Orion (Metallica) guitar tone and amp settings
Orion guitar tone on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3: Brown amp type, high gain (Gain 7), scooped mids (Middle 3.5), bright top (Treble 6.5), bridge pickup.
Settings for your amp
The song has distinct sounds: Interlude, Distorted solo. Each rig below lists what to change for them.
Orion settings on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3
BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3 settings for every songThese settings play the interlude.
AmpBOSS Katana 50 Gen 3
GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers
The same settings in text
Amp
- Variation
- Off
- Amp Type
- Brown
- Gain
- 7
- Volume
- 6
- Bass
- 5
- 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
Orion settings on a Positive Grid Spark 40
Positive Grid Spark 40 settings for every songThese settings play the interlude.
AmpPositive Grid Spark 40
GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers
The same settings in text
Amp
- Amp Type
- Metal
- Gain
- 6.5
- Bass
- 5
- Mid
- 4.5
- Treble
- 6
- Master
- Set to your room
- Mod
- 0
- Delay
- 0
- Reverb
- 1.5
- Output
- Set to your room
- App Amp Model
- Treadplate
- App Drive
- Off
- App Comp/Wah
- Off
- App Mod/EQ
- Off
- App Delay
- Off
- App Reverb
- Room Studio A
Electric guitar with two humbuckers
- Pickup Selector
- Bridge
- Volume
- 10
- Tone
- 7.5
Orion settings on a Fender Mustang LT25
Fender Mustang LT25 settings for every songThese settings play the interlude.
AmpFender Mustang LT25
GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers
The same settings in text
Amp
- Amp Model
- 90S ROCK
- Gain
- 6.5
- Volume
- 5.5
- Treble
- 6.5
- Bass
- 4.5
- Middle
- 4.5
- Master
- Set to your room
- Stomp
- None
- Mod
- None
- Delay
- None
- Reverb
- None
Electric guitar with two humbuckers
- Pickup Selector
- Bridge
- Volume
- 10
- Tone
- 7
Orion settings on any amp with Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble
These settings play the interlude.
Amp
GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers
The same settings in text
Amp
- Gain
- 7.5
- Bass
- 5
- Mid
- 3.5
- Treble
- 7.5
Electric guitar with two humbuckers
- Pickup Selector
- Bridge
- Volume
- 10
- Tone
- 8
Add a Tube Screamer-style boost and wah pedal for closer tones.
Song parts
BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3
Distorted solo:
FX Color Red, FX 4
.Sweep the built-in touch-wah through the lead phrases.
Song parts
Positive Grid Spark 40
Distorted solo:
App Drive Over Drive, App Comp/Wah Auto Wah
.Use the auto-wah sparingly on the lead phrases.
Song parts
Fender Mustang LT25
Distorted solo:
Stomp BLUES DRIVE, Mod TOUCH WAH
.Engage the wah and push the lead bends
Song parts
Any amp with Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble
Distorted solo:
Tone 6
.Roll tone back for a darker, vocal-like lead.
Why it sounds like that
Orion's middle section began on Cliff Burton's bass. The guitars enter almost a minute in, and Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield played the harmony parts on the record. Burton first wanted all the harmonies on bass, but that would have sounded like a solo, so the band built a guitar-bass arrangement with two-part guitars and plenty of bends over the bass line. On the album, each guitar was recorded in full stereo. Hetfield's sound came from a white Gibson Explorer into a Mesa/Boogie Mark II C+ rewired as a preamp. Hammett played a Gibson Flying V with Mesa Boogie Mk IIC+ heads, an Ibanez Tube Screamer and a Dunlop Cry Baby.
- Work the harmony lines out on guitar first, as Cliff Burton did for the middle section.
- Lay two-part guitar harmonies over the bass line and use plenty of bends.
What amp did Kirk Hammett use on Orion?
Kirk Hammett
Player not named
- Amp
- Mesa/Boogie Mark II C+[5]
- Kirk Hammett said he and James Hetfield played the harmony parts on the record. (on this song)[1]
- Kirk Hammett said James Hetfield played the harmony parts on the record alongside him. (on this song)[1]
- Kirk Hammett said an all-bass version of the harmonies would have sounded like a solo, so the band built a guitar-bass arrangement for the album. (on this song)[1]
- Kirk Hammett said Cliff Burton wrote the middle section on bass and worked out its harmony parts on guitar. (on this song)[1]
- Gitarre & Bass reports that the guitars come in almost a minute into Orion. (on this song)[2]
- Gitarre & Bass reports that two-part guitars laid over Burton's bass change make extensive use of bends. (on this song)[2]
- Rasmussen said each guitar on Master of Puppets was recorded in full stereo. (on the album Master of Puppets)[3]
- MusicRadar reports Hetfield played a white Gibson Explorer with standard ceramic humbuckers for much of the album. (on the album Master of Puppets)[4]
- Vintage Guitar reports Hetfield favoured a Jackson V and a Gibson Explorer on the album. (on the album Master of Puppets)[5]
- Accounts differ: Guitar World quotes Rasmussen saying the main guitars started on James’s Explorer, while MusicRadar quotes him saying they started on James’s Firebird. (on the album Master of Puppets)[6][4]
- MusicRadar reports Hetfield's distortion came from a Mesa/Boogie Mark II C+ rewired as a preamp and a 100-watt Marshall power amp with 4x12 cabs. (on the album Master of Puppets)[4]
- Vintage Guitar reports Hetfield and Hammett both played Mesa Boogie Mk IIC+ heads, sometimes as preamps, into Marshall cabinets with 65-watt speakers. (on the album Master of Puppets)[5]
- Vintage Guitar reports Hammett played a '74 Flying V, an '85 Jackson Rhoads and a Fernandes superstrat with EMG pickups on the album. (on the album Master of Puppets)[5]
- MusicRadar reports Hammett fell back on his old guitars on the album, including a Gibson Flying V (either a '74 or a '78) and a Fernandes Strat copy with a Floyd Rose. (on the album Master of Puppets)[4]
- MusicRadar reports Hammett favoured an Ibanez Tube Screamer and a Dunlop Cry Baby on lead guitar for the album. (on the album Master of Puppets)[4]
- Hammett said most of Master of Puppets was tracked with Boogie heads and Marshall heads combined. (on the album Master of Puppets)[4]
- Rasmussen said the amps were boosted quite a bit, so much of the distortion came from the amp. (on the album Master of Puppets)[4]
Questions
What amp did Kirk Hammett use on Orion?
The sources on this page document Kirk Hammett's gear on Orion by Metallica: guitar, Gibson Flying V [5]; amp, Mesa Boogie Mk IIC+ heads [4]; effects, Ibanez Tube Screamer [4], Dunlop Cry Baby [4]. Each value cites the numbered source it comes from, listed at the foot of the page.
What are the Orion settings on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3?
For the Orion guitar tone on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3, set Amp Type Brown, Gain 7, Volume 6, Bass 5, 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. These settings play the interlude. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.
What are the Orion settings on a Positive Grid Spark 40?
For the Orion guitar tone on a Positive Grid Spark 40, set Amp Type Metal, Gain 6.5, Bass 5, Mid 4.5, Treble 6, Mod 0, Delay 0, Reverb 1.5, App Amp Model Treadplate, App Reverb Room Studio A; on the electric guitar with two humbuckers, Pickup Selector Bridge, Volume 10, Tone 7.5. Set Master and Output to your room. These settings play the interlude. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.
What are the Orion settings on a Fender Mustang LT25?
For the Orion guitar tone on a Fender Mustang LT25, set Amp Model 90S ROCK, Gain 6.5, Volume 5.5, Treble 6.5, Bass 4.5, Middle 4.5, Stomp None, Mod None, Delay None, Reverb None; on the electric guitar with two humbuckers, Pickup Selector Bridge, Volume 10, Tone 7. Set Master to your room. These settings play the interlude. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.
Can I get the Orion 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 Orion, 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