Master of puppets amp settings — Marshall Mg30gfx
The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of puppets”, dialed in for a Marshall Mg30gfx with a Harley Benton Ex 84. Studio version, Master of Puppets album (1986)
Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ preamp → Marshall JCM800 power amp, ESP Explorer with Seymour Duncan Invaders, quad-tracked
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 3 |
| Bass | 7 |
| Mid | 2 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Presence | 0 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01Behringer Heavy Distortion (HM300)
This pedal is your primary gain source — it's an HM-2 clone which gives you the tight, saturated metal distortion the MG30's preamp cannot achieve alone
The MG30GFX lacks the high-gain saturation and tight low-end of a Mark IIC+. Your Behringer Heavy Distortion becomes the gain engine — amp gain dropped to 3 to prevent mud from stacking two distortion stages. The MG's OD channel is mid-forward compared to Mesa's scooped character, so mids cut to 2 and bass pushed to 7 compensates. Your Harley Benton's passive humbuckers are lower output than Hetfield's EMGs, so the pedal's Dist at 8 compensates.
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These settings are for a Marshall Mg30gfx. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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