One amp settings — Nux Mighty mk2 20

The Metallica guitar tone for “One”, dialed in for a Nux Mighty mk2 20 with a Gibson Les Paul Classic. Studio version, ...And Justice for All (1988) — main distorted rhythm riff tone

Original rig

Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ head, ESP MX-220 with EMG 81 bridge pickup, Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-9 as boost

Tight and percussive, scooped mids, aggressive palm muting, high-gain saturation with articulate pick attack, crisp highs, chunky low end, dry

Amp settings — Nux Mighty mk2 20

CHANNELLead (high-gain voicing closest to Mark IIC+ lead channel)BRIGHToffBOOSToff

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

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The original uses EMG 81 active pickups which are hotter and tighter than your Les Paul's passive humbuckers. I've raised gain +1 to compensate for lower output and kept bass at 6 rather than higher to avoid mud—passive humbuckers have a looser low end. The Nux Mighty's Lead channel is voiced closer to modern high-gain than the Mark IIC+, so I pulled mids to 2 for that signature Justice-era scoop. No presence knob exists on the Mighty mk2 20.

PRO TIPHetfield's palm-muting technique is everything here—mute firmly right at the bridge saddles (not further back) and use aggressive downpicking with the pick angled slightly. The tone sounds tighter with hard, consistent pick attack than with any amp setting.

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These settings are for a Nux Mighty mk2 20. 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.