Hype Flex
news | June 16, 2026

What guitar does Hetfield play?

What Guitar Does James Hetfield Play? James Hetfield primarily plays Explorer-style guitars made by Ken Lawrence, Gibson, as well as ESP. James is also known to own and play several V-style guitars as well as Les Pauls.

What is James Hetfield favorite guitar?

Hetfield: It's mostly ESP guitars for me - all of which have Ernie Ball strings and my EMG Het Set pickups. I'm really loving my ESP Vulture - which has a Flying V type of design that I came up with last year - and also my ESP Snakebyte. I've also got a few Gibsons in there - just for diversity.

What acoustic guitar does James Hetfield use?

The "Unforgiven" is the actual touring acoustic guitar of James Hetfield. It's a custom-made guitar designed in Milan, Italy. Black top with a finish made with pyrography. It's actually a Line 6 Variax 700 Acoustic with some of the lyrics and scenes from the Unforgiven II song and videoclip.

What guitar did James Hetfield use on Master of Puppets?

Masters of circuits

For much of this album, Hetfield was playing his iconic white Gibson Explorer (the standard ceramic humbuckers were replaced with EMG 81s in 1987), while the absurdly heavy The Thing That Should Not Be saw him turn to a Jackson KV1 and down-tune for the first time.

What guitar does James Hetfield play on nothing else matters?

The guitar was actually a gift from music producer Bob Rock who also allowed Hetfield to use his Gretsch guitar during the recording of “Nothing else matters.” The 63 Gibson SG can be seen in the music video for “Turn the page” from the cover album “Garage Inc.” which was released in 1998.

23 related questions found

What guitar picks do Metallica use?

Hetfield currently uses custom Jim Dunlop picks in 1.0mm and 1.14mm gauges. His custom Black Fang pick is based on a vintage tortoise-shell pick (which he used for the first 20 years of the band), while his White Fang is based on a Dunlop Flow pick.

What guitar does Dave Mustaine play?

What Guitar Does Dave Mustaine Play? Dave Mustaine is best known for playing Jackson King V and Jackson Y2KV model guitars. In 2007 he partnered with Dean Guitars to produce the VNMT Dave Mustaine Signature model, and in 2021 he became a Gibson ambassador, with a full product line of signature Gibson guitars.

What guitar does Kirk Hammett use?

Guitar-wise, Hammett has used Gibson Flying Vs, his Fernandes Strat copy, aka Edna, and he famously is the owner of the late Peter Green and Gary Moore's 1959 Gibson Les Paul, “Greeny,” which he now plays live where he might once have used his black Les Paul Custom.

Who taught James Hetfield guitar?

In an interview with Guitar Center James said he is completely self-taught and also added that in the early days after school, Hetfield and one of his school mate, John used to jam together on Black Sabbath songs and they also used to show each other what they have learned each day and exchanged ideas.

What guitar did James Hetfield use for Ride the Lightning?

1984 Gibson Explorer “So What”

Knowing that, and the fact that this was James' favorite guitar at the time, the album Ride the Lightning (1984) was largely recorded using this particular guitar equipped with the stock Gibson pickups.

What guitars do Nickelback use?

All his guitars sport EMG pickups (EMG 81 in the bridge and EMG 85 in the neck) and are strung with various gauges of Ernie Ball strings. For this tour he also brought along a Fender Jaguar (with EMG single-coils), a custom Fender Telecaster, and backup Les Paul that is branded with his family's cattle brand.

Is James Hetfield in an MC?

' James Hetfield has revealed he stopped riding motorcycles last year in a bid to minimise risks to his health. The Metallica frontman isn't the only member of the band to have considered the challenges of continuing to perform at full power as they approach their mid-50s.

Did James Hetfield know music theory?

Famous metal or hard rock guitarists who did not know music theory include Jimi Hendrix, Randy Rhoads, James Hetfield of Metallica, and Marty Friedman of Megadeath.

Does Hetfield know music theory?

James Hetfield, Metallica's singer, songwriter and of course, guitar player has made reference to his lack of formal knowledge of music theory many a time in interviews and elsewhere.

What guitar did Kurt Cobain?

Electric Guitars

The main guitar used throughout the years and the one most identifiable with Cobain was his 1969 Fender Mustang. It was a left handed version that was painted blue with racing stripes. “I'm left-handed, and it's not very easy to find reasonably priced, high-quality left-handed guitars.

What kind of acoustic guitar does Kirk Hammett play?

Hammett is known for playing both a Martin D-28 acoustic guitar and a Fender Acoustasonic Stratocaster, with the latter only being used as recently as 2020.

What kind of Les Paul does Kirk Hammett play?

Kirk Hammett of Metallica performs with his Gibson '59 Les Paul Standard known as “Greeny.” Photo credit, all images: Ross Halfin.

What guitar did Dave Mustaine use on Rust in Peace?

“I used a Jackson guitar with Seymour Duncan pickups.” [While Mustaine is best known as a Dean endorsee these days, at the time of recording 'Rust In Peace' he played a Jackson King V guitar with a fixed Kahler bridge and Seymour Duncan SH-4 Jeff Beck and SH-2N Jazz 'buckers at the bridge and neck respectively.

What guitar did Dave Mustaine use on Peace Sells?

While we're at Jackson's V models, Mustaine has his “Number One” Jackson. This silver-colored instrument has been in use since the “Peace Sells” album, and he's been recording a huge portion of Megadeth's studio recordings with it. In addition, he used it for many of Megadeth's live shows.

What guitar did Dave Mustaine play on Rust in Peace?

– Bogner Fish Preamp

Used from around 1991 to 1992, although it is possible that Dave had access to an early prototype of the Bogner Fish and used it at least partially on Rust in Peace.

Does Kirk Hammett use a pick?

Kirk Hammett Signature Picks

Kirk Hammett's lightning-fast riffs are fueled by Dunlop's Jazz III picks. He swears by them for their superior speed and precision. And to enhance their handling even more, Kirk Hammett Signature Jazz III picks feature a V-shaped recess in their grip.