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Riff Tone
The Call of Ktulu (Live)
Metallica & San Francisco Symphony
Guitarmetal2010s+
Original Gear
GuitarESP James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte (likely with custom finish for S&M2 live shows)
AmpFractal Audio Axe-Fx III (Diezel VH4 and Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ models profiled for live S&M2 rig)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass5.5
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Notes
Live performance with San Francisco Symphony (S&M2, 2019); Metallica used Fractal Axe-Fx III units for amp and effects modeling; no physical amps on stage, all tones processed digitally. Clean tone for intro/riff section.
Tone Character(10)
crystal-clear and pristinelush, ambient reverbslightly scooped mids for claritybright and articulate highsfull-bodied low endsmooth, sustained clean notessubtle chorus shimmerdynamic and expressive pickingno audible distortion or breakupstudio-quality digital effects
Difficulty
The clean riff requires accurate picking and timing, dynamic control for expressive phrasing, and sensitivity to effect sustain and shimmer, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.
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Create Free AccountGuitarmetal2010s+
Original Gear
GuitarESP James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte (likely with custom finish for S&M2 live shows)
AmpFractal Audio Axe-Fx III (Diezel VH4 and Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ models profiled for live S&M2 rig)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass5.5
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
Notes
Live performance with San Francisco Symphony (S&M2, 2019); Metallica used Fractal Axe-Fx III units for amp and effects modeling; no physical amps on stage, all tones processed digitally. Clean tone for intro/riff section.
Tone Character(10)
crystal-clear and pristinelush, ambient reverbslightly scooped mids for claritybright and articulate highsfull-bodied low endsmooth, sustained clean notessubtle chorus shimmerdynamic and expressive pickingno audible distortion or breakupstudio-quality digital effects
Difficulty
The clean riff requires accurate picking and timing, dynamic control for expressive phrasing, and sensitivity to effect sustain and shimmer, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.