Master of Puppets amp settings — Positive grid Spark 2
The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of Puppets”, dialed in for a Positive grid Spark 2 with a Squier Affinity Stratocaster. Studio version, Master of Puppets (1986) — main rhythm riff
Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ (slaved into Marshall JCM800 2203 power section), Mesa 5-band Graphic EQ (classic V-curve), Jackson King V with high-output humbuckers
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 8 |
| Bass | 7 |
| Mid | 3 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Reverb | 1 |
| Master | 6 |
01Onboard Noise Gate Block
Spark onboard Gate block before the amp model
02Onboard Booster Block (Guitar EQ)
Spark onboard Boost/Drive block to tighten the low-end attack
The Spark 2's high-gain TreadPlate model delivers the cascading Mesa saturation, with mids dialed down to 3 to recreate the famous Mark IIC+ 5-band graphic EQ V-curve. Because the Squier Strat's single-coil bridge pickup has lower output and brighter treble than James Hetfield's humbuckers, bass is raised to 7 and treble kept at 7 to prevent thinness while pushing amp gain to 8 for full thrash saturation. Clean interlude: switch to the Black Duo clean amp model on the neck pickup.
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These settings are for a Positive grid Spark 2. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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