Metallica Load/Reload Guitar Tones

[msrecprod]

Anyone here have any info on what amps, guitars, etc Metallica was using on those records?

[cap217]

There was the Metallica guitar mag that had a section dedicated to guitars, amps, mics, etc

[CorkyTart]

Reload is a scam in the respect that they recorded reload knowing it would turn into reload and passed it off as a favor to the fans. Pretty good idea actually...

[cfjis]

I may have that guitar mag that has all the amp and guitar stuff somewhere... I'll look around if I get a chance.

If I remember correctly, they used a TON of different amps (especially old, esoteric ones)... many times in combination. They were trying to get away from the standard Metallica guitar setup. So, it may be a question of what didn't they use...
Kirk used the Roland VG-8 (I think that was the model) a lot...

And, I can tell you that Unforgiven II has a b-bender Tele, and Ronnie has a Tele on it, too.
(pretty obvious when you listen)

Cheers,
CJ

[msrecprod]

There tone was deff. different on those records, but I just love it, it's not a real heavy guitar tone, but it's not classic rock either. If anyone has the link to that artical it would be great.

[aetucker1]

Not sure if they used them for this album, but i know that they love the Mesa Mark IIC amps and will buy one whenever they can get their hands on a good one. I am not sure they used them on that album, but my guess would be either the IIC or the Mark IV.

[allencollins]

Whatever they used..... They should have used something else
Whimpy gtr sound on that disk.

I think Poisen and Warrant had heavier gtrs than that

[heyman]

"Whatever they used..... They should have used something else
Whimpy gtr sound on that disk.

I think Poisen and Warrant had heavier gtrs than that"


I knew this answer was coming.. Stick to the topic instead of raggin on them. Your responses really are getting old. fuuck

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To answer the first question, I think they were using Line 6 stuff as well, along with some marshalls.

[rockcamaro97]

Originally Posted by aetucker1

Not sure if they used them for this album, but i know that they love the Mesa Mark IIC amps and will buy one whenever they can get their hands on a good one.

A guy i worked with live, in a band called Daybreak Ends from LA has a IIC that Kirk offered him 2000$ for in LA where he bought it from. Needless to say he kept it. He runs a IIC and a dual rec in stereo and it sounds AMAZING!.

From what i remember about that article they used the IIC's with hotrodded gibsons in this era, but not shure if they used them in the studio. Hetfield also has been known to use a dual rec and JCM 800 i beleive.

Matt

[wildstar]

Originally Posted by heyman

I knew this answer was coming.. Stick to the topic instead of raggin on them. Your responses really are getting old. fuuck

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To answer the first question, I think they were using Line 6 stuff as well, along with some marshalls.

Try the Ignore function. It's worked wonders for my overall stress/anger level. It makes those infuriating and/or irritating members go "POOF". Gone. Wonderful thing, truly.

Anyways, back to the topic: I just watched "Some Kind of Monster", and James and Kirk had all kinds of gear in the studio. Did they have a completely different set up between Load and St Anger? If not, the film gives a few good hints as to what they used. For example, Kirk has all of the Line 6 4-button modeler boxes. And used a couple of gorgeous Les Pauls.

And I hate to admit it, but the sound of St Anger is growing on me. I kind of like it...

[cfjis]

Originally Posted by wildstar

Try the Ignore function. It's worked wonders for my overall stress/anger level. It makes those infuriating and/or irritating members go "POOF". Gone. Wonderful thing, truly.

Anyways, back to the topic: I just watched "Some Kind of Monster", and James and Kirk had all kinds of gear in the studio. Did they have a completely different set up between Load and St Anger? If not, the film gives a few good hints as to what they used. For example, Kirk has all of the Line 6 4-button modeler boxes. And used a couple of gorgeous Les Pauls.

And I hate to admit it, but the sound of St Anger is growing on me. I kind of like it...

Yeah... they started experimenting with their tones on Load, and I think the mentality carried over to St. Anger. Lots of different amps on St. Anger, too.

Whereas all the rhythm sounds prior to Load were very much the sound of an amp or 2 (Mesa IIc on MOP, ...AJFA and Black... and Marshalls on KEA and RTL).

I must say, the guitar sounds on St. Anger are Huuuuuge. Love it.

Cheers,
CJ

[SMC Productions]

Originally Posted by allencollins

Whatever they used..... They should have used something else
Whimpy gtr sound on that disk.

I think Poisen and Warrant had heavier gtrs than that

Wow, I have to agree....whomever in their right mind would want ANYTHING to sound like either of those albums....what a travesty of recording art...what a waste of talent...

Even 'Kill'em All' had better production....Everything up to the Black Album had better production values that either of those...

No matter what one may think about the content or direction of the Black Album, it definitely had the production values...

...but Load and Reload...wow....I've heard cheap demos done in untreated garages that sounded MUCH better! dfegad

[msrecprod]

Maybe we're lising to different versions, Load and Reload to me are there best "sounding" records. Every Metallica record before the Black album hurts my ears when I turn it up, that's not to say I don't do it anyway.

[allencollins]

Originally Posted by msrecprod

Maybe we're lising to different versions, Load and Reload to me are there best "sounding" records. Every Metallica record before the Black album hurts my ears when I turn it up, that's not to say I don't do it anyway.

It's all a matter of taste but Kill em' all has the crunchiest gtrs in History.
I just like the heavy angst version of Metallica from 82 - 88

After they sold out they had no fire no magic left. When I first heard killem all in
83 I was blown away. There was nothing like it. They were pioneers of a sound. They were years ahead of everyone else for power/thrash metal.

Now they are just like everyone else. It's sad. Whats up with that ST. Anger gtr sound? That's embarrassing

Atleast load is sonically good just sonically whimpy..............

Also If you think my posts are 'old' DONT READ THEM

[heyman]

I have seen every Metallica Concert that came to the Northeast until 1996 and the Load tour. Havent seen one since....

I knew the beginning of the end was coming after the Black album. When I saw Met in 1996 on the LOad of Shit tour, it was quite frankly embarrasing.

The way they came out in the beginning with the lights up was cool and greeted the fans, but that was about it. It was like seeing a Ringling Bros Circus show that went terribly wrong. It was more like a play with stupid pyro tricks and guys swinging from rafters..

The sound on that tour was weak and it sucked ass. I looked at my friend and said, wow, this is the end.

[allencollins]

Originally Posted by heyman

I have seen every Metallica Concert that came to the Northeast until 1996 and the Load tour. Havent seen one since....

I knew the beginning of the end was coming after the Black album. When I saw Met in 1996 on the LOad of Shit tour, it was quite frankly embarrasing.

The way they came out in the beginning with the lights up was cool and greeted the fans, but that was about it. It was like seeing a Ringling Bros Circus show that went terribly wrong. It was more like a play with stupid pyro tricks and guys swinging from rafters..

The sound on that tour was weak and it sucked ass. I looked at my friend and said, wow, this is the end.

They were great back in the day. Awesome live band. The first time I saw Them
was at the RAT in Boston in 83. I didn't even know who they were. I went to see the backup band that my best friend is in. It sounds corny but it changed my life. I tossed all my Maiden and Preist lp's out the next day. I went to see them 2 more times at the channel in Boston in 84 and 85. I met Cliff Jamez and Kirk.

The last time I went to see them play was at the opening night of the official 'Ride the Lightening Tour' They didn't play cuz Lars had an invalid passport. They would'nt let him past customs at logan. They shipped him back to Denmark
Metallica backed up W.A.S.P on the tour. I stopped buyin CD's after Puppets though I do like the Justice disk and Black although 'poppy' is really good.

what a trip

[CorkyTart]

Metallica is in a damned position. Generally people agree the the black album sounds great. However, if everything they did sounded like that, they would be told they are repeating the sos. However, since they experiment, they get their nards busted for that too. I guess being the biggest band of the generation has its drawbacks......

[Ernest Buckley]

I always admired the band. Their Load albums get slammed but there was some good stuff on Load. Re-Load on the other hand...

It took a while to get into the St. Anger sound but I actually can groove along to it. The band has never been afraid to go out on a limb which is what I admire. Sorry I have no input into their gear but I just thought I would come to their defense.

Or maybe I too should implement my ignore button as well...

[msrecprod]

It's funny, if Load and Reload would have been done in exactly the same way by another band, or by a new band, every one would have been on there jock. BUT sence it was METALLICA the METAL MONSTERS, it's suddenly not ok to put out a not so metal, HARD ROCK record.


Anyway, if anyone has any more info on the recording of these records, or the guitar sounds on the records, please speak up. Still no one has commented on what speakers and cabs were being used..............

[Digamma]

Hey,
I thought somebody would've mentioned this by now but i've read a couple times that they used modded old marshalls mostly. (Torres modded i think). Not sure what model of marshall though, or cab.
Cheers

[SMC Productions]

Originally Posted by allencollins

It's all a matter of taste but Kill em' all has the crunchiest gtrs in History.

AMEN, brother. That album was THE shit!
The production values might not be up to 'Ride' or 'Master', but it had the 'tone, feel, and SOUL' that was something special. There was NOTHING like it!
I'm embarrassed today, to even 'admit' I liked them. Again...what a WASTE of talent!

After they sold out they had no fire no magic left. When I first heard killem all in
83 I was blown away. There was nothing like it. They were pioneers of a sound. They were years ahead of everyone else for power/thrash metal.

Couldn't said it better myself.

What 'kills me' is to watch some of the old videos....the bands, and folks that they made SO much fun of, and SWORE NEVER to become like....they've actually supassed them, in total 'gheyness'....

.....it's just really, really sad...

[msrecprod]

Originally Posted by Digamma

Hey,
I thought somebody would've mentioned this by now but i've read a couple times that they used modded old marshalls mostly. (Torres modded i think). Not sure what model of marshall though, or cab.
Cheers

Well I got a Cameron Modded Marshall on the way! Sounds like if I mix that with a little Diezel I should get pretty close!

[Bat Head Sound]

I'm fairly certain that they are using older Mesa dual recs on those albums. That's what it sounds like to me anyways.

[swan]

a friend of mine assisted on those albums and a lot of the later metallica stuff, and while i have to wait to see him to get the details again, he said the guitars took a huge amount of studio time with the methodology going something like this:

record with guitar #1 through 2 different amps and even more cabs mic'd up pretty heavily

record with guitar #2 exactly the same as guitar #1, but with different amps and different guitar

record with guitar #3 with just as many different amps, but only the low strings and notes

record with guitar #4 and 5 the lead parts

REPEAT FOR BOTH GUITAR PLAYERS.


again i don't have the details, but i wasn't much interested as they haven't done much since kill em all dfegad

[CorkyTart]

How the hell did they mix that?

Originally Posted by swan

a friend of mine assisted on those albums and a lot of the later metallica stuff, and while i have to wait to see him to get the details again, he said the guitars took a huge amount of studio time with the methodology going something like this:

record with guitar #1 through 2 different amps and even more cabs mic'd up pretty heavily

record with guitar #2 exactly the same as guitar #1, but with different amps and different guitar

record with guitar #3 with just as many different amps, but only the low strings and notes

record with guitar #4 and 5 the lead parts

REPEAT FOR BOTH GUITAR PLAYERS.


again i don't have the details, but i wasn't much interested as they haven't done much since kill em all dfegad

[Lee]

Originally Posted by Bat Head Sound

I'm fairly certain that they are using older Mesa dual recs on those albums. That's what it sounds like to me anyways.

I agree, that's what it sounds like to me as well.

[Lee]

Originally Posted by SMC Productions

Even 'Kill'em All' had better production...but Load and Reload...wow....I've heard cheap demos done in untreated garages that sounded MUCH better! dfegad

okay...

[dbbubba]

I recorded and mixed a live show for both live radio (ZRock Network) and a european CD release (I wasn't credited, but who cares now?)

I still have the original DATs from the radio show mix as well as the mixes I did a few nights later in my studio. The re-mixes were what I foolishly sent them along with the 2" 14" reels.

They had Mesa Dual Rectifier heads and I promise you that the GTRs didn't sound very spectacular. The bass sound was really bad.
It was typical, run of the mill '80s metal sounding stuff and of the almost 100 bands I did the radio shows for, Metallica's sound wasn't anything spectacular at all.

I also recall them using a ratty sounding Roland JC-120 that was stereo mic'd and sitting behind the main amp stacks fpor the "clean" parts.
It could have benefited from some compression, but there it was with all of it's Roland JC-120 peaky, midrange, wank.
An Ibanez Iceman (or what-ever the GTR was that they used) into a JC-120 IS NOT a great sound.

[CorkyTart]

Interesting. I really like the gtr sound on the black album. I'm curious how many actual gtr tracks they ended up using on that.

[CrankyRayHanky]

Originally Posted by msrecprod

It's funny, if Load and Reload would have been done in exactly the same way by another band, or by a new band, every one would have been on there jock. BUT sence it was METALLICA the METAL MONSTERS, it's suddenly not ok to put out a not so metal, HARD ROCK record.
..............

I don't care what category it is: metal, hard rock, pop metal...Unforgiven is pretentiously awful and then it goes down hill