Riff Tone
Damage, Inc. (Live)
Metallica
Guitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarESP MX220 'Eet Fuk' (James Hetfield's main live guitar, mid-late 1980s)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (main live amp for Master of Puppets era), sometimes blended with Marshall JCM800
PickupsEMG 81 (bridge, active humbucker)
Amp Settings
gain8.5
bass6
mid3.5
treble7.5
reverb0
presence6.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Live rig for 'Damage, Inc.' riff section, circa 1986-1989. No evidence of additional pedals for rhythm/riff tone; all gain/distortion from amp. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and known rig. No chorus, delay, or modulation effects audible or documented for riff section.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate low endcrisp, biting treblefast, aggressive riffingchunky rhythm toneminimal ambiencedry, focused sound
Difficulty
The riff section of 'Damage, Inc.' (Live) is extremely challenging due to its fast tempo, relentless downpicking, and tight palm muting, requiring advanced right-hand stamina and precision.
Sources
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Create Free AccountGuitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarESP MX220 'Eet Fuk' (James Hetfield's main live guitar, mid-late 1980s)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (main live amp for Master of Puppets era), sometimes blended with Marshall JCM800
PickupsEMG 81 (bridge, active humbucker)
Amp Settings
gain8.5
bass6
mid3.5
treble7.5
reverb0
presence6.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Live rig for 'Damage, Inc.' riff section, circa 1986-1989. No evidence of additional pedals for rhythm/riff tone; all gain/distortion from amp. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and known rig. No chorus, delay, or modulation effects audible or documented for riff section.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate low endcrisp, biting treblefast, aggressive riffingchunky rhythm toneminimal ambiencedry, focused sound
Difficulty
The riff section of 'Damage, Inc.' (Live) is extremely challenging due to its fast tempo, relentless downpicking, and tight palm muting, requiring advanced right-hand stamina and precision.
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