Master of puppets amp settings — Yamaha THR30II
The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of puppets”, dialed in for a Yamaha THR30II with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Studio version, Master of Puppets (1986) — tracked September-December 1985 at Sweet Silence Studios, Copenhagen
Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ preamp → Marshall JCM800 power amp, ESP Explorer with EMG 81 bridge pickup, Marshall 4x12 with Celestion G12T-75 speakers
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 8 |
| Bass | 7 |
| Mid | 3 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Presence | 6 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 5 |
01Tube Screamer-style OD (TS9 / TS Mini / Ibanez clone)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Used as a clean boost to tighten low end and add pick attack. Essential for getting Strat single coils closer to the EMG tightness. Drive at 0, Level pushed — this is a boost, not a distortion source.
Your Strat's single coils are lower output and brighter than Hetfield's EMG 81s, so I pushed bass +1 and backed treble -1 vs the original Mark IIC+ settings. The THR30II's Modern/Hi-Gain voicing approximates Mesa rectifier-style saturation. Without a TS-style pedal, the low end will be looser than the record — the pedal recommendation is critical for authenticity. Tune to Eb standard to match the album.
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These settings are for a Yamaha THR30II. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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