Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

[Brown Note]

I've been fantasizing about buying some neat gear for nailing the extremely thick master of puppets sound. The mesas that are avaible today just wont sound correct, i personally do not like the rectifier sizzle. I've had some luck with bogners, but they sound a bit too flappy. What modern amp would nail *the* metallica tone?

 

[James Rock]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

I believe Mk III or Mk IV mesa's may get you closer then Rectifiers. As for modern amps not sure maybe what metallica play live with now

 

[millsart]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

Are you only considering a brand new modern amp ?

I don't remember exactly what they recorded with back then but if thats the tone I was after, I'd get a similiar or the exact rig.

Not only will it save you some cash over a brand new amp but you'll nail the tone

 

[ozzynotwood]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

When ppl ask me how to "nail the tone", I always tell them, "Dont bother". Think about what you want to re-create. EMG loaded ESP Guitar -> Whatever amp they used -> Mic (or two>) -> Possibly rackmount EQ, compressors, signal processors -> Control Room Mixer being operated by the sound guys -> Recorded down to Tape -> Mixed and Mastered to CD -> Output to you Home Stero. On top of all that, there's also double tracking, so you'll need to be able to do all that, while playing another guitar with ur feet. Good Luck.

 

[suislidE03]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

When ppl ask me how to "nail the tone", I always tell them, "Dont bother". Think about what you want to re-create. EMG loaded ESP Guitar -> Whatever amp they used -> Mic (or two>) -> Possibly rackmount EQ, compressors, signal processors -> Control Room Mixer being operated by the sound guys -> Recorded down to Tape -> Mixed and Mastered to CD -> Output to you Home Stero. On top of all that, there's also double tracking, so you'll need to be able to do all that, while playing another guitar with ur feet. Good Luck.

Dont go overboard on that bandwagon so soon. How about just help him?

Anyhow, if you dont mind older amps, I just picked up a Mesa DC-5 that will get really close with an EMG 81 equipped guitar. It is looser than a lot of Mesa amps, because it is based on the rectifier circuit. It is smoother and less in-your-face, but with a good push it is seriously thick and chunky. With the 81, it will give a tighter low end while retaining that chunk, and have enough treble to give it more crunch.

I dont have much experience at all with Mesa amps because I dont see them much where I am from, but I bought this one off reviews, forums and records from other bands using it. So, I cant really tell you which other models to go for except the Mark IIC+, which is the amp they used on the recording. Surely someone can look up the article explaining every Metallica rhythm tone, but it will mention that amp with a Marshall power amp. There's more, but that will get you very close. The end tone will depend on what you really want, and how much compromising you are willing to do. I can get close with my setup, but it does sound a bit more mellow.

 

[millsart]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

I saw Metallica a ton of times back in the day and their live sound was not that far removed from their studio sound. AJFA and the Black album are really where they started to get into the really high end "studio sound"

Puppets, Ride the Lighting and Kill 'Em All are pretty basic stuff. AJFA they started using rack pre's like the ADA's, lots of double tracking etc, which intrestingly enough seems to be when I started to like them less and less.

Puppets still sounds great to this day though

 

[Majestic]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

I've heard someone NAIL the Puppets tone years ago with what I think was a used Mark IV. I could be wrong on that.....it may have been a III.

It really depends how picky you are. I was floored at how authentic the tone sounded on this guy's clip with just the amp & his right hand articulation. No tone from a stock Rectifier amp has ever touched it, whether it be Metallica's live tone, or anyone else's that I've heard.

Admittedly, from a statistical standpoint, that's about the poorest "sampling" one could ask for. Sorry!

 

[D-EJ915]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

Put the "V" scoop on a Mark and you should be able to get it pretty easily, at least if I remember correctly.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

An EMG-81 loaded guitar going into a Boss DS-1 then into a thoughtfully tweaked ADA MP-1 will nail it.

 

[subanots]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

genz-benz acoustic amps with a lot of extension cords.

 

[Monty-Jay]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

An EMG loaded guitar into a Mark IV with a parametric EQ will get you pretty close

 

[Pastor of Muppets]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

Puppets, Ride the Lighting and Kill 'Em All are pretty basic stuff. AJFA they started using rack pre's like the ADA's, lots of double tracking etc, which intrestingly enough seems to be when I started to like them less and less.

Puppets still sounds great to this day though

Absolutely - I loved Lightning and Puppets but completely lost interest after that - Justice production turned me right off.

 

[SizzleSale.com]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

Mesa Boogie MKIIC+

 

[Brown Note]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

MkIIc+ would be nice, exept that it's kinda hard to find nowadays. With modern amp i just ment anything that is avaible today. I've tried most of the amps that can be found at guitar dealers, but none of them really had the highly defined low end kick, that metallica had a couple decades ago.

One possibility is always modding the he** out of an 80's marshall or perhaps a soldano. The latter also being a bit hard to find.

I've tried some pedals, but they(pedals) tend to always sound a bit too lifeless and metallic, in a bad way, and off the shelf mesas are just horrible considering their price range. I don't know what has gone wrong with 'em.

 

[Brown Note]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

By the way, i've been a emg fan for a couple years now, but after i had tried the blackouts, i though that something was missing from the emg's. Seymour made the perfect heavy metal pickup even better!

 

[anewdefguitarist]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

i thought on puppets hetfield used a V with Invaders and hammet used a jackson with EMG's??

 

[some_dude]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

MkIIc+ would be nice, exept that it's kinda hard to find nowadays. With modern amp i just ment anything that is avaible today. I've tried most of the amps that can be found at guitar dealers, but none of them really had the highly defined low end kick, that metallica had a couple decades ago.

If you're master volume isn't at or above half you're wasting your time.

A Mark IV with an EMG 81 will get as close as you're going to get without buying a Mark IIC+.

Conversely, you could get a Triaxis and pair it with a 2:90 or Strategy 400.

The trick is the volume. Without having the master up you'll never get the bottom end punch and thump.

One possibility is always modding the he** out of an 80's marshall or perhaps a soldano. The latter also being a bit hard to find.

Waste of time if you're after Metallica's tone.

I've tried some pedals, but they(pedals) tend to always sound a bit too lifeless and metallic, in a bad way, and off the shelf mesas are just horrible considering their price range. I don't know what has gone wrong with 'em.

I may be an odd one, but I felt my Recto did a better job of Metallica than my Mark III did. The Mark III did sound a little more authentic to their album tone, but the Recto was way more aggressive live and stood out better in the mix.

Most problems that people associate with Mesas (thin, buzzy, too much top end sizzle) can be solved by installing a good set of tubes and getting the master volume up to where the amp thickens up and punches out.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

i thought on puppets hetfield used a V with Invaders and hammet used a jackson with EMG's??

Back in 1983.

 

[Animal]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

A mesa studio or quad preamp will get you very close to their Mark series (MOP, AJFA, Black Album) tone. If I can recall correctly, Metallica did use the quad preamp on tour during the late 80's/early 90's.

Any of the Mark IIC+'s, III's, and IV's or similar voiced amps should be able to get you most Metallica tones comfortably. The Recto series isn't exactly the older sound, but it does sound very good for playing Metallica.

If want to cop Kill 'Em All and Ride The Lightning tones then a Hot Rodded Marshall type of amp with a pedal juicing it at the front would be closer than a Mesa.

 

[Brown Note]

Re: Amplifiers for master of puppets tone

Mesa boogies poweramps do not possess the clarity and definition when overdriven as they did some decades ago. I've had no luck with rectifiers, even though i do have a change to crank 'em loud enough for the poweramp to start saturating. Guess i'll just need to look for something else.