Seek and destroy amp settings — Glarry GA-20
The Metallica guitar tone for “Seek and destroy”, dialed in for a Glarry GA-20 with a Glarry Stratocaster. Studio version, Kill 'Em All (1983) — main riff (James Hetfield rhythm)
Marshall JCM800 2203, Gibson Flying V with stock humbuckers (Dirty Fingers/T-Tops), Pro Co Rat distortion pedal
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 10 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 3 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Master | 7 |
01Pro Co Rat (or clone: Donner Dark Mouse, Mooer Black Secret)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for this tone; the GA-20 cannot produce thrash saturation alone. Run amp near-clean once pedal is acquired.
The GA-20 is a small solid-state practice amp with minimal gain on tap — maxing gain gets you blues crunch, not thrash metal. The original tone came from a cranked JCM800 pushed harder by a Rat. Without a distortion pedal, you will only approximate the attack character, not the saturation. A Rat-style pedal is mandatory to reach this tone; with one, drop amp gain to 3 and let the pedal do the work. Your Strat's single coils are brighter and lower-output than Hetfield's humbuckers, so bass stays at 6 and treble drops from the original's 7.5 to 7 to avoid ice-pick highs.
Get this tone on your amp
These settings are for a Glarry GA-20. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
Get ToneAdapt on Google PlaySong, 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.