James hetfield with Mark V

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Not what I expected, but pretty good. I dialled them into my amp and it's Hetfield for sure.

The master volume settings seem really off and I suspect those weren't set where he usually has them. The lower gain setting on channel 3 works great at high volumes.

It's amazing how hard it is to see those little switches in pictures...

I'm fairly certain that channel 2 is a lead tone. It reminds me a lot of playing through a Fuzz Face. It's thick and smooth without too much distortion, which suits James' lead style. Edge w/ the preset EQ in the position shown in the picture. Crunch also works, but it's a little more screaming and edgy... more Hammett than Hetfield.

Channel 3 is really cool. He's got it really crunchy yet also articulate. When I first looked at the pictures and saw the treble/presence settings I thought I was going to be drilling a hole through my eardrums but the results were surprisingly warm. When I play through these settings I get the distinct feeling that he was trying to make the Mark a little more Recto-ish in it's response. He seems to have slowed the amp down by pouring on all that bass yet kept things articulate by backing down the gain.

On Triode both the IIC+ and IV modes work really well. The IIC+ mode is a little dryer while IV is a little more lively. Both are crunchy.

On Pentode IIC+ seems way too dry while IV is giving me the right vibe for Metallica.

I'm using EL34s for what its worth.
 
Since Monty Jays web site is no longer I think it's important that the following settings should be salvaged.

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I have been playing with these settings with an ESP MX250 with a Het Set and cobalt Ernie Ball strings. Also with fx/solo/mute/output switch bypassed and in triode mode. Sounds very Hetfield like. :twisted:
 
I’ve finally worked it out. If you dial up those settings on Crunch mode and blend it with a Diezel VH4 on channel 3 with the well documented settings he use for that you nail his tone. It does this weird phase thing like they’re only 20 degrees out of phase or something and it sounds unreal!
 
mace said:
I can't get that photo link to work. Could you please repost or type out the settings? Thanks

I’m on holidays at the moment when I get home I’ll find them and post them. I know I saved them on my computer somewhere.
 
Thanks much. Not the settings I use, no wonder I don't sound like Hetfield! Wonder what era he had that long hair in the last photo?... :mrgreen:
 
Hes got dat bass knob on channel 3 kinda dimed out. My mark sounds flubby if i go that high.
 
Yeah but he has the gain wound back. Gain adds bass on a Mark amp. He could have also been using EL34's
 

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