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And justice for all amp settings — Blackstar ID:Core 20 V3

The Metallica guitar tone for “And justice for all”, dialed in for a Blackstar ID:Core 20 V3 with a Fender American Professional II Stratocaster. Studio version, ...And Justice for All (1988)

Original rig

Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ head, ESP Explorer with EMG 81/60 active pickups, Celestion T75 cab

Scooped, bright, aggressive thrash rhythm with tight low-end and cutting highs — famously thin and biting

Amp settings — Blackstar ID:Core 20 V3

CHANNELOD2 (high-gain channel), ISF at 2 o'clock (toward British voicing)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	8
Bass	6
Mid	2
Treble	8
Presence	7
Reverb	0
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The original used EMG active humbuckers — your Strat's single-coils have less output and more high-end, so gain is pushed to 8 (vs the original's moderate preamp drive) and bass raised to 6 to compensate for the thinner body. Mids stay scooped at 2 to match the iconic AJFA scoop. ISF set toward British for the aggressive midrange bite the Mesa had — full American would sound too scooped and fizzy.

PRO TIPPalm-mute HARD and pick aggressively right over the bridge pickup pole pieces — the AJFA tone's tightness comes from James' extremely precise right-hand technique and the EMGs' compression. Your single-coils will sound looser; a tighter attack compensates. Consider a noise gate if you add a TS-style pedal later to tighten the low-end further.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Blackstar ID:Core 20 V3. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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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.