Tone library / Metallica / Creeping Death

Creeping Death amp settings — Orange Crush 20

The Metallica guitar tone for “Creeping Death”, dialed in for a Orange Crush 20 with a Schecter C-1 Hellraiser. Studio version, Ride the Lightning (1984) — main rhythm riff, James Hetfield

Original rig

Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ head (or Jose-modded JCM800 2203) into Marshall 4x12, ESP MX220 or Gibson Explorer with high-output humbuckers, no pedals

Tight, aggressive thrash rhythm with scooped mids, cutting high-end bite, and dry attack

Amp settings — Orange Crush 20

CHANNELDirty

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	8
Bass	5
Mid	3
Treble	7
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Tube Screamer style overdrive (e.g., Ibanez TS9, Boss SD-1, or TC Electronic Cinders)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Run into amp Dirty channel with amp gain dropped to 5-6. Tightens low-end and adds pick attack definition the Crush 20 lacks on its own. Without this pedal, the amp's gain alone will be fuzzy and loose compared to the original's tight chug.

Drive 2 · Tone 6 · Level 7

Why these settings

The Orange Crush 20 is warmer and thicker in the low-mids than the original's tight Mark IIC+ voicing, so bass is cut from the original's 5.5 to 5 and mids stay scooped at 3 to approximate the 80s thrash scoop. The Crush 20 has no presence or reverb controls — presence is handled by the treble at 7 for cut. Your Schecter's EMG 81 active pickups are hotter and more compressed than Hetfield's passives, which helps reach the saturation level but means the amp's gain can stay at 8 rather than needing more. A TS-style pedal in front would dramatically improve tightness.

PRO TIPPalm-mute hard and pick aggressively right over the bridge pickup pole pieces — Hetfield's tone on this track comes as much from his tight, percussive right-hand attack as from the amp settings. Roll your tone knob to 8 to tame the EMG 81's ice-pick highs without losing cut.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Orange Crush 20. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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