The Four Horsemen amp settings — Valeton Dapper mini 4 effect strip

The Metallica guitar tone for “The Four Horsemen”, dialed in for a Valeton Dapper mini 4 effect strip with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Studio version, Kill 'Em All (1983) — James Hetfield rhythm/riff tone

The Dapper Mini's 2-band EQ on the Drive module lacks a dedicated mid knob, so boost Bass to 6 and Treble to 7 while pushing Gain to 8 to naturally achieve the JMP's aggressive bite. Because the Player Strat has single coils instead of Hetfield's humbuckers, rolling the guitar tone knob down to 8 rounds off thin glassiness and fattens palm mutes. Keep the Delay and Chorus modules strictly bypassed to retain the dry, in-your-face 1983 thrash attack. Clean interlude: switch off the DRIVE module, roll guitar volume to 7, and engage CHORUS at Level 5, Depth 6, Rate 4.

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.