Riff Tone

Welcome Home (Sanitarium)

Metallica

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarESP MX220 (custom Explorer-style, 1984-1986 era, likely with EMG 81/60 pickups)

AmpRoland JC-120 Jazz Chorus (for clean tone, studio recording, 1985-1986)

PickupsEMG 60 (neck, active humbucker)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass6

mid4

treble7

reverb2.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

chorusRoland or Boss Chorus effect (Roland JC-120 built-in or Boss CE-1/CE-2, model not confirmed)

Notes

Studio recording, 1985-1986, Master of Puppets sessions. Clean sections tracked with JC-120 for chorus effect and pristine cleans. Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC++ used for heavy parts, but NOT for clean riff. Chorus effect is from amp or pedal. No evidence of live rig for this tone.

Tone Character(10)

pristine and glassylush stereo chorus shimmerbright and articulate highstight low endcrystal-clear note separationsmooth, even responsewide stereo imagesubtle room ambienceno breakup or gritdistinct chorus modulation

Difficulty

The clean riff requires accurate arpeggiated picking, careful muting, and dynamic control to achieve the pristine, chorus-laden tone. While not technically advanced, the clarity and consistency needed make it intermediate.

Sources

The 50 greatest guitar effects moments of all time | Guitar World Metallica – Master of Puppets (Remastered) - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album | Equipboard IS there anyway to get Welcome Home sanitarium clean tone on ...

This tone has been researched 18 times by the community

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account