Riff Tone
The God That Failed
Metallica
Guitarmetal1990s
Original Gear
GuitarESP MX220 'Eet Fuk' (James Hetfield's main guitar for The Black Album)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (main rhythm amp for The Black Album studio recording)
PickupsEMG 81 (bridge, active humbucker)
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass6
mid4
treble7.5
reverb0
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1991. Rhythm guitar for riff section. Guitar is tuned to Eb standard. No evidence of pedals in the rhythm chain; distortion from amp. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and known Black Album studio practices.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivethick and punchyscooped midshigh-gain saturationaggressive palm mutingarticulate note separationdry and focusedminimal ambiencemodern metal rhythmheavy low end
Difficulty
The riff requires tight, aggressive downpicking and palm muting at a moderate tempo, with precise rhythm and note separation under high-gain conditions. While not extremely fast, the endurance and accuracy needed for the Metallica rhythm style make it moderately challenging.
Sources
This tone has been researched 6 times by the community
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Create Free AccountGuitarmetal1990s
Original Gear
GuitarESP MX220 'Eet Fuk' (James Hetfield's main guitar for The Black Album)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (main rhythm amp for The Black Album studio recording)
PickupsEMG 81 (bridge, active humbucker)
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass6
mid4
treble7.5
reverb0
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
This tone has been researched 6 times by the community
Notes
Studio recording, 1991. Rhythm guitar for riff section. Guitar is tuned to Eb standard. No evidence of pedals in the rhythm chain; distortion from amp. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and known Black Album studio practices.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivethick and punchyscooped midshigh-gain saturationaggressive palm mutingarticulate note separationdry and focusedminimal ambiencemodern metal rhythmheavy low end
Difficulty
The riff requires tight, aggressive downpicking and palm muting at a moderate tempo, with precise rhythm and note separation under high-gain conditions. While not extremely fast, the endurance and accuracy needed for the Metallica rhythm style make it moderately challenging.
The God That Failed settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
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