Tone library / Metallica / Seek and destroy

Seek and destroy amp settings — Fender Champion 20

The Metallica guitar tone for “Seek and destroy”, dialed in for a Fender Champion 20 with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Studio version, Kill 'Em All (1983)

Original rig

Gibson Flying V / Epiphone Flying V with Seymour Duncan pickups → ProCo RAT distortion pedal → Marshall JCM800 100W head (Jose Arredondo modded) → Marshall 4x12 cabinet

Aggressive thrash rhythm with scooped mids, tight low end, bright attack, and high gain saturation

Amp settings — Fender Champion 20

CHANNELVoice: select the rightmost (higher gain) voicing switch position

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	6
Treble	7
Reverb	0
Master	6

Don’t have a Fender Champion 20? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01ProCo RAT 2 (or similar RAT-style distortion)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. This pedal is essential for the high-gain thrash tone; the Champion 20 cannot reach this saturation alone. Keep amp gain at 3-4 when using this pedal to avoid mud.

Distortion 7 · Filter 4 · Volume 6

Why these settings

The Champion 20 has no mid knob (bass/treble only) and limited gain on tap — it cannot produce JCM800 thrash saturation alone. A RAT pedal into the amp's cleaner setting replicates Hetfield's gain-stacked signal path. Your Strat's single coils are brighter and lower output than his humbuckers, so bass is pushed +1 and treble pulled -1 vs the original's settings. The scooped-mid character comes naturally from the RAT's Filter knob at 4.

PRO TIPHetfield's right-hand precision is the secret weapon — palm mute tight against the bridge, downpick every note with consistent attack, and let the chord ring only on accents. Sloppy picking will expose the gain more than any EQ tweak.

Get this tone on your amp

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.