Master of puppets amp settings — Marshall MG15FX
The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of puppets”, dialed in for a Marshall MG15FX with a Harley benton Ex-84 modern emg. Studio album cut, Master of Puppets (1986) — signature main downpicked rhythm riff
1984 Gibson Explorer (ceramic humbuckers) into Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ preamp slaved into Marshall JCM800 2203 power amp, stock Marshall 4x12 cabs, scooped with 5-band graphic EQ (V-curve)
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 6 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 3 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 5 |
01Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive
BOOST role: cuts bass flub before the MG15 preamp and sharpens pick attack; amp remains the primary high-gain source
The MG15FX lacks a presence control and naturally pushes Marshall mid-bark, so mids are pulled down to 3 and treble raised to 7 to replicate the Mark IIC+ graphic EQ scoop. Your active EMG pickups hit the preamp hard and tight, allowing the amp gain to stay at 6 while the SD-1 acts strictly as an input high-pass filter and attack booster. Clean interlude: switch the amp channel to Clean and step on the SD-1 to bypass it.
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These settings are for a Marshall MG15FX. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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