Riff Tone

So What (Early Take, October 12th, 1990)

Metallica

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarESP MX220 (aka 'Eet Fuk')

AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (studio head, likely with Mesa 4x12 V30 cab)

PickupsEMG 81 (bridge, active humbucker)

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid3.5

treble7

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, October 1990, Black Album sessions. No evidence of pedals for rhythm/riff section; distortion from amp. All evidence points to direct amp tone with minimal/no effects for riff. No live rig or alternate guitars for this take.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate low endchunky rhythmminimal effectsstudio-pure directnesscrisp attackdry, focused sound

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, relentless down-picking and tight palm muting at a high tempo, demanding stamina and precision typical of Hetfield's rhythm style.

Sources

Metallica Amp Settings (2026): James Hetfield Tone and EQ Guide - Guitar Chalk How James Hetfield Gets That Iconic Metallica Guitar Tone! [Part 1]What do I need to do to get the Metallica tone? : r/Metallica

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