The Unforgiven
Heavy, distorted verses against a soft chorus of clean electric and acoustic guitars.
What is The Unforgiven guitar tone?
The Unforgiven guitar tone is heavy, distorted verses against a soft chorus of clean electric and acoustic guitars, heard on Metallica's 1990s metal recording. It is a distorted riff tone, and Metallica reportedly tracked it with James Hetfield's ESP Explorer with EMG pickups through the same Mesa/Boogie Mark II, a IIC++, that he had used on the three albums before, blended with a Jose-modded Marshall that producer Bob Rock owned, the Black Album's rhythm rig, with a classical guitar from Hetfield on this song; Kirk Hammett recorded the album's leads on a Strat-style ESP or a 1989 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, both with EMGs, through a Bradshaw preamp for the lows and mids and a couple of Marshalls for the highs, and played this solo with his fingers, pulling the strings and slapping them against the frets, after Rock asked for something dirtier and more sustaining in the vein of Jeff Beck; it was the first solo he had fingerpicked on an album, recorded at One on One Studios in Los Angeles, where the album sessions began in October 1990. The weight comes from layered takes and controlled low end rather than from raw gain, which is the part most players overshoot.
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 high-gain head 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.
The Unforgiven amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 7, Bass 5, Middle 4, Treble 7, Presence 6, Reverb 2 for the heavy verses, with the bridge pickup. There is a second setting for the clean chorus below.
- Gain 7
- Bass 5
- Middle 4
- Treble 7
- Presence 6
- Reverb 2
- Signal chain
- Noise gate → Amp distortion → Short reverb
- The control that matters most
- Two sounds, the other way round. Metallica reversed their usual ballad shape here, with heavy, distorted verses and a soft chorus on clean electric and acoustic guitars, so set a distorted sound for the verses and a clean one for the chorus. On the solo the hands matter more than the amp: Hammett played it with his fingers, pulling the strings and slapping them against the frets.
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
- Bridge pickup
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.
Second sound
The Unforgiven amp settings for the clean chorus
For the clean chorus, start at Gain 2, Bass 5, Middle 4, Treble 7, Presence 6, Reverb 3, with the neck or middle position.
- Gain 2
- Bass 5
- Middle 4
- Treble 7
- Presence 6
- Reverb 3
- Signal chain
- Straight into the amp
- Where the song switches
- Metallica reversed their usual ballad shape here: the verses are heavy and distorted, and the chorus is softer, played on clean electric and acoustic guitars.
- Pickup
- Neck or middle position
The same reference as the panel above: positions on a generic five-knob amp, a starting point rather than the settings on the record.
What gear did Metallica use on The Unforgiven?
James Hetfield's ESP Explorer with EMG pickups through the same Mesa/Boogie Mark II, a IIC++, that he had used on the three albums before, blended with a Jose-modded Marshall that producer Bob Rock owned, the Black Album's rhythm rig, with a classical guitar from Hetfield on this song; Kirk Hammett recorded the album's leads on a Strat-style ESP or a 1989 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, both with EMGs, through a Bradshaw preamp for the lows and mids and a couple of Marshalls for the highs, and played this solo with his fingers, pulling the strings and slapping them against the frets, after Rock asked for something dirtier and more sustaining in the vein of Jeff Beck; it was the first solo he had fingerpicked on an album, recorded at One on One Studios in Los Angeles, where the album sessions began in October 1990.
Sources: Guitar World: Metallica's 1991 interview on the Black Album, Guitar.com: the gear used on Metallica's Black Album, Wikipedia: The Unforgiven (song)
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 Unforgiven tone on your own amp?
Tell us your guitar, amp, and pedals
AI researches the original tone of The Unforgiven
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The Unforgiven tone questions
What amp settings do you need for The Unforgiven?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 7, Bass 5, Middle 4, Treble 7, Presence 6, Reverb 2 for the heavy verses, with the bridge pickup, and at Gain 2, Bass 5, Middle 4, Treble 7, Presence 6, Reverb 3 for the clean chorus, 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 heavy, distorted verses against a soft chorus of clean electric and acoustic guitars from different positions.
Does The Unforgiven use one amp setting or two?
Two. Metallica reversed their usual ballad shape here: the verses are heavy and distorted, and the chorus is softer, played on clean electric and acoustic guitars. On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 7, Bass 5, Middle 4, Treble 7, Presence 6, Reverb 2 for the heavy verses, and at Gain 2, Bass 5, Middle 4, Treble 7, Presence 6, Reverb 3 for the clean chorus.
What is the most important control for The Unforgiven tone?
Two sounds, the other way round. Metallica reversed their usual ballad shape here, with heavy, distorted verses and a soft chorus on clean electric and acoustic guitars, so set a distorted sound for the verses and a clean one for the chorus. On the solo the hands matter more than the amp: Hammett played it with his fingers, pulling the strings and slapping them against the frets.
Can you get The Unforgiven tone without the original gear?
Yes. The original was tracked with James Hetfield's ESP Explorer with EMG pickups through the same Mesa/Boogie Mark II, a IIC++, that he had used on the three albums before, blended with a Jose-modded Marshall that producer Bob Rock owned, the Black Album's rhythm rig, with a classical guitar from Hetfield on this song; Kirk Hammett recorded the album's leads on a Strat-style ESP or a 1989 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, both with EMGs, through a Bradshaw preamp for the lows and mids and a couple of Marshalls for the highs, and played this solo with his fingers, pulling the strings and slapping them against the frets, after Rock asked for something dirtier and more sustaining in the vein of Jeff Beck; it was the first solo he had fingerpicked on an album, recorded at One on One Studios in Los Angeles, where the album sessions began in October 1990, 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 The Unforgiven a rhythm or a lead tone?
It is a riff part with a distorted character, from Metallica's 1990s metal 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.
