Riff Tone

My Friend of Misery

Metallica

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarESP MX220 (James Hetfield's custom Explorer-style guitar)

AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (main rhythm amp for Black Album era, studio recording)

PickupsEMG 81 (bridge) active humbucker

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6.5

mid4

treble7

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1991 Black Album sessions. Rhythm tone tracked by James Hetfield. No evidence of pedals in the main rhythm chain; distortion from amp. Diezel VH4 was used live and in later years, but not on this recording.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate attackdry and focusedlow-end punchminimal ambiencefast note decaycrisp pick response

Difficulty

The riff requires intermediate to advanced palm muting technique, tight rhythmic precision, and stamina to maintain consistent attack and muting throughout the heavy, syncopated patterns.

Sources

Metallica Amp Settings - Guitar Chalk My Friend of Misery : r/Metallica - Reddit

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account