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Saxon - Crusader - Guitar Solo Tab

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Key E minor
Saxon - Crusader guitar tab video
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Master7
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Crusader album cover
Crusader
1984 6:35
Listen on Spotify
Saxon Heavy Metal 1984 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Crusader

Few Heavy Metal title tracks carry the mid-tempo weight that "Crusader" does, and on guitar that weight comes almost entirely from how you control your pick attack and palm muting at 128 BPM. The song sits in E minor in standard tuning, which keeps the open low E string available as a natural resonant anchor throughout the riff work. Saxon built the arrangement around a driving, marching feel, so the temptation to rush is real, and locking in with the kick drum on the downbeats is the main discipline the song demands. The chord work in the verses is not technically complex, but the right-hand consistency needed to keep the muted chugging even and punchy takes more practice than it first appears. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the main riff slowed down until the palm muting pressure and the pick release feel identical on every single stroke. Once that groove is solid, the rest of the song opens up quite naturally.

  • The song is in E minor with standard tuning, so the open low E string reinforces the root and adds natural depth to the main riff.
  • Consistent palm muting at a steady 128 BPM is the core technical challenge, requiring even pick pressure across repeated down-strokes.
  • Practising the main riff looped and slowed down is the most efficient way to lock in the marching, mid-tempo feel before bringing it up to full speed.

How to Play Crusader

The song moves through: Intro and full speed, 60 % speed, Bars 11-12, Bar 20.

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 128 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 128 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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