Fade to black amp settings — Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus
The Metallica guitar tone for “Fade to black”, dialed in for a Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Iconic intro solo and heavy rhythm tone, Ride the Lightning (1984)
Modified Marshall JCM800 2203, Ibanez TS9 / ProCo Rat boost, Gibson Flying V with Seymour Duncan Invader humbuckers
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 4 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Reverb | 2 |
| Master | 4 |
01Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9
Maxed drive pushes primary clipping into the ultra-clean solid-state power section
02Boss GE-7 Equalizer
Scoops 800Hz boxiness while boosting 1.6k/3.2k to emulate the signature Marshall high-mid thrash cut
03ProCo Rat 2
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; necessary to achieve true Ride the Lightning high-gain saturation in front of an ultra-clean JC-120
The JC-120 is an ultra-clean solid-state platform with no native high-gain preamp distortion, so the TS9 drive is maxed and paired with the GE-7 to sculpt the aggressive mid-scoop Marshall bite. The JC-120 lacks presence and gain knobs, so high frequencies are shaped entirely via treble at 6 and the GE-7 sliders. Switch pickup_position to bridge for the heavy rhythm sections later in the song.
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These settings are for a Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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