Metallica sounded best using Marshall?

VESmedic said:
Wizard was garage inc , along with a recto and a bunch of other amps, but the wizard is the sound on that. The thing about Metallica, no matter what you read here or anywhere, there is tons and tons of amps in the studio with them, tons of pics of other amps that never get mentioned and their use ( Larry amps, VHT amps in black album photos etc). While there is quite a bit of documentation on the earlier albums ( ride the lightning and puppets specifically), AJFA and the black album are still quite a mystery on exactly what was used . I’ve seen pictures of mark 3’s in tons of AJFA recording pics: and quite honestly to me, AJFA and the black album sound much more like a mark 3 than a IV or a 2C+, that’s my opinion take it or leave it. How tracks were blended, what was used on overdubs etc, it’s just not all clear. And then let’s not forget the mixing, especially on the black album, it’s just incredible production all the way around.
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Larry has a bunch of cool pictures on his Facebook of Kirk and James using his amps during that black album era IIRC
 
I've come to realize after many years of being a Metallica fan that I think my "favorite member" of the band has always been the 5th member, the producer. Well, two in particular.

Flemming and Bob were some of the biggest reasons I thought Metallica was so good. RtL, MoP, Justice, The Black Album, Load, Garage Inc. They're all absolutely massive sounding. They're by far Metallica's best sounding records and they wouldn't be anything close to what they are without either of those guys making them sound like they did, and pushing the best performances out of the band.

By contrast I'm not a fan of the way the rest of the discography sounds at all. Kill em All has a neat vibe to it but it definitely doesn't sound "good" which might have just meant it was a victim of the limited tech of the time it was recorded. However, Death Magnetic and Hardwired have no excuse. They just sound bad to me. The guitars have never sounded thinner or more anemic than on the latest records, and James's voice sounds way too direct, dry, and raw (not emotionally raw, but raw sounding, microphone-wise), like he's singing into a karaoke mic or something, and really just lacks the depth it had on the other records, and I think it really hurts the vibe of the music. It definitely emphasizes how important good producers really are.
 
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Ride the lighting is still the one of the scariest evilest songs I’ve ever heard, bar none. Going a step and a half up during the pre chorus to F# ( Who made you god to say, wakened by a horrid scream etc) is just so evil to me, and creates, for me, one of the most profound and nostalgic sections of musical tension I have ever heard: something that has stuck with me since I was a kid. Marshall’s, boogies, pignose, whatever: great phrasing and songwriting will always sound great, no matter what it is being played through. The black album would’ve never sounded as good if the songs weren’t as good, same with ride the lightning etc: our brain plays a huge trick on us with this.
 
Here you guys go. I found this pic a couple years ago. A Mark III green or late blue stripe in James's Crunchberries shell.
 

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TheGreatGreen said:
I've come to realize after many years of being a Metallica fan that I think my "favorite member" of the band has always been the 5th member, the producer. Well, two in particular.

Flemming and Bob were some of the biggest reasons I thought Metallica was so good. RtL, MoP, Justice, The Black Album, Load, Garage Inc. They're all absolutely massive sounding. They're by far Metallica's best sounding records and they wouldn't be anything close to what they are without either of those guys making them sound like they did, and pushing the best performances out of the band.

By contrast I'm not a fan of the way the rest of the discography sounds at all. Kill em All has a neat vibe to it but it definitely doesn't sound "good" which might have just meant it was a victim of the limited tech of the time it was recorded. However, Death Magnetic and Hardwired have no excuse. They just sound bad to me. The guitars have never sounded thinner or more anemic than on the latest records, and James's voice sounds way too direct, dry, and raw (not emotionally raw, but raw sounding, microphone-wise), like he's singing into a karaoke mic or something, and really just lacks the depth it had on the other records, and I think it really hurts the vibe of the music. It definitely emphasizes how important good producers really are.
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I agree about last two albums . The tone is just not as big as before .
 
Well there you go, I haven't seen that shot before.

The pic from the puppets session has the settings written on what appears to be black tape not the tolex, or are my eyes playing tricks on me?
The distance from the last number 4 to the words "Live Settings" appears a little greater between the two.
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A shot from the HWTSD sessions has no settings written on the headshell so he must have wiped it, or taken the tape off at some point or it's a newer headshell?
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GJgo said:
Here you guys go. I found this pic a couple years ago. A Mark III green or late blue stripe in James's Crunchberries shell.
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Don’t believe everything you see on the internet 😏
I can guarantee that is not James’s Crunchberries head shell. That is probably just a fanboy trying to replicate James’s amp.

The settings on Crunchberries is not written on the tolex, it’s written on a strip of black tape.

Also, the letters in the Mesa/Boogie logo has been covered up, so it says “Me Boo”. Has been that way since at least 1988. Making it very unlikely to be a Mark III blue or green stripe with the darker GEQ.
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This is an easy one. The fake pic is a Mark III. Over the mid knob it says pull rhythm 2. Original IIC+(+) are blank above the mid knob. The real pics are blank.
 
Definitely have to admit, my interest in Wizard amps is half fueled by the Garage Inc tones James got, PLUS the Reload album tones are straight up Wizard for sure. Not sure the specific % but "that" sound is there in the dna, fkn perfect.
 
I really dig the sound they got for the whole band on their Discharge cover, The More I See. Think it's on Garage 2.
 
I think there is so much going on in "Sad But True" on the recording, that it would be hard to reproduce that live. Thick, stacked, tone.

Alot of times we all discuss rhythm tones on this albums but the lead tones were sweet on RTL and MOP. I still remember hearing the solo during the slow part in MOP for the first time. Gave me chills. Same for that into solo on "Fade to Black".

I still think "Holier Than Thou" is one of the most underrated songs ever and the tone kills on that one as well.
 
Speeddemon said:
Well... the band you love to hate kinda went there...:sneaky:
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Dear god, I think everything about this Nickle version is better, especially the vocals lol
Once James blew his voice out and went pop rock, it's really a mesmerizing miracle they succeeded. He sucks at that IMO. James vocal wheelhouse is screaming until your vocal chords collapse when you're all whiskeyed up
 
crankyrayhanky said:
Dear god, I think everything about this Nickle version is better, especially the vocals lol
Once James blew his voice out and went pop rock, it's really a mesmerizing miracle they succeeded. He sucks at that IMO. James vocal wheelhouse is screaming until your vocal chords collapse when you're all whiskeyed up
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It’s so weird because they’re original music just blows and is obvious cash grab corporatism but they are very talented musicians and do fantastic covers. They do a great version of Sharp Dressed Man as well. If only they had some conviction to be a truly original heavy, hard rocking band they could have been amazing.
 
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