Tone library / Metallica / Master of puppets

Master of puppets amp settings — LINE 6 Spider III

The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of puppets”, dialed in for a LINE 6 Spider III with a Jackson JS11 Dinky Series. Studio version, Master of Puppets album (1986), rhythm guitar tone

Original rig

Jackson Custom Shop King V ('Kill Bon Jovi') with Seymour Duncan Invaders → Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (preamp) slaved into modified Marshall JCM800 (power amp). 5-band graphic EQ with 80Hz/240Hz boosted, 2200Hz/6600Hz cut.

Tight, aggressive, scooped-mid thrash rhythm with razor-sharp pick attack and crushing palm-muted low end

Amp settings — LINE 6 Spider III

CHANNELInsane

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	7
Mid	3
Treble	7
Presence	5
Reverb	0
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The Spider III's 'Insane' channel is your closest match to the Mark IIC+ high-gain voicing. The Spider has a naturally scooped, fizzy character in its high-gain modes — drop mid to 3 to replicate Hetfield's V-curve but don't go lower or you'll lose note definition. The original Mark IIC+ had tighter low-end than the Spider; compensate by not pushing bass past 7 to avoid flub on palm mutes. Your Jackson JS11's ceramic humbuckers are hotter and less defined than Hetfield's Invaders, so gain at 7 (not 8) prevents mush.

PRO TIPHetfield's tone lives in his picking hand — all downstrokes, palm muting right at the bridge saddles with consistent attack angle. Practice the main riff at half speed with ONLY downstrokes; the tone comes from that relentless, metronomic pick attack, not from extra gain.

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These settings are for a LINE 6 Spider III. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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