Riff Tone

Halo On Fire

Metallica

Guitarmetal2010s+

Original Gear

GuitarKen Lawrence Explorer

AmpRoland JC-120 (studio clean blend, per Hetfield interview)

PickupsEMG JH Set (Hetfield Signature Active Humbuckers)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5.5

mid4.5

treble7

reverb2

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2016 (Hardwired... to Self-Destruct). James Hetfield has stated the Ken Lawrence Explorer is his go-to for clean tones in the studio, blended with a Roland JC-120 and other amps. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for the clean riff section.

Tone Character(10)

clean and articulatewarm and smoothclear note separationslightly compressedbrooding and hauntinglush and full-bodiedsubtle reverb ambiencedynamic responseno audible breakuprich harmonics

Difficulty

The clean riff requires accurate arpeggiated picking and dynamic control to maintain clarity and articulation, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast tempos.

Sources

Interview: Metallica's James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett on their tonal evolution Is it just me, or does Halo on Fire sound like two separate songs ...

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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