Master of puppets amp settings — Vox AC30C2
The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of puppets”, dialed in for a Vox AC30C2 with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Studio version, Master of Puppets album (1986), Sweet Silence Studios, Copenhagen
Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ preamp slaved into modified Marshall JCM800 100W power amp, Jackson King V 'Kill Bon Jovi' with EMG 81 (bridge), Marshall 4x12 with Celestion G12T-75 speakers
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 3 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 3 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Presence | 0 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01Korg AX3000G — High Gain Distortion
Use the 'Metal' or 'HiGain' amp model on the AX3000G. This is your primary gain source — the AC30 stays clean. Apply the V-shaped EQ curve: boost 80Hz and 2-6kHz, cut 750Hz heavily. The AX3000G has a parametric EQ block; use it to scoop 750Hz by -6dB.
02Korg AX3000G — Noise Gate
Essential for tight palm-muted chugs — cuts string noise between riffs
The AC30 is a Class A chimey clean amp — the polar opposite of a Mesa Mark IIC+ high-gain preamp. It cannot produce thrash gain on its own. The Korg AX3000G becomes your entire gain stage; the AC30's job is to amplify that signal cleanly without adding its own color. I dropped AC30 gain to 3, cut presence to 0 (AC30 presence gets fizzy and fights the pedal's top end), and reduced bass to 4 because the AC30's low end blooms in ways a tight Mesa does not. The V-curve EQ must come from the AX3000G's EQ section.
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These settings are for a Vox AC30C2. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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