ToneAdapt

Loading...

Back to Community

Riff Tone

The Thing That Should Not Be

Metallica

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarESP MX-220 (black finish)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+

Amp Settings

gain0
bass5.5

Create an account to see all tone details

Create Free Account

Effects & Signal Chain

Notes

Studio recording, 1985-1986. Clean sections likely used the neck pickup and clean channel of the Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+. No direct evidence of pedal use for the clean part; most sources focus on the heavy riff tone. Clean intro/verse tone is distinct from the main riff distortion. Album: Master of Puppets (1986).

Tone Character(10)
dark and hauntingrounded, bell-like attackslightly scooped midssubtle modulation shimmerdeep, atmospheric ambiencenot bright or janglywide stereo imageslow attack, not percussivelush, layered clean soundnot compressed or tight

Difficulty

The clean riff requires accurate picking and chord changes, but is not technically demanding; the main challenge is maintaining a consistent, haunting clean tone and dynamics.

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account