If you want to duplicate their clean sound, you need 2 things: EMG 81 pickups, and a Roland JC120 amp. Only “fade to black” is acoustic on the album. They use elec. guitars with chorus effect to get the clean tone for all the others, and also for “fade to black” live.

Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier 150-Watt Tube Head The official Metallica website has a list of equipment used by each band member during their 2010 tours. For the front-man and rhythm guitarist of Metallica, James Hetfield, They list the Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier Guitar Amp Head.

As previously mentioned, the Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus solid-state amp is the main source for Metallica’s clean tones, both live and in the studio.

Apparently Cobain’s preferred amp was a 1960s Fender Twin Reverb, which he used to record In Utero, as well as MTV Unplugged. He also used a similar amp during the recording of Bleach, though it is unknown if it was the exact same one.

How To Play Guitar And Sound Like Kurt Cobain

1. Master The Power Chord.
2. Use Open Strings.
3. Experiment With Chromatic Notes.
4. Write Leads That Play On The Song’s Main Theme.
5. Buy A Chorus Pedal.
6. Invest In Different Overdrives / Distortions.

Diezel VH4 James began using the company’s VH4 amp head around the time the band began recording the infamous “St. Anger” album. This is one of Diezel’s most popular models, known for its heavy and “thick” tone. This is an all-tube guitar amp, featuring a total output power of 100 watts.

Hetfield currently uses custom Jim Dunlop picks in 1.0mm and 1.14mm gauges.

Diezel VH4 100W Tube Guitar Head Amp On Metallica’s website, it states that James Hetfield uses a Diezel VH4 amp.

An Amp Settings Guide to the Metallica Albums 1 Kill Em All. 2 Ride The Lightning. 3 Master Of Puppets. 4 Black Album. 5 Load and Reload (Clean Sound). 6 St. Anger (Clean Sound). 7 Death Magnetic (Clean Sound). 8 Hardwired… To Self-Destruct. So, there you have it, the amp settings for your favorite (and not-so-favorite) albums. More

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.

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:

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.