Wherever I May Roam amp settings — Boston GA-15R
The Metallica guitar tone for “Wherever I May Roam”, dialed in for a Boston GA-15R with a Donner DMT-101B. Studio version, Metallica (The Black Album, 1991) - Main Riff
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ slaved into Marshall power sections, ESP MX-220 Explorer with active EMG 81 pickups
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 3 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Reverb | 2 |
| Master | 5 |
01Boss MT-2 Metal Zone (or high-gain distortion pedal)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned
The Boston GA-15R is an entry-level practice amp with an 8-inch speaker, so keeping bass at 6 prevents the speaker from flubbing out while mimicking the tight low-end thump. We scoop the midrange down to 3 and push treble to 7 to approximate the iconic Mesa 'V-curve' graphic EQ. If you acquire a dedicated high-gain distortion pedal later, switch the amp to the clean channel with gain down at 2 and let the pedal generate the core saturation. Clean intro sitar/guitar part: switch to the neck pickup and roll guitar volume back to 3.
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These settings are for a Boston GA-15R. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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