Master of Puppets amp settings — NUX Mighty 20 MkII
The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of Puppets”, dialed in for a NUX Mighty 20 MkII with a Hi Volts Superstrat. Studio version, Master of Puppets (1986) — main rhythm riff
Jackson King V (Seymour Duncan Invader bridge) into Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (slaved into Marshall power section/cabs) with 5-band graphic EQ scooped in a V-shape
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 8 |
| Mid | 3 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01Onboard Noise Gate block
Enable the Mighty 20 MkII onboard Noise Gate to keep the fast staccato palm mutes tight and silent between hits.
02Onboard 6-Band Graphic EQ block
Post-amp EQ recreating the signature Mesa Mark IIC+ V-curve scoop.
The NUX Mighty 20 MkII is a modeling amp, so we select the high-gain Fireman or Cali V model to capture the cascading Mesa preamp saturation without needing an external pedal. The mids are pulled down to 3 on the amp EQ and sculpted further via the onboard graphic EQ block to replicate Hetfield's famous Mark IIC+ V-curve scoop. Bass is boosted to 8 to supply the low-end chug on an 8-inch speaker without flubbing out. Clean interlude: switch to the Twin Clean amp model with volume rolled to 8 and bridge pickup split or neck selected.
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These settings are for a NUX Mighty 20 MkII. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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