Riff Tone

The Unforgiven

Metallica

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarESP MX220 'Eet Fuk' (James Hetfield's main rhythm guitar on The Black Album)

AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (primary rhythm amp for The Black Album sessions)

PickupsEMG 81 (bridge, active humbucker)

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6

mid4

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1991. Rhythm riff section. Guitar and amp confirmed by interviews and session documentation for The Black Album. No evidence of pedal use for rhythm riff section; distortion from amp. Pickup: bridge. No chorus, delay, or modulation audible in riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midschunky low endaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate attackslightly compressedclear note separationminimal ambiencefocused rhythm sound

Difficulty

The riff requires intermediate-level palm muting and rhythmic precision to maintain clarity and tightness under high-gain settings, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast tempo.

Sources

Metallica reveal The Black Album's deepest, darkest secrets | Guitar World Line 6 Unforgiven settings : r/Guitar - Reddit

This tone has been researched 14 times by the community

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