Fade to black amp settings — Orange Rocker 15
The Metallica guitar tone for “Fade to black”, dialed in for a Orange Rocker 15 with a Harley Benton SC-Custom II. Studio version, Ride the Lightning (1984) — pre-Mesa era, Marshall JCM800-driven
Gibson Flying V (Hetfield) / Gibson Explorer, Marshall JCM800 2203, Boss DS-1 for boost, Cry Baby wah (Hammett solos)
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 6 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 6 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Presence | 5 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 5 |
01Wah Pedal (e.g., Cry Baby GCB95)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Park the wah toe-down (80% forward) for Hammett's warm filtered lead tone. Essential for the iconic solo sound.
02Boss DS-1 or similar OD/Boost
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Used as a boost to push the amp into tighter saturation. Low dist, high level = clean boost into dirty amp.
The Orange Rocker 15 is warmer and more compressed in the low-mids than the JCM800, so I dropped bass from the original's 5 to 4 and pushed mids from 5 to 6 to recover the JCM800's cutting bark. Presence dropped from 7 to 5 because Orange amps get fizzy faster than Marshalls in the high end. Your SC-Custom II humbuckers are hotter than a vintage Flying V, so gain stays at 6 rather than 7 — you'll hit the same saturation point.
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These settings are for a Orange Rocker 15. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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