Riff Tone

Some Kind of Monster

Metallica

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarESP LTD H-307

AmpMesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier

PickupsEMG 81-7 (bridge, active humbucker)

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass6

mid4

treble7

reverb0

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2003. Guitar and amp confirmed via documentary footage and Equipboard. Peavey 5150 and Marshall amps were present in the studio, but the main rhythm tone is widely attributed to the Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier for St. Anger. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for the riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate low endcompressed attackdry, unprocessed soundchunky, down-tuned riffingmodern metal clarityheavy, saturated tone

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, aggressive down-picking and palm muting at a medium tempo, with consistent rhythm and handling of a low-tuned 7-string guitar. While not technically virtuosic, it demands stamina and precision.

Sources

James Hetfield's Guitar Gear, Amps & Pedalboard - Equipboard James Hetfield's Guitars | Equipboard James Hetfield's Amplifiers | Equipboard What is the tuning for some kind of monster? : r/Metallica

This tone has been researched 3 times by the community

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