Riff Tone
The Thing That Should Not Be
Metallica
Guitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarESP MX-220 (black finish)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+
PickupsEMG 81 (bridge), EMG 60 (neck)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass5.5
mid4.5
treble7
reverb1
presence5
Effects & Signal Chain
chorusUnknown Chorus or Flanger pedal (model unknown)
Notes
Studio recording, 1985-1986. Clean sections likely used the neck pickup and clean channel of the Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+. No direct evidence of pedal use for the clean part; most sources focus on the heavy riff tone. Clean intro/verse tone is distinct from the main riff distortion. Album: Master of Puppets (1986).
Tone Character(10)
dark and hauntingrounded, bell-like attackslightly scooped midssubtle modulation shimmerdeep, atmospheric ambiencenot bright or janglywide stereo imageslow attack, not percussivelush, layered clean soundnot compressed or tight
Difficulty
The clean riff requires accurate picking and chord changes, but is not technically demanding; the main challenge is maintaining a consistent, haunting clean tone and dynamics.
Sources
Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear
Create Free AccountGuitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarESP MX-220 (black finish)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+
PickupsEMG 81 (bridge), EMG 60 (neck)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass5.5
mid4.5
treble7
reverb1
presence5
Effects & Signal Chain
chorusUnknown Chorus or Flanger pedal (model unknown)
Notes
Studio recording, 1985-1986. Clean sections likely used the neck pickup and clean channel of the Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+. No direct evidence of pedal use for the clean part; most sources focus on the heavy riff tone. Clean intro/verse tone is distinct from the main riff distortion. Album: Master of Puppets (1986).
Tone Character(10)
dark and hauntingrounded, bell-like attackslightly scooped midssubtle modulation shimmerdeep, atmospheric ambiencenot bright or janglywide stereo imageslow attack, not percussivelush, layered clean soundnot compressed or tight
Difficulty
The clean riff requires accurate picking and chord changes, but is not technically demanding; the main challenge is maintaining a consistent, haunting clean tone and dynamics.
The Thing That Should Not Be settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
More Metallica tones
- Master of Puppets · riff
- Enter Sandman · riff
- Seek & Destroy · riff
- Creeping Death · riff
- One · riff
- Fade to Black · solo
- Ride the Lightning · riff
- Fade to black · riff
- For Whom the Bell Tolls · riff
- One · riff