GuitarDistortedRiff
The Unforgiven II Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Metallica
Metallica · 1990s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
ESP MX-250 (Hetfield's main guitar for heavy parts on Reload era)
Pickups
EMG 81 (bridge), EMG 60 (neck) active humbuckers
Amp
Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier 150W Solo Head
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1997. For the heavy/distorted riff sections, Hetfield used his ESP MX-250 with EMG pickups into a Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier. Clean/intro parts used a Telecaster and Roland JC-120, but NOT for the heavy riff. No evidence of pedals in the heavy rhythm chain; distortion from amp. No evidence of additional effects in the riff section.
Amp Settings
Mids4
Bass6
Gain7.5
Reverb1.5
Treble6.5
Presence6
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Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- scooped mids
- aggressive palm muting
- high-gain saturation
- chunky, articulate chugs
- modern metal clarity
- fast attack
- low noise floor
- crisp, defined power chords
- slight room ambience