Holy Wars... The Punishment Due amp settings — Fender Blues Junior IV
The Megadeth guitar tone for “Holy Wars... The Punishment Due”, dialed in for a Fender Blues Junior IV with a Cort X100. Studio version, Rust in Peace (1990) — rhythm parts, Dave Mustaine
Marshall JCM800 2203 head, Jackson King V with Seymour Duncan JB (bridge), Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-9
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 3 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 4 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Presence | 0 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01MG300 — Noise Gate
Essential for tight thrash palm mutes — set firm threshold
02MG300 — Tube Screamer model (TS808 or TS9)
Primary gain source — pushes the clean amp hard; this is where the distortion lives
03MG300 — Metal/High-Gain Distortion (Mesa or JCM800 model)
Stack after the TS for JCM800-style saturation — the MG300's amp sim does the heavy lifting since the Blues Jr won't produce this gain
04MG300 — EQ Block
Scoop 800Hz for that Megadeth thrash cut, boost upper mids for pick attack
The Blues Junior is a clean platform amp incapable of JCM800-level saturation — it will fart out and compress poorly if you push its gain. ALL distortion must come from the MG300. Amp gain dropped to 3 (just warming the tubes), amp set as a clean pedal platform. Treble cut from original's 7 to 5 because the Fender's treble shelf is brighter than a Marshall's midrange bite. The MG300's amp modeling and stacked TS + high-gain block replicate the JCM800 gain structure.
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These settings are for a Fender Blues Junior IV. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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