Riff Tone

Creeping Death

Metallica0

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarESP MX220 'Eet Fuk' (James Hetfield's main rhythm guitar for Ride the Lightning recording)

AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ head into Marshall 4x12 cabinet (studio recording)

PickupsEMG 81 active humbucker (bridge position)

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6

mid2

treble8.5

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1984. Rhythm section tracked by James Hetfield using his ESP MX220 'Eet Fuk' with EMG 81 pickup into a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ head and Marshall 4x12 cab. No confirmed use of pedals for rhythm tone; distortion from amp. Settings estimated from forum discussions and typical Metallica studio setup for this era.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationfast, articulate downstrokescrisp attackdry, focused rhythmminimal ambiencechunky low endrazor-sharp treble

Difficulty

The main riff requires fast, relentless downpicking and tight palm muting at a high tempo, demanding both stamina and precision to maintain clarity and aggression throughout the section.

Sources

Metallica Amp Settings - forum topic r/Guitar - How to get creeping death tone Help with amp settings? : r/Metallica

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