Tone library / Metallica / Creeping Death

Creeping Death amp settings — Fender Frontman 10G

The Metallica guitar tone for “Creeping Death”, dialed in for a Fender Frontman 10G with a Jackson JS22 Dinky. Studio version, Ride the Lightning (1984) - James Hetfield rhythm tone

Original rig

Modified Marshall JCM800 2203 (Jose Arredondo mod) boosted with Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer, Gibson Flying V with Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker

Aggressive, mid-scooped 80s thrash rhythm with sharp top-end bite and tight low-end chug

Amp settings — Fender Frontman 10G

CHANNELCleanBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	2
Bass	5
Treble	5
Master	4

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss MT-2W Metal Zone Waza

Set mode switch to Standard (S). Acts as the primary gain source into the amp's clean channel.

Level 6 · High 6 · Low 6 · Middle 3 · Mid Freq 4 · Dist 7

Why these settings

The Boss MT-2W serves as the dedicated high-gain distortion engine, allowing the Frontman 10G to remain on its clean channel with gain low to avoid harsh solid-state clipping. Mid Freq is set around 800-1000Hz with Middle pulled back to carve out the iconic Ride the Lightning thrash scoop. Keep the amp's bass modest so the small 6-inch speaker stays tight during fast palm-muted gallops.

PRO TIPAnchor your palm firmly against the bridge saddles and execute strict, heavy downpicking to match Hetfield's percussive attack and keep the low-frequency chug surgical.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Fender Frontman 10G. 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.