Riff Tone

The Memory Remains (feat. Marianne Faithfull)

Metallica

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarESP MX-250 (Hetfield's custom Explorer-style, likely with EMG 81/60 pickups)

AmpMesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier

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

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6

mid4

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1997. Gear based on era and Hetfield's known studio rig for Reload. No evidence of pedals in riff section; signal is likely guitar direct into amp with minimal effects. Pickup selection and picking position noted in user discussion.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationchunky low endarticulate pick attackmodern metal rhythmcompressed and focusedminimal ambiencebridge pickup clarity

Difficulty

The riff is rhythmically tight and requires accurate palm muting and picking, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast tempo, making it accessible to intermediate players.

Sources

James Hetfield's Guitar Gear, Amps & Pedalboard | Equipboard The Memory Remains verse-riff guitar tone. : r/Metallica

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