What Would Hetfield Do?

[MesaGod666]

WWHD?

Most of us take some inspiration from the mighty Hetfield in our tone and rigs.

 

[screamingdaisy]

I try not to copy Hetfield's sound, although I'd be lying if I said he wasn't a huge influence as the KEA through black album tones are pretty much my ideal hard rock/heavy metal sound when I hear it in my head.

Thus it's not that I ask myself, "What would Hetfield do?", it's that any time I stray too far from that core sound I usually end up either lost or bored.

 

[myownself26]

When I think tone for Hard Rock/Metal, it's the mighty Metallica tone!

Whether it be, The KEA-RTL era with the old Modified Marshall with an Pro-CO Rat pedal in front, or the MOP-AJFA tone with the Boogies Mark IIC+ preamp slaves into the power section of a Marshall with some Aphex Parametric EQs in the loop. Gotta love the Black album tone featuring the aforementioned MOP-AJFA equipment and various other amps blended to master that scooped tone to an ultimate T! Next, the Load era when they added in some mids while creating one of the most crushing clean, warm, heavy tones I've ever heard. Lastly, St. Anger/DM albums adding in the Diezel VH4 and on DM dusting off Het''s old IIc+ crunch berries......

Wow! sorry, I seem to have veered off into a Homer Simpson moment.... mmmmm Het Tone!

 

[ryjan]

Why wouldn't someone want that tone. In fact, why am I at work right now instead of altertately playing the riff from Battery and tweaking knobs? Why am I not doing that right now? :lol:

 

[Jackie]

I use that mantra more when I'm writing lyrics or songs, that count too? :mrgreen:

He was a huge influence on me as far as tone goes too. I used to try and get his tone, but I had an epiphany that the only tone you want is your own so I started chasing my own tone instead. Though I still look up to his MoP tones, and maybe I'm in minority here, but ReLoad had some muscular **** too.

 

[BrownieD2W]

Though I still look up to his MoP tones, and maybe I'm in minority here, but ReLoad had some muscular sh!t too.

I would be in the minority with you to then, Load and Reload have awesome tones I think. I think Hetfield is really good at making his tone reflect his personality/mental-state at the time, so whether its MoP or Load and Reload or even DM I think his tone always kind of encapsulates the Het of the time. Some tones just turn out better than others, but its that way with anything.

 

[MrMarkIII]

So if you had $10, 000 and 6 months, and you copped the perfect Het tone, and then you met him and told him what you did, how much time would elapse before he stopped laughing?

 

[screamingdaisy]

So if you had $10, 000 and 6 months, and you copped the perfect Het tone, and then you met him and told him what you did, how much time would elapse before he stopped laughing?

Honesty, I don't think that Hetfield's basic sound is all that difficult (or expensive) to achieve. The guy is still basically a guitar into amp type player, and if you cut away the fluff and go to the meat of his sound it's still basically an EMG loaded guitar into a Mesa.

Yeah, his stage rig is more complex, but he's also looking to approximate 30 years of guitar tones. If you're not that picky about specific eras (look at Hetfield's practice rigs for instance) then it's not that big a deal.

Provided you have the chops.

 

[Jackie]

Provided you have the chops.

Bingo. All the gear won't get you close to his technique. I think he'd make a Peavey Bandit sound like himself.
Not trying to brag here but I think I'm a pretty mean downplucker myself and I don't really have trouble with making an amp sound "mine".

screamingdaisy is right about his core tone too. I never saw him as a guy that complicates but rather a guy who wants to nail it to the cross. He does a LOT with micing and stuff.

I think that DM's tone is missing some of that "room" the other albums (scept St. Anger) had, wouldn't you agree?

 

[sleewell]

 

[MesaGod666]

OMFG...ROFL!!!!!!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Jackie]

The more I look at this pic, the more I think Metallica.com should change the lyrics to this!!! :lol:

 

[Xtravigent]

just a quick question, someone mentioned above that het used the mystical 'crunchberries' on Death Magnetic, any idea which songs?? I think the only time i would add a second amp to my rig is if a Diezel was made available to me, and at $6500 in australia, THATS gonna happen.......

 

[r_cod_81]

This thread is by far the most sensible one I've ever read in terms of the lack of Hetfield=God jizzing that mostly seems to happen.

People spend thousands of <insert_currecy_here> to achieve what can be done quite cheaply. Also, doing so merely makes you a clone. While my setup is obviously influenced (see my sig...) I have made the tone my own, to sound like me, playing my songs. Yeah our band jam 'tallica songs occasionally, and it's cool to have a couple of sounds memorized (Cheers, Mr Rasmussen and your scanner!) but I'm never gonna write and record my songs with JH's tone.

 

[V!N]

Too bad there option between "often" and "never," there's a large grey area there. I have a TriAxis and a Klon Centaur copy, but never thought of putting them together until I read the Het was doing exactly that. I thought I'd give it a try it and boom, it made the TriAxis sound ten times better and more useful on all the modes.
I'm not playing covers, so I don't have to worry about anybody's tone but my own. Nevertheless, it's very educational to find out what "accessories" other players are using with for same gear you have.

 

[V!N]

OMFG...ROFL!!!!!!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: