Master of puppets amp settings — Fender Deluxe Reverb
The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of puppets”, dialed in for a Fender Deluxe Reverb with a Yamaha Revstar RSS20. Studio version, Master of Puppets (1986)
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ preamp into Marshall JCM800 power amp, Jackson King V / Gibson Explorer with EMG 81/60 pickups, BB/Aphex parametric EQ in loop, 5-band graphic EQ V-curve
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 3 |
| Bass | 5 |
| Mid | 4 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 5 |
01High-Gain Distortion Pedal (e.g. Boss MT-2, ProCo Rat, MXR Super Badass)
RECOMMENDED — not owned. This is mandatory for the Master of Puppets tone; the Deluxe Reverb cannot produce high-gain saturation. A Boss MT-2 Metal Zone or ProCo Rat will get you closest to the scooped thrash sound. Set the pedal's EQ to scoop mids if it has a mid control.
02Graphic EQ Pedal (e.g. Boss GE-7, MXR 10-Band)
RECOMMENDED — not owned. The V-curve EQ is essential to Hetfield's tone — deep mid scoop around 400-800Hz with boosted lows and presence. Run this after your distortion pedal.
The Deluxe Reverb is a clean platform amp with no high-gain capability — even at gain 10 it produces blues breakup, not thrash saturation. I've set the amp to stay clean (gain 3) so it amplifies a distortion pedal without mud. The Revstar's Alnico V humbuckers are lower output than Hetfield's EMGs, so push the distortion pedal's gain to 8 to compensate. Bright switch off because the recommended dirt pedals already have harsh high-end.
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These settings are for a Fender Deluxe Reverb. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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