steel (2009 Remaster)
1980 4:58
Listen on Spotify
Saxon Heavy Metal 1980 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About 747

Few tracks from the early Heavy Metal era capture that wide-open, road-burning momentum quite like "747." The song is built around a driving, single-note riff in E minor that sits comfortably in E Standard tuning, making it approachable for anyone who wants a solid entry point into the Saxon catalogue. At 120 BPM the tempo is firm but not brutal, so keeping your pick attack tight and even is the real discipline here. The verses lean on power chords with a rhythmic chug that demands consistent right-hand muting, while the lead work calls for confident bends and vibrato in the upper register of the neck. Getting the muted rhythm sections to feel locked in rather than loose is what separates a clean run from a sloppy one. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop those chug-and-release rhythm figures slowed down until the muting is automatic before you bring it back up to full speed.

  • The song is in E minor with E Standard tuning, so no retuning is needed and open-position power chords ring out naturally.
  • The main riff relies on tight palm muting at 120 BPM, making right-hand consistency the key technical challenge to nail.
  • Lead guitar phrases use string bends and vibrato in the upper frets, so practise slow, controlled bends before attempting them at full tempo.

How to Play 747

The song moves through: Intro, Intro 100%, Intro 60%, Main 100%, Main 60%.

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

It is built from a handful of distinct sections, so learn each one in blocks before stringing them together.

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

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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