Fade to black amp settings — Marshall MG30FX
The Metallica guitar tone for “Fade to black”, dialed in for a Marshall MG30FX with a Epiphone Ghost Horse Explorer. Studio version, Ride the Lightning (1984) — main heavy rhythm riffs
Electra Flying V copy / Gibson Explorer into modified Marshall JCM800 2203 with Ibanez TS9 boost
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 6 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 4 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Reverb | 1 |
| Master | 4 |
01Boss OS-2
Running as a clean boost to tighten bass and push the Marshall preamp, matching the original TS9 role
02MXR 6-band EQ
Classic Metallica pre-amp mid scoop: cut 800Hz to remove honk, boost 3.2kHz for pick attack bite
03Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor
Clamps high-gain idle hiss and tightens start-stop palm-muting
The Marshall MG30FX shares the signature British mid-forward bite of the original JCM800, but lacks a physical presence control so presence is nulled. Setting the amp to OD-1 with moderate gain and pushing it with the Boss OS-2 set strictly as a clean overdrive boost avoids solid-state fizz while delivering authentic saturated crunch. Clean intro/verse: switch amp channel to Clean, turn on the Boss CE-2W Chorus and Boss DD-8 Delay, and bypass the OS-2 and MXR EQ.
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These settings are for a Marshall MG30FX. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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