Tone library / Metallica / Enter sandman

Enter sandman amp settings — NUX MG-30

The Metallica guitar tone for “Enter sandman”, dialed in for a NUX MG-30 with a Gibson Flying V. Studio version, Metallica / The Black Album (1991) — iconic heavy rhythm riff

Original rig

ESP MX-250 (EMG 81) into blended Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC++ and Jose-modded Marshall JCM800 2203 with Aphex parametric EQ

Massive, tight, percussive high-gain rhythm crunch with deeply scooped 800Hz-1.2kHz midrange and razor-sharp palm-mute attack

Amp settings — NUX MG-30

CHANNELCALI V (Mesa Mark V Lead) amp model + 4x12 V30 IRBRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	6
Mid	3
Treble	7
Presence	6
Reverb	2
Master	7

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Gate Block (Noise Gate)

Essential in front to tighten aggressive palm-mute stops

Threshold 6 · Decay 2

02RC Boost / Drive Block (TS-style clean boost)

Tightens low-end flub before the high-gain preamp

Drive 1 · Tone 6 · Level 8

03EQ Block (10-Band Graphic EQ)

Placed after amp model to replicate the classic Mesa 'V-curve' graphic EQ

800Hz 2 · 1.6kHz 3 · 3.2kHz 7

Why these settings

The passive Flying V humbuckers need the onboard drive block configured as a clean boost to emulate the tight, compressed attack of Hetfield's active EMG 81s. Dialing a pronounced mid-cut on both the amp model and post-amp EQ block recreates the iconic Mark IIC+ 5-band graphic V-curve. Treble and presence are pushed slightly to match the Jose-modded Marshall upper-mid bite present in the album blend. Clean intro: bypass the drive block, switch to a twin clean model with chorus.

PRO TIPAnchor your pick hand flat and heavy against the bridge saddles to get that ultra-percussive 'thwack' on the low E string, and pick strictly with aggressive downstrokes on all chugging rhythm figures.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a NUX MG-30. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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