Tone library / Metallica / Enter sandman riff tapes from Kirk Hammett

Enter sandman riff tapes from Kirk Hammett amp settings — Valeton GP-100

The Metallica guitar tone for “Enter sandman riff tapes from Kirk Hammett”, dialed in for a Valeton GP-100 with a Gibson Flying V. Original 1990 demo tape / riff recording sessions, Black Album (1991)

Original rig

Gibson Flying V / ESP KH into Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC++ (or Mark IV Lead) with scooped 1kHz graphic EQ

Aggressive, scooped-mid high-gain thrash crunch with tight low-end tracking

Amp settings — Valeton GP-100

CHANNELMesa Mark IV Lead model ('M-Boogie Mk4 LD' or 'CALI 4 LD') + 4x12 V30 Cab IRBRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	6
Mid	3
Treble	7
Presence	6
Reverb	2
Master	7

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Valeton GP-100 NR (Noise Gate)

Essential to keep palm-muted chugs tight and quiet

Threshold 6 · Decay 4

02Valeton GP-100 Guitar EQ (V-EQ / Parametric)

Placed after amp model to replicate the signature Mesa/Aphex 1kHz midrange scoop

800Hz 3 · 1.6kHz 3 · 4kHz 7

Why these settings

The GP-100's Mesa Mark series amp model provides authentic cascading preamp saturation. We scoop the mids down to 3 and boost 4kHz via the onboard EQ block to mimic the classic Mark IIC+ 'V-curve' graphic EQ heard on the Sandman riff tapes. Gibson passive humbuckers need slightly higher gain and treble than active EMGs to cut through with equal bite. Clean intro tape vibe: switch to Clean model with EQ bypassed.

PRO TIPAnchor the heel of your picking hand firmly across the low E and A strings for strict, heavy downstrokes right next to the bridge to nail Kirk's tight percussive attack.

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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.