Tone library / Metallica / Four horsemen

Four horsemen amp settings — NUX MG-300

The Metallica guitar tone for “Four horsemen”, dialed in for a NUX MG-300 with a Gibson Explorer. Studio version, Kill 'Em All (1983) — James Hetfield rhythm riff tone

Original rig

1980 Gibson Flying V (white) → Marshall JMP 2203 (modded 100W head), no pedals, amp-only distortion

Tight and percussive, scooped mids, aggressive palm muting, razor-sharp treble, chunky low end, dry in-your-face thrash rhythm, high-gain saturation

Amp settings — NUX MG-300

CHANNELJCM800 or British High Gain modelBRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	6
Mid	3
Treble	8
Presence	6
Reverb	0

Don’t have a NUX MG-300? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01NUX MG-300 Noise Gate (built-in)

Enable gate block to tighten palm mutes and reduce noise at high gain

Threshold 4

02NUX MG-300 EQ Block (optional)

Post-amp EQ block to fine-tune the mid scoop if needed — bypass if amp model already sounds right

400Hz 4 · 800Hz 3 · 1.6kHz 5

Why these settings

The NUX MG-300's JCM800 or British high-gain model approximates the modded Marshall JMP 2203. Your Explorer with humbuckers matches Hetfield's output closely, so gain stays near original (7 vs 8) — the MG-300 models run slightly hotter. Mid dropped to 3 for the classic thrash scoop; treble at 8 and presence at 6 preserve the cutting attack. Reverb must be 0 — this tone is bone dry.

PRO TIPHetfield's right hand is the secret weapon: anchor your palm firmly on the bridge saddles and use aggressive downpicking with minimal string ring between notes — the tightness comes from muting discipline, not just amp settings.

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These settings are for a NUX MG-300. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.