Master of puppets amp settings — Fender Fender Frontman 20G
The Metalica guitar tone for “Master of puppets”, dialed in for a Fender Fender Frontman 20G with a Gibson Slash Les Paul Standard. Studio version, Master of Puppets album (1986)
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ preamp → Marshall JCM800 100W power amp → Marshall 4x12. ESP Explorer with EMG 81 (bridge). Tuning: Eb Standard.
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 10 |
| Bass | 7 |
| Mid | 2 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Presence | 0 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01Boss MT-2 Metal Zone (or similar high-gain distortion)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. The Frontman 20G cannot produce high-gain metal distortion on its own; a dedicated metal distortion pedal is essential. Boss MT-2, MXR Fullbore Metal, or TC Electronic Dark Matter are budget options that will get you there. Run into the amp's clean channel with amp gain at 2.
The Frontman 20G is a solid-state practice amp with limited gain and no high-gain voicing—it cannot replicate Mark IIC+ saturation on its own. I maxed the amp gain and scooped mids to get the closest approximation, but the tone will be thin and fizzy without a distortion pedal. Your Les Paul's Burstbucker Pro pickups are hotter than passive single coils but cooler than EMGs; I dropped treble slightly from the original and boosted bass to compensate for the warmer humbucker voicing. A distortion pedal is mandatory for this tone.
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These settings are for a Fender Fender Frontman 20G. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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