Riff Tone

Frantic

Metallica

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarESP MX-120 'So What' (James Hetfield's main guitar for St. Anger era)

AmpMesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier (studio recording, St. Anger era)

PickupsEMG 81 (bridge, active humbucker)

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass6

mid4

treble7

reverb0

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2002-2003. Guitar tuned to C# standard (down 1.5 steps). No confirmed pedals used for rhythm; high-gain amp tone. No evidence of live rig or alternate gear for riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationdry and rawchunky low endrazor-sharp attackcompressed and clinicalvery little ambienceabrasive, modern metal tone

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, aggressive alternate picking with tight palm muting and precise rhythm, especially in a down-tuned setting. While not extremely technical, the speed and tightness demand solid intermediate skills.

Sources

Metallica Frantic guitar tone : r/NeuralDSP - Reddit [Question] Metallica St. Anger : r/Guitar - Reddit Quintessential Rock Rigs by Decade - Premier Guitar

This tone has been researched 4 times by the community

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account