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Riff Tone

Enter SandmanEnter Sandman

Metallica

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarESP MX-250
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC++

Amp Settings

gain8.5
bass6.5

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Effects & Signal Chain

Notes

Studio recording, 1990-1991 Black Album sessions. Rhythm guitar for riff section played by James Hetfield on ESP MX-250 with EMG 81 in bridge. Outboard Aphex EQF-2 and CX-1 compressor in effects loop for additional EQ/compression. No evidence of pedals in front of amp for riff section; Eventide H3000 used for subtle stereo widening/detuning in mix. Settings reflect studio, not live.

Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationcompressed attackarticulate rhythmmechanical precisionlow-end clarityfull-bodiedslightly detuned stereo width

Difficulty

The riff requires aggressive, fast down-picking with tight palm muting and precise rhythm, making it challenging for most intermediate players.

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