Tone library / Metallica / Master of Puppets

Master of Puppets amp settings — spider v20 line 6

The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of Puppets”, dialed in for a spider v20 line 6 with a aria retro classics. Studio version, Master of Puppets album (1986), main riff rhythm tone

Original rig

Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ preamp slaved into modified Marshall JCM800 power amp ('Crunchberries' rig), Jackson King V / Gibson Explorer with EMG 81 bridge pickup, Marshall 4x12 cabinets, no pedals for distortion — all gain from amp, quad-tracked rhythm guitars with V-shaped graphic EQ (scooped mids)

Tight, aggressive, scooped-mid thrash rhythm with percussive palm-mute attack and high-gain saturation

Amp settings — spider v20 line 6

CHANNELInsane

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

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Why these settings

Spider V20's Insane model is the closest to a modded high-gain Mesa voicing. The original used a deeply scooped V-curve EQ — replicate this by dropping mid to 3 while keeping bass and treble high at 7. Spider gain runs hot, so 7 gets you into MoP saturation territory without mud. No presence knob on Spider V20. Bone dry — reverb 0.

PRO TIPThe MoP tone lives in relentless downpicking — every single note, no alternate picking on the riffs. Dig in hard with extremely tight palm muting right at the bridge saddles; the percussive attack is 50% of this sound, not just the amp settings.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a spider v20 line 6. 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.