Tone library / Metallica / ...And Justice for All

...And Justice for All amp settings — Mesa Badlander

The Metallica guitar tone for “...And Justice for All”, dialed in for a Mesa Badlander with a ESP Eclipse Custom. Studio version, ...And Justice for All (1988), main rhythm tone

Original rig

Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ / Quad Preamp + Marshall power amp + ESP MX-220 (EMG 81) + Aphex Parametric EQ (extreme 750Hz mid scoop)

Dry, razor-sharp, heavily mid-scooped aggressive thrash crunch with tight low-end tracking

Amp settings — Mesa Badlander

CHANNELCrush channelBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	5
Mid	4
Treble	7
Presence	6
Reverb	0
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor

Essential for clamping high-gain palm-mute chugs instantly

Threshold 7 · Decay 2

02MXR Ten Band EQ

Run in FX loop; creates the extreme 'V-curve' 750Hz-1kHz mid-cut of the original Aphex EQ

31.25Hz 4 · 62.5Hz 5 · 125Hz 6 · 250Hz 5 · 500Hz 3 · 1kHz 2 · 2kHz 6 · 4kHz 7 · 8kHz 6 · 16kHz 4 · Gain 5 · Volume 5

Why these settings

The Badlander is voiced as an aggressive, tighter take on the Rectifier lineage rather than a Mark-series preamp, meaning its raw midrange is naturally wider and less surgically cut. We engage the Crush channel with moderate amp mids (4) and rely directly on your owned MXR Ten Band EQ in the FX loop to pull the brutal 500Hz-1kHz V-scoop that defines the 1988 album sound. With the active EMG 81 in your ESP Eclipse, amp gain at 7 provides full thrash saturation without flubbing the low end.

PRO TIPAggressive, heavy downpicking right against the bridge saddles is mandatory to get the percussive, mechanical bite of James Hetfield's rhythm tracks.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Mesa Badlander. 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.