Fade to Black
Mournful arpeggios that build into a boosted Marshall crunch and long, melodic solos.
What is the Fade to Black guitar tone?
The Fade to Black guitar tone is mournful arpeggios that build into a boosted Marshall crunch and long, melodic solos, heard on Metallica's 1980s heavy metal recording. It is a distorted riff tone, and Metallica reportedly tracked it with James Hetfield's Electra Flying V copy into a Marshall JMP 2203 pushed by an Ibanez Tube Screamer, the head he bought after the theft of his modded Marshall that fed the song's mood, with an acoustic guitar on the intro; producer Flemming Rasmussen also tried Marshalls borrowed from Danish metal players at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, and Kirk Hammett's lead rig for the solos is not documented. The bite in this kind of heavy metal comes from a boost or drive pedal pushing a loud amp, so the tone is thick but never smooth, with the mids left in.
You do not need that exact gear to land in the same place. What carries this sound is the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup choice and the order of the effects, and all four can be rebuilt on equipment that costs a fraction of the original. The numbers change from amp to amp, because a high-gain head and a small practice amp reach the same voicing from different knob positions. That translation is what Tonelify works out for the rig you actually own.
Fade to Black amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 7, Bass 6, Middle 6, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 1, with the bridge pickup.
- Gain 7
- Bass 6
- Middle 6
- Treble 6
- Presence 5
- Reverb 1
- Signal chain
- Ibanez Tube Screamer as a boost → Marshall JMP 2203 distortion
- The control that matters most
- Two sounds, not one. The song opens on an acoustic guitar and only gets heavy as it goes on, so set up a clean sound for the quiet sections and a Tube Screamer-boosted, Marshall-style drive for the heavy ones, and switch between them rather than riding one gain setting.
These positions are free and they are a starting point. A Katana, a Spark and a valve head reach this voicing from different knob positions, so Tonelify rewrites every value above for the amp and guitar you own. Your first match is free with an account, and needs no card.
Adapt these to my amp- Pickup
- Bridge pickup
These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. If you tell Tonelify which amp you own, it rewrites every value above for the controls that amp actually has.
What gear did Metallica use on Fade to Black?
James Hetfield's Electra Flying V copy into a Marshall JMP 2203 pushed by an Ibanez Tube Screamer, the head he bought after the theft of his modded Marshall that fed the song's mood, with an acoustic guitar on the intro; producer Flemming Rasmussen also tried Marshalls borrowed from Danish metal players at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, and Kirk Hammett's lead rig for the solos is not documented.
Sources: Guitar.com: Metallica gear facts, Louder: the story behind Fade to Black, Louder: the story behind Ride the Lightning, Wikipedia: Fade to Black (Metallica song)
Tonelify reads that chain and translates it to the amp and guitar you already own, returning gain, bass, mids, treble and presence values along with a pickup position.
How do you get the Fade to Black tone on your own amp?
Tell us your guitar, amp, and pedals
AI researches the original tone of Fade to Black
Get exact knob settings adapted to your rig
Fade to Black tone questions
What amp settings do you need for Fade to Black?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 7, Bass 6, Middle 6, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 1, with the bridge pickup. These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. Tonelify rewrites the same values for the specific amp and guitar you own, because a high-gain head and a small solid-state combo reach the same mournful arpeggios that build into a boosted Marshall crunch and long, melodic solos from different positions.
What is the most important control for the Fade to Black tone?
Two sounds, not one. The song opens on an acoustic guitar and only gets heavy as it goes on, so set up a clean sound for the quiet sections and a Tube Screamer-boosted, Marshall-style drive for the heavy ones, and switch between them rather than riding one gain setting.
Can you get the Fade to Black tone without the original gear?
Yes. The original was tracked with James Hetfield's Electra Flying V copy into a Marshall JMP 2203 pushed by an Ibanez Tube Screamer, the head he bought after the theft of his modded Marshall that fed the song's mood, with an acoustic guitar on the intro; producer Flemming Rasmussen also tried Marshalls borrowed from Danish metal players at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, and Kirk Hammett's lead rig for the solos is not documented, but the parts that define the sound are the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup position and the effects order. Those translate to other equipment, which is what the adaptation step does.
Is Fade to Black a rhythm or a lead tone?
It is a riff part with a distorted character, from Metallica's 1980s heavy metal catalogue.
Does Tonelify cost anything to try?
Your first match for your own gear is free with an account, and needs no card. After that both plans start with a 7-day free trial: Stage is $6.99 a month for 20 matches, Headliner is $10.99 a month for unlimited matching within a fair use limit of 150 new matches a day, and yearly billing works out cheaper on both. Reading this page and the rest of the library costs nothing and needs no account.
