Nothing Else Matters
Clean open-string arpeggios under a slow, intimate vocal.
What is the Nothing Else Matters guitar tone?
The Nothing Else Matters guitar tone is clean open-string arpeggios under a slow, intimate vocal, heard on Metallica's 1990s metal ballad recording. It is a clean riff tone, and Metallica reportedly tracked it with James Hetfield playing every guitar part himself, solo included, with a Gretsch White Falcon for the clean dive-bomb, recorded with Bob Rock for the Black Album; Kirk Hammett does not play on it. Clean tones at this level depend on headroom and modulation width, not on gain, so the amp needs room before it starts to break up.
You do not need that exact gear to land in the same place. What carries this sound is the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup choice and the order of the effects, and all four can be rebuilt on equipment that costs a fraction of the original. The numbers change from amp to amp, because a clean channel on a modelling combo and a small practice amp reach the same voicing from different knob positions. That translation is what Tonelify works out for the rig you actually own.
Nothing Else Matters amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 1, Bass 5, Middle 5, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 4, with the neck or middle position.
- Gain 1
- Bass 5
- Middle 5
- Treble 6
- Presence 5
- Reverb 4
- Signal chain
- Compressor → Chorus → Hall reverb
- The control that matters most
- Your picking hand. The intro is an E minor arpeggio on open strings, so even picking into an amp that stays clean carries it more than any effect.
These positions are free and they are a starting point. A Katana, a Spark and a valve head reach this voicing from different knob positions, so Tonelify rewrites every value above for the amp and guitar you own. Your first match is free with an account, and needs no card.
Adapt these to my amp- Pickup
- Neck or middle position
These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. If you tell Tonelify which amp you own, it rewrites every value above for the controls that amp actually has.
What gear did Metallica use on Nothing Else Matters?
James Hetfield playing every guitar part himself, solo included, with a Gretsch White Falcon for the clean dive-bomb, recorded with Bob Rock for the Black Album; Kirk Hammett does not play on it.
Sources: Wikipedia: Nothing Else Matters, Guitar.com: the gear used on Metallica's Black Album
Tonelify reads that chain and translates it to the amp and guitar you already own, returning gain, bass, mids, treble and presence values along with a pickup position.
How do you get the Nothing Else Matters tone on your own amp?
Tell us your guitar, amp, and pedals
AI researches the original tone of Nothing Else Matters
Get exact knob settings adapted to your rig
Nothing Else Matters tone questions
What amp settings do you need for Nothing Else Matters?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 1, Bass 5, Middle 5, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 4, with the neck or middle position. These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. Tonelify rewrites the same values for the specific amp and guitar you own, because a high-gain head and a small solid-state combo reach the same clean open-string arpeggios under a slow, intimate vocal from different positions.
What is the most important control for the Nothing Else Matters tone?
Your picking hand. The intro is an E minor arpeggio on open strings, so even picking into an amp that stays clean carries it more than any effect.
Can you get the Nothing Else Matters tone without the original gear?
Yes. The original was tracked with James Hetfield playing every guitar part himself, solo included, with a Gretsch White Falcon for the clean dive-bomb, recorded with Bob Rock for the Black Album; Kirk Hammett does not play on it, but the parts that define the sound are the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup position and the effects order. Those translate to other equipment, which is what the adaptation step does.
Is Nothing Else Matters a rhythm or a lead tone?
It is a riff part with a clean character, from Metallica's 1990s metal ballad catalogue.
Does Tonelify cost anything to try?
Your first match for your own gear is free with an account, and needs no card. After that both plans start with a 7-day free trial: Stage is $6.99 a month for 20 matches, Headliner is $10.99 a month for unlimited matching within a fair use limit of 150 new matches a day, and yearly billing works out cheaper on both. Reading this page and the rest of the library costs nothing and needs no account.
