Blackened amp settings — Line 6 Flextone

The Metallica guitar tone for “Blackened”, dialed in for a Line 6 Flextone with a Vintage SG. Studio version, ...And Justice for All (1988) — Kirk Hammett lead tone

Original rig

Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+, ESP KH-2 with EMG 81/60, no pedals for lead tone (wah used selectively)

Tight, aggressive lead tone with scooped mids, razor-sharp attack, and sustain for fast legato runs

Amp settings — Line 6 Flextone

CHANNELRed Channel (High Gain) — select Mesa Mark IIC+ or 'Rectified' amp model if availableBRIGHToffBOOSTon

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

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Why these settings

Your SG's PAF-style humbuckers are warmer and less compressed than Hammett's active EMGs, so I pushed treble +1 and dropped gain -1 from the original settings to compensate for the hotter, darker voicing. The Flextone's Mesa models nail this tone—select the Mark IIC+ or Rectified model. Mid is scooped to 3 to match the 'Justice' album's characteristic V-curve EQ.

PRO TIPHammett's lead tone on this track relies on precise palm-mute release and aggressive pick attack on the low strings—dig in hard on downstrokes and let the amp's compression do the sustain work rather than adding gain.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Line 6 Flextone. 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.