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Distorted Tone

Master of Puppets

Metallica

BassThrash metal1980s

Original Gear

BassAria Pro II SB‑1000 (Black ’n Gold)
AmpMesa‑Boogie Mark IIC+ (used as preamp, likely into Mesa or Marshall power amp)
PickupsMB-1E active dual-coil humbucker (Aria Pro II SB-1000 stock)

Amp Settings

gain8.5
bass4.5
mid7
treble7.5
presence7
compression5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Cliff Burton used his Aria SB‑1000 bass during the Master of Puppets sessions; the Mesa‑Boogie Mark IIC+ was used as a preamp for guitar tone, but bass likely ran through similar high‑gain rig.

Tone Character(4)
AggressiveDistortedMid‑scooped (guitar tone context)Tight low end

Difficulty

The bass parts in "Master of Puppets" involve fast, syncopated rhythms and tight articulation under heavy distortion, making them intermediate in difficulty.

Sources

Cliff Burton Bass Gear on Master of Puppets (Equipboard)Cliff Burton bass model (Wikipedia)Mesa‑Boogie Mark IIC+ used as preamp on Master of Puppets

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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Master of Puppets settings for your amp

Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.

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Master of Puppets by Metallica — Distorted Tone Settings | ToneAdapt