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Riff Tone
Metal Militia
Metallica
Guitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
Guitar1980s Gibson Flying V
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 head into Marshall 4x12 cabinet (studio recording, 1983)
Amp Settings
gain9
bass6
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Notes
Studio recording for 'Kill 'Em All' (1983). James Hetfield played rhythm guitars with a Gibson Flying V into a Marshall JCM800. No evidence of pedals or effects used for the riff section; distortion comes from amp gain. Settings are estimated based on era, genre, and forum consensus.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationcrisp, biting treblechunky rhythm tonepercussive low endminimal reverbclassic thrash metal soundbridge humbucker clarity
Difficulty
The riff requires fast, tight palm muting and precise alternate or downpicking at high speed, with complex rhythm changes typical of early thrash metal.
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Create Free AccountGuitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
Guitar1980s Gibson Flying V
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 head into Marshall 4x12 cabinet (studio recording, 1983)
Amp Settings
gain9
bass6
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
Notes
Studio recording for 'Kill 'Em All' (1983). James Hetfield played rhythm guitars with a Gibson Flying V into a Marshall JCM800. No evidence of pedals or effects used for the riff section; distortion comes from amp gain. Settings are estimated based on era, genre, and forum consensus.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationcrisp, biting treblechunky rhythm tonepercussive low endminimal reverbclassic thrash metal soundbridge humbucker clarity
Difficulty
The riff requires fast, tight palm muting and precise alternate or downpicking at high speed, with complex rhythm changes typical of early thrash metal.