Riff Tone

Harvester of Sorrow

Metallica

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarESP MX220 'Eet Fuk' (custom Explorer-style, 1987-88, white finish)

AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (Simul-Class, rackmount, studio recording)

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

Amp Settings

gain0

bass6

mid4.5

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1988. Guitar: James Hetfield's main ESP MX220 'Eet Fuk' with EMG 81/60 pickups. Amp: Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ head, no confirmed pedal use for clean sections. Clean tones on '...And Justice for All' were typically achieved by rolling down the guitar volume and using the amp's clean channel. No evidence of chorus, delay, or modulation effects on the clean riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussiveclear and glassy highsslightly compressedarticulate cleansminimal warmthno audible breakupactive pickup claritypunchy attackno modulation or time-based effectssubtle amp reverb

Difficulty

The clean riff requires tight, syncopated picking and precise muting to maintain clarity, but does not involve advanced techniques or high speed.

Sources

Interview: Metallica's James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett on their tonal evolution James Hetfield Live Rig Pictures and Settings 1984-1993 | Page 4

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