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Studio

• Replacement 100 watt Marshall Heads that were later modified
• Ibanez Tube Screamer-Last time James used an overdrive/distortion pedal
• Marshall 4x12

Notes/Quotes

• "Distortion always starts with the amp. Pedals just sit on top of the sound. They don't feel like a full part of it, just some fuzz on top. You can fiddle with parametric EQs and all that shit for days, but it still won't have the smooth distortion of an amp. The last time I used a distortion pedal was on Ride the Lightning. It was an Ibanez Tube Screamer, like Kirk uses. It really helps his solos cut through, but it puts a shitty coating on smooth rhythm tones, and it was hard to not make it sound like a pedal..." Guitar Player, October 1992

1986

RACK 1

• Ampeg SVT Tube Head-Used for Clean Tones
• Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ Wide Head -I am not totally sure what MARK amp these are. It is for sure a wide chassis head, most likely either a IIB Coliseum or III Coliseum 300. This is a wide head, with no push/pull pot on the 4th and 8th controls. The IIB doesn't have a push/pull on the 3rd, 4th, and 8th controls. The III Coliseum 300 has push/pull pots on all controls except the 8th (Reverb). I have also been told that the IIC+ was available in a wide chassis head, so it could be that too.
• Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ Wide Head

RACK 2

• dark blue Boss pedal
• Boss Flanger
• ADA Footswitch
• Boss tuner
• Rocktron Compressor/Limiter/Hush
• ADA 2FX Multi Effects Processor
• Ibanez UE400 Multi-FX
• Marshall JCM 800, horizontal input
• Marshall JCM 800, horizontal input

1989

RACK 1

• Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ Wide Head
  Settings-3/5 5.5 2.5 0 7 7 1.5 3
  I am not totally sure what MARK amp these are. It is for sure a wide chassis head, most likely a IIC+, IIB Coliseum or III Coliseum 300. This is a wide head, with no push/pull pot on the 4th and 8th controls. The IIB doesn't have a push/pull on the 3rd, 4th, and 8th controls. The III Coliseum 300 has push/pull pots on all controls except the 8th (Reverb). I have also been told that the IIC+ was available in a wide chassis head, so it could be that too.
• Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ Wide Head

RACK 2

• 3 vertical parametric eq/lunchbox, aphex
• ADA 2FX Multi Effects Processor
• Rocktron compressor/limiter/hush
• Mesa Boogie Strategy 400
• Mesa Boogie Strategy 400

RACK/AMP 3

• Roland JC120 combo

Notes/Quotes

• Talking about Jason's bass being obscured on ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL: "Also, my tone on JUSTICE was very scooped-all lows and highs with very little mid-range. When my rhythm parts were placed in the mix, my guitar sound ate up all the lower frequencies. Jason and I were always battling for the same space in the mix." Guitar World, October 1991
• James Hetfield has three Gibson Explorers and a Jackson (the "Kill Bon Jovi" guitar featured on the cover)[Jackson King V], all without whammy bars. Like Kirk, he opts for Mesa Boogie amps. "When my Marshall got ripped off, I couldn't find a new one that was as happening as the old one, and I wanted to try something different because everyone was playing Marshalls. I went to the Boogie factory, plugged in, and said, 'Yeah, this shit is pretty happening.' I use Marshall cabinets though." James uses no effects-just an Aphex parametric EQ and an A/B switch, "Clean and Crunch." He strings up with Ernie Balls, gauged .010-.046.
  
  "The whole album is doubled all the way through, if not tripled. I double pretty much everything, just to get it a little thicker. Live, we both play the riff all the time, unless it's the intro or Kirk's solo. There are three part harmonies, and they're all doubled. On 'To Live Is To Die,' there are plenty, plenty guitars going-maybe 15, counting the acoustic tracks.
  
  We wanted to combine the big sound of MASTER OF PUPPETS with the rawness of the GARAGE DAYS EP, but now that I hear it, I think it's a little too dry. It's really in your face, but it could have had more guts to it, somehow. It could have been heavier sounding. We spent five days getting the guitar sounds, but I think I like the guitar sound of PUPPETS a little better.
  
  We had mikes everywhere. I had a full stack, but side-by-side. I had mikes up close, at 45-degree angles on the sides, some crossed farther away, and some way far out that were useless."
  
  Commenting on downpicking:
  
  "That's the key. They key! Downpicking! It's tighter-sounding and a lot chunkier. Guitar Player, April 1989

Studio

• Mesa Boogie Mk IIC+
• Mesa Boogie Mark IV
• Jose Arrendondo modified 100 watt Marshall Head
• Roland JC-120 combo
• ADA MP1
• ADA MQ1
• Aphex Parametric EQ
• Marshall 4x12
• Mesa Boogie 4x12
• Mesa Boogie 2x12

Notes/Quotes

• "We tried a bunch of amps, but I ended up using the same Mesa Boogie Simul-Class Mark II that I've used on the last three albums. In Los Angeles, there are a million amps you can try out, but none of them were up to snuff. Bob also brought in a bunch of crappy looking vintage amps. We gave everything a shot and ended up with the same old shit. I must admit though, it was a lot of fun trying out all those little Sixties and Seventies amps-they really sounded unique. A lot of metal players have forgotten that they can be useful. We used a couple of vintage amps for texture. But I wasn't about to play a rhythm part through a fuckin Fender Supro amp, you know? We sure as hell weren't making 'Led Zeppelin I.' " Guitar World, October 1991

• ...You can recognize Marshall distortion in an instant; that's why I shied away from that [although he does combine marshalls, uses them in the entire mix. He meant not just Marshalls by themselves-MJF] and went with Mesa Boogies. I basically use the Boogie's distortion with a non-programmable studio-quality Aphex Parametric EQ to fine-tune certain frequencies, dipping out some of the midrange [note, dipping out, NOT SCOOPING-MJF]. All my speakers are Celestion Vintage 30s." Guitar Player, October 1992

• "I use a lot of mics...up to 8. I use them to phase cancel each other, to control the sound like with an EQ but instead of an EQ. I'm using Mesa Boogie amps, with an ADA MP1 preamp, but Boogie Simul-Class II is the main part of the sound. Cabs: Boogie for clean, cutting stuff, Marshalls with 30 watt Celestion Vintage 30s for warmth." Guitar Player, September 1991.

• [Interview with Bob Rock]
  "We synched two 24-track machines, one analog and one digital. We recorded the drums and fat rhythm guitars analog, but the vocals, solos, and clean rhythms were digitral. I've used that arrangement on my last few albums. I can't really explain why, though I like the clarity of digital for lead, and analog adds a pleasing quality for fat rhythm parts."
  
  "The 'James' sound has a lot to do with the right resonance in a slightly enclosed space, as opposed to a wide open room [Kirk's sound-MJF]. I don't want to overstep my bounds, because James is very protective of what he does, but let's just say that a certain frequency is really dominant in his sound. It's almost a matter of building a 'room' specifically to bring that frequency out of the amp."
  
  "....And so much of James' sound is that muted, bottom-end thunk. In fact, for James' harmonized lines on 'My Friend of Misery' it's just an MXR Distortion Plus straight into the board." Guitar Player, September 1991

• [Asking about the new alubm being a reaction against AND JUSTICE FOR ALL]
  Kirk: Definitely. Last time we went for a particular dry, up front sound, and we weren't 100% successful in achieving it. When we put that record on now, we go, 'Huh?'"
  James: It's dry as a bone! Our second album, RIDE THE LIGHTNING, always sounded thicker than all the others-it had reverb, which we became afraid of using later on. We wanted the attack of the GARAGE DAYS EP, which was recorded live, but with the thickness of LIGHTNING. And when I listen to JUSTICE, I think, '-this is really long and drawn out.' We knew when we started this record that we wanted to concentrate the same energy and mood swings in shorter songs. A short song for Metallica used to be six minutes. Now everything is under five.
  
  "My same old Mesa Boogie amps still work the best. We use a combination of things, like an ADA MP-1 preamp, but the Boogie Simul-Class II is the main part of the sound. It goes through a combination of cabinets: Boogies, which are good for clean, cutting stuff, and Marshalls with 30 watt vintage speakers for warmth. I got really good clean sounds playing Kirk's Tom Anderson strat through a Roland JC120 amp and plugging straight into the desk through an old MXR Dynacomp compressor [Think of the tone on "Nothing Else Matters"-MJF]." Guitar Player, September 1991

• Boss SE-50
• Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+
• Juice Gooose...Power Conditioner
• ADA 2FX Multi Effects Processor
• Rocktron Juice Extractor
• Rocktron Patchmate
• Bradshaw Switcher
• Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp
• ADA MQ1 EQ
• "Lunchbox" Aphex Parametric EQs
• Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 Power Amp
• Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 Power Amp

To the right of James' rack is his Roland JC-120 combo which was used for all of his clean tones

James used Marshall 1960 and Mesa Boogie Cabinets

• Mesa Boogie Triaxis preamp
• Mesa Boogie mark IIc+
• Jose Arrendondo modified 100 watt Marshall head
• Roland JC-120 Combos and Heads
• Matchless Spitfire
• Fender Twin
• Magnavox 2x12 combo
• Roland Blues Cube
• Aphex parametric EQ
• Marshall 4x12
• Mesa Boogie 4x12

Notes/Quotes

• "Getting my rhythm guitar sound is always the most nerve wracking part of the recording process for me. Once that's done, it's pretty much clear sailing as far as I'm concerned."
  
  The guitarist's main amplifier setup was composed of a Jose Arrendondo modified Marshall, a Mesa Boogie Triaxis preamp and a Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ that he 'borrowed' from Kirk years ago. "That amp always comes through in the studio."
  
  Also on hand were a veritable battery of amps, all of which were put to good use. "At one point I had 14 amps going at once...for a clean sound. I wanted to get a variety of clean sounds on this album instead of relying exclusively on the Roland JC-120, which has traditionally been the source of Metallica's clean sound. It was tough going though, because the Roland sounds so good that you want to keep going back to it. But we found some other cool aamps, particularly this little Matchless Spitfire that really kicks ass and an old tweed Fender Twin that's so sharp it'll take your nuts off!" Guitar World, July 1996

For the live shows, James used one rack which housed his entire rig. On top of the rack sat a Roland JC-120 head. The rack itself is a 20 space custom rack and houses the following:

• Juice Goose Grand Loop Control 320 (Power Strip)
• Sony WRR-840 Wireless System
• TC Electronics M2000 effects processor
• Mesa Boogie Triaxis-SETTINGS
• Mesa Boogie Triaxis--SETTINGS
• Mesa Boogie Triaxis-EQ in loop-SETTINGS
• Mesa Boogie Triaxis-EQ in loop-SETTINGS
• Mesa Boogie Custom Graphic EQ (Into Triaxis)
• Mesa Boogie Hi Gain amp switcher
• Rocktron/Bradshaw RSB 12R Switching System with Remote
• Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 stereo power amp (Triaxis clean)
• Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 stereo power amp (Triaxis distorted)
• Digitech Whammy pedal
• Electro-Harmonix Bass Micro Synth
• MXR Phase 100

James uses two triaxis preamps live. The other two are backups. Two are stock and two are modified. On the first modified triaxis, there is a sticker that reads "phase inverted IIc+" The second modified triaxis reads "Recto." What does this mean exactly? I dunno, I wish I could tell you for sure. Most likely it has to do with LD1 Red/Ld2 yellow which are Recto and IIC+ voicings.

James' Triaxis settings are here until James or Zach wants them taken down, haha. :-)

Wizard Amps work best with passive pickups, however as we all know James is a big EMG pickups user, which are active. This is most likely the reason James only used Wizard Amps live for a short period. All of his stage guitars had EMG pickups installed. But as you can see from the photo to the right, he is using his SG that Bob Rock gave to him, which of course have passive pickups. James has also been using this in the studio for St. Anger, but you can't see it too well due to the "wall of foam" that is in front of his cabinets.

• Diezel Vh4 -This has become James main recording amp * See the settings/info HERE
• Mesa Boogie Triaxis-See the settings/info here
• Randall Cyclone -James has stated he hardly even used this.
• Randall Titan -See above.
• Marshall JCM 800 -I think I saw one....
• Marshall prototype head -Marshall Mode Four, solid state hybrid.
• Marshall jmp2203 -Actually Kirk's
• Marshall 100 watt super lead-Jose Arrendondo Modded *
• Wizard Modern Classic *
• Roland JC120 combo *
• Roland JC120H Head *
• Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier
• Peavey 5150 (Presidio session)-See the setings HERE
• Peavey 5150II (Presidio Session)-See the settings HERE
• Line 6 Flextone Head (Presidio)
• Marshall TSL
• Marshall DSL
• Line 6 POD Pro
• Line 6 Duoverb
• Line 6 modulation pedal
• Line 6 distortion pedal
• Line 6 delay pedal
• Line 6 filter pedal
• Digitech Whammy
• Marshall 4x12
• Mesa Boogie 4x12
• Wizard 4x12
• Bob Rock's "Oddball" Silvertone-Used for "Dirty Cleans"

Notes/Quotes

• [Bob Rock interviewed by Guitar World-MJF]
  "We were having fun using all sorts of different amps. Every day James and Kirk would bring in a new amp and plug it in, and if that inspired us, that would start the song. We added a 50-watt Wizard and a Marshall DSL 2000, and they sounded great. And Kirk's been collecting lots of vintage amps, so we tried a few of tohse. The only other amp that was an oddball was a Silvertone that I bought just down the street. We've used that pretty much for anything that was dirty-clean, and with an RCA RC44 mic on it, it sounds amazing." Guitar World, August 2003

• 1) ESP LTD the Grynch really there on the new cd. This 27-inch baritone monster sounds like a building that collapses. Equipped with 2 emgs and an afterburner for more gain, this guitar is so hot that the green flames come from all sides!!  
• 2) Gatorade drink america's most favorite drink  
• 3) Boss ch-1 chorus I think this pedal will changes james original clean sound(roland jc-120)  
• 4) Mesa Boogie triple rectifier see kirk hammet, nr 8  
• 5) Mesa Boogie cabinet the version with a closed backside for more sound  
• 6) Diezel VH4 it's not seen very well on the picture, but it's James' main recording amp for St. Anger, says Bob Rock. This amp has 4 channels, the power is 100 watt  
• 7) ESP JH-3 faces his own design of the JH-3 with a fitting nightmare design  
• 8) Gibson Les Paul costum iron cross in fact a black les paul custom but the design is changed a little bit: the switch is placed on the place where used to be the volume of the bridge is, the other is useless  

EARLY "Reports/Sightings"

Onstage

• Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifiers (just for show)

Rack 1

• Furman Power Conditioner
• sony Wireless unit (2)
• TC Electronics G-Major (2)
• Mesa Boogie Triaxis preamp-settings here
• Mesa Boogie Triaxis preamp-settings here
• Mesa Boogie Triaxis preamp-settings here
• Mesa Boogie Triaxis preamp settings here
• Mesa Boogie Hi Gain amp switcher
• DMC switcher

Rack 2

• Furman Power Conditioner
• Korg Tuner
• Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 Power Amp

Rack 3

• Diezel VH4-Settings here
• Diezel VH4-Settings here

RECENT/CONFIRMED RIG 2003/2004

Rack 1

• Furman PL Pro Power Conditioner
• Sony WRR-840 Wireless
• TC Electronics G-Major
• TC Electronics G-Major
• Pedal shelf: Line 6 DM4 Distortion, MXR Phase 100, EH Bass Micro Synth, Digitech Whammy WH1
• Mesa Boogie Triaxis 2-settings/info here
• Mesa Boogie Triaxis 1-settings/info here
• Mesa Boogie Triaxis 2 Spare-settings/info here
• Mesa Boogie Triaxis 1 Spare-settings/info here
• DMC GCX Audio Switcher
• DMC GCX Audio Switcher
• Mesa Boogie High Gain AmpSwitcher
• Mesa Boogie Custom EQ (x2, Triaxis loop)
• Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 Power Amp

Rack 2

• Roland JC120 Head
• Furman PL-Plus Power Conditioner
• Behringer (Maybe a MULTIGATE PRO XR4400)
• Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 Power Amp
• Diezel VH4-Click here for info and settings
• Diezel VH4-Click here for info and settings

Other Gear

• DMC Ground Control Pro midi board-Total control over everything
• Peterson Strobe 520 Tuner
• Boss CH1 Chorus pedal
• Audio Technica microphones: AT4050 for guitars (old setup), AT4054 for vocals
• Audio-Technica 2500 Artist Elite for guitars (actually a drum mic)
• A&S road cases, soundproof iso cabs

• Mesa Boogie 2 channel Triple Rectifier- Click HERE for settings
• Mesa Boogie Tremoverb Combo
  

Notes

• Check the Triaxis and VH4 individual pages for settings and information regarding James' use for each.
• The Mesa Boogie Dual/Triple rectos you see  onstage are for show, they are NOT used.
• James' cabinets are miked with four microphones/four channels:
  "I have four channels for James' guitar: the condenser, the dynamic/condenser for the one set of Mesa Boogie — he has a Diezel amplifier — the dynamic/condenser again, and then the EQ switched out. It is incredible." -Big Mick

• Same gear as before in the studio
• KRANK Revolution
• Krank Krankenstein

• Same live racks as before, possibly with the Krank(s) at the Stones shows. I don't think he used either (kranks) at the Sundance show though.

• Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier (chrome chassis 2 ch)
• Diezel VH4

• Not totally sure, but it could be just Diezel VH4, Mesa Boogie Rectifier, and Roland JC120 combo.