Master Of Puppets amp settings — Crate GFX15
The Metallica guitar tone for “Master Of Puppets”, dialed in for a Crate GFX15 with a Ibanez Artcore AS73. Studio version, Master of Puppets album (1986, Sweet Silence Studios, Copenhagen)
Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ (preamp) slaved into Marshall JCM800 100W (power amp), Jackson King V 'Kill Bon Jovi' with EMG 81 (bridge), Marshall 1960B 4x12 cabs with Celestion G12T-75 speakers, 5-band graphic EQ in V-shape
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 8 |
| Bass | 7 |
| Mid | 2 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Presence | 0 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 5 |
01Boss GE-7 Equalizer
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. This is the secret weapon for the MOP tone. The V-shaped EQ curve (boost lows, cut 800Hz hard, boost highs) is what made the Mark IIC+ sound like that. Without this pedal, you'll get close but not definitive. Run it between guitar and amp input.
The Crate GFX15 is a solid-state practice amp with limited headroom and a boxy midrange character—it cannot replicate the Mark IIC+'s tube saturation or the JCM800's power section punch. Your Ibanez Artcore AS73 has a semi-hollow body with passive humbuckers, which will sound warmer and less aggressive than Hetfield's solid-body with active EMGs. I've pushed gain to max usable (8), scooped mids to 2 to approximate the V-curve, and boosted bass/treble to compensate for the amp's inherent thinness. Roll your tone knob to 8 to tame the Artcore's natural brightness and approximate the EMG's tighter top end. Honestly, this amp will get you in the ballpark for bedroom practice but won't deliver the chest-punch of the original.
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These settings are for a Crate GFX15. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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