Tone library / metallica / Master of puppets

Master of puppets amp settings — Yamaha budokan HY-10II 50W

The metallica guitar tone for “Master of puppets”, dialed in for a Yamaha budokan HY-10II 50W with a Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s. Studio version, Master of Puppets (1986) - Main Rhythm Track

Original rig

Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ preamp slaved into Marshall JCM800 2203 power amp, Jackson King V with Seymour Duncan Invader humbuckers, Marshall 4x12 cab

Aggressive, tight high-gain thrash crunch with a deep V-scooped midrange and biting attack

Amp settings — Yamaha budokan HY-10II 50W

CHANNELDistortion / High Gain channelBRIGHToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	8
Bass	8
Mid	2
Treble	7
Reverb	0
Master	5

Don’t have a Yamaha budokan HY-10II 50W? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01ProCo Rat 2 or Boss MT-2 Metal Zone

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned (run into clean channel with gain at 2)

Distortion 7 · Filter 5 · Volume 7

Why these settings

The Yamaha HY-10II is an older solid-state combo lacking a dedicated presence knob, so presence is nulled. To replicate the iconic Mesa Mark IIC+ graphic-EQ 'V-scoop' without pedals, crank the amp's onboard distortion gain to 8, scoop the midrange down to 2, and boost bass and treble for bite. Your Gibson Les Paul bridge humbucker delivers sufficient output, though a dedicated high-gain distortion pedal is recommended to fully capture the tightness of Hetfield's original rig.

PRO TIPAnchor your palm directly on the bridge saddles and execute aggressive, rapid all-downstrokes with a heavy gauge pick (1.0mm+) to nail the percussive, mechanical chug of the rhythm tracks.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Yamaha budokan HY-10II 50W. 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.