Master of puppets amp settings — Fender Blues Junior IV
The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of puppets”, dialed in for a Fender Blues Junior IV with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Studio version, Master of Puppets album (1986), main rhythm riff tone
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ preamp slaved into modified Marshall JCM800 power amp ('Crunchberries' rig), Jackson King V with EMG 81 active humbucker (bridge), quad-tracked, no pedals for distortion
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 3 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 4 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 7 |
01High-Gain Distortion Pedal
RECOMMENDED — not owned. Boss MT-2 Metal Zone, MXR M116 Fullbore Metal, or TC Electronic Dark Matter will get you closest. The Blues Junior cannot produce thrash-level saturation on its own; a high-gain distortion pedal is essential for this tone. Run the amp nearly clean and let the pedal provide all the gain.
The Blues Junior is a clean-platform tube amp with no high-gain channel — it maxes out at blues crunch, nowhere near Mark IIC+ thrash saturation. Amp gain is set low (3) to stay clean and avoid muddy stacking; the recommended distortion pedal is the sole gain source. Bass pushed slightly to compensate for the GRG170DX's passive Infinity humbuckers having less low-end than Hetfield's hot EMG 81. Treble pulled back from the original's 6-7 because the Fender's treble shelf is higher and brighter than a Mesa.
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These settings are for a Fender Blues Junior IV. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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