Get this tone on your gear
Choose your guitar and amp to get exact knob settings.
Quick tone direction
For the main lead sound, use a bridge humbucker into tight Mesa-style gain with controlled bass and focused mids. Add wah only where the performance calls for it.
- Gain
- Sustaining lead gain with clear note separation
- EQ
- Controlled bass, focused mids and smooth presence
- Pickup
- Bridge humbucker for the driven lead
- Effects
- Wah for the marked phrases; keep other ambience restrained
The clean introduction and the distorted solos use different sounds. This page targets the solo rather than merging both parts into one preset.
Read the Metallica tone guideThe recording
The track features a tight, aggressive rhythm tone and soaring lead lines recorded separately. Kirk Hammett used his 1988 ESP KH‑1, fed through an ADA preamp and an ADA MP‑1 digital head, then blended into a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ amp. James Hetfield’s clean intro and verses were captured with a Tom Anderson Stratocaster run through an MXR Dyna Comp compressor into a Roland JC‑120 Jazz Chorus, giving a bright, chorus‑rich clean sound. Both guitars were double‑tracked, with the rhythm part panned left and the lead panned right, and recorded at One on One Studios with Neve consoles.
Tuning Standard E
Signal chain
Original gear
1988 ESP KH-1
Guitar
Kirk Hammett used his 1988 ESP KH-1 neck‑thru guitar with skull inlays on the fingerboard for both the lead and clean sections of 'One'.
ADA Preamp (1988)
Preamp
An ADA preamp was placed after the guitar to add clean gain before the digital amp.
ADA MP-1 digital amp (1988)
Digital Amp
The ADA MP‑1, a programmable digital head with tube sections, was used to shape Hammett's tone before the Mesa/Boogie.
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (late 1980s)
Amp
Hammett blended the ADA signal with a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ head, delivering the high‑gain tone heard on the lead sections.
Tom Anderson Stratocaster (mid‑1980s)
Guitar
James Hetfield used a Tom Anderson‑signature Stratocaster for the clean intro and verses of 'One'.
MXR Dyna Comp (1970s model)
Compressor
Hetfield ran his Strat through an MXR Dyna Comp compressor before the amp, adding sustain and smoothing dynamics.
Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus (combo, 1975)
Amp
The clean tones on the intro were captured using a Roland JC‑120 Jazz Chorus, whose built‑in chorus gave the signature bright, scooped sound.
Alternatives
Practical playing approach
Recreation guidance, not a claim about undocumented studio control positions.
- 1.Attack the rhythm parts with tight, alternate down‑strokes for a precise, punchy sound.
- 2.Use the bridge pickup at full volume and roll the tone knob back slightly for a tighter lead tone.
- 3.Apply light palm‑muting on the low‑E and A strings during the chugging sections.
- 4.For the clean intro, set the Strat’s pickup selector to the bridge position and let the JC‑120’s built‑in chorus enhance sustain.
- 5.Blend a slight overdrive or boost in front of the Mesa/Boogie for the soaring solo passages.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What gear was used for the One guitar tone?
The available research points to 1988 ESP KH-1 into ADA Preamp (1988). The full reported signal chain and evidence links are listed on this page.
Are the original One amp settings documented?
Exact historical knob positions are not reliably documented for most recordings. ToneTwin does not publish generated values as studio fact; it creates playable settings only for the amp and pedals a player selects.
What tuning is One in?
The current research record lists Standard E. ToneTwin keeps corrections open when reliable accounts disagree.
How do I recreate the One tone on my own gear?
Use the reported pickup, gain character, effects and signal-chain order as the target, then translate that target to your equipment. The matcher models controls for your selected rig rather than copying undocumented studio numbers.
Researched and reviewed by the ToneTwin Research Team.
