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Solo Tone

Hit the Lights

Metallica

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

Guitar1980s Gibson Flying V
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 head into Marshall 4x12 cabinet
PickupsStock Gibson humbuckers (likely Dirty Fingers or similar, ceramic magnet)

Amp Settings

gain0
bass5.5
mid4
treble7
reverb0.5
presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1983. No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for the clean section; Metallica's debut album was recorded with their main live/studio rig. No evidence of DI or alternate amp for clean. No evidence of chorus or other modulation effects on the clean solo section.

Tone Character(10)
clean and brightslightly scooped midspercussive attacktight low endarticulate single notesminimal reverbno audible breakupno modulationstudio dry toneclear note separation

Difficulty

The clean solo requires intermediate technique due to its fast tempo, need for precise picking, and clean note separation without effects to mask mistakes.

Sources

Metallica Amp Settings - forum topic | Ultimate GuitarSomebody tell me the settings i need for this to sound like metallica : r/electricguitarMetallica fan recreates James Hetfield's Ride The Lightning guitar tone with a Marshall JCM 800 and Tube Screamer | MusicRadar

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Hit the Lights settings for your amp

Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.

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Hit the Lights by Metallica — Solo Tone Settings | ToneAdapt