Tone library / Metallica / Master of puppets

Master of puppets amp settings — Boss ME-90

The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of puppets”, dialed in for a Boss ME-90 with a Schecter Omen 6. Studio version, Master of Puppets (1986) — main rhythm riff

Original rig

Jackson Custom Shop King V (Seymour Duncan Invader bridge) into Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (V-curve EQ) slaved into Marshall JCM800 2203 power amp, Marshall 4x12 with Celestion speakers

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

Amp settings — Boss ME-90

CHANNELAIRD Preamp: DRIVE STACK (Mesa/Boogie high-gain voicing)BOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	7
Mid	2
Treble	7
Reverb	0
Master	6

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01ME-90 NS (Noise Suppressor) Block

Essential for clamping down the tight staccato chugs

Threshold 6

02ME-90 EQ/FX Block (Parametric/Graphic EQ)

Recreates the iconic Mesa 5-band graphic EQ V-curve scoop

Low-Mid 2 · High-Mid 3 · Level 5

Why these settings

The DRIVE STACK AIRD preamp provides the Mesa Mark-style saturation, while cutting the amp mid knob to 2 and using the EQ block recreates the aggressive Mark IIC+ graphic EQ V-curve. The high-output Schecter Diamond Plus humbuckers push the preamp hard, so gain is kept at 7 to prevent low-end flub. Clean interlude: switch to CLEAN preamp type with chorus block engaged.

PRO TIPStrictly downpick every palm-muted eighth note on the low E string and plant the fleshy edge of your picking palm directly against the bridge saddles to get Hetfield's signature percussive thud.

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These settings are for a Boss ME-90. 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.