Master of Puppets amp settings — marshall mg10gold
The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of Puppets”, dialed in for a marshall mg10gold with a Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan Stratocaster. Studio version, Master of Puppets (1986)
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC++ preamp → Marshall JCM800 100W power amp, Gibson Flying V with EMG pickups, no pedals for lead tone
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 10 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 5 |
| Treble | 8 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive (or any TS-style clone)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Run into amp input. Use as a mid-boost to tighten the MG10's loose gain structure and add the cutting presence Hammett's lead tone has. Low drive, high level = clean boost with mid-hump.
The MG10 is a solid-state practice amp with limited gain saturation compared to a tube Mark IIC++. Gain is maxed to extract every bit of available distortion. Treble pushed to 8 compensates for your Strat's single-coil brightness being lower in output than Hammett's EMGs — the MG's treble circuit needs the push to cut. Mid at 5 (not scooped) because the MG10 lacks the inherent midrange aggression of a Mesa; scooping here would make leads disappear. Bass dropped to 4 to prevent flub from the small speaker. A TS-style pedal is strongly recommended to achieve the tight, focused saturation of the original.
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