Tone library / Metallica / Master of Puppets

Master of Puppets amp settings — Positive Grid Spark MINI

The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of Puppets”, dialed in for a Positive Grid Spark MINI with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Studio version, Master of Puppets album (1986)

Original rig

Jackson King V 'Kill Bon Jovi' with Seymour Duncan Invaders → Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (preamp) → Marshall JCM800 (power amp) → Marshall 4x12 cab

Tight, aggressive scooped-mid thrash rhythm with razor-sharp pick attack and crushing low end

Amp settings — Positive Grid Spark MINI

CHANNELMetal amp model (highest gain voicing available)BRIGHToffBOOSTon

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	8
Bass	7
Mid	3
Treble	6
Presence	5
Reverb	0
Master	6

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Noise Gate (Spark built-in or app)

Essential for tight palm mutes—kills hum between riffs

Threshold 4 · Decay 3

02Tube Screamer (Spark app model)

RECOMMENDED via Spark app — tightens low end and adds midrange cut to compensate for Strat's thinner output

Drive 2 · Tone 6 · Level 7

Why these settings

Your Strat's single-coil bridge pickup is significantly lower output and brighter than Hetfield's humbuckers, so bass is pushed +1 and gain +1 from original settings to compensate. The Spark's high-gain model lacks the Mark IIC+'s natural compression, so adding a TS-style boost in the app tightens the low end and pushes the front end harder—this is critical for palm-mute definition. Mids stay scooped at 3 to honor the V-curve EQ that defines this tone.

PRO TIPHetfield's tone lives in his picking hand—strict downstrokes with the pick angled slightly and hitting the strings directly over the bridge pickup. Practice the main riff with ALL downstrokes at 212 BPM; the mechanical consistency is what makes the tone sound like a machine.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Positive Grid Spark MINI. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.