For Whom the Bell Tolls amp settings — Fender Acoustasonic 15
The Metallica guitar tone for “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, dialed in for a Fender Acoustasonic 15 with a Harley Benton DC-580 CH Vintage Series. Studio version, Ride the Lightning (1984)
Gibson Flying V → Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer → Marshall JCM800 2203
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 0 |
| Bass | 7 |
| Mid | 5 |
| Treble | 4 |
| Presence | 0 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01Behringer Overdrive Distortion OD100
This is your ONLY gain source — the Acoustasonic has no overdrive, so the OD100 must do all the heavy lifting. Push Drive higher than a typical TS boost scenario.
02Noise Gate (RECOMMENDED — not owned)
RECOMMENDED — Boss NS-2 or similar. High-gain into a clean amp will produce hiss; a gate tightens the palm mutes and kills noise between riffs.
The Fender Acoustasonic 15 is a 15-watt practice amp designed for acoustic-electric guitars — it has no overdrive channel, no presence control, and limited EQ shaping. It will not produce JCM800-style saturation under any circumstances. Your OD100 pedal becomes the entire gain stage; I've set amp gain to 0 and pushed the pedal's Drive to 7 to compensate. Bass raised to 7 (vs original's 4) because the Acoustasonic is thin and lacks the low-end thump of a 4x12 Marshall cab. Treble dropped to 4 (vs original's 7) because this amp gets harsh and fizzy with distortion pedals into its bright voicing. This rig will approximate the aggression but will lack the tight low-end and dynamic response of a real tube half-stack.
Get this tone on your amp
These settings are for a Fender Acoustasonic 15. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
Get ToneAdapt on Google PlaySong, 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.