Tone library / Metallica / Creeping death

Creeping death amp settings — Marshall Gr15r

The Metallica guitar tone for “Creeping death”, dialed in for a Marshall Gr15r with a Squier Bullet Stratocaster. Studio version, Ride the Lightning (1984)

Original rig

Marshall JCM800 2203 (Jose Arredondo mod), 1984 Gibson Explorer with Gibson Dirty Fingers humbucker (bridge)

Aggressive, scooped thrash rhythm with tight lows, biting highs, and cut mids

Amp settings — Marshall Gr15r

CHANNELOverdrive channel

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

Don’t have a Marshall Gr15r? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Distortion pedal (Boss DS-1 or similar)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. The MG15R lacks the gain saturation of a JCM800. Run this into a CLEAN channel with amp gain at 2-3 to get the required saturation without mud.

Tone 6 · Level 7 · Dist 8

Why these settings

The MG15R's overdrive channel is voiced darker and looser than a JCM800, so mids are dropped to 2 (original was 3) and treble raised slightly to compensate for the Strat's single-coil brightness deficit versus Hetfield's humbuckers. Gain is maxed because this practice amp cannot achieve JCM800 saturation levels on its own—a distortion pedal is strongly recommended. Bass pulled back to 5 to prevent flub from the smaller speaker.

PRO TIPPalm mute hard and close to the bridge—Hetfield's 'chunk' comes from aggressive right-hand technique, not just gain. Downpick every note on the main riff; no alternate picking.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Marshall Gr15r. 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.