Tone library / Metallica / Master of Puppets

Master of Puppets amp settings — Axe Fx 3

The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of Puppets”, dialed in for a Axe Fx 3 with a Gibson Explorer. Studio version, Master of Puppets (1986) — main rhythm riff

Original rig

Jackson Custom Shop King V (Seymour Duncan Invader) into Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ preamp with graphic EQ V-curve slaved into Marshall JCM800 2203 power amp and 4x12 Marshall cab with Celestion G12-65/G12T-75 speakers

Aggressive, tight high-gain thrash crunch with deeply scooped 750Hz midrange and razor-sharp bite

Amp settings — Axe Fx 3

CHANNELUSA IIC+ Deep / Lead (Mesa Mark IIC+ model) + 4x12 1960A G12T-75 IRBRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	4
Mid	3
Treble	7
Presence	6
Reverb	0
Master	5

Don’t have a Axe Fx 3? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Amp Block Graphic EQ (Mesa 5-Band)

Set directly in the Axe-Fx III amp block's internal 5-band graphic EQ page

80Hz 8 · 240Hz 6 · 750Hz 2 · 2200Hz 7 · 6600Hz 8

02Parametric EQ Block

Post-cab high-pass at 80Hz and low-pass at 6.5kHz to shave harsh top fizz and sub-boom

Frequency 7 · Q 6 · Gain 2

Why these settings

The Mesa Mark IIC+ gets its signature thrash character by running high treble/gain pre-distortion and scooping the 750Hz slider heavily on the onboard 5-band graphic EQ post-distortion. Keep the rotary bass low at 4 to prevent low-end flub before the preamp saturates, letting the 80Hz graphic EQ slider handle the low-end palm-mute thump. Clean interlude: switch to the USA Clean amp model with a subtle 2290 delay block.

PRO TIPExecute all rhythm tracks strictly with aggressive downpicking right near the bridge saddles to maximize transient attack and sustain the tight percussive palm mutes.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Axe Fx 3. 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.