GuitarCleanSolo80% confidence
Master of Puppets Solo Guitar Tone Settings — Metallica
Metallica · 1980s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Jackson Custom Shop 'Kill Bon Jovi' King V
Pickups
Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker (bridge position)
Amp
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ Head
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1985-1986. Clean section likely used the same guitar and amp as the rest of the song, but with amp gain set low and guitar volume rolled back. No evidence of a different guitar or amp for the clean solo section. No evidence of chorus, delay, or other modulation effects in the clean section.
Amp Settings
Mids4.5
Bass5.5
Gain0
Reverb1
Treble7
Presence5.5
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Tone Character
- clean and bell-like
- articulate note separation
- slightly scooped mids
- tight low end
- warm but not muddy
- no audible distortion
- no modulation swirl
- subtle reverb/ambience
- studio clarity
- picked with moderate attack
Notes & Caveats
- Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
- No direct source gives exact amp knob settings for the clean solo section; settings estimated based on typical Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ clean tones and 1980s metal genre.
- No evidence of a different guitar or amp for the clean section; all sources point to the same rig as the rest of the album.
- No evidence of chorus, delay, or modulation effects in the clean solo section; only subtle reverb is audible, likely from the amp or studio.
- Pickup position inferred from known use of bridge humbucker for most of the album; some players use neck for cleans but no evidence Hetfield did so here.
- If new evidence emerges of a different guitar or effect for the clean section, update accordingly.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Based on Hetfield's and Hammett's Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ settings from the era, the solo section maintains the signature scooped mids, tight bass, high gain, and bright, cutting treble with little to no reverb, matching the dry, aggressive 80s thrash production.