Tone library / Megadeth / Holy Wars...The Punishment Due (2004 Remix)

Holy Wars...The Punishment Due (2004 Remix) amp settings — Laney LX65R

The Megadeth guitar tone for “Holy Wars...The Punishment Due (2004 Remix)”, dialed in for a Laney LX65R with a PRS Custom 24. 2004 Remix, Rust in Peace (originally 1990, remixed/remastered 2004)

Original rig

Jackson King V with Seymour Duncan Dave Mustaine Signature pickups (bridge humbucker), Marshall JCM800 2203 or modified Super Lead, Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor, no reverb

Tight, aggressive, articulate thrash high-gain with cutting presence and controlled low end for fast alternate picking clarity

Amp settings — Laney LX65R

CHANNELCleanBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	2
Bass	5
Mid	6
Treble	6
Reverb	1
Master	6

Don’t have a Laney LX65R? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss MT-2W Metal Zone Waza

Use Standard mode (not Custom). Mid Freq at 6 targets the 800Hz-1kHz range for thrash cut-through. This is your gain source — amp stays clean.

Level 7 · High 6 · Low 4 · Mid 7 · Mid Freq 6 · Dist 7

Why these settings

The Laney LX65R is a solid-state practice amp that cannot produce JCM800-level saturation from its preamp alone. The MT-2W becomes the entire gain stage — amp set to Clean channel with gain at 2 to stay transparent. Your PRS humbuckers are hotter and warmer than Mustaine's Seymour Duncans, so MT-2W Low is dropped to 4 (vs original bass 5-6) to keep palm mutes tight. LX65R has no presence knob — that brightness comes from the MT-2W High control instead.

PRO TIPMustaine's trademark tightness comes from extremely precise downstroke-heavy alternate picking with the pick angled slightly, not from gain — keep your picking hand locked and mute aggressively between notes. The 2004 remix has slightly more low-end than the original 1990 mix, but the core tone is identical.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Laney LX65R. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play

Find your amp

Browse

Holy Wars...The Punishment Due (2004 Remix) on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Megadeth tonesALL SONGS PRS Custom 24 tonesSAME GUITAR Tone libraryEVERYTHING

Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.