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Riff Tone
Harvester of Sorrow (Live at Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA, 01/11/92)
Metallica
Guitarmetal1990s
Original Gear
GuitarESP MX220 'Eet Fuk' (James Hetfield, 1989-1992 live era)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (live, 1992, likely with Mesa 4x12 cabinets)
Amp Settings
gain8.5
bass6
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Notes
Live performance, 1992, Arco Arena. James Hetfield's main live rig for this era was the ESP MX220 'Eet Fuk' with EMG 81 pickups into a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ head. No evidence of additional pedals for the riff section; tone is dry and tight. No studio layering or post-processing as in album version.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate low endcrisp, biting trebledry and unprocessedfocused and compressedminimal ambienceclear note separation
Difficulty
The riff requires high-speed, consistent downpicking and tight palm muting, demanding stamina and precision typical of Metallica's rhythm guitar work. The tempo and percussive attack add to the challenge.
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Create Free AccountGuitarmetal1990s
Original Gear
GuitarESP MX220 'Eet Fuk' (James Hetfield, 1989-1992 live era)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (live, 1992, likely with Mesa 4x12 cabinets)
Amp Settings
gain8.5
bass6
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
Notes
Live performance, 1992, Arco Arena. James Hetfield's main live rig for this era was the ESP MX220 'Eet Fuk' with EMG 81 pickups into a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ head. No evidence of additional pedals for the riff section; tone is dry and tight. No studio layering or post-processing as in album version.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate low endcrisp, biting trebledry and unprocessedfocused and compressedminimal ambienceclear note separation
Difficulty
The riff requires high-speed, consistent downpicking and tight palm muting, demanding stamina and precision typical of Metallica's rhythm guitar work. The tempo and percussive attack add to the challenge.