Master of puppets amp settings — C.giant M-20
The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of puppets”, dialed in for a C.giant M-20 with a C. Giant Stratocaster. Studio version, Master of Puppets (1986) - main rhythm track
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ preamp slaved into Marshall JCM800 power amp with Aphex EQF-1/5-band V-curve EQ into Marshall 4x12 cabs; Jackson King V / Gibson Explorer with EMG 81
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 2 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 2 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 4 |
01Distortion (Boss DS-1 or ProCo Rat style)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; necessary for high-gain saturation into clean channel
The C.giant M-20 is a small solid-state practice amp with an 8-inch speaker, meaning its built-in drive channel cannot produce the tight, cascading high-gain saturation of a Mesa Mark IIC+ without becoming muddy and fizzy. Per double-gain prevention rules, set the amp to Clean with Gain at 2, and use a dedicated high-gain distortion pedal to supply the crunch. Because your Stratocaster single-coil bridge pickup is naturally thinner and brighter than Hetfield's active EMG 81 humbucker, roll the guitar tone knob to 8 to tame harshness and scoop the amp's mid control down to 2 to mimic the Mesa graphic EQ V-curve.
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These settings are for a C.giant M-20. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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