Riff Tone

Until It Sleeps (Remastered)

Metallica

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarESP MX-220 (Hetfield's custom Explorer-style, likely with EMG 81/60 pickups)

AmpMesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (studio blend with possible Marshall and Fender amps, but Mesa/Boogie is primary for cleans on Load era)

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

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5.5

mid5

treble6.5

reverb2

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

chorusUnknown Chorus pedal (model unknown)

Notes

Studio recording, 1995-1996 (Load sessions). Clean tone for riff/verse section. No explicit pedalboard or amp settings found for clean part; settings estimated based on era, genre, and typical Metallica studio practice.

Tone Character(10)

warm and darkslightly compressedarticulate and percussivesubtle chorus shimmertight low endsmooth top endclean with slight ambiencemodern, not vintage cleanfull-bodiednot brittle or harsh

Difficulty

The clean riff requires accurate picking and muting to maintain clarity and groove, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast passages.

Sources

Until It Sleeps : r/Metallica Until It Sleeps is a masterpiece. : r/Metallica Until it Sleeps Effects? : r/Metallica

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account