Guitar tone · metal

Metallica & San Francisco Symphony guitar tone: gear & amp settings

The gear and amp settings behind 5 Metallica & San Francisco Symphony songs, researched from rig rundowns, interviews and gear forums. The rig that shows up most: Ken Lawrence Explorer into Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II (Marshall and Roland JC-120 models blended, Matrix GT1000FX power amp).

Guitars Metallica & San Francisco Symphony used

Ken Lawrence Explorer1 song
ESP LTD James Hetfield Snakebyte1 song
ESP LTD Iron Cross James Hetfield (EMG JH Set pickups)1 song
ESP James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte (likely with custom finish for S&M2 live shows)1 song
ESP KH-2 (Kirk Hammett Signature, likely with EMG 81/60 pickups)1 song
ESP LTD Iron Cross (James Hetfield signature, live S&M2 era)1 song

Amps Metallica & San Francisco Symphony used

Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II (Marshall and Roland JC-120 models blended, Matrix GT1000FX power amp)1 song
Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier1 song
Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ Reissue (live, likely blended with Diezel VH4 and Marshall JCM800 2203, but Mark IIC+ is primary for Hetfield's live rhythm tone in S&M2 era)1 song
Fractal Audio Axe-Fx III (Diezel VH4 and Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ models profiled for live S&M2 rig)1 song
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (live rig, Metallica & San Francisco Symphony era, likely with rackmount effects)1 song
Fractal Audio Axe-Fx III (amp modeling, Metallica live rig, S&M2 era)1 song

6 Metallica & San Francisco Symphony tones

Song	Part	Guitar	Amp	Gain
Nothing Else Matters (Live) · riff	Riff · clean	ESP LTD Iron Cross (James Hetfield signature, live S&M2 era)	Fractal Audio Axe-Fx III (amp modeling, Metallica live rig, S&M2 era)	0
Halo on Fire (Live) · riff	Riff · clean	Ken Lawrence Explorer	Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II (Marshall and Roland JC-120 models blended, Matrix GT1000FX power amp)	0
Moth Into Flame (Live) · riff	Riff · distorted	ESP LTD Iron Cross James Hetfield (EMG JH Set pickups)	Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ Reissue (live, likely blended with Diezel VH4 and Marshall JCM800 2203, but Mark IIC+ is primary for Hetfield's live rhythm tone in S&M2 era)	8
Nothing Else Matters (Live) · solo	Solo · distorted	ESP KH-2 (Kirk Hammett Signature, likely with EMG 81/60 pickups)	Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (live rig, Metallica & San Francisco Symphony era, likely with rackmount effects)	5.5
One (Live) · riff	Riff · clean	ESP LTD James Hetfield Snakebyte	Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier	0
The Call of Ktulu (Live) · riff	Riff · clean	ESP James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte (likely with custom finish for S&M2 live shows)	Fractal Audio Axe-Fx III (Diezel VH4 and Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ models profiled for live S&M2 rig)	0

Metallica & San Francisco Symphony songs on popular amps

Exact settings ToneAdapt players use for these songs on their own amps.

Nothing Else Matters (Live) on Line 6 Spider V 20

Get Metallica & San Francisco Symphony's tone on your gear

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Frequently asked questions

What amp did Metallica & San Francisco Symphony use?

Across 5 researched songs, the amps that come up most are Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II (Marshall and Roland JC-120 models blended, Matrix GT1000FX power amp) (1 song), Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier (1 song), Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ Reissue (live, likely blended with Diezel VH4 and Marshall JCM800 2203, but Mark IIC+ is primary for Hetfield's live rhythm tone in S&M2 era) (1 song), Fractal Audio Axe-Fx III (Diezel VH4 and Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ models profiled for live S&M2 rig) (1 song).

What guitar did Metallica & San Francisco Symphony use?

Most often: Ken Lawrence Explorer (1 song), ESP LTD James Hetfield Snakebyte (1 song), ESP LTD Iron Cross James Hetfield (EMG JH Set pickups) (1 song), ESP James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte (likely with custom finish for S&M2 live shows) (1 song).

How do I get Metallica & San Francisco Symphony's tone on my amp?

Open any Metallica & San Francisco Symphony song below to see the original gear and settings, then use ToneAdapt to adapt them to your own guitar, amp, pickups and pedals.