How James Hetfield Gets The Modern Metallica Guitar Tone! [Part 2 of 3]

Part 2 of 3! THIS is your quick start guide on How James Hetfield Gets His Iconic Metallica Guitar Tone - and how you can too!

🎵 PART 2: 2003–Present Day | From St. Anger to 72 Seasons and beyond.

🎞 Watch Part 1 here!
   • How James Hetfield Gets That Iconic Metall...  

🎞 Watch Part 3 here!
   • How To Dial In A Guitar Tone Like James He...  

James Hetfield’s rhythm tone continues to define an entire generation of heavy music - and in Part 2 of this deep dive, I’m breaking down exactly how that sound evolved between 2003 and present day 2025. From the raw genre bending back-to-the-garage feel of St. Anger, to their current evolution which continues to draw inspiration from their thrash roots while still carving out something new - this video explores the gear, the technique, and the mindset that made it all iconic.

📌 Part 3 Coming Soon!:
Subscribe to catch Part 3, where I'll put it all together using the gear I've got and we'll see how close I can get!

⚡ LINKS:
‪@metallica‬
‪@mesaboogie‬
‪@marshall‬
‪@gibsonguitar‬
‪@gibson‬
‪@espguitarsusa‬
‪@ESPGuitarsJP‬
‪@UniversalAudio‬
‪@rolandglobal‬
‪@fractalaudiosystems‬
‪@NeuralDSP‬

📚CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:57 - Thank you for watching! / Part 1 additional details
03:11 - Picking technique & picks
07:23 - Pickups
09:45 - Guitars in the modern era
10:38 - The heavy /distorted amplifiers
13:01 - The role of amp profilers / amp sims
14:15 - Clean amps and cabinets + speakers
15:10 - Effects
16:10 - Recording signal chain
19:50 - How Rob Trujillo's bass playing impacts his layering and tone
21:00 - Putting it all together
25:15 - Final thoughts / Outro

💬 Let's chat:
•What do you think about the current era of James Hetfield's tone??
•Are you trying to recreate his sound with amp sims, real amps, or something in-between?
•What other tones should I break down next?
Drop it all in the comments, I read every one!

🛒 Stuff in the video:
MY FAVORITE SPEAKERS! Barefoot Footprints: https://amzn.to/4dtPxGO

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🌐 Let's connect!:
http://braddollar.com
TikTok: @bradkdollar
IG: @bradkdollar
Listen to the music in the videos:
Brad $ (https://open.spotify.com/track/33w5Wa...)
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Hey there! I'm Brad Dollar and I love making music with people.

My goal: Help as many people as possible elevate their process, their music and their relationships with listeners worldwide.

Thanks so much for watching! Seriously, it means a ton.

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[The Secret Behind James Hetfield’s Guitar Tone
How to Get James Hetfield Guitar Tone at Home]