Tone library / Metallica / Creeping Death

Creeping Death amp settings — Mesa Boogie Lone Star

The Metallica guitar tone for “Creeping Death”, dialed in for a Mesa Boogie Lone Star with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Studio version, Ride the Lightning (1984) — Marshall JCM800 2203 tracking

Original rig

Marshall JCM800 2203 (Jose Arredondo modded) + Gibson Explorer with Dirty Fingers humbucker (bridge), quad-tracked, no pedals

Tight and percussive, scooped mids, aggressive palm muting, high-gain saturation, dry with razor-sharp clarity

Amp settings — Mesa Boogie Lone Star

CHANNELDrive channel (Ch. 2)BRIGHToffBOOSToff

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

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The Lone Star is voiced warm and thick with strong low-mids — the opposite of the JCM800's cutting mid-forward bite. Bass dropped from 6 to 5 to prevent mud on palm mutes; mids stay scooped at 3 for the classic thrash scoop but the Lone Star's mid center is lower than a Marshall so this won't thin out as much. Presence at 5 (not 6) because the Lone Star's presence adds more fizz than a Marshall's. Gain at 7 gets the saturation without losing pick definition — the Lone Star compresses earlier than a JCM800.

PRO TIPHetfield's 'chug' comes entirely from strict downpicking — every single note on the main riff is a downstroke. If you alternate pick, you lose the percussive attack that defines this tone. Lock your wrist and commit to downstrokes only, even at tempo.

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These settings are for a Mesa Boogie Lone Star. 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.