Solo Tone

The Unforgiven II

Metallica

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarESP TE B-bender

AmpMesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier 150W Solo Head

PickupsEMG active single-coil (likely EMG T set, as used by Hetfield in his TE models of the era)

Amp Settings

gain7

bass6

mid4.5

treble7

reverb2.5

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

delayUnknown Delay pedal (model unknown)

Notes

Studio recording, 1997 (Reload album). Guitar confirmed as ESP TE B-bender for 'The Unforgiven II' solo. Amp confirmed as Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier, which was Hetfield's main high-gain amp for this era. No evidence of additional pedals in the solo section, but delay and reverb are clearly audible in the recording.

Tone Character(10)

singing sustainsmooth lead toneslightly overdriven but not high-gainclear note separationtouch-sensitive dynamicswarm midrangearticulate highssubtle ambient spacemelodic phrasingmoderate compression

Difficulty

The solo requires intermediate lead technique, including expressive bends, vibrato, and melodic phrasing, but does not involve extreme speed or advanced shred techniques.

Sources

James Hetfield's Guitar Gear, Amps & Pedalboard - Equipboard James Hetfield's Guitar Gear, Amps & Pedalboard - Equipboard James Hetfield's Guitars | Equipboard Unforgiven clean chorus/intro tone? : r/BossKatana

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