Tone library / Metallica / Master of puppests

Master of puppests amp settings — Madison Ga 20

The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of puppests”, dialed in for a Madison Ga 20 with a Harley benton St 20 hss sbk. Studio version, Master of Puppets album (1986), recorded at Sweet Silence Studios, Copenhagen

Original rig

Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ head, Marshall 4x12 cabinets with 65-watt speakers, Gibson Explorer and Jackson V guitars with EMG 81 pickups, no pedals on rhythm tone

Tight, aggressive thrash rhythm with prominent mids, punchy low-end, and cutting highs—NOT scooped despite the myth

Amp settings — Madison Ga 20

CHANNELOverdrive/High Gain channel if available, otherwise single channel driven hardBRIGHToffBOOSTon

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

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The Madison GA-20 is a budget solid-state practice amp without the tube saturation and tight low-end of the Mesa Mark IIC+. I've pushed mids to 7 (the original had strong mids despite the 'scooped metal' myth) because your amp likely has less natural mid presence. Gain at 7 compensates for the lower output of your HSS Strat's ceramic humbucker versus Hetfield's hot EMG 81. Your amp lacks a presence control, so I've raised treble slightly to add cut. Zero reverb—the original was bone dry.

PRO TIPPalm mute HARD and close to the bridge—Hetfield's signature 'chug' comes from extremely precise, tight palm muting with the picking hand anchored almost on the saddles, combined with aggressive downstrokes at 220+ BPM. Your HSS bridge humbucker will get you in the ballpark, but the tone will be thinner than the original; consider a used Boss MT-2 or DS-1 to tighten the low end and add saturation if you want to get closer.

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These settings are for a Madison Ga 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.