Heavy Metal1991Metallica (The Black Album)

Nothing Else Matters (Riff) Amp Settings

by Metallica

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Original Recording Settings

Well-SourcedResearched tone data for "Nothing Else Matters (Riff)" by Metallica

Original Gear

Guitar: ESP MX-220 'So Fucking What' (main arpeggios) / Gretsch White Falcon (dive-bomb texture)
Pickups: EMG 60 (neck — estimated for warm clean tone) / EMG 81 (bridge) (neck (EMG 60 estimated for clean arpeggios))
Amplifier: Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus
Channel: Clean
Tuning: standard
Pickup Selector: neck (estimated for clean tone)

Billy Duffy confirmed: 'When we toured with Metallica in '89 they'd started using Rolands for their clean sound.' The JC-120 became Metallica's go-to clean amp from 1989 onward and remains so today.

Amp Settings

Bass

5.0

Mid

6.0

Treble

7.0

Volume

5.0

No published JC-120 settings for this track. Estimated for crystalline clean with the JC-120's built-in stereo chorus engaged.

Effects Chain

→

Roland JC-120 built-in stereo chorus

chorus

→

1.Roland JC-120 built-in stereo chorus — THE defining effect on Metallica's clean tones from this era. Built into the amp, not an external pedal.

Playing Technique

Fingerpicking arpeggios — Hetfield wrote the song while on a phone call, picking with his fingers while holding the phone. Uses thumb + index + middle fingers. Open string resonance is key. Kirk Hammett does not play on the studio recording.

Sources+

Reverb.com (Bob Rock interview): Gretsch White Falcon used for clean dive-bomb texture, JC-120 clean amp approach.
BillyDuffy.com: JC-120 confirmation — 'When we toured with Metallica in '89 they'd started using Rolands for their clean sound.'
KillerRig.com, Seymour Duncan Forum, Fractal Audio Forum: JC-120 as Black Album clean platform.