With a total of eight Grammy awards, four of the top 10 best selling metal albums of all time, and a member of the “Big Four”, which cumulatively established thrash metal as recognized genre, Metallica holds a special place in the history of heavy metal. From 1983 to the present day, Metallica has continued to turn out platinum albums with clock-like regularity.

Not surprisingly, guitarists from total novices to seasoned experts have tried, and often failed, to figure out exactly what it is about Metallica’s amp settings, amps and guitars that produces their unique tone. Though Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield have tweaked their setup throughout the years, there is still no mistaking that distinctive sound that makes them one of the greatest metal bands ever.

Whether your aim is to try to reproduce the sounds you hear on the albums or live shows in your own playing, or you just want to know because you’re into gear, hopefully this list will answer your questions.

The method that makes the most sense is to break the list up by periods in the band’s history where James’ and Kirk’s equipment has remained pretty consistent. Each section includes the albums and any remarkable live shows during that period, the guitars used most frequently, the amp setup each one used and the general amp settings for both James and Kirk.

To wrap up the list, I’ve included a list of the effects used by each guitarist, and where possible, the settings for those too.

1. Early Years (1983 – 1985)

During this period, Kill ‘Em All (1983) and Ride the Lightning (1984) were released. Metallica also performed a tremendous live show in Toulouse, France on November 22, 1984 (one of the few recorded with late bassist Cliff Burton) that they offer a free download of on their website.

At this time, both James and Kirk were using Marshall rigs modified by Jose Arrendondo, a guy who’s modded amps for a number of guitar greats from Eddie Van Halen to Steve Vai. James mostly employed the JCM 800 while Kirk used a combination of the SLP (Kill ‘Em All), later switching to a JCM 800 (Ride the Lightning).

Amp Settings

It’s unclear what the amp settings were for Kill ‘Em All, but according to Danish engineer Flemming Rasmussen who was brought in for Ride the Lightning and kept meticulous notes, for the great majority of the songs, the settings for James were:

Gain: 7

Gain: 7 Bass: 6

Bass: 6 Middle: 1

Middle: 1 Treble: 9~10

Kirk’s settings were the same except for backing the gain down to a 4 or 5 for a cleaner sound on the lead overdubs on Fade to Black and The Call Of Ktulu.

Guitars

James Hetfield

Electra Flying V Gibson Explorer “So What”

Kirk Hammett

Gibson Kirk Hammett Flying V Jackson Flying V “Randy Rhoads”

2. Master Of Puppets (1986 – 1987)

This was the time span of Master of Puppets and a great deal of change was happening at this time. In addition to the loss of founding bassist Cliff Burton as a result of a tragic accident while the band was touring Europe, this was when both guitarists began their association with Mesa Boogie amps. While Kirk was still using Marshalls onstage (and Mesa Boogie in the studio), James was using a Mesa Boogie Mark IIC slaved into his old JCM 800 for both live and studio situations.

Amps Settings

The pair began to experiment with different amp settings during this time period, but a good general setting for most songs would be:

Gain – 7

Gain – 7 Bass – 6

Bass – 6 Mid – 3

Mid – 3 Treb – 7

Again, for clean leads, a little less gain would be appropriate. Also, it would be best to kick the treble up to 9 or 10 to replicated Kirk’s tone more precisely.

Guitars

In addition to the guitars used on the first two albums, James added a Jackson King V to his collection, while Kirk continued to use the same guitars he used on the first two albums.

3. …And Justice For All (1988 – 1993)

This era marked a period of transition for Metallica and included the albums …And Justice for All and the Black album. Also included during this period were impressive live shows in Seattle (1989) and Moscow (1991).

This marks the first time that both James and Kirk fully transitioned to Mesa Boogie amplification, first using the Mark IIC and later switching to the Mark IV. Toward 1990, James did begin to experiment with the Roland JC120 for a clean sound.

One significant addition to James’ rig was the introduction of the ADA MP-1 preamp. The MP-1 was the preeminent metal preamp of the late 80s and early 90s because of its ability to provide a heavy overdriven/distorted sound without sounding muddled or muddy, and despite its vintage, is still in wide use by metal guitarists to this day.

Amps Settings

During the recording of both … And Justice and the Black album, James and Kirk used a number of different amp settings, which added a great deal of variety to the song, but made it tougher to nail down a specific set of amp settings that apply to an entire album.

For example, the heavily distorted rhythm section of the song One was recorded with significantly boosted bass and midrange, while the generally more melodic and radio friendly songs on the Black album tended to have the gain and bass dialed down somewhat. The best approximations of the clean and overdriven sounds are as follows:

Clean Sound:

Gain – 7

Gain – 7 Bass – 3

Bass – 3 Mid – 3

Over driven sound:

Gain – 9

Gain – 9 Bass – 8

Bass – 8 Mid – 1

Mid – 1 Treb – 6

Guitars

James Hetfield

Also new at this time was James’ ESP MX-220, his first Explorer style guitar from ESP. He still uses this guitar which is easily identified by its white color and bears the words “EET FUK” on the upper part of the lower bout.

Kirk Hammett

Kirk also obtained two Les Paul style guitars both of which he still uses, one a black Gibson Les Paul Custom fitted with EMG active pickups, the other a black ESP KH-3 Eclipse.

Kirk Hammett’s Gibson Les Paul Custom ESP-Kirk-Hammett-Les-Paul-KH-3

4. Load And Reload (1994 – 1999)

This prolific era was marked by the release of two studio albums (Load and Reload), one live album (S&M), and an album of cover songs (Garage Inc.). Still using the Mesa Boogie Mark IV amps, the amp settings for the studio albums tended to be notable for the absence of midrange for both overdriven and clean sounds.

Amps Settings

Clean sound:

Gain – 2

Gain – 2 Bass – 4

Bass – 4 Mid – 2

Mid – 2 Treble – 5

Overdriven sound:

Gain – 7

Gain – 7 Bass – 4.5

Bass – 4.5 Mid – 0

Mid – 0 Treble – 6.5

Guitars

Perhaps most notably during this period was the acquisition of several new guitars for both James and Kirk. New guitars in James’ collection included:

Ken Lawrence Explorer (recognizable by its unusual shark fin headstock)

Ken Lawrence Explorer (recognizable by its unusual shark fin headstock) ESP JH-1 (Flying V body style)

ESP JH-1 (Flying V body style) ESP JH-2 (Explorer body style)

ESP JH-2 (Explorer body style) ESP JH-3 (Les Paul body style)

ESP JH-3 (Les Paul body style) ESP Eclipse CustomGibson SG

The was also the point at which Kirk started to collect his “horror movie” ESP KH-2 guitars painted with images from famous horror movies, starting with “The Mummy” and “Ouija”. He also acquired a KH-1 Explorer style guitar, and a truly unique and fascinating ESP Wavecaster guitar featuring a hollow plexiglass body filled with blue colored motor oil that oozed about like a lava lamp. He uses the guitar exclusively for the song Am I Evil.

5. St. Anger (2000 – 2005)

The period was somewhat slower paced encompasses the St. Anger album, and was more notable for changes in guitars than in amps but in one of the more interesting changes, Kirk began using a 1959 Fender Twin Reverb. This was an extremely unusual move considering that the Twin Reverb is more commonly associated with country and classic rock sounds; however, according to Justin Crew, Kirk’s guitar tech, it remains one of his favorite amps. The settings didn’t change much from the previous albums except for a more pronounced midrange tone.

Amps Settings

Clean sound:

Gain – 2

Gain – 2 Bass – 5

Bass – 5 Mid – 5

Mid – 5 Treble – 6

Overdriven sound:

Gain – 5

Gain – 5 Bass – 5

Bass – 5 Mid – 4.5

Mid – 4.5 Treble – 6

Guitars

​James added the following to his collection of axes:

Les Paul CustomLTD H-307 (7-string)

Les Paul CustomLTD H-307 (7-string) LTD Viper (baritone guitar)

Kirk added a couple of flying Vs, one with a Floyd Rose tremolo system and the other with just a single EMG active pickup.

6. Death Magnetic (2006 – 2011)

Featuring the albums Death Magnetic, Lulu and Beyond Magnetic, this time marked the most significant change in amps since the guitarists switched to Mesa Boogie in 1986. While James began to use a Diezel VH-4 head alongside his trusty Mesa Boogies, Kirk signed a deal with Randall to use their heads, cabinets and preamps alongside his Mesa Boogies.

Amps Settings

For these albums James and Kirk seem to have gone back to their minimal use of mids with the mids set at about 2 for clean leads and 0 for the overdrive.

Clean sound:

Gain – 2

Gain – 2 Bass – 5

Bass – 5 Mid – 2

Mid – 2 Treble – 6

Overdriven sound:

Gain – 5

Gain – 5 Bass – 5

Bass – 5 Mid – 0

Mid – 0 Treble – 6

Guitars

James picked up his ESP Truckster and Iron Cross guitars, both Les Paul body style guitars with active pickups.

Worth to Read: What makes a Great Metal Pickup ~ Best Pickups for Metal

Kirk added to his KH-2 “horror movie” guitars with “Frankenstein”, “Dracula” and “Bride of Frankenstein” paint jobs.

7. Hardwired… To Self-Destruct (2011 – Present)

Since 2011, Metallica has released the album Hardwired … to Self-Destruct and the feature concert film Through the Never. They also played the 2012 Orion Fest. Again, marking a sea-change in amplification choices, James has settled on a combination of Diezel and Mesa Boogie amps with a Mesa Boogie Triaxis preamp and Mesa Simul-class 2 stereo power amp.

Kirk is currently using a Randall Meathead amp designed by famous amp designer Mike Fortin along with Randall cabinets.

Amps Settings

Actual numbers are hard to come by, but the closest numbers I have seen are:

Clean Sound:

Gain – 5

Gain – 5 Bass – 4

Bass – 4 Mid – 7

Mid – 7 Treble – 8

Overdriven Sound:

Gain – 5

Gain – 5 Bass – 4

Bass – 4 Mid – 7

Mid – 7 Treble – 8

Guitars

James’ new guitars include the LTD Vulture flying V style guitar and the instantly recognizable LTD Snakebyte which has become his main guitar for most songs.

Kirk has added a greenburst KH-2 and an LTD KH-2 with a “White Zombie” horror movie paint scheme.

Effects

James Hetfield

ProCo Rat distortion

ProCo Rat distortion Ibanez Tube Screamer

Ibanez Tube Screamer TC Electronics G-Major 2

TC Electronics G-Major 2 MXR Phase 100

MXR Phase 100 Digitech Whammy

Digitech Whammy Dunlop Cry Baby

Dunlop Cry Baby Line 6 DM4

Line 6 DM4 Klon Centaur

Klon Centaur Boss NS-2 noise suppressor

Boss NS-2 noise suppressor Love Tone Brown Sauce

Kirk Hammett

Ibanez Tube Screamer

Ibanez Tube Screamer DigiTech Whammy

DigiTech Whammy Dunlop Wah

Dunlop Wah Vox Wah

Vox Wah EMB Audio Remote Wah

EMB Audio Remote Wah Dunlop KH-95 Signature Wah

Dunlop KH-95 Signature Wah TC Electronic G-Major 2

TC Electronic G-Major 2 Line 6 MM4 modulator

Line 6 MM4 modulator MXR EVH 117 flanger

MXR EVH 117 flanger MXR Octaver

MXR Octaver Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor

Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor Digitech Space Station Pedal

Conclusion

If getting that elusive Metallica sound is what you’re after, I hope you have found this list comprehensively enough.

I tried to include every album so your Seek and Destroy doesn’t sound too much like your Whiskey in the Jar. And if that’s not enough, Bobby Kittleberger, contributor at Guitar World magazine has produced this piece on getting Kirk’s guitar tone for yourself, including the amp settings he uses. If you enjoyed this article and/or have any additional comments, please be sure to leave them below, and until next time, keep rocking!