Tone library / Metallica / Master of Puppets

Master of Puppets amp settings — Line 6 Spider V 30

The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of Puppets”, dialed in for a Line 6 Spider V 30 with a Gibson Flying V. Studio version, Master of Puppets (1986) — main rhythm riff

Original rig

Jackson Custom Shop King V (Seymour Duncan Invader) -> Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (slaved into Marshall JCM800 power amp) with onboard graphic EQ V-curve

Aggressive, tight, scooped thrash rhythm with crushing low-end chunk and sharp attack

Amp settings — Line 6 Spider V 30

CHANNELTreadplate / Insane amp model (Mesa dual-rect/high-gain emulation) with 4x12 cab modelBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	8
Mid	3
Treble	7
Reverb	0
Master	5

Don’t have a Line 6 Spider V 30? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Onboard Noise Gate (Spider V FX Block)

Essential onboard block to keep high-gain palm-mute stabs dead silent between riffs

Threshold 6 · Decay 2

Why these settings

The Spider V's high-gain models run hot, so setting gain to 7 delivers authentic Mark IIC+ saturation without turning fizzy. The 5-band Mesa graphic EQ V-curve is recreated by scooping the Spider's mid knob down to 3 while pushing bass to 8 and treble to 7. Clean interlude: switch to the Clean amp model with bridge+neck pickups selected.

PRO TIPAnchor the meat of your picking hand firmly across the bridge saddles for strict, aggressive downpicking—James Hetfield's signature percussive chug comes entirely from fast downstrokes and tight mute releases rather than excessive gain.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Line 6 Spider V 30. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play

Find your amp

Browse

Master of Puppets on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Metallica tonesALL SONGS Gibson Flying V tonesSAME GUITAR Tone libraryEVERYTHING

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.