GuitarDistortedRiff
Master of Puppets Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Metallica
Metallica · 1980s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
1984 Gibson Explorer
Pickups
EMG 81 (bridge, active humbucker)
Amp
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ head into Marshall 4x12 cabinet
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1985-1986. Rhythm guitar for riff section. No pedals used for distortion; all gain from amp. Quad-tracked guitars. No evidence of additional effects or pedals in the riff section.
Amp Settings
Mids3
Bass5.5
Gain7.5
Reverb0.5
Treble7
Presence6
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Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- scooped mids
- aggressive palm muting
- high-gain saturation
- crunchy and articulate
- fast attack
- minimal ambience
- quadtracked thickness
- focused low end
- clear note separation