How Do I Get That “Metal” Guitar Sound?

        One of the most distinctive guitar tones out there is that “Bone Crushing” Metal sound.  There are a some surefire ways to get your guitar ready to rock with the best of them.   You can do it with just about any type of guitar but a solid body with humbucking pickups is one of the best ways to start. 
Getting started shaping your sound with a pedal.
       The first thing I associate with this sound is a lot of gain.  I would start with the gain, or amount of distortion, low and bringing it up till I get the desired amount I just go with what feels good.   The next step would be adjusting your EQ.
      A pedal that had a 3 band EQ (Bass, Mid and Treble) is one of the best ways in my opinion to get this sound.  If it has a sweep able mid that’s even better!
 

“I think having the sweep able mid is the key ingredient to this sound”

In Metal types of sounds I think of a lot of Bass and swept Mids.  Now that can be tricky because too much bass can give you a flubby, mushy sound.  Again, like the gain I would start low and bring it up until it sounds good to you. For that Metal sound I think of a Thump and Sizzle sound which means a lot of bass and treble.  I would get the Treble level set so that it is even in sound to the Bass.  Now come the mids come in and this is where it gets fun!  The guitar really lives in this range. To get that thump and sizzle we need to pull the mids out.  Next you can use the mid frequency control to find that perfect sound, use your ears on this one.  I think having the sweep able mid is the key ingredient to this sound. After finding that frequency then I would slowly bring the mid frequency up enough so that your guitar can still cut through. 
     There is a lot of way to get a good “Metal” sound but for me using a high gain pedal with a 3 band EQ with a sweepable mid control is the best and easiest way to get there.