One amp settings — Harley benton HB-40R
The Metalica guitar tone for “One”, dialed in for a Harley benton HB-40R with a Harley benton Rx10 bk. Studio version, ...And Justice for All (1988) — heavy rhythm machine-gun breakdown riff
ESP MX-220 / Explorer with EMG 81/60 active humbuckers into Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC++ (Lead channel, V-scooped 5-band graphic EQ) into Marshall 1960B 4x12 cab; clean intro used Roland JC-120
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 8 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 2 |
| Treble | 8 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 5 |
01Boss DS-1 or Ibanez TS9 / EQ pedal
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; a graphic EQ or tight overdrive pedal will tighten the solid-state low end
The Harley Benton HB-40R is a 40W solid-state combo with a shared 3-band EQ (no presence knob), so we push the Overdrive channel gain to 8 to approximate the saturation of Hetfield's modded Mesa Mark IIC++. We scoop the mid knob down to 2 and elevate treble to 8 to replicate the classic 'V-curve' graphic EQ from the record while keeping bass at 6 to prevent the 10-inch speaker from farting out on palm mutes. Clean intro: switch to the Clean channel, roll guitar volume to 7 on the neck pickup, and add spring reverb to 4.
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These settings are for a Harley benton HB-40R. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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