One amp settings — Amplitube 5 N

The Metallica guitar tone for “One”, dialed in for a Amplitube 5 N with a WestWood Stratocaster. Live performance, Live Shit: Binge & Purge era (1989-1992 Seattle/San Diego)

Original rig

ESP KH-2/KH-1 (EMG 81) into Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+/Mark IV heads with ADA MP-1 preamp blend and post-EQ V-curve

High-gain, aggressive lead tone with a scooped midrange curve, sharp picking attack, and liquid sustain

Amp settings — Amplitube 5 N

CHANNELMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (Lead Mode) or Mark IV Lead blockBRIGHTonBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	8
Bass	5
Mid	4
Treble	7
Presence	6
Reverb	2
Master	6

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01MXR Ten Band EQ

Placed in the FX Loop to shape the iconic Metallica post-gain V-scoop with upper-mid bite

31.25Hz 5 · 62.5Hz 6 · 125Hz 7 · 250Hz 6 · 500Hz 4 · 1kHz 3 · 2kHz 7 · 4kHz 8 · 8kHz 6 · 16kHz 5 · Gain 6 · Volume 6

Why these settings

Because single-coil pickups on a Stratocaster are naturally brighter and lower-output than Kirk's EMG 81 humbuckers, amp gain is increased to 8 while 2kHz and 4kHz are pushed on the MXR EQ to restore saturation and cutting lead presence without turning shrill. The Mesa Mark IIC+ model in AmpliTube provides the core pre-gain crunch, while the 10-band EQ in the loop shapes the signature post-distortion mid scoop. For clean intro/arpeggio parts: bypass the lead drive channel, switch to the neck pickup, and engage the CE-2W chorus.

PRO TIPPosition the pick at a sharp angle for aggressive downstrokes and edge-picking to replicate Kirk's high-friction transient attack before launching into the right-hand tapping sequences.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Amplitube 5 N. 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.