Metal1988...And Justice for All

One (clean intro/verse) Amp Settings

by Metallica

Get This ToneFree — no account needed

Original Recording Settings

partially-sourcedResearched tone data for "One (clean intro/verse)" by Metallica

Original Gear

Guitar: Tom Anderson Stratocaster (referenced by Hetfield as a source of great clean sounds when run through a JC-120; used as best-available studio-era indicator)
Pickups: Strat-style pickups (exact configuration not documented in sources consulted) (neck)
Amplifier: Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus (clean tones)
Channel: Clean channel (chorus optionally used)
Tuning: standard
Pickup Selector: neck
Strings: Unknown

MusicRadar notes Hetfield was a devotee of the JC-120 for cleans around the Justice era, and an interview excerpt has Hetfield describing getting great clean sounds with a Tom Anderson Strat through a Roland JC-120 and also plugging straight into the desk via an old MXR Dyna Comp.

Amp Settings

Gain

2.0

Bass

4.0

Mid

3.0

Treble

7.0

Volume

6.0

No documented JC-120 knob settings found for the Justice sessions. Values target bright, scooped clean clarity typical of Metallica’s clean intros, assuming studio EQ and chorus/reverb as needed.

Effects Chain

→

MXR Dyna Comp

compressor

→

Roland JC-120 built-in chorus (inferred as needed)

chorus

→

1.MXR Dyna Comp — Hetfield specifically cites plugging straight into the desk through an old MXR Dyna Comp for clean sounds; used here as a key ingredient for the tight, very even clean articulation.

2.Roland JC-120 built-in chorus (inferred as needed) — JC-120’s chorus is a common path to the band’s clean shimmer; exact on/off usage for the One intro is not explicitly documented in cited sources and is treated as a plausible inference.

Playing Technique

Very tight, even picking with controlled palm muting to keep the low strings clean; avoid string noise between arpeggios. Let notes ring just enough to create the eerie sustain, while chorus/reverb (if used) fills space. Keep tempo firm and dynamics controlled—no bluesy spikes.

Sources+

MusicRadar (2025-04-04), feature on the making of Metallica’s "One" (mentions Hetfield devotion to the Roland JC-120 for cleans; also notes Hammett clean sources)
GroundGuitar, James Hetfield gear page (quotes Guitar Player, September 1991: great clean sounds via Tom Anderson Strat into Roland JC-120 and straight into desk via MXR Dyna Comp)
MusicRadar (2016-12-21), interview with Hetfield and Hammett (Hetfield calls JC-120 his favorite clean amp; contextual support)