🎸 Thrash Metal · 1980s

Orion by Metallica (Riff · Bass) — Guitar Tone

by Metallica · riff

The Orion by Metallica guitar tone is built on a Ampeg SVT, dialed in at gain 4/10, bass 6, mid 6, treble 6, presence 5 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

🎛️ These settings are for the original rig — re-dial them for YOUR amp in 10 seconds. Free, no signup →

Amp settings (0–10)

GAIN

BASS

MID

TREBLE

PRESENCE

REVERB

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 284 metal tones in our researched catalog: Gain 4 sits well below the metal average (7.3) — cleaner and more dynamic than typical metal; mids at 6 are right around average (5.2).

Original gear

Guitar: Rickenbacker / Aria · Amp: Ampeg SVT

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ wah songs & tones →🎚️ Rickenbacker songs & tones →

Don’t own this gear? GuitarToneAdapt re-creates the sound on the rig you actually have.

Pickups

both pickups

Signal chain

Rickenbacker / Aria → wah → distortion → Ampeg SVT

Tone character

Melodic, singing metal bass with grind and a lead-guitar sensibility — Cliff's signature distorted lyricism.

Worth knowing

These are bass amp settings (gain here = drive/grind); adapt to your bass amp and the mix by ear. Fingerstyle vs pick vs slap changes the tone as much as the EQ.

⚡ Same tone, YOUR gear — re-dials the gain & EQ for your amp and pickups, free →

🎸 All Orion guitar tones — every part & section →

🎧 Can you guess the tone?

Recognise famous songs from just the amp dials — a quick 10-round game. Beat your friends. Play free →

🎸 Which guitar legend is your tone twin? Take the quiz & share your result →

Orion guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Orion guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 4, bass 6, mid 6, treble 6, presence 5, reverb 1. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Orion tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Rickenbacker / Aria · Amp: Ampeg SVT.

Can I get the Orion tone on a different guitar or amp?

Yes. Different guitars and amps need different knob positions to sound the same. GuitarToneAdapt models pickup output and wood brightness, then compensates so you match the record on your own rig.

How do I sound like Metallica on Orion — what gear and pedals?

Start with both pickups, the amp EQ above (gain 4, bass 6, mid 6, treble 6, presence 5, reverb 1). Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

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Free practice tools

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🔥 The most famous guitar tones of all time → · 🗂️ Browse tone collections (by genre & language) →

Songs by level: 🎯 Easy · 🎸 Intermediate · 🔥 Hardest — each with the amp settings.

More like this

🎸 How to get Metallica’s guitar tone → · 🎸 more Thrash Metal guitar tones → · 🎚️ Ampeg settings → · 🎛️ best metal amp settings → · 🎸 more iconic guitar riffs → · 📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

Settings are community-researched estimates, not official. GuitarToneAdapt adapts them to your gear. guitartoneadapt.com