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Enter Sandman (Metallica) guitar tone and amp settings

Enter Sandman guitar tone on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3: Brown amp type, medium gain (Gain 6.5), scooped mids (Middle 3.5), bright top (Treble 6.5), bridge pickup.

Tuning: E standard

Settings for your amp

Pick a reference amp

The song has distinct sounds: Clean intro, Wah solo, Outro. Each rig below lists what to change for them.

Enter Sandman settings on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3

BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3 settings for every song

AmpBOSS Katana 50 Gen 3

VariationOff
Amp TypeBrown
Gain6.5
Volume5.5Balance the amp section level against the room’s master volume.
Bass6
Middle3.5
Treble6.5
Booster0
Mod0
FX0
Delay0
Reverb ColorGreen
Reverb1
Set to your roomMaster
Set to your roomPower Control

GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers

Pickup SelectorBridge
Volume10Full output keeps the tight, forceful rhythm attack.
Tone8
The same settings in text

Amp

Variation
Off
Amp Type
Brown
Gain
6.5
Volume
5.5
Bass
6
Middle
3.5
Treble
6.5
Booster
0
Mod
0
FX
0
Delay
0
Reverb Color
Green
Reverb
1
Master
Set to your room
Power Control
Set to your room

Electric guitar with two humbuckers

Pickup Selector
Bridge
Volume
10
Tone
8

Enter Sandman settings on a Positive Grid Spark 40

Positive Grid Spark 40 settings for every song

AmpPositive Grid Spark 40

Amp TypeHi-Gain
Gain7
Bass6
Mid4.5
Treble6.5
Set to your roomMaster
Mod0
Delay0
Reverb0
Set to your roomOutput
App Amp ModelAmerican High Gainin the app, optional
App DriveOffin the app, optional
App Comp/WahOffin the app, optional
App Mod/EQOffin the app, optional
App DelayOffin the app, optional
App ReverbOffin the app, optional

GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers

Pickup SelectorBridge
Volume10Full output keeps the bridge humbucker driving the high-gain amp.
Tone7.5
The same settings in text

Amp

Amp Type
Hi-Gain
Gain
7
Bass
6
Mid
4.5
Treble
6.5
Master
Set to your room
Mod
0
Delay
0
Reverb
0
Output
Set to your room
App Amp Model
American High Gain
App Drive
Off
App Comp/Wah
Off
App Mod/EQ
Off
App Delay
Off
App Reverb
Off

Electric guitar with two humbuckers

Pickup Selector
Bridge
Volume
10
Tone
7.5

Enter Sandman settings on a Fender Mustang LT25

Fender Mustang LT25 settings for every song

AmpFender Mustang LT25

Amp Model90S ROCKin the menu
Gain6.5
Volume6.5Set for the room while retaining a strong preset level.
Treble6.5
Bass6
Middle3.5in the menu
Set to your roomMaster
StompNonein the menu
ModNonein the menu
DelayNonein the menu
ReverbNonein the menu

GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers

Pickup SelectorBridge
Volume10Full output keeps the bridge humbucker driving the amp.
Tone8
The same settings in text

Amp

Amp Model
90S ROCK
Gain
6.5
Volume
6.5
Treble
6.5
Bass
6
Middle
3.5
Master
Set to your room
Stomp
None
Mod
None
Delay
None
Reverb
None

Electric guitar with two humbuckers

Pickup Selector
Bridge
Volume
10
Tone
8

Enter Sandman settings on any amp with Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble

Amp

Gain7.5
Bass6.5
Mid3.5
Treble7.5

GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers

Pickup SelectorBridge
Volume10Full output keeps the rhythm tone firm and aggressive.
Tone8
The same settings in text

Amp

Gain
7.5
Bass
6.5
Mid
3.5
Treble
7.5

Electric guitar with two humbuckers

Pickup Selector
Bridge
Volume
10
Tone
8

Add a wah pedal for Kirk’s documented solo sweep.

Song parts

BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3

  1. Clean intro:

    Amp Type Clean, Gain 2

    .

    Switch to the clean voicing for the opening riff.

  2. Wah solo:

    FX Color Red, FX 5

    .

    Rock the wah effect through the lead phrases.

  3. Outro:

    Pickup Selector Neck + Bridge

    .

    Use both pickups for a rounder chord-comp sound.

Song parts

Positive Grid Spark 40

  1. Clean intro:

    Amp Type Clean, Gain 2, App Amp Model Silver 120

    .

    Use the clean model and let the notes ring.

  2. Wah solo:

    App Comp/Wah Auto Wah

    .

    Engage auto-wah and articulate the solo line.

  3. Outro:

    Pickup Selector Neck + Bridge

    .

    Use the blended pickup for the closing chord comps.

Song parts

Fender Mustang LT25

  1. Clean intro:

    Amp Model SUPER CLEAN, Gain 2, Reverb SMALL ROOM, Pickup Selector Neck + Bridge

    .

    Pick the clean notes clearly and let them ring.

  2. Wah solo:

    Gain 7.5, Mod TOUCH WAH

    .

    Sweep the wah through the lead phrases.

  3. Outro:

    Amp Model SUPER CLEAN, Gain 2, Reverb SMALL ROOM, Pickup Selector Neck + Bridge

    .

    Use the cleaner setting for the ending chord comps.

Song parts

Any amp with Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble

  1. Clean intro:

    Gain 1.5

    .

    Lower amp gain for the clean opening riff.

  2. Wah solo:

    Gain 8.5

    .

    Use expressive bends; add a wah for the recorded sweep.

  3. Outro:

    Gain 4.5, Pickup Selector Neck + Bridge

    .

    Soften the gain for the closing chord comps.

The control panel of a vintage guitar amplifier, close up

Why it sounds like that

Guitar strings over the frets, close up

Hetfield's primary guitar on Metallica (1991) was an ESP Explorer with EMG pickups. Hetfield's amp was a Mesa/Boogie Mark II, though accounts name different versions. His standard setup may have used a Mesa head with other amps added, generally with a scooped tone and nine or 11 cabinets. An old Marshall head might have been one part of that sound. Hetfield wanted more crunch, which meant more bottom end. Kirk Hammett's lead sound blended Boogies and modified Marshalls, possibly with a clean Fender and a Vox, played with a wah pedal. The clean intro and the white Strat chord comps at the end are separate sounds.

  • Build the riff from low and high octaves with a tritone, as Hammett describes, in standard E tuning.
  • Put a wah on the lead sound, as Hammett did for the song's lead guitar.

What amp did James Hetfield use on Enter Sandman?

A guitarist’s pedalboard, a dozen pedals cabled together

James Hetfield

Guitar
ESP Explorer[4]
Pickup
EMGs[4]
Amp
Mesa/Boogie Mark II[1]

Kirk Hammett

Guitar
ESP[4]
Pickup
EMGs[4]

Kirk Hammett · Wah solo

Amp
Boogies and modified Marshalls[2]
  • Kirk Hammett said he was in E, not drop D, when he wrote the Enter Sandman riff. (on this song)[1]
  • Kirk Hammett said he used low and high octaves and a tritone when he built the riff. (on this song)[1]
  • Wah solo: Kirk Hammett said he played his ESP with a wah pedal for the song's lead guitar. (on this song)[2]
  • Wah solo: Kirk Hammett said the lead guitar sound on Enter Sandman blended Boogies and modified Marshalls, possibly with a clean old Fender and an old Vox amp. (on this song)[2]
  • Outro: Kirk Hammett said his white '63 Strat is heard on the chord comps at the end of Enter Sandman. (on this song)[1]
  • Clean intro: MusicRadar reports that the first riff of Enter Sandman is clean. (on this song)[3]
  • James Hetfield said his primary guitar on the Metallica (1991) album was an ESP Explorer with EMG pickups. (on the album Metallica)[4]
  • James Hetfield said his amp at that time was his Mesa/Boogie Mark II C++. (on the album Metallica)[1]
  • James Hetfield said he ended up using a Mesa/Boogie Simulclass Mark II for the album. (on the album Metallica)[4]
  • Kirk Hammett played Marshall amps with Mesa-Boogie heads, and used a Bradshaw preamp for the lows and mids. (on the album Metallica)[5][4]
  • Randy Staub said Hetfield's standard setup was a Mesa/Boogie head with other amps added, and it generally had a scooped kind of tone. (on the album Metallica)[5][3]
  • Randy Staub said Hetfield's guitar setup might have included an old Marshall head as one part of the sound. (on the album Metallica)[5][3]
  • Randy Staub said Hetfield's guitar setup used nine or 11 cabinets, some stacked, some on the floor and some baffled off from each other. (on the album Metallica)[5][3]
  • Randy Staub said Hetfield wanted more crunch, which to him meant more bottom end. (on the album Metallica)[5]
  • Randy Staub said Hetfield's guitar part was recorded in sections, with the strings changed before each double. (on the album Metallica)[5]
  • MusicRadar reports that Enter Sandman was born from a riff that Kirk Hammett brought in. (on this song)[3]
  • Wah solo: Kirk Hammett said the lead break's lick is from Heart's Magic Man, taken from an Ice-T sample. (on this song)[2]
  • Kirk Hammett said he used two album guitars, a Strat-style ESP with two EMGs and an '89 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe with two EMGs. (on the album Metallica)[4]

Questions

What amp did James Hetfield use on Enter Sandman?

The sources on this page document James Hetfield's gear on Enter Sandman by Metallica: guitar, ESP Explorer [4]; pickup, EMGs [4]; amp, Mesa/Boogie Mark II [1]. Each value cites the numbered source it comes from, listed at the foot of the page.

What are the Enter Sandman settings on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3?

For the Enter Sandman guitar tone on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3, set Amp Type Brown, Gain 6.5, Volume 5.5, Bass 6, Middle 3.5, Treble 6.5, Booster 0, Mod 0, FX 0, Delay 0, Reverb Color Green, Reverb 1; on the electric guitar with two humbuckers, Pickup Selector Bridge, Volume 10, Tone 8. Set Master and Power Control to your room. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.

What are the Enter Sandman settings on a Positive Grid Spark 40?

For the Enter Sandman guitar tone on a Positive Grid Spark 40, set Amp Type Hi-Gain, Gain 7, Bass 6, Mid 4.5, Treble 6.5, Mod 0, Delay 0, Reverb 0, App Amp Model American High Gain; on the electric guitar with two humbuckers, Pickup Selector Bridge, Volume 10, Tone 7.5. Set Master and Output to your room. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.

What are the Enter Sandman settings on a Fender Mustang LT25?

For the Enter Sandman guitar tone on a Fender Mustang LT25, set Amp Model 90S ROCK, Gain 6.5, Volume 6.5, Treble 6.5, Bass 6, Middle 3.5, Stomp None, Mod None, Delay None, Reverb None; on the electric guitar with two humbuckers, Pickup Selector Bridge, Volume 10, Tone 8. Set Master to your room. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.

What tuning is Enter Sandman in?

Enter Sandman by Metallica is played in E standard, according to the cited source [1]. Tune to it before you set the amp, or the riff will not sit right against the record.

Can I get the Enter Sandman tone on my own amp?

Yes. The settings above cover 3 reference amps and any amp with the basic controls. For your exact rig, KnobMaster, an iPhone app, sets every knob of your own amp, guitar and pedals for Enter Sandman, using only the controls your gear has.

Get it for your exact rig

KnobMaster sets every knob of your own amp, guitar and pedals for this song.

Download KnobMaster on the App Store