Riff Tone

Fixxxer

Metallica

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarESP MX-250 Explorer

AmpMesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier + Wizard Modern Classic (blended)

PickupsEMG 81 (bridge), EMG 60 (neck) active humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid4.5

treble7

reverb1

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1997. James Hetfield's main rhythm tone on 'Fixxxer' riff section. Mesa/Boogie and Wizard amps were both used for heavy rhythm tones on Reload. ESP Explorer with EMG 81 bridge pickup was Hetfield's primary rhythm guitar. No evidence of additional pedals or effects for the riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midrangehigh-gain saturationaggressive palm mutingchunky low endarticulate pick attackcompressed and focusedminimal ambiencemodern metal claritythick, multi-amp blend

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, consistent palm muting and precise downpicking to maintain clarity and aggression at a slow tempo, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.

Sources

From the Archive: James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett of Metallica ...

This tone has been researched 4 times by the community

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