Riff Tone

The Shortest Straw

Metallica

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarESP MX220 'EET FUK' (custom Explorer-style, 1987-88)

AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (used as preamp) into Marshall JCM800 100W power amp and Mesa 4x12 cabinets

PickupsEMG 81 active humbucker (bridge position)

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass6

mid3.5

treble7.5

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1988. Rhythm guitar for riff section. No evidence of pedals or effects other than amp distortion. EMG 81 pickups confirmed for this era and song. Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ used as preamp, Marshall JCM800 as power amp. No evidence of additional pedals or rack effects for rhythm tone.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsrazor-sharp attackhigh-gain saturationdry and unprocessedaggressive palm mutingarticulate pick definitioncrushing low endminimal ambiencefocused and cutting

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, aggressive alternate and downpicking with tight palm muting and precise rhythm, making it challenging for most players.

Sources

James Hetfield's Guitar Gear, Amps & Pedalboard - Equipboard The making of Metallica's Master Of Puppets - MusicRadar

This tone has been researched 7 times by the community

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