Riff Tone

Fade to Black (Live at Rasputin Music, Berkeley, CA - Apr. 16th, 2016)

Metallica

Guitarmetal2010s+

Original Gear

GuitarESP LTD James Hetfield Signature 'Iron Cross' Electric Guitar

AmpMesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

PickupsEMG JH 'Het Set' active humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain8

bass5.5

mid4

treble7

reverb0

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Live performance, April 16, 2016, Rasputin Music, Berkeley, CA. James Hetfield's main live rig for this era. Settings estimated based on genre, era, and typical live Metallica setup. No evidence of additional pedals for the riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussiveaggressive palm mutingscooped midshigh-gain saturationarticulate attackchunky power chordsmodern metal clarityfocused low endlow noise floorfast alternate picking

Difficulty

The riff section requires fast, precise alternate picking with aggressive palm muting and tight rhythm, making it challenging for most players.

Sources

James Hetfield's Guitar Gear, Amps & Pedalboard | Equipboard James' Amp Settings? : r/Metallica - Reddit Fade to Black (Live at Rasputin Music, Berkeley, CA, USA, 2016)

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