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Enter sandman amp settings — Marshall Code 50

The Metallica guitar tone for “Enter sandman”, dialed in for a Marshall Code 50 with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Studio version, Metallica / The Black Album (1991) — iconic heavy rhythm riff

Original rig

ESP MX-250 with EMG 81 pickups into blended Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC++ and Jose-modded Marshall JCM800 2203 with Aphex parametric EQ

Massive, tight, percussive high-gain rhythm crunch with deeply scooped mids and razor-sharp palm-mute attack
Amp settings — Marshall Code 50
CHANNELClean American (CL American) preamp + 100W American (100W Amer) power amp + 1960V 4x12 cabBRIGHToffBOOSToff
GAIN 2 BASS 7 MID 5 TREBLE 5 REVERB 1 MASTER 5
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain2
Bass7
Mid5
Treble5
Reverb1
Master5
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Guitar
PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01Jim Dunlop Cry Baby GCB95

Bypassed for rhythm riff; engage heel-to-toe sweep for the wah fills and solo

02Boss MT-2 Metal Zone

GAIN SOURCE: Boss dual-gain architecture emulates the scooped Mesa Mark IIC+ preamp into the clean amp

Level 6 · High 6 · Low 7 · Middle 3 · Mid Freq 6 · Dist 6
Why these settings

Because you own a Boss MT-2, it serves as the primary gain source to replicate the heavily scooped Mesa Mark IIC++ preamp into a clean amp setting. Running your single-coil Strat against Hetfield's active EMG 81s requires bumping the MT-2 Low to 7 and pulling Middle down to 3 with Mid Freq around 1kHz to achieve that signature percussive 'V-curve' chug without thinness. The Marshall Code is parked on the Clean American model with low gain to prevent double-gain flub. Clean intro: bypass the MT-2 and switch your Strat to neck+middle.

PRO TIPAnchor your picking-hand palm firmly against the bridge saddle to execute tight, percussive mutes, and angle the pick slightly forward for a sharp, aggressive attack that compensates for passive single-coil output.

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These settings are for a Marshall Code 50. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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