Orion
Mid-tempo riffing and multipart guitar harmonies around a moody, bass-led middle section.
What is the Orion guitar tone?
The Orion guitar tone is mid-tempo riffing and multipart guitar harmonies around a moody, bass-led middle section, heard on Metallica's 1980s thrash metal recording. It is a distorted riff tone, and Metallica reportedly tracked it with James Hetfield's Jackson King V through a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ modified as a preamp, the rhythm rig listed for the whole of Master of Puppets, with Kirk Hammett's leads on a 1974 Gibson Flying V, a Jackson Randy Rhoads or a Fernandes Stratocaster copy through his own Mark IIC++, according to a Metallica gear history site; Cliff Burton wrote most of the song, the guitar solos included, and played an Aria Pro II SB1000 through Mesa/Boogie heads, and the song has two solos on his bass, one from Hetfield and three from Hammett, recorded with Flemming Rasmussen at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen in late 1985; which guitar is on which solo is not documented. Tones in this style live or die on tight low end and a scooped midrange, with the picking hand doing as much of the work as the amp.
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.
Orion amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 8, Bass 6, Middle 3, Treble 7, Presence 6, Reverb 1, with the bridge pickup.
- Gain 8
- Bass 6
- Middle 3
- Treble 7
- Presence 6
- Reverb 1
- Signal chain
- Noise gate → Amp distortion → Short room reverb
- The control that matters most
- Two amps, not one. On Master of Puppets the rhythm guitars went through Hetfield's Mark IIC+ and the leads through Hammett's Mark IIC++, according to a Metallica gear history site, so set a tight, scooped sound for the riffs and a second one with more mids and sustain for the guitar solos instead of playing everything on one 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 Orion?
James Hetfield's Jackson King V through a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ modified as a preamp, the rhythm rig listed for the whole of Master of Puppets, with Kirk Hammett's leads on a 1974 Gibson Flying V, a Jackson Randy Rhoads or a Fernandes Stratocaster copy through his own Mark IIC++, according to a Metallica gear history site; Cliff Burton wrote most of the song, the guitar solos included, and played an Aria Pro II SB1000 through Mesa/Boogie heads, and the song has two solos on his bass, one from Hetfield and three from Hammett, recorded with Flemming Rasmussen at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen in late 1985; which guitar is on which solo is not documented.
Sources: Wikipedia: Orion (instrumental), Wikipedia: Master of Puppets, Metallica Gear History: the Crunchberries Mark IIC+
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 Orion tone on your own amp?
Tell us your guitar, amp, and pedals
AI researches the original tone of Orion
Get exact knob settings adapted to your rig
Orion tone questions
What amp settings do you need for Orion?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 8, Bass 6, Middle 3, Treble 7, Presence 6, 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 mid-tempo riffing and multipart guitar harmonies around a moody, bass-led middle section from different positions.
What is the most important control for the Orion tone?
Two amps, not one. On Master of Puppets the rhythm guitars went through Hetfield's Mark IIC+ and the leads through Hammett's Mark IIC++, according to a Metallica gear history site, so set a tight, scooped sound for the riffs and a second one with more mids and sustain for the guitar solos instead of playing everything on one setting.
Can you get the Orion tone without the original gear?
Yes. The original was tracked with James Hetfield's Jackson King V through a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ modified as a preamp, the rhythm rig listed for the whole of Master of Puppets, with Kirk Hammett's leads on a 1974 Gibson Flying V, a Jackson Randy Rhoads or a Fernandes Stratocaster copy through his own Mark IIC++, according to a Metallica gear history site; Cliff Burton wrote most of the song, the guitar solos included, and played an Aria Pro II SB1000 through Mesa/Boogie heads, and the song has two solos on his bass, one from Hetfield and three from Hammett, recorded with Flemming Rasmussen at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen in late 1985; which guitar is on which solo 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 Orion a rhythm or a lead tone?
It is a riff part with a distorted character, from Metallica's 1980s thrash 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.
