Holy Wars...The Punishment Due (2004 Remix) amp settings — Cort Cm15R
The Megadeth guitar tone for “Holy Wars...The Punishment Due (2004 Remix)”, dialed in for a Cort Cm15R with a Squier Stratocaster HSS. 2004 Remix (Rust in Peace remaster) — same 1990 studio tracking, remixed by Dave Mustaine
Marshall JCM800 2203 + Bogner Triple Giant preamp into VHT 2150 power amp, 1986 Jackson King V with Seymour Duncan JB (bridge), E♭ Standard tuning
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 5 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01Distortion pedal (Boss DS-1 or similar)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. The Cort CM15R cannot reach thrash saturation levels on its own; a DS-1 ($50 new) or Joyo Metal Zone clone (~$30) is essential. With this pedal, set amp gain to 3 instead.
The Cort CM15R is a small solid-state practice amp with no presence control and limited gain saturation — it cannot replicate the JCM800's preamp crunch on its own. Settings above assume NO pedal (your current state): gain 7 is the max useful before the small speaker breaks up badly. With the recommended distortion pedal, drop amp gain to 3 and let the pedal provide the saturation. Your Squier HSS bridge humbucker approximates the JB's output reasonably; treble stays high to compensate for the humbucker being warmer than expected on that pickup.
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These settings are for a Cort Cm15R. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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