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Riff Tone
Fight Fire with Fire
Metallica
Guitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
Guitar1981 Gibson Flying V
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 (borrowed European model, studio recording, 1984)
Amp Settings
gain8.5
bass6
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Notes
Studio recording for 'Ride the Lightning' (1984); Hetfield's original Marshall was stolen, so a borrowed JCM800 was used. No evidence of EMG pickups or Mesa/Boogie amps on this album. No evidence of rack effects or advanced pedalboards; basic setup due to budget constraints.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped upper-midsstrong mid-boostaggressive palm mutingrazor-sharp pick attackdry, immediate responsecrushing, saturated distortionarticulate note separationminimal ambiencemultitracked, layered guitars
Difficulty
The riff requires expert-level speed and stamina, with relentless alternate picking and tight palm muting at a very fast tempo. Maintaining clarity and tightness at this speed is highly challenging.
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Create Free AccountGuitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
Guitar1981 Gibson Flying V
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 (borrowed European model, studio recording, 1984)
Amp Settings
gain8.5
bass6
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
Notes
Studio recording for 'Ride the Lightning' (1984); Hetfield's original Marshall was stolen, so a borrowed JCM800 was used. No evidence of EMG pickups or Mesa/Boogie amps on this album. No evidence of rack effects or advanced pedalboards; basic setup due to budget constraints.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped upper-midsstrong mid-boostaggressive palm mutingrazor-sharp pick attackdry, immediate responsecrushing, saturated distortionarticulate note separationminimal ambiencemultitracked, layered guitars
Difficulty
The riff requires expert-level speed and stamina, with relentless alternate picking and tight palm muting at a very fast tempo. Maintaining clarity and tightness at this speed is highly challenging.