Riff Tone

Fuel (Demo)

Metallica

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarESP MX-220 (black finish)

AmpMesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (likely Rev F or G, as used on Load/Reload demos)

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

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass6.5

mid3

treble7.5

reverb1

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

noise_gateUnknown Noise gate (model unknown)

Notes

Studio recording, 1995-1996 demo sessions for Reload. Gear inferred from era and interviews; no evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for this demo. Rhythm section (riff) only.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate pick attackchunky low endrazor-sharp treblecompressed and focusedmodern metal clarityminimal ambience

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, tight alternate picking and palm muting at high speed, demanding precision and stamina to maintain clarity and aggression throughout.

Sources

Metallica Amp Settings Metallica's James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett reveal the guitar secrets behind 16 of the band's best songs | Guitar World

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