Master Metallica's Black Album Guitar Tone with Presets and Cab IRs

Master Metallica's Black Album Guitar Tone with Presets and Cab IRs

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Getting the Metallica Tone from the Black Album
3. The Gear Used by Metallica
4. The Mesa Mark II C Plus Plus Amp
5. Using Passive Pickups for the Tone
6. The Clean Tone on the Black Album
7. The Lead Tone on the Black Album
8. Comparing the Tone Match from the Axe FX and WAV File
9. Tips for Building Guitar Tones
10. Conclusion

Getting Metallica's Black Album Tone

Hey everybody, my name is Lucas and have you ever wanted to get that awesome tone from Metallica's Black Album? Well, look no further because I'm going to show you how to get it today with some free downloads. If this is your first time here or if you've been here before, make sure you are subscribed because I do tone tutorials, gear reviews, and giveaways, and I don't want you to miss any of that cool stuff. So without further ado, let's jump right in and see how to get Metallica's tone from the Black Album.

Before we jump right away, I wanted to let you guys know that I have a tone match from the Axe FX. I'm going to put that on Exchange, and this preset's going to be on Exchange. I also have a WAV IR that you can load into anything that takes an IR. You can load that up, and you can be able to get the tone from Metallica's Black Album. And the best part is, you don't need active pickups either. Metallica has been using EMGs forever, but you can achieve that tone with some passive pickups. All you really need is a six-string guitar, some time, and a little dedication, and you can definitely get that tone.

The Gear Used by Metallica

Metallica's tone from the Black Album is very unique because they literally used like twenty thousand dollars worth of gear to achieve it, and I'm not exaggerating. The amp that they used was a Mesa Mark II C Plus Plus. The "C2 Plus Plus" means that it was kind of modified and had a little bit more gain than the normal 2C Plus. In the AXE FX, I'm using that amp, specifically the 2C Plus Plus. Now, this amp isn't based on a 2C Plus Plus; it's based on a 2C Plus, but it's called a Plus Plus because a newer model of the 2C Plus was introduced into the AXE FX. Everything live that Metallica does is straight from the AXE FX, and they used the older 2C Plus to base all their presets on. They really wanted it back in AXE FX, so Fractal was nice enough to put it back into the AXE FX. They called it the 2C Plus Plus, and it's commonly called the "Metallica amp." So that's exactly why I use it because I knew getting the tone would be very easy.

In addition to the Mesa Mark II C Plus Plus, Metallica used a variety of other gear to achieve their tone. They used an AlfiX, which is a really expensive EQ, to scoop out some frequencies. They also used modified JCM800 amps for specific mid tones. There were a bunch of layered elements that went into creating this tone. But I'm glad that in 2021, I can literally just match it for you and say, here you can use it, and you don't have to go through all the trouble that I went through.

The Clean Tone on the Black Album

In researching this, I found out that James from Metallica used the Jazz 120 amp for pretty much all his clean tones. I'm pretty sure he still uses it now. I used one of these in college, and they're very good at doing cleans. It's a very simple amp, a 212 combo-looking amp, and it's very good at doing cleans. For the clean tone on the Black Album, I'm using the same IR, and I have a little bit of chorus to capture that "Enter Sandman" clean tone that shows up from time to time. The clean tone on the album itself has some acoustic elements dubbed over it, but I've created a generic clean tone so that you can have all the different tones in there.

The Lead Tone on the Black Album

Now, let's move on to the lead tone. Mr. Kirk Hammett, believe it or not, is the reason I play guitar. This album had a giant impact on me, and Metallica shaped my early guitar playing. Kirk's solos made a strong impression on me, and I wanted to play those soaring high notes. The lead tone is pretty much an exact copy of the rhythm tone, with the same IR and a medium room for reverb. Kirk loves his wah pedal, so I've included that in the tone. You can manually control it if you don't have an expression pedal.

Comparing the Tone Match from the Axe FX and WAV File

Now, let's compare the tone match from the Axe FX and the WAV file. The WAV file tends to be a little brighter, as it retains some of the high-end from the capture process. When building this tone on other platforms or using real-life pedals, be sure to tame that brightness. The presence control in the Axe FX can be powerful, so be cautious not to overcook the brightness. It is generally advisable to have guitar tones slightly on the duller side to allow for EQ adjustments when placed in a mix.

Tips for Building Guitar Tones

When building guitar tones, it's important to keep in mind that brighter and louder sounds are generally preferred by humans. However, if your tone is too bright, it may become overpowering when placed in a mix. It's a good idea to aim for a balance by leaning slightly towards a duller tone. This way, when your guitar tone is mixed with other elements, it will blend well and not dominate the mix.

Conclusion

That wraps up our guide on how to get Metallica's tone from the Black Album. I hope you found this tutorial helpful and that it enables you to replicate that iconic Metallica sound. If you enjoyed this video, make sure to leave a thumbs up and subscribe for more content. Let me know in the comments what other tones you would like me to tone match, and I'll see if I can recreate them for you. The tone match preset and the WAV file mentioned in this video will be available for download, so make sure to check the description below. Thanks for hanging out with me, and I'll catch you in the next one. Peace out!