Tone library / Metallica / Nothing else matters

Nothing else matters amp settings — Fender Frontman 20G

The Metallica guitar tone for “Nothing else matters”, dialed in for a Fender Frontman 20G with a Ibanez SC420. Studio version, Metallica (Black Album, 1991) — clean arpeggio sections

Original rig

Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus + Tom Anderson Strat (single coils, neck pickup) + MXR DynaComp compressor, direct signal blended with mic'd amp

Crystalline, shimmering clean with subtle chorus, warm low-mids, no breakup

Amp settings — Fender Frontman 20G

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	3
Bass	6
Mid	7
Treble	4
Presence	0
Reverb	3
Master	5

Don’t have a Fender Frontman 20G? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE7 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Compressor (e.g., Boss CS-3 or MXR DynaComp)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. The DynaComp was essential to the original's sustain and note-to-note evenness. A basic compressor clone gets you 80% there.

Level 7 · Tone 5 · Attack 4 · Sustain 6

Why these settings

The Frontman 20G is solid-state and inherently bright with scooped mids, unlike the JC-120's warmer, fuller clean. Compensate by pushing mid to 7 and dropping treble to 4 to avoid ice-pick harshness. Your SC420's humbuckers are hotter than the original's single coils, so gain stays low at 3 to prevent any breakup. The JC-120's stereo chorus was key to the shimmer — without a chorus pedal, the tone will sound drier and more direct.

PRO TIPRoll your tone knob to 7 and use the fleshy part of your fingertips (not nails) near the neck pickup to replicate Hetfield's warm, rounded attack on the arpeggios — pick angle and touch matter more than gear on this track.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Fender Frontman 20G. 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.