One amp settings — Ibanez Tone Blaster X15

The Metallica guitar tone for “One”, dialed in for a Ibanez Tone Blaster X15 with a ESP LTD KH-202 Kirk Hammett. Studio version, ...And Justice for All (1988) — heavy distorted riff section

Original rig

Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ head, ESP MX-220 with EMG 81 bridge pickup, no pedals on rhythm tone

Tight, aggressive thrash with scooped mids and razor-sharp attack

Amp settings — Ibanez Tone Blaster X15

CHANNELDrive channel (high gain mode)

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

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The Tone Blaster X15 is a solid-state practice amp with a bright, fizzy high-gain voice compared to the warm tube compression of the Mark IIC+. I've pushed treble to 8 and scooped mids to 2 to nail the Justice-era scoop, but raised bass to 6 (vs the original's tighter 5.5) because solid-state amps lack the low-end thump of a tube power section. Your KH-202's EMG-designed pickups are close to Hetfield's EMG 81s, so no pickup compensation needed.

PRO TIPPalm mute HARD directly over the bridge saddles—the Justice tone lives in ultra-tight, percussive palm mutes with zero string ring. Let your pick attack do the work; don't rely on the gain to sustain chugs.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Ibanez Tone Blaster X15. 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.