GuitarCleanRiff
Fade to Black Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Metallica
Metallica · 1980s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Gibson 1969 Les Paul Custom (James Hetfield, studio recording)
Pickups
Stock Gibson humbuckers (likely T-Top, passive, not EMG)
Amp
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (studio recording, 1984)
Pickup Position
Neck pickup
Studio recording for 'Fade to Black' (1984, Ride the Lightning). Clean intro/riff section. Not the live rig or later EMG-equipped guitars. No evidence of pedal use for clean tone; amp reverb likely used.
Amp Settings
Mids4
Bass5.5
Gain0
Reverb1.5
Treble7
Presence5.5
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Tone Character
- bright and sparkling
- warm and rounded
- articulate and clear
- slightly compressed
- studio-polished
- gentle reverb tail
- dynamic and touch-sensitive
- full-bodied lows
- not brittle or thin
- classic 1980s clean