Riff Tone
For Whom the Bell Tolls (Live at Castle Donington, UK – Aug. 17th, 1985)
Metallica
Guitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson Flying V (1979, white, used by James Hetfield live in 1985)
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 (100W head, live rig, 1985)
PickupsStock Gibson humbuckers (late 70s/early 80s, likely Dirty Fingers or T-Top style)
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass6
mid4.5
treble7
reverb0
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Live performance at Castle Donington, UK, August 17th, 1985. James Hetfield used his white 1979 Gibson Flying V into a Marshall JCM800 2203 head. No evidence of studio gear or alternate guitars for this live riff section.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midrangeaggressive palm mutingchunky, saturated power chordsarticulate note separationcrisp, biting treblefocused low endclassic 80s thrash metal toneminimal ambienceno audible modulation
Difficulty
The riff requires tight, aggressive palm muting and precise alternate picking to maintain clarity and punch at a medium tempo, but does not involve advanced lead techniques or complex chord voicings.
Sources
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Create Free AccountGuitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson Flying V (1979, white, used by James Hetfield live in 1985)
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 (100W head, live rig, 1985)
PickupsStock Gibson humbuckers (late 70s/early 80s, likely Dirty Fingers or T-Top style)
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass6
mid4.5
treble7
reverb0
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Live performance at Castle Donington, UK, August 17th, 1985. James Hetfield used his white 1979 Gibson Flying V into a Marshall JCM800 2203 head. No evidence of studio gear or alternate guitars for this live riff section.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midrangeaggressive palm mutingchunky, saturated power chordsarticulate note separationcrisp, biting treblefocused low endclassic 80s thrash metal toneminimal ambienceno audible modulation
Difficulty
The riff requires tight, aggressive palm muting and precise alternate picking to maintain clarity and punch at a medium tempo, but does not involve advanced lead techniques or complex chord voicings.
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