Tone library / Metallica / The four horsemen

The four horsemen amp settings — MaxGiG 1x10 Solid-State Practice Amp or Transistor Combo.

The Metallica guitar tone for “The four horsemen”, dialed in for a MaxGiG 1x10 Solid-State Practice Amp or Transistor Combo. with a Harley benton Victory active sbk flying v. Studio version, Kill 'Em All (1983)

Original rig

Marshall 100W heads into 4x12 cabs, Fernandes Stratocaster (Kirk) / Gibson Flying V with EMGs (Kirk alternate) / Jackson King V (James), no pedals—amp gain only

Raw, aggressive 80s thrash crunch with scooped mids, tight palm mutes, and biting high-end attack

Amp settings — MaxGiG 1x10 Solid-State Practice Amp or Transistor Combo.

CHANNELDistortion/Drive channel (if available) or use Dolamo D-4 into clean channel

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	2
Bass	5
Mid	4
Treble	6
Presence	0
Reverb	0
Master	6

Don’t have a MaxGiG 1x10 Solid-State Practice Amp or Transistor Combo.? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Dolamo D-4 Distortion

This is your primary gain source. The D-4 is a DS-1 clone—run it into the amp's CLEAN channel with amp gain at 2-3 max to avoid mud. The DS-1 circuit gets you in the ballpark of early 80s high-gain before modern metal preamps existed.

Level 7 · Tone 6 · Distortion 7

Why these settings

Your MaxGiG solid-state practice amp lacks the power tube compression and harmonic richness of a cranked Marshall stack—the Dolamo D-4 must do ALL the heavy lifting for gain. I set amp gain to 2 to keep the preamp clean and let the pedal define the distortion character. Your Harley Benton's active EMG-style pickups are hotter than Kirk's original Fernandes single coils, so the D-4's distortion at 7 (not 10) prevents fizzy over-saturation. Mid at 4 gives a slight scoop without losing note definition on palm mutes.

PRO TIPFor the galloping rhythm in the verses, anchor your picking hand firmly on the bridge and use strict downstrokes with your pick angled slightly—the attack transient is what sells early Metallica aggression, not just gain. Roll your tone knob to 6 during the cleaner arpeggiated intro section to warm it up.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a MaxGiG 1x10 Solid-State Practice Amp or Transistor Combo.. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play

Find your amp

Browse

The four horsemen on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Metallica tonesALL SONGS Tone libraryEVERYTHING

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.