Tone library / Metallica / Master of Puppets

Master of Puppets amp settings — Epiphone Sonic Sidekick Combo

The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of Puppets”, dialed in for a Epiphone Sonic Sidekick Combo with a Jackson Kelly. Studio version, Master of Puppets album (1986), main rhythm riff tone

Original rig

Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ preamp slaved into modified Marshall JCM800 power amp ('Crunchberries' rig), Jackson Custom Shop King V ('Kill Bon Jovi') with EMG 81 bridge pickup, BB/Aphex EQF-1 parametric EQ in effects loop

Tight, aggressive, scooped-mid thrash rhythm with percussive palm-mute attack and quad-tracked thickness

Amp settings — Epiphone Sonic Sidekick Combo

BOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	3
Bass	4
Treble	6
Master	7

Don’t have a Epiphone Sonic Sidekick Combo? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01EHX Soul Food

Primary gain source — amp stays clean, all distortion from pedal. Engage the toggle switch to buffered mode for tighter low end.

Drive 8 · Treble 6 · Volume 7

02EQ Pedal (7-band or 10-band)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for the Hetfield midrange scoop. Cut 400Hz and 800Hz hard, boost lows and presence. Boss GE-7 or MXR 10-band are standard choices. Place after the Soul Food.

400Hz 3 · 800Hz 2 · 1.6kHz 4 · 3.2kHz 6 · 100Hz 6 · 200Hz 5 · 6.4kHz 5

Why these settings

The Epiphone Sonic Sidekick is a small solid-state practice amp with only gain, bass, treble, and master volume — no mid knob, no presence, no reverb. It cannot produce IIC+ high-gain saturation on its own, so the Soul Food becomes your distortion source while the amp stays near-clean (gain 3). The original tone's signature deep mid-scoop (mids at 3-4 on the Mesa) is impossible without an EQ pedal since your amp lacks a mid control — this is why the GE-7 recommendation is critical. Bass set conservative at 4 because the small speaker will flub with more low end. Treble at 6 gives the cut without fizz.

PRO TIPHetfield's palm-mute attack is extremely precise — pick directly over the bridge pickup with the heel of your palm barely touching the strings, not smothering them. The Jackson Kelly's bolt-on construction and basswood body will give you snappier attack than Hetfield's set-neck mahogany guitars, so you may want to back the treble down to 5 if it sounds too clicky.

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These settings are for a Epiphone Sonic Sidekick Combo. 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.