Player No. 018thrash-metal
James Hetfield
Metallica's rhythm guitarist and frontman, whose tight, percussive downpicking and crushing Mesa/Boogie tone defined thrash metal. His aggressive right hand and scooped-mid tone on Master of Puppets became the blueprint for metal rhythm guitar.
thrash metalmetalhard rock
HetfieldFILE 018
The Hetfield catalogue
Field notes on Hetfield
All field notes →Metallica Rhythm Tone Settings: Hetfield's Sound by Era
James Hetfield's rhythm tone broken down by album era: settings, gain structure, and how to dial it in on real amps and modelers.
How to Get Stevie Ray Vaughan's Tone on Line 6 Helix
The complete SRV Helix preset guide. Amp model, drive settings, and the secret sauce that makes it sound like Texas.
Malcolm Young's Rhythm Tone: The Other Half of AC/DC's Sound
Everyone talks about Angus. But Malcolm Young built one of the greatest rhythm guitar tones in rock history. Here's what he used, how he set it, and why it worked.