Riff Tone
Orion
Metallica
Guitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarESP MX220 'Eet Fuk' (James Hetfield's main guitar for Master of Puppets era, likely used for rhythm on 'Orion')
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ Head
PickupsEMG 81 (bridge, active humbucker; stock pickups were swapped for EMGs in 1986, but some sources suggest passive pickups may have been used on the album; most evidence points to EMG 81 for the main rhythm)
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass6
mid3.5
treble7
reverb0
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1985-1986, Master of Puppets album. Rhythm section. No evidence of pedals used for rhythm tone; distortion from amp. No effects loop or outboard effects confirmed for rhythm guitars.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate note separationchunky low endcrisp high enddry, no audible reverbclassic 80s thrash rhythmpowerful attack
Difficulty
The main riff requires tight, fast palm-muted alternate picking and precise muting, with complex rhythm patterns and quick position shifts, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.
Sources
This tone has been researched 16 times by the community
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Create Free AccountGuitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarESP MX220 'Eet Fuk' (James Hetfield's main guitar for Master of Puppets era, likely used for rhythm on 'Orion')
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ Head
PickupsEMG 81 (bridge, active humbucker; stock pickups were swapped for EMGs in 1986, but some sources suggest passive pickups may have been used on the album; most evidence points to EMG 81 for the main rhythm)
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass6
mid3.5
treble7
reverb0
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
This tone has been researched 16 times by the community
Notes
Studio recording, 1985-1986, Master of Puppets album. Rhythm section. No evidence of pedals used for rhythm tone; distortion from amp. No effects loop or outboard effects confirmed for rhythm guitars.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate note separationchunky low endcrisp high enddry, no audible reverbclassic 80s thrash rhythmpowerful attack
Difficulty
The main riff requires tight, fast palm-muted alternate picking and precise muting, with complex rhythm patterns and quick position shifts, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.
Orion settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
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