Tone library / Metallica / Master of Puppets

Master of Puppets amp settings — Zoom G1 Four

The Metallica guitar tone for “Master of Puppets”, dialed in for a Zoom G1 Four with a Epiphone SG Standard. 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 — Zoom G1 Four

CHANNELBG LEAD (Mesa Mark III/IIC+ model) + BG 4x12 CabBRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	8
Mid	2
Treble	7
Presence	6
Reverb	0
Master	7

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01ZNR (Noise Gate)

Essential for cutting off background hiss during tight palm-muted chugs

Threshold 6 · Decay 0 · Level 10

02GraphicEQ

Recreates the iconic post-preamp Mesa 5-band graphic V-curve EQ

160Hz 7 · 400Hz 3 · 800Hz 2 · 3.2kHz 7 · 6.4kHz 6

Why these settings

The Zoom G1 Four's 'BG LEAD' amp model captures the tight Mesa preamp saturation. Epiphone SG humbuckers are warmer and have slightly less output than high-output Seymour Duncan Invaders, so gain is kept at 7 while the mids are aggressively cut via the onboard EQ block to achieve the signature 1986 thrash V-scoop. Reverb is completely off to maintain percussive clarity.

PRO TIPEvery single downstroke on the fast riffing must be executed strictly with downpicks right next to the bridge saddles, using firm palm muting to achieve that dry, machine-gun percussive snap.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Zoom G1 Four. 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.