Enter sandman amp settings — Yamaha GA15
The Metallica guitar tone for “Enter sandman”, dialed in for a Yamaha GA15 with a Fender St. Studio version, Metallica 'Black Album' (1991) — James Hetfield rhythm tone
ESP MX-220/MX-250 with EMG 81 bridge pickup → Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC++ → Mesa 4x12 with Celestion V30s
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 10 |
| Bass | 7 |
| Mid | 3 |
| Treble | 8 |
| Master | 6 |
01Distortion Pedal (RECOMMENDED — Boss DS-1 or similar)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. The Yamaha GA15 is a 15W solid-state practice amp that cannot produce high-gain metal tones on its own. A distortion pedal is essential to get anywhere near this tone. Boss DS-1, MT-2 Metal Zone, or any metal-voiced distortion will work.
This is a difficult match. The original uses a hot EMG 81 humbucker into a high-gain tube amp; your Fender Strat single coils are bright, low-output, and the GA15 is a small solid-state amp with limited gain. Without a distortion pedal, you cannot achieve this tone — the amp settings above assume you add one. Bass is boosted to compensate for the Strat's thin low end; mids are scooped to approximate the Mesa scoop; treble is high but tone knob rolled back slightly to tame single-coil ice-pick frequencies.
Get this tone on your amp
These settings are for a Yamaha GA15. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
Get ToneAdapt on Google PlaySong, 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.