Tone library / Metallica / Fade to Black

Fade to Black amp settings — Behringer GM108

The Metallica guitar tone for “Fade to Black”, dialed in for a Behringer GM108 with a Behringer Stratocaster. Studio version, Ride the Lightning (1984) — pre-Mesa era, Marshall-driven tone

Original rig

Gibson Flying V / Explorer → Boss DS-1 → Marshall JCM800 2203 (Hetfield); Gibson Flying V with neck pickup + wah for Hammett's solo

Tight, aggressive 80s thrash crunch with scooped-but-present mids; solo has a warm, vocal-like singing quality

Amp settings — Behringer GM108

CHANNELOD (Overdrive channel)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	4
Mid	5
Treble	6
Presence	0
Reverb	0
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE7 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Behringer VD400 Vintage Delay

Use sparingly for the clean intro arpeggios and solo sustain tail; bypass for main rhythm riff

Echo 3 · Intensity 2 · Repeat Rate 4

02Tube Screamer style OD (e.g. Behringer TO800)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. The original used a Boss DS-1 as a boost/tightener into the Marshall. A TS-style pedal will add the mid-push and tighten the GM108's loose low end

Drive 3 · Tone 6 · Level 7

Why these settings

The GM108 is a small solid-state practice amp with limited headroom and a naturally fizzy treble — the opposite of a cranked JCM800's warm saturation. I dropped treble from the original's 7 to 6 and bass from 5 to 4 to compensate for the GM108's boxy low-mids and harsh top end. Mids stay at 5 to retain Metallica's cut. Without a DS-1 or similar, the amp's OD channel alone will lack the tight attack of the original — a cheap TS clone would transform this rig.

PRO TIPFor Hammett's solo tone, switch to neck pickup, roll tone knob to 5, and if you ever add a wah pedal, park it in the toe-down position without rocking it — this acts as a fixed midrange filter that gives that vocal 'singing' quality he describes.

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These settings are for a Behringer GM108. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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