Tone library / Metallica / Fade to Black

Fade to Black amp settings — Orange Crush 20

The Metallica guitar tone for “Fade to Black”, dialed in for a Orange Crush 20 with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Studio version, Ride the Lightning (1984) — pre-Mesa era, Marshall-driven tone

Original rig

Marshall JCM800 2203, Gibson Flying V (Hetfield rhythm) / Gibson Flying V (Hammett leads), Boss DS-1 as boost, wah pedal parked up for solo

Warm, singing lead tone with midrange focus and smooth saturation; rhythm sections have tight crunch with cut

Amp settings — Orange Crush 20

CHANNELDirty channel

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

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Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE7 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss DS-1 Distortion

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Used as a boost/tightener into the amp's dirt, not as primary gain source. A DS-1 clone or any TS-style overdrive gets you 80% there.

Tone 6 · Level 8 · Dist 3

Why these settings

The Orange Crush 20 is warmer and more compressed in the low-mids than a JCM800, so bass is dropped from 5 to 4 to prevent mud. Treble reduced from 7 to 5 because the Crush doesn't have the same high-end bite — pushing treble higher just adds fizz without the Marshall's cut. Mids raised to 6 to compensate for the JCM800's naturally mid-forward voice that the Orange lacks. Without a DS-1 or similar boost, the tone will be softer and less defined on palm mutes.

PRO TIPFor Hammett's solo tone, roll your tone knob to 7 and use your neck pickup — if you had a wah, you'd park it 3/4 forward to add that nasal vocal quality. Without the wah, slightly boosting your tone knob to 8 and picking closer to the bridge compensates for the missing upper-mid peak.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Orange Crush 20. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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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.