Tone library / Metallica / Master of Puppets

Master of Puppets amp settings — Roland Boss katana gen3 50

The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of Puppets”, dialed in for a Roland Boss katana gen3 50 with a Gear4music Vision string. Studio version, Master of Puppets album (1986)

Original rig

Jackson King V 'Kill Bon Jovi' with EMG 81 (bridge) → Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ preamp slaved into modified Marshall JCM800 100W power amp → Marshall 4x12 cabs. Graphic EQ set in deep V-shape (scooped mids, boosted lows and highs).

Tight, aggressive, scooped-mid thrash rhythm with razor-sharp pick attack, crushing low end, and high-gain saturation maintaining note definition

Amp settings — Roland Boss katana gen3 50

CHANNELBrownBRIGHToffBOOSTon

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

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The Katana's Brown channel emulates the modified Marshall voicing that was half of Hetfield's rig. With Boost engaged, it reaches the saturation level of the Mark IIC+ preamp stage. Your Gear4music guitar has passive single coils vs Hetfield's hot EMG 81 humbuckers — compensated by pushing gain +1 and bass +1 from original settings. Mids stay deeply scooped at 3 to nail the V-curve EQ that defined this album's rhythm sound.

PRO TIPThis tone lives and dies on Hetfield's relentless downpicking technique — no alternate picking on the palm-muted riffs. Dig in hard with the pick angled slightly, attack the strings close to the bridge, and keep your fretting hand muting tight. The aggression comes from the right hand, not the gain knob.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Roland Boss katana gen3 50. 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.