Riff Tone

Sad But True

Metallica

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarESP MX-220 (black finish)

AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC++

PickupsEMG 81 (bridge), EMG 60 (neck) active humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain0

bass4

mid1.5

treble6

reverb0

presence4.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1990-1991, The Black Album sessions. No evidence of a clean amp channel or clean section in 'Sad But True'; all sources and isolated tracks indicate high-gain rhythm throughout. No evidence of a clean tone or clean amp settings used for the riff section. Settings and gear are for the main riff/rhythm section, which is heavily distorted. No evidence of a clean section in the official recording.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsheavy low endaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate attackchunky rhythmdry, in-your-face soundno ambience or reverbfocused and powerful

Difficulty

The main riff requires tight, consistent palm muting and aggressive downpicking at a slow tempo. While not technically advanced, maintaining the groove and articulation with high gain is moderately challenging.

Sources

James Hetfield's guitar tone on Metallica's Sad But True: secrets behind the sound | Guitar World

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