The crushing guitar tone of Metallica has become legendary in the heavy metal world. Both in their early thrash metal days and even more recently.
James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett’s guitar sounds have helped to establish the band’s sound. It’s part of the reason they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! But how do they achieve that sound?
One primary factor is their use of high gain amps and the right settings. If your amp can provide thick, saturated distortion, set the gain relatively high to around 8. Treble and bass should be set to 6 and midrange to 3. From here, you should have a good starting point.
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In this Killer Rig article, we’ll take a deep dive into Metallica’s amp settings. We’ll also provide tips for guitarists looking to recreate their sound.
The Metallica guitar tone is saturated high gain with a tailored midrange. However, the metal band’s sound has evolved over the years.
One of the things that makes Metallica’s guitar tone so unique is their use of certain amplifiers. They are designed to produce a lot of distortion. These are not classic rock amps by any means. We’re talking saturation and lots of it!
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If you want to recreate Metallica’s sound, you’ll need an amp that can produce an aggressive tone. Both tube (valve) and solid-state amplifiers can pull this off.
Your amplifier will need to be able to pull off a saturated sound for these settings to work. If your amp has presence and depth controls, set them flat. Volume can be set to taste.
Be careful if you use a compression pedal in your rig. Some have the tendency to squash the low-end chug when palm-muting. You may want to experiment without it when getting started to get the full impact of the sound.
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Hetfield’s tone is known for its scooped midrange. There is a heavy emphasis on the lows and highs in his chord progressions. The sound in his music is achieved by using lots of distortion and turning the mids down. Giving his tone a more aggressive, punchy character.
Hetfield has also used a variety of different amps over the years. This has included brands like Mesa Boogie, Marshall, and Randall. In addition to his amps, Hetfield has also used a variety of effect pedals and other equipment to shape his tone.
He has used a Tube Screamer to boost his amp’s signal. This is one of the main devices and is used by many metal players. Then a good noise gate to reduce unwanted artifacts and feedback. And finally, a chorus pedal to add depth and dimension to both dirty and clean tones.
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Kirk Hammett’s guitar tone is known by his soaring lead lines and searing solos. All of which have become a crucial part of Metallica’s sound and music.
Hammett has used different amps and settings over the years to achieve his signature sound. And in a few crucial areas, his strategy differs from Hetfield’s.
Kirk used the same amps as James in the early days. They changed them up periodically, but the same brands were used. Hammet would use a bit more midrange for certain lead lines to fill out the parts. Otherwise, the settings are similar across the board.
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Things were different between the two guitarists when it came to effect pedals. Kirk uses a Dunlop Wah pedal, which is a huge part of his sound. But you will also find a tube screamer on his board for that extra kick!
During the ride the lightning studio album era, the band was using modified Marshall JCM 800 amps. They also always use guitars with humbucker pickups. These settings can be recreated with most high-gain amps today.
The aim is for a bright but scooped sound with chunky, tight lows. These settings are for the songs in the Ride The Lightning album:
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On these early studio albums, Hetfield’s tone was more raw and unrefined. He used a Marshall JCM800 2203 amp with the gain set high and the bass and treble boosted.
But the mids were cut to around 3. This setting gave his tone a more biting, aggressive sound. Kirk Hammett was much the same.
If you are using an amp with a thicker sound, you may want to turn down the low frequency a bit if it’s too muddy. The choruses need to sound tight and fast. If you have a presence control, it should be set to 6 as well. Should that be too fizzy, turn it down.
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Songs like For Whom The Bell Tolls or Creeping Death need to be bright. You can always increase the high frequencies if you find it doesn’t cut enough. This will depend on your amplifier, of course.
Make sure to also be using the bridge pickup for rhythm sections. And don’t let the bass get out of control, keep it tight at around 5 or 6. Lower the gain if you can’t tighten it up. Here is a picture of my Marshall amp and the settings I use for Creeping Death.
A popular song off of the Ride the Lightning album is Fade to Black. This level of distortion isn’t easy to obtain with some amplifiers.
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At least not without help. Plus, there are some effects that need to be used. A lot of players will tell you to dime the gain knob. But this will usually make the sound too bass heavy.
Most high-gain amps will do this sound pretty easily! But if yours does not, I suggest a boost or overdrive pedal. If you can send a hotter signal to the amp, it will provide more break up. Just keep it as balanced as you can.
If you have a depth control on your amp, set it for a tight bass response. If it’s too loose sounding, then you will miss out on the smoothness of this distorted tone. But these settings will provide the rhythm parts for Fade to Black.
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For the lead parts that Kirk Hammet plays, you will also need some effects. A light flanger or chorus is needed. Just keep the flange effect low because too much won’t work for this sound. You should also use the bridge pickup on the guitar. Just back off the volume and tone controls a tad.
You may also need to increase the midrange knob and lower the bass on the amp. This will provide you with the right amount of cut through the mix. It will also keep your bass frequencies under control while using the neck pickup.
For the master of puppets album, Metallica was using Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ amps. They are still popular with guitarists to this day and can be easily emulated with a modern high-gain amp. This video of their song master of Puppets will give you a reference of the right sound.
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For the lead melodies, the treble can be increased to 8 or 9 to cut through the mix. If you are using a Mesa Dual Rectifier or an amp like it, the bass might need to be lowered slightly. In this case, the mids might need to also be turned up.
The guitar tone for Master Of Puppets is mid-scooped, with tight bass and good treble output. You don’t want to cut the mids out completely, as you will lose some of the definition in the sound. If your amp is already somewhat scooped, then don’t be afraid to set the mid-control higher.
If you are experiencing a bass-heavy tone, try lowering the gain slightly to clean it up. The low frequency needs to be tight and full, but not overbearing or flubby. Try using your bridge pickup and a lower bass setting if you are struggling to get it under control.
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Some amps have a bright switch that can be engaged to get a closer emulation of the master of puppets’ tone. If your amp has this, set it to on.
For the And Justice For All album, Metallica was using Mesa Boogie amps. The amplifier settings were different between songs, and some also had clean parts. There was more mid-range in some songs than before.
If you are using an amp that is brighter, lower the high frequency slightly as well as the mids. Mesa Boogie amps have a larger low-end and sound thicker than others. You will also want to make sure your guitar is using humbucker pickups. It must be made for more aggressive tones.
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A lot is going on in this song between the two guitar players. The clean and distorted parts are dialed in, much different from just going for a scooped tone. Here are some Metallica amp settings that can get you started.
With a lower gain setting, the bass will also be thinner, so a higher adjustment will fill it out. This might work great for your particular amp as the tone needs to be bright.
If not, you will want to experiment with the mid-setting and maybe try your neck pickup for a thicker sound, especially for the choruses. You will also want to use reverb with a medium decay on the clean part.
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