Riff Tone
Nothing Else Matters (Live)
Metallica
Guitarmetal2010s+
Original Gear
GuitarESP James Hetfield Signature (likely ESP MX-220 or ESP Snakebyte, black finish, EMG pickups)
AmpDiezel VH4 100W Tube Guitar Head
PickupsEMG 60 (neck, active humbucker)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass5.5
mid4.5
treble6.5
reverb2.5
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Live performance, 2020s era. Gear confirmed for live shows in this period. Clean tone for intro/riff section. Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier also used in rig but Diezel VH4 is primary for clean sections in live settings.
Tone Character(10)
warm and smoothbell-like clarityarticulate note separationfull-bodied lowssmooth top enddynamic responseslight ambient reverbno breakup or gritactive pickup claritystudio-like clean in live mix
Difficulty
The riff requires intermediate-level finger coordination for clean arpeggios, dynamic control to avoid string noise, and precise timing at a slow tempo. While not technically advanced, the clarity and consistency needed make it more challenging than basic riffs.
Sources
Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear
Create Free AccountGuitarmetal2010s+
Original Gear
GuitarESP James Hetfield Signature (likely ESP MX-220 or ESP Snakebyte, black finish, EMG pickups)
AmpDiezel VH4 100W Tube Guitar Head
PickupsEMG 60 (neck, active humbucker)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass5.5
mid4.5
treble6.5
reverb2.5
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Live performance, 2020s era. Gear confirmed for live shows in this period. Clean tone for intro/riff section. Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier also used in rig but Diezel VH4 is primary for clean sections in live settings.
Tone Character(10)
warm and smoothbell-like clarityarticulate note separationfull-bodied lowssmooth top enddynamic responseslight ambient reverbno breakup or gritactive pickup claritystudio-like clean in live mix
Difficulty
The riff requires intermediate-level finger coordination for clean arpeggios, dynamic control to avoid string noise, and precise timing at a slow tempo. While not technically advanced, the clarity and consistency needed make it more challenging than basic riffs.
Nothing Else Matters (Live) settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
More Metallica tones
- Master of Puppets · riff
- Enter Sandman · riff
- Seek & Destroy · riff
- Creeping Death · riff
- One · riff
- Fade to Black · solo
- Ride the Lightning · riff
- Fade to black · riff
- For Whom the Bell Tolls · riff
- One · riff