Tone library / Metallica / For Whom the Bell Tolls

For Whom the Bell Tolls amp settings — Meteoro Space Junior

The Metallica guitar tone for “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, dialed in for a Meteoro Space Junior with a konig stratocaster. Studio version, Ride the Lightning (1984)

Original rig

Gibson Flying V (bridge humbucker) → Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer → Marshall JCM800 2203

Tight, aggressive palm-muted thrash rhythm with mid-forward bark and controlled low-end

Amp settings — Meteoro Space Junior

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	10
Bass	3
Mid	7
Treble	6
Presence	0
Reverb	0
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Tube Screamer style overdrive (TS-9 or clone)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for this tone. The TS-9 tightens the low-end and adds mid-push that defines thrash rhythm. Budget options: Behringer TO800, Joyo Vintage Overdrive, Boss SD-1. Run into amp input.

Drive 2 · Tone 6 · Level 8

Why these settings

The Meteoro Space Junior is a small solid-state practice amp with limited gain headroom and a darker voicing than a JCM800. Gain is maxed because this amp will not achieve JCM800 saturation on its own — you need the recommended TS-style pedal doing the heavy lifting. Bass is cut to 3 (original was 4) because single-coil Strat bridge pickups are thinner than a Flying V humbucker, and the small speaker will flub with more bass. Mids pushed to 7 to compensate for the amp's lack of Marshall-style mid-bark. Without the Tube Screamer, this tone is unobtainable on your rig — the amp simply cannot produce tight thrash gain alone.

PRO TIPLock your picking hand into strict alternate downstrokes on the galloping palm-muted sections — Hetfield's right-hand consistency is 80% of this tone. Anchor your palm firmly just behind the bridge pickup and keep strokes short and punchy. Also: tune to E♭ Standard (half-step down) to match the recording.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Meteoro Space Junior. 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.