Riff Tone

Hit the Lights

Metallica

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Flying V (white, late 1970s, likely 1979 model)

AmpMarshall JMP 2203 (100W, likely late 1970s/early 1980s, borrowed European Marshall head)

PickupsStock Gibson humbuckers (late 70s/early 80s, likely T-Top or Dirty Fingers)

Amp Settings

gain8

bass7

mid2.5

treble8.5

reverb0

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1982-1983, for the Kill 'Em All album. James Hetfield played rhythm on his white Flying V through a borrowed Marshall JMP 2203 head and Marshall 4x12 cab. No evidence of pedals or effects on the riff section; distortion is amp-based. Pickup is bridge. No EMGs or Mesa/Boogie amps were used on this album. No evidence of outboard effects or pedals for the riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationbright and biting trebledry, raw rhythm soundrazor-sharp pick attackno ambience or reverbfast, articulate responseclassic Marshall crunch

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, relentless downpicking and tight palm muting at high speed, demanding stamina and precision from the picking hand. The tempo and attack make it challenging for most players.

Sources

The History of Thrash Metal - Guitar World Metallica Amp Settings - forum topic - Ultimate Guitar The story of Metallica's meteoric rise – by the people who were there Hit the Lights from Metal Massacre I : r/Metallica - Reddit

This tone has been researched 3 times by the community

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