Riff Tone

master of puppets

Unknown Artist

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarESP MX220 (aka 'Eet Fuk') or Gibson Explorer (Hetfield's main studio rhythm guitars for Master of Puppets riff section)

AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ head into Mesa/Boogie 4x12 cabinet

PickupsEMG 81 active humbucker (bridge position, retrofitted into Explorer-style guitars for this album)

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass5.5

mid3

treble7

reverb0.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

compressionBoss Boss CS-1 Compression Sustainer

Notes

Studio recording, 1985-1986. Rhythm guitar for riff section tracked by James Hetfield. No evidence of live/touring gear or alternate guitars for this section. Settings and gear are for the original studio recording, not live. Compressor pedal (Boss CS-1) used in front of amp for rhythm tightness. No time-based or modulation effects on riff section. Tone is dry and tight, with most distortion from amp and some studio EQ in post.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationchunky and aggressivedry with minimal reverbarticulate attackbridge pickup claritycompressed for tightnessfast, relentless downpicking

Difficulty

The riff requires relentless, fast downpicking at high speed, tight palm muting, and precise synchronization, making it one of the most challenging rhythm parts in metal.

Sources

Complete Guide to Metallica 'Master of Puppets' | Ultimate Guitar Metallica – Master of Puppets (Remastered) - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album How to play Master of Puppets on guitar | Guitar World Metallica - Master of Puppets Master of Puppets: How Metallica changed metal with their 1986 classic | Guitar World

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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