One amp settings — Marshall Mg30fx

The Metallica guitar tone for “One”, dialed in for a Marshall Mg30fx with a Esp ldt M-400. Studio version, ...And Justice for All (1988) — heavy distorted riff sections

Original rig

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

Tight and percussive, scooped mids, aggressive palm muting, high-gain saturation, crisp high end, chunky low end, dry and focused attack

Amp settings — Marshall Mg30fx

CHANNELOD1 (Overdrive 1)

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

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Joyo Extreme Metal

Use this as your PRIMARY gain source. Set amp to CLEAN channel with gain at 2-3 if the OD1 channel stacks too muddy. The Joyo Extreme is a high-gain metal pedal — it should drive a clean amp, not stack with amp distortion.

Level 6 · Low 5 · High 6 · Dist 7

Why these settings

The MG30FX OD channel is looser and more mid-forward than a Mark IIC+, so I dropped mids to 2 (vs the Mesa's already-scooped 3-4 range) and kept bass moderate at 6 to avoid flub — the MG's low end is less tight than a Mesa. Your ESP LTD M-400 with active or hot passive humbuckers matches the original's EMG 81 output closely, so no gain compensation needed. If the tone lacks definition on palm mutes, back the Joyo's Dist down to 5 and use the amp's OD channel at gain 6 instead.

PRO TIPHetfield's 'One' riff attack comes from picking directly over the bridge pickup with the pick angled slightly, and palm muting right at the saddles — not further up the string. This gives the tight 'chuk' sound; muting too far from the bridge makes it woolly.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Marshall Mg30fx. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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