Tone library / Metallica / Seek & Destroy

Seek & Destroy amp settings — Fender Champion 20

The Metallica guitar tone for “Seek & Destroy”, dialed in for a Fender Champion 20 with a Squier Contemporary Stratocaster. Studio version, Kill 'Em All (1983) — main rhythm tone

Original rig

Jose Arredondo-modded Marshall JCM800/1959 Super Lead, Ibanez TS9 / ProCo Rat boost, Gibson Flying V (Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker)

Aggressive, raw early thrash bite with tight low end and sharp upper-mid punch

Amp settings — Fender Champion 20

CHANNELVoice selector: '65 Twin Clean (Voice 1)BOOSToff

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

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Valeton GP-100 (DIST Block: Green OD / TS9 model)

Tightens bass and adds mid punch into the amp model

Drive 1 · Tone 6 · Level 8

02Valeton GP-100 (AMP Block: UK 800 / JCM800 model)

Primary high-gain crunch engine

Gain 7 · Bass 5 · Middle 7 · Treble 7 · Presence 6

03Valeton GP-100 (CAB Block: UK 4x12 Greenback)

Pair with 4x12 IR block

Level 5

Why these settings

The Valeton GP-100 handles the hot-rodded Marshall crunch and TS9 boost directly, so the Fender Champion 20 is set to its ultra-clean '65 Twin voice at low gain as a neutral power platform. Since the Champion 20 lacks a physical mid knob and presence control, mid shaping is handled fully inside the GP-100's UK 800 block with boosted mids to capture Hetfield's 1983 bite. Fast muting requires keeping the amp's onboard 8-inch speaker bass at 5 to avoid low-end flub.

PRO TIPAnchor your palm directly against the bridge saddles and execute heavy, percussive downstrokes using a rigid, pointed 1.14mm pick to replicate the sharp percussive transient of the main riff.

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These settings are for a Fender Champion 20. 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.