Am I evil? amp settings — Samick Tg-20

The Metallica guitar tone for “Am I evil?”, dialed in for a Samick Tg-20 with a Cort G110. Studio version, originally recorded 1983 (Kill 'Em All sessions), released on Garage Inc. (1998)

Original rig

James Hetfield: Jose-modded Marshall 100W Plexi + ProCo RAT, Gibson Explorer. Kirk Hammett: Mesa/Boogie Mark II/III, Gibson Les Paul with EMG 81/60

Bright, aggressive thrash crunch with scooped mids, tight palm-muted attack, and cutting high-end presence

Amp settings — Samick Tg-20

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	8
Bass	6
Mid	3
Treble	7
Presence	0
Reverb	0
Master	5

Don’t have a Samick Tg-20? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01ProCo RAT 2 (or clone)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. The RAT is essential for the KEA-era Metallica bite. A Boss DS-1 is a cheaper substitute (Tone: 5, Level: 7, Dist: 7). Without a pedal, you will not achieve this tone accurately.

Distortion 6 · Filter 4 · Volume 7

Why these settings

The Samick TG-20 is a basic solid-state practice amp with limited gain and no channel switching—it cannot replicate modded Marshall saturation on its own. I maxed gain at 8 and scooped mids to 3 to approximate the thrash voicing. You absolutely need a distortion pedal (RAT or DS-1) to get the aggressive harmonic content; the amp's preamp will not deliver it alone. Without a pedal, expect a thin, undefined crunch at best.

PRO TIPAnchor your palm firmly on the bridge saddles for tight, percussive mutes—the '80s thrash attack lives in your picking hand, not just the gear. Downpick aggressively on the low E riffs; alternate picking will sound weaker and less authentic.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Samick Tg-20. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Am I evil? on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Metallica tonesALL SONGS Cort G110 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.