GuitarDistortedRiff
For Whom the Bell Tolls Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Metallica
Metallica · 1980s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Gibson Explorer (likely 1984 model, stock pickups at time of recording)
Pickups
Gibson Dirty Fingers humbuckers (stock, passive)
Amp
Marshall JMP 2203 (modified, 100W head, used in studio for Ride the Lightning 1984)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1984. James Hetfield used a Gibson Explorer with stock Dirty Fingers pickups into a Marshall JMP 2203 head, likely with a Marshall 4x12 cabinet. No evidence of pedals or effects used for the riff section. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and amp model. No evidence of live/touring gear or later amp models being used on this recording.
Amp Settings
Mids4.5
Bass6
Gain7.5
Reverb0
Treble7
Presence6
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Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- aggressive palm muting
- scooped mids
- crisp attack
- chunky, saturated distortion
- articulate note separation
- minimal ambience
- classic 80s thrash metal
- focused low end
- slightly cold, icy character