Black album amp settings — EVH 5150III 50W
The Metallica guitar tone for “Black album”, dialed in for a EVH 5150III 50W with a Schecter Hellraiser C-7. Main heavy rhythm riff ('Enter Sandman'), The Black Album (1991)
ESP MX-250 / KH-2 with EMG 81 pickups into Mesa Boogie Mark IIC++ blended with Jose-modded Marshall JCM800, outboard Aphex EQF-2 (1.2kHz scoop) in loop
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 6 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 4 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Presence | 6 |
| Master | 3 |
01TC Electronic Sentry Noise Gate
In FX loop (Send -> Sentry In -> Sentry Out -> Return) or 4-cable method to clamp high-gain hiss between palm mutes
02Boss EQ-200 Graphic Equalizer
FX loop; cuts 1kHz–1.2kHz to emulate Hetfield's outboard Aphex rack EQ scoop without gutting the amp's core punch
The EVH 5150III Red channel delivers intense, early-saturating gain, so keep gain at 6 rather than pushing it higher where it gets fizzy. Your active EMG 81-7/707 pickups provide the exact compressed, tight front-end hit that Hetfield got from his EMG 81s. Setting the amp mids to 4 and cutting 1kHz on the Boss EQ-200 in the FX loop replicates the iconic 1.2kHz Aphex studio notch. Clean intro: switch EVH to Green (Clean) channel, bypass EQ-200, engage Flashback 2 and Hall of Fame 2.
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These settings are for a EVH 5150III 50W. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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