Nothing Else Matters by Metallica (Solo · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

The Nothing Else Matters by Metallica guitar tone is built on a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+, dialed in at gain 6.5/10, bass 5.5, mid 5.5, treble 7.5, presence 6.5 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

Amp settings (0–10)

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 284 metal tones in our researched catalog: Gain 6.5 sits right around the metal average (7.3); mids at 5.5 are right around average (5.2).

Guitar controls

Original gear

Guitar: ESP KH-2 (Kirk Hammett Signature, 1991 era) · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (studio recording, 1991)

Studio recording for Metallica's 'Black Album' (1991). Kirk Hammett used his ESP KH-2 with EMG pickups and a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ amp for the solo. No confirmed wah on this solo. No confirmed chorus or delay pedal, but moderate amp reverb is present. Settings are estimated based on genre, era, and typical Mark IIC+ usage for Metallica solos.

Gear used on this tone

Don’t own this gear? GuitarToneAdapt re-creates the sound on the rig you actually have.

Pickups

Neck pickup

Signal chain

ESP KH-2 (Kirk Hammett Signature, 1991 era) → Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (studio recording, 1991)

Effects

reverb

Amp effects: Reverb (spring, level 4)

Tone character

warm and smooth, singing sustain, balanced EQ, articulate lead lines, moderate compression, high-gain saturation, clear note separation, melodic phrasing, slightly scooped lows, present mids and highs

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, slow tempo, medium dynamics · high-gain distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Nothing Else Matters sound.

Difficulty

3.5/5 · Solo

The solo requires intermediate lead technique, with expressive bends, vibrato, and melodic phrasing, but does not demand advanced speed or complex shred techniques.

Worth knowing

• No direct numeric amp settings found for the studio recording; settings estimated based on typical Metallica Mark IIC+ usage and genre/era.
• No explicit confirmation of pedals (delay, chorus, wah) used on the studio solo; reverb is present and likely from the amp.
• Some sources reference live gear or later rigs (Randall, TS9/TS808), but these are not confirmed for the 1991 studio recording.
• If a subtle delay or chorus is audible, it is likely from post-processing or mixing, not from pedals in the guitar signal chain.
• Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. For the 'Nothing Else Matters' solo, Hetfield/Kirk used a moderately high gain for sustain but not full thrash, with tight bass, scooped mids, and bright treble typical of early 90s Metallica. Presence is set to add clarity, and reverb is minimal, as most ambience is from studio effects, not amp reverb.

Chords

🎼 Nothing Else Matters chords — key, capo & the main progression →

Nothing Else Matters guitar tone — FAQ

Share this tone

Sources

• Nothing Else Matters Solo Tone : r/Metallica - Reddit
• Kirk Hammett's Guitars, Gear, Wah & Amps | Equipboard
• Nothing Else Matters Solo : r/Guitar - Reddit

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