Greg Fidelman has developed a close working relationship with Metallica that saw him co-producing their latest album 72 Seasons with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, as well as its two predecessors, Hardwired… To Self Destruct. In a two-hour chat with Dave Friedman and Marc Huzansky on their Tone-Talk podcast, he lifted the lid on the way Hetfield tended to work with him on guitar tones in the studio.
"With a player like James, when you get someone who is that in-tune with what they're doing and what they're trying to sound like… he's pretty particular," remarked Fidelman of Hetfield's nose for the tube amp tones he likes. "If it gets mushy at all, he's out… I often want to put more gain [on] than he likes. Same thing with Kirk. They both [say], 'It's getting a little too dirty'… so it's always a back and forth.
