Am I Evil? amp settings — harley benton HB-80R Celestion
The Metallica guitar tone for “Am I Evil?”, dialed in for a harley benton HB-80R Celestion with a Harley benton SC-550 II. Kill 'Em All era / Garage Inc. re-recording (1984-1998) — tight, aggressive thrash tone
Mesa-Boogie Mark IIC+ preamp / Marshall power amp (Hetfield), Marshall 100W heads (Hammett), ESP/Gibson with EMG 81 pickups
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 3 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Presence | 5 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 5 |
Your SC-550 II's passive humbuckers have lower output than Hetfield's active EMG 81s, so gain is pushed to 7 (vs the 6 referenced for active setups). The HB-80R is a solid-state practice amp without the Mesa's mid-forward compression, so mids are dropped to 3 to approximate the classic Metallica scoop while treble stays high at 7 to retain pick attack and cut. Bass at 6 keeps palm mutes tight without mud.
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These settings are for a harley benton HB-80R Celestion. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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