Riff Tone

(Anesthesia)—Pulling Teeth

Metallica

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarRickenbacker 4001 Bass

AmpSunn Coliseum Lead head with Road Electronics 440-218 Cabinet

PickupsRickenbacker single coil pickups

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid4.5

treble7.5

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

wahMorley Morley Power Wah Fuzz

fuzzElectro-Harmonix Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi

Notes

Studio recording, 1983. Gear confirmed for Kill 'Em All era. Cliff Burton used the Rickenbacker 4001 with the Sunn Coliseum Lead amp and a large 2x18 cabinet for the original studio recording. Effects chain included Morley Power Wah Fuzz and Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi. No evidence of additional amp effects or other pedals for the riff section.

Tone Character(10)

massive fuzzed-out distortionwah pedal sweeps and filter effectsaggressive, biting midrangegrowling, saturated low endclipped, compressed dynamicsarticulate note separationsynth-like fuzz texturepercussive attacksustained, singing notesdistinctive 80s thrash metal bass voice

Difficulty

The riff section requires advanced fingerstyle technique, fast and precise note execution, and coordinated wah pedal use, making it highly challenging for most players.

Sources

Cliff Burton | Equipboard Metallica – Kill 'Em All (Remastered) - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album | Equipboard Why Cliff Burton’s (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth is a classic bass solo | Guitar World [Feedback] My first steps trying to learn/practice "(Anesthesia ...How do i get the tone for anesthesia (pulling teeth) by cliff burton?

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