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Metallica - The Frayed Ends of Sanity - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Metallica - The Frayed Ends of Sanity guitar lesson video
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...And Justice for All (Remastered Deluxe Box Set) album cover
...And Justice for All (Remastered Deluxe Box Set)
1988 7:43
Listen on Spotify
Metallica Thrash Metal 1988 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About The Frayed Ends of Sanity

Few tracks on "...And Justice for All" demand as much right-hand stamina as this one. Running at 120 BPM in Eb Standard, "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" opens with a chanted intro before locking into one of the album's most relentless rhythm guitar workouts. The riff vocabulary here sits firmly in Thrash Metal, leaning on tight, palm-muted downpicking across low strings, and keeping that clean without losing punch is the real challenge. Tuning down to Eb adds a slight looseness to the strings, so your pick attack and muting hand need to compensate to keep each note defined. Metallica layer rhythmic complexity into the mid-song riff changes, and the transitions between them can catch you off guard at speed. Use the Practice Toolbar to isolate those riff shifts and loop them slowed down until the movement between positions feels automatic before bringing it back up to tempo.

  • The song runs in Eb Standard tuning, dropping every string a half step and giving the low-end riffs a heavier, slightly looser feel.
  • Tight palm-muted downpicking at 120 BPM is the core technique demand, and maintaining clarity and consistency across a long song is the real endurance test.
  • The mid-song riff transitions change feel and rhythm abruptly, so looping those sections with the Practice Toolbar at reduced speed is the most effective way to drill them.

How to Play The Frayed Ends of Sanity

Tuning: Eb Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 120 BPM

It is played in Eb standard, a half step down, so tune down before you start or every position and bend will sit a half step sharp against the recording.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 120 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Kirk Hammett's vintage 1959 'Greeny' Les Paul Standard delivers warmer, more dynamic PAF-style tones that contrast his EMG-equipped ESP guitars, adding organic sustain to his lead work. This guitar's traditional construction gives his solos a thicker, less compressed character than his signature models.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

While not Hammett's primary choice, the Les Paul Custom shares the Les Paul's warm PAF pickup character and thick body resonance, offering heavier players an alternative to Strat-style designs for achieving Metallica's crushing rhythm tones.

Gibson Explorer
Guitar

Gibson Explorer

James Hetfield's early Gibson Explorer established his signature angular shape and thick body tone, delivering the aggressive midrange attack essential to Metallica's crushing rhythm style before his ESP signature models became his primary tool.

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier
Amp

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

Kirk Hammett's Dual Rectifier heads provide the high-gain, midrange-forward aggression that lets his solos cut through Hetfield's scooped rhythm tone, creating definition and clarity in Metallica's dense wall of distortion.

EMG 81
Pickup

EMG 81

Hetfield's bridge EMG 81 delivers the hot, compressed output with tight low-end that defines Metallica's palm-muted riffs, the ceramic magnet and active preamp cutting through heavy arrangements with focused, aggressive attack.

EMG 60
Pickup

EMG 60

Both guitarists use the neck EMG 60 for warmer, more articulate rhythm tones and smoother lead voicings, balancing the 81's aggression with clearer note definition across Metallica's dense arrangements.

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