Stories of legendary and iconic amps used by artists on popular studio albums go back to the earliest days of rock music. Eddie Van Halen‘s Marshall Super Lead, the modded S.I.R. Marshall used by Slash with Guns N’ Roses, and one near and dear to our hearts here at Metallica Gear History and Analysis - the Mesa Mark IIC+ “Crunchberries” and James Hetfield. Sometimes the amp itself achieves a mythical status independent of the artist that used it.
While James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett have amassed an excessively large collection of gear throughout the years, there is one amp - not owned by the band - that has helped shape the foundation of some of their most iconic tones: the “Asshole Marshall.”
In this Gear Spotlight, we’ll discuss what the Asshole Marshall is, how it’s related to the band, and how it helped shape the Metallica sound of the 1990s.
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THE HISTORY
Back in 1989, producer Bob Rock was in Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Canada tracking a new album - Dr. Feelgood - with Sunset Strip favorites Motley Crue. It was his first album with the band, as well as his first time working with guitarist Mick Mars.
As guitar tracking commenced, one amp in particular stood out - a late 1973 Marshall Super Lead (1959, 100W) head unit owned by Mars that was rather unique. The amp, responsible for a lion’s share of the guitar tone on Dr. Feelgood, was modded by legendary tech Jose Arredondo.
This particular amp had a basic “3-in-1” mod, as noted by Jose amp “historian” Dave Friedman of Friedman Amps. It is a relatively low gain affair by modern standards, with an extra tube gain stage added in front of a stock Super Lead circuit using a post-EQ master volume. It contains no clipping diodes and retains an all-tube signal path with circuit tweaks individualized for Mars.
Bob Rock, a self-proclaimed “collector of tones,” was impressed by the sound and wanted to have a similar amp in his own collection. This was common for Rock, who routinely bought copies of amps and rigs that mirrored the gear used on albums he produced. He acquired Arredondo’s contact information from Mars and set out to have an amp modded in the near future.
Bob, never shying away from encouraging others to buy and collect gear, would subsequently push Hetfield and Hammett to acquire Jose modded amps of their own as production was starting on Metallica (Black Album). This is a trend that continued all throughout the 1990s, with Hetfield and Hammett amassing large vintage guitar and amplifier collections as a result. When production started on Metallica (Black Album), all three of them sought out a new Jose modded Marshall to call their own.
The Jose Modded Marshalls
Bob, James, and Kirk all requested an amp that suited their desired tastes and playing style. Bob was a vintage tone stylist at heart, preferring the sound of the cranked Marshalls of yesteryear. His direction for Jose shied away from the ultra gain, super bright tones of the era. Instead, he asked for a mod that was not overly “gained up,” with a warm sound and midrange character.
As tracking for Metallica (Black Album) commenced, Bob and James took possession of their newly modded amps. Kirk, however, was still in queue and awaiting his. Jose had fallen ill by this time, and the modifications had started to take progressively longer.
Jose passed away peacefully in September 1994, leaving behind 100s of amps that were never returned to their owners which were sent to him for maintenance or modifications. Hammett would never receive his Marshall. Hetfield was never satisfied with the tone of his amp, believing Bob’s Marshall was superior sounding.
THE ALBUMS
With Kirk never receiving his modded Marshall and James believing his amp to be less than adequate, this opened the door for Bob’s Jose Marshall to take center stage.
Metallica (Black Album)
After acquiring the modded Marshalls just prior to tracking for the album, Metallica (Black Album) would be the first album featuring the Asshole Marshall, as well as how it acquired its distinctive name.
During the tracking of the album, the Asshole Marshall was the only additional amp used in conjunction with a 1985 Mesa Boogie Mark IIC++ for the heavy rhythm sound. The amp would also be used by Kirk as part of the lead tone on the album.
The Marshall sat behind James in the control room as he recorded, with Bob manning the board and punching in. Over the course of 3 months, Hetfield slowly used a combination of duct tape and whiteout to alter the logo on the amp from saying “Marshall” to “Asshole.” To this day, Bob has kept his “custom artwork” by James on the amp. Hence, the Asshole Marshall was born.
Load
When Metallica hit the studio for their highly anticipated (and long awaited) follow-up to Metallica (Black Album), James and Kirk’s taste in guitar tone had continued to evolve and incorporate more midrange. Although the Mesa Boogie gear continued to dominate the foundation of the sound, the Asshole Marshall played a prominent role on the album.
Reload
After heading back into the studio to complete the tracks that would become 1997’s companion album to Load, the Reload album saw James and Kirk continue to use the Asshole Marshall as a primary source of tone and inspiration alongside the Boogie gear.
Garage, Inc.
At the conclusion of the touring cycle for Reload, the band immediately returned to the studio for a whirlwind session, recording brand new cover songs in record time as a part of 1998’s Garage Inc album. The quick pace of the session left minimal time for experimentation on guitar, leaving James and Kirk to rely on a minimalist setup compared to prior albums. One of the amps used in that session was the Asshole Marshall.
St. Anger
The final album featuring Bob Rock was also the final album featuring the Asshole Marshall. Although the amp saw studio use, this era marks the beginning of James and Kirk using a far more diverse array of amps in the studio. This diversity left the Asshole Marshall with a much smaller role than on prior albums.
Although not an amp owned by the band, the Asshole Marshall undoubtedly had a heavy hand in helping shape the foundation of “the Metallica sound“ consistently for nearly 13 years, providing balance and contrast to the bright and scooped midrange sounds that James and Kirk dialed in on the Mesa Boogie amps.
If there are aspects of Asshole Marshall not covered here that you’re curious about, please leave a comment or send a message. We can edit the article to include additional information if there is a demand for it.
Also, please check out our other articles for a detailed analysis on other Metallica gear, album breakdowns, and more. Thanks for reading!