In what tuning is Metallica's “Sad but True” performed?

Metallica's Sad but True is performed in D standard tuning. The tuning lowers every string from standard tuning by a whole step, giving the song its unusually deep and heavy guitar sound.

The song was originally written and demoed in E standard. During pre-production, producer Bob Rock pointed out that the band could tune lower, and Metallica adopted D standard for the recording. That change helped make the central riff feel larger and more forceful.

Lars Ulrich has said the initial idea for Sad but True dated back to 1986, during the era associated with Master of Puppets. The finished song appeared years later on Metallica, released in 1991, and became the record's fifth and final commercial single in 1993.

D standard is often confused with Drop D. In D standard, all six strings are lowered; in Drop D, only the lowest string is lowered from ordinary standard tuning. That distinction makes D standard the precise answer for this track.