Visit our Who Plays What section to see hundreds of famous musician's guitar, bass, and drum rigs or search the site: Seen the new Maxon Overdrive pedal? All gauges are listed in thousandths of an inch, and range from .008 all the way to .56. Spanning three decades, ten studio albums, and countless world tours, Metallica has spread their unique form of thrash metal to all corners of the globe. James has at least two of these guitars. String Gauges of 50 Legendary Guitar Players. GroundGuitar is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Tune-o-Matic bridge, Gotoh tuners, and EMG 81/60 active pickups. The guitar features mahogany body and neck with rosewood fingerboard, and matte black finish with artificial wear added to it. FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon. Appreciate that Grim. The most accurate and quickest way to match their tunings is with a chromatic tuner. Additionally you can buy them in a custom tin: Dirty Donny Custom Artwork Pick Tin. and it’s plain to see why. On Bass he uses Hofner H1133 B Bass nickel flat-wound strings in gauge 045, 055, 075, 095. as well as Roto-sound strings including RS88 Black Nylon bass strings gauge of 065, 075, 100, 115. On this album James was using pretty much the same setup, although the tone is noticeably different. In the early days however, he seemed to have used the standard 11-gauge set: – Dunlop Tortex .88mm – James’ main pick since the early days. One last thing to consider: String gauge can have a … Let's see what guitar gear and equipment Metallica's James Hetfield's has been seen using in his guitar rig. One of the guitars had red flames, while the other one had green – but except for that the two guitar were identical to each other. 4.7 out of 5 stars 3,278. Another James Hetfield signature model from ESP. Choosing which guitar strings to use is one of the biggest decisions a guitarist can make regarding how their instrument plays, both in terms of tone and feel. Everything you need to know about the story behind the song, amp and pedal settings as well as used guitar techniques. Just recently James switched pickups to EMG-JHs, which is his own signature set from EMG. We appreciate your support! Since then, Metallica has earned nine Grammy Awards and gone on to release nine studio albums, three live albums, four EPs, 24 music videos, and 45 singles. The guitar has mahogany body with a set neck with rosewood fretboard featuring custom middle finger inlays. He changed a couple of things, including the pickups which he replaced with the EMG 81/60 set, and reparation of the headstock which was broken more than one time in the past. It has a mahogany neck and body. Since the late 80s he’s been almost exclusively using ESP guitars, equipped with a pair of EMG 81/60 pickups – which eventually led to James’ own signature pickups dubbed the “Het” Set released in 2009. The added mass is very minor compared to the change in tension. [James Hetfield Metallica Gear Run by Chad Zaemisch], – Ernie Ball Power Slinky strings (.11-.48). - Ernie Ball Power Slinky strings gauge .011-.048 (as shown on Ernie Ball site) and .013-.058 on the baritone guitar. The second one was made in 2003 and features quilted bubinga top and flame sun inlays. - 1973 Gibson Les Paul called "Uncle Milty". Elixir Strings Electric Guitar Strings w … It was nothing to do with his endorsement. Kirk Hammett’s Guitar Strings: – Currently Kirk uses a mixed set of Ernie Ball RPS Slinky strings. The headstock on it does resemble that headstock on the later MX-250 model, which is somewhat shorter in length. This latest model is manufactured to the exact specifications of James' Truckster, a modified ESP Eclipse-style stage guitar used on the St. Anger tour. AU $16.50. Therefore, heavier gauge will not need more clearance because they are under greater tension. Martin Authentic Acoustic MA175 Custom-Light-Gauge Acoustic Guitar Strings, 80/20 Bronze. Used mostly live for songs that required dropped tunings like “Frantic” and “Invisible Kid” from the 2003 album St. Anger. This website uses cookies to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyze web traffic. In the April 1989 issue of Guitar Player James explained that the Kill Bon Jovi sticker on his Jackson King V came about after their appearance at the 1987 Donington Monsters of Rock festival. This guitar was a gift from Bob Rock. Purchase a chromatic guitar tuner. It’s equipped with Sperzel Locking tuners, Tonepros Tune-O-Matic Bridge and set of EMG 81/60 pickups. Let's checkout his gear. Early on chuck played flats, but with all the strings moved across (throw out the low E) and a .010 or .011 for the high E. You can see the in Newport '58 film that he's using flats (the light reflects off all 6 strings) and that three are wound and three aren't. Metallica uses various lowered pitches, ranging from a half step to two full steps, in their song repertoire. La Bella Light stainless steel Double Ball end Guiatr strings 0.009-.046 S946. The guitar features matte black finish and tarnish metal pickguard. Relief stays close to .5mm depending on the gauges/tuning/guitar, although the action and relief always end up right near these numbers even though I adjust by feel. Sometime in 1986 James put a tape over the original writing, and wrote the words “More Beer” on it instead. The MX220 with the Oakland Raiders sticker (the “FUK EM UP” one) , is actually not black at all. What about “Carl”, the wooden explorer out of the garage they used for multiple albums, Honestly his best guitar has to be the “kill bon jovi” model because of the sound and girth of the guitar. During Metallica’s set, Bon Jovi decided to hover over the audience in his helicopter for some reason, disrupting the concert, which was already not going good due to poor sound both on and off stage. Look, some of the best players in the world and they use a massively different array of strings. The guitar can be seen on Metallica’s instagram and some Metallica “The Night Before” material on their YouTube channel. On a set of 10s, it’s a 13 that you typically see. Let's checkout his gear. Sometimes it’s subtle and sometimes it’s a lot. JAMES HETFIELD - PERSONAL GUITARS. [ESP Guitars – VULTURE]. His mother helped him out with the payment, which was around $200. Both of the guitars have mahogany bodies, and maple necks with rosewood fingerboards. Though hopefully this puts to rest any 'you need this gauge to be good' bs. James used this double neck ESP on couple of live performances of “Fade to Black”. James Hetfield does more than just provide the band Metallica with growling vocals - he is also the bands rythym guitarist. James designed the graphics for his original ESP Viper baritone guitar. ... locking tuners like on the higher end ESP models I.e. Getting a Grin Again with The Ten-Gauge. Profits to charity. This guitar was originally equipped with Gibson Dirty Fingers pickups (496R/500T ), but sometime in the late 80s – presumably around 1987 when Kirk Hammett switched to EMGs as well – James took the pickups out and replaced them with the EMG 81/60 set. James used these guitar mostly just during the “Load” era, although he still picks them up occasionally for live gigs. Let me know what the response is Vai, Satch, Petrucci, & Malmsteen all use 9's or lower. (5:32) “The three top strings are from a .010 set, and then the bottom three strings are from a .048 set,” he explains. Just prior to recording “Death Magnetic” in 2008 James decided to restore this guitar. His first JH-2 has a 4M ninja star on the first fret, while the second guitar had diamond inlays across the whole fretboard. Winners will also take home their choice of a Hetfield or Hammett signature ESP guitar as well as an Ernie Ball Prize Pack complete with their favorite gauge of Slinky guitar strings and other prizes. The only strings I've ever found to do that were Ernie Ball's, I mean end of story. Hetfield is known for using very few effects in his signal chain, and for those he does use they are usually controlled by his guitar tech behind the scenes. Contest runs September 7 through October 31, 2017. James Hetfield Metallica Gear Run by Chad Zaemisch, http://www.guitarscollector.com/1989—esp-mx-220–fuck-em-up-.html. A thicker core will require more tension to get the string up to pitch. There's no right way, there's only your way. . The following are some of them that have been seen: - ESP LTD James Hetfield Snakebyte Electric Guitar, ESP LTD Iron Cross James Hetfield Signature Electric Guitar, ESP LTD Vulture Signature Series James Hetfield Electric Guitar, - ESP James Hetfield Truckster Electric Guitar Distressed Satin Black, - Gibson 1973 Les Paul Custom "Iron Cross" (ESP made a James Hetfield Iron Cross Signature), - ESP James Hetfield LTD Truckster Electric Guitar Aged Primer Gray. The amp might’ve been a vintage 1959 Super Lead, so we’re not exactly clear about it. Rest of the specs are identical. The guitar was pretty much a port over from James’ previous guitars, but few differences were present. Welterweight; ... and james hetfield uses 10-46, except for some bizarre rumour that he changed to 10.5-48 for an album called 'St Anger', which confuses me as no such album exists. After the neck snapped on his Electra Flying V in 1984, James started using couple of different guitars. The guitar is finished in black and features custom tribal artwork designed by James himself. His early sound was a result of using a Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ as preamp slaved into moded 100W Marshall JCM800 for the dirty tones, while using a Roland JC120 for cleans. The guitar also featured LA Raiders sticker between the two pickups, and the words “Fuk Em Up” written on the back horn. – …And Justice For All $4.49 $ 4. He used a MF-207 in the St Anger dvd and I believe live too. ^ that’s the link to the video where he talks about what happened to the SG. But, in the mid-1980s, as the band was circling the globe and recruiting legions of would-be diehards, James’s blight of broken strings suddenly ceased. It’s grey with a purple-ish hue to it. This guitar was used by James for the recording of the album Master of Puppets in 1985 (. String up your guitar with these Dunlop nickel-plated strings and you'll see why. Regarding the “Kill Bon Jovi” sticker, it originates from the 1987 Donington Monsters of Rock festival. Stevie Ray Vaughan was known for using real thick gauges. Note: as an Amazon Associate UberProAudio earns from qualifying purchases. All gauges are listed in thousandths of an inch, and range from .008 all the way to .56. For changing string gauges or tunings: 1)Make a TRIANGLE shaped wood. But thicker wound strings do make a difference for chunky low-end. (5:32) “The three top strings are from a.010 set, and then the bottom three strings are from a.048 set,” he explains. Rick Beato gets the string-gauge experiment started with a Les Paul Standard running through a Marshall JCM2000. The James Hetfield Snakebyte is coiled and ready to strike. Dunlop DEN1046 Nickel-plated Steel Electric Guitar Strings … One might assume that from gigantic strings come gigantic tone, but check this little tidbit from the absolute must-have book Jimi Hendrix: Musician by Keith Shadwick: “Hendrix described the setup on his Strat around 1967 as ‘Fender light-gauge strings, using a regular E-string for the B and sometimes a tenor A-string for a [high] E to get my kind of sound on the Stratocaster. And the reason for that is, you know, as a lead guitar player, I need to be able to like bend out the light strings. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in a Los Angeles newspaper, searching for band mates. When buying a set of guitar strings, there will usually be six different numbers listed on the package. During the live gig, James does resort to using a couple of effects to replicate the sound from the studio, and those effects, of course, varied over the years. If still in his possession, this guitar certainly holds a great sentimental value since James mother died just year later after buying him this guitar. – St. Anger a Wizard, a Marshall DSL, a Roland JC-120, and a Sears Magnatone amongst other amps. So, what happened? 5. James’ Les Paul Custom was made in 1973, and prior to James started using it, it was custom fitted with a pair of EMG 81/60 pickups with custom-made gold plated covers, and Sperzel locking tuners. Getting a Grin Again with The Ten-Gauge. Used on “Ride the Lightning” as the replacement for the stolen ProCo Rat. It is equipped with James Hatfield signature set of pickups, EMG JHs, and it has mahogany body and neck with ebony fingerboard. AU $17.95. Metallica and iconic maker of Slinky guitar strings Ernie Ball are partnering in a new venture, the 'Hetfield + Hammett Experience' at Metallica HQ 3 grand prize winners will get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to fly to Metallica headquarters and hang with James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett, an ESP LTD James Hetfield or Kirk Hammett signature guitar, a year's supply of Ernie Ball PARADIGM strings, and much more. One of the designs is inspired by the pick that James Hetfield uses on tour. [Guitar Player magazine, April 1989]. A 100w Wizard Modern Classic was used as the main amp on the album. The unit is controlled by his tech but it allows James to get effects from older albums without going through a box full of effects. If you aspire to that level of riff mastery, then start with the heaviest gauge that feels comfortable to play—we recommend 10-52, 11-52, or 11-56. Let's see what guitar gear and equipment Metallica's James Hetfield's has been seen using in his guitar rig. James had to use it for Sad But True in a concert, maybe multiple concerts after one of his guitars was dropped and broken. – Master of Puppets Click HERE to see Hetfield and Hammett talking about “The Experience.” Winners will also take home their choice of a Hetfield or Hammett Signature ESP Guitar as well as an Ernie Ball Prize Pack complete with their favorite gauge of SLINKY guitar strings and other prizes. and it’s plain to see why. For the Black Album James used a modified Marshall amplifier, his old Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+, the new Mesa Boogie Mark IV, as well as the Strategy 400 power amp and ADA MP-1 preamp. On the first album James was using what looks like a Marshall JMP2203 Master Volume modified by Jose Arredondo. Popular . – Death Magnetic It was most likely brand new. In 2009, Hetfield was ranked number 8 in Joel McIver’s book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists. “I have to say that HQ is kinda like NASA,” Hammett said. Winners will also take home their choice of a Hetfield or Hammett Signature ESP Guitar as well as an Ernie Ball Prize Pack complete with their favorite gauge of Slinky guitar strings and other prizes. More specific info about whether the guitar was used on any of the songs recorded in the studio is something we unfortunately couldn’t find out. At that point the guitar had two Seymour Duncan Invader humbuckers, a Tune-o-Matic Bridge. James actually has two of them, only difference between the two being the inlays on the first fret. But thicker wound strings do make a difference for chunky low-end. Early on in rock history, flatwounds were all there were. The first one was made in 1996, and has chechen wood top and granadillo fretboard with aztec-inspired inlays. The ESP James Hetfield LTD Truckster Electric Guitar is the fifth Hetfield Signature Series guitar to carry his name since James and ESP joined forces in 1991. Rest of the specs were transferred over from his earlier guitars, including EMG pickups and Tune-o-Matic bridge. Kirk Hammett: So what I use is the three top strings are from a 10 set and then the bottom three strings are from a 48 set. He played it on Metallica’s first album “Kill ’em All”, and kept playing it up until 1984 when the neck snapped after an accident on stage. I’ll try to dig up the interview online and add the quote to the page. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. This guitar was built for James in 1998, and it was based on the Eclipse model already available, at the same time being sort of a prelude of the JH-3 model which was released a year later as the third official James Hetfield signature model. About strings length. Except for that, the specs were transferred over from the earlier models – including the usual set of EMG 60/81 active pickups, Tune-o-Matic bridge, and Sperzel Locking Tuners. James has uses a large amount of guitars. – Load, Reload (Dan), Lisbon on May, 01, 2019 The thing was, you'd buy a .010 banjo string and a set of medium gauge strings that started with a.013. Contributors: Michael, punchlinecharlie, babillou, Mike, tyronmcjr, Sami.o.joki. Let's checkout his gear. James started using this guitar around the release of the “Load” album in 1996, but it was likely used during the studio sessions as well. There is supposedly only 25. Partial list of guitar players who use "wimpy" 9 gauge strings: Jimi Hendrix Ed Van Halen James Hetfield BB King Carlos Santana And how about even wimpier 8 gauge: Tony Iommi Jimmy Page Eric Clapton Billy Gibbons Peter Frampton Now that's certainly a laundry list of thin, crappy tone. It can be seen during the “Cunning Stunts” DVD on the song “Sad But True”. 3 grand prize winners will get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to fly to Metallica headquarters and hang with James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett, an ESP LTD James Hetfield or Kirk Hammett signature guitar, a year's supply of Ernie Ball PARADIGM strings, and much more. James Hetfield does more than just provide the band Metallica with growling vocals - he is also the bands rythym guitarist. I’d like to discuss two terrific YouTube videos Rick Beato and Rhett Shull recently made regarding string gauges. shipping: + AU $29.00 shipping. The 250 model wasn’t released until 1990 as far as we know, so this was probably some kind of a prototype/crossover between the two models. The album also marks the introduction of Roland JC120 combos into James’ setup, used for the clean sound ever since. Stevie Ray Vaughan used very big strings and his guitar tone was fantastic. And I know 2 of those guitarists arent 'stars', but they are to me, damnit! The body is painted black, with green flames on it. This guitar was used as one of James’ main guitars for the album St.Anger released in 2003, both in studio and for the tour. For some reason the pilot decided to hover over the stage, which annoyed James. “I use a hybrid .008-.048 set because thicker unwound strings don’t make much of a difference, yet they’re harder to play. Guitar packs are numbered from the thinnest string (.08 /.08 / .010 0.11) to the thickest. This amp was also later modified by Ken Fischer to allow bypassing the preamp. Hammett mixes two Ernie Ball string sets to achieve his ideal string gauges. Greetings, tone hounds! His amp rack has a Mesa/Boogie Triaxis and a Strategy 400. This guitar is essentially a twin sister to the previously mentioned Gibson Explorer. It is equipped with Gotoh Locking tuners, Tonepros Locking Tune-O-Matic bridge and tailpiece, and a set of EMG JH pickups. James bought this guitar from a friend from high school who played with him in the school’s jazz band. Click the gear images for more info & specs at Guitar Center and Amazon Guitars One is that sort of chronically in electric guitar string sets, there’s a much lighter gauge B-string than there ought to be. James used it in the “Turn the Page” music video from the 1998 cover/compilation album “Garage Inc.”. He’s used more recently a purple Snakebyte that I believe is baritone scale, and a black ESP Viper that I think is also baritone, I’ve seen live videos of him using it for Dream No More. But, in the mid-1980s, as the band was circling the globe and recruiting legions of would-be diehards, James’s blight of broken strings suddenly ceased. James’ most recent guitar. In 1987 James removed the original pickups, and had them replaced with EMGs 81/60. James’ King V was finished sometime in mid 1985, and featured white body finish, Tune-o-matic bridge, Grover Tuners, and two Seymour Duncan Invader pickups (presumably requested by James himself). Click the gear images for more info & specs at Guitar Center and Amazon. Ernie Ball presents the “Hetfield + Hammett Experience” sweepstakes. Author Topic: String gauge of the pros (Read 19173 times) Mr. Air. The metal logo headstock and fretboard snake inlay warn all who approach to tread lightly or be infected from an extremely heavy bite. 1982 - GIBSON COPY Flying V. 1984 - … – Dunlop James Hetfield Black Fang 1.14mm – Used more often in the recent days. “ To have artists like Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield trust our strings for over 35 years is something the Ernie Ball family is incredibly thankful and proud of. Developed after meticulous analysis of over 100 vintage and current production Tubescreamer/808 variants, some are calling this the king of Tubescreamers?! He also plays two Diezel VH4 heads loaded with EL34s. Let me know what the response is Vai, Satch, Petrucci, & Malmsteen all use 9's or lower. A photo posted by Metallica (@metallica) on Apr 16, 2016 at 8:53pm PDT, The guitar features a V-shaped mahogany body finished in black satin, a set neck with ebony fingerboard and 305mm radius. Click the gear images for more info & specs at Guitar Center and Amazon Guitars - Line 6 Variax Acoustic (Used for live performances of "The Unforgiven"), - Jackson King V guitar (white, used in the 80's during Master of Puppets tour). Metallica Mastermind and chief riff smith James Hetfield has been using guitars from ESP Hetfield since 1988 and looks back on a number of successful Signature instruments since then. All of the guitars were equipped with EMG 60/81 pickups, and featured Gotoh tuners and Tune-o-Matic bridge. There is a reason the old .010–.046 set is so widely used: This string set can work with the widest variety of guitars and tunings—especially with current production guitars that sport bigger frets than vintage axes. James used this guitar to write some of his first songs, and while in playing couple of high school bands. . His sound is more result of his amp setup, and the use of an EQ. 49. 1982 - GIBSON COPY Flying V. 1984 - … You decide! The first number at the top is the gauge, or size, of the high E string and the bottom is the gauge of the low E string. – Black Album Used in the studio for the intro on “Wherever I May Roam” from the Black Album. Heavier gauge strings are “heavier” because they are thicker and thicker because the core of the string is thicker. He’s also been using the guitar with man-to-wolf inlays live after not having used it for a long time, guessing he had it restored or something. The only difference is the shape of the headstock, which was rather copied over from the standard ESP Eclipse model. In it’s essence, the guitar is identical to the two previously mentioned MX220s, except that James had an idea for this guitar to make it completely black so he changed all the hardware to black, and installed EMG 60/81 pickups in it. The guitar also has few unique visual features on it. UberProAudio is reader supported. and a custom shaped headstock. 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. Note: James has hundreds of guitars, in this section you can find the most used. Let's see what guitar gear and equipment Metallica's James Hetfield's has been seen using in his guitar rig. The graphics were hand painted by Kirk Taylor of Custom Design Studios in Novato, California. Also an Explorer made by Ken Lawrence out of the wood of a garage they used back in the Master of Puppet days with very fancy inlays. Get it as soon as Thu, Dec 24. By using UPA you agree to our use of cookies to deliver a better site experience. A few years ago, Metallica’s James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett sat down with Jude Gold for Guitar Player’s April 2017 issue.The wide-ranging conversation was heavy on gear, including a discussion about the guitarists’ touring rigs. JAMES HETFIELD - PERSONAL GUITARS. On a later guitar, his black Strat, the surviving strings indicate he preferred ‘light’ gauges, .009" to .038".” Now go back to the roots. Think you know something about guitar gear? This may have been a result of messing with an EQ, although some people claim that James stopped using Marshalls before this album, and relied completely on Mesa Boogies. Black model; can be seen live on Live Shit: Binge & Purge DVD on the song “The Unforgiven” . The body is alder, while the neck is built from maple with rosewood fretboard. They were both playing through Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ slaved into moded 100W Marshall JCM800s used on the previous album. - He also has an ESP LTD 7-string guitar (coined "The Goblin") and an ESP LTD F-300M. James used this guitar as the backup guitar for the “Eet Fuk” white ESP, but he mostly kept it in the studio to use during the studio session on the Black Album and Load. The guitar is a mid 90s reissue of the 1952 Fender Telecaster, featuring ash body and maple neck. Take our Guitar Gear Quiz Or Metal Gear Quiz Or Guitar Pedal Quiz and prove it! The guitar was built by ESP and painted by Dino Muradian to feature an elk skull surrounded by barbed wire. James Hetfield does more than just provide the band Metallica with growling vocals - he is also the bands rythym guitarist. More recently James Hetfield ditched most of his pedals and instead uses a TC Electronics G-Major 2. Arrives before Christmas. James also has a double neck version of this guitar, with two 6-string neck, one of them being baritone scale. We interview and research famous musician's and show you the gear and equipment in their guitar rigs. We decided to try and select the few that were arguably most notable, but if you think that something else deserves a spot on the list below, message us using the form at the end of this article. The pickups are the same as on all of James’ guitars – EMG 81/60, and Sperzel Locking Tuners were used as well. The modified EX body an all-mahogany and neck construction, ebony fretboard with 22 extra-jumbo frets, and venomous EMG active humbuckers. Ah yes, the industry standard . In case you want to talk to me privatly, please use the contact form and I will get back to you as soon as possible. So the A string would become your low E, the D string your A, the G string your D, the B string your G, and the .013 E string your B. Elixir Strings Electric Guitar Strings w … 1977 - James Hetfileld very first guitar 1979 - GIBSON COPY SG 1969 with tremolo 1980 - ELECTRA 2236 Flying Wedge. There is a reason the old .010–.046 set is so widely used: This string set can work with the widest variety of guitars and tunings—especially with current production guitars that sport bigger frets than vintage axes. He is proficient on the bass guitar, lead guitars, keyboards and drums. Ernie Ball, the iconic maker of Slinky guitar strings and instrument accessories, has announced the launch of the Hetfield + Hammett Experience, a partnership with longtime Ernie Ball artists and legendary guitarists James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett that will grant three lucky winners the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hang with the guitarists at Metallica Headquarters in San Francisco, CA. Malmsteen actually uses an 8 for his high E. Petrucci goes back and forth between heavy bottom 9s and 10s depending on the year. For changing string gauges or ... locking tuners like on the higher end ESP models I.e. Most significant feature of this guitar is that it was the first ESP model to feature a set of custom-designed EMG pickups based on James’ feedback – dubbed JH-B and JH-N, also known as the JH “Het” Set. . James Hetfield of Metallica donates his used guitar strings to Wear Your Music to be made into guitar string bracelets and pendants. Hetfield currently uses custom Jim Dunlop picks in 1.0mm and 1.14mm gauges. Just like his Electra Flying V, James restored his white Explorer and played it on “Death Magnetic” in 2008. From around 1989 to the mid 90s James went through a large number of nearly identical black ESP Explorers. It was equipped with a Tune-o-Matic bridge, Gotoh tuners, and EMG 81/60 active pickups. He bought it just prior to recording “And Justice For All”, and used it as his main axe during that period. Dino used a technique called pyrography – a process of burning a design on the surface with a heated metallic point. The second Explorer had the words 1984 Gibson Explorer “So What” written on it in 1985. James bought this guitar in 1980 for $200, and it was his second electric guitar. Although almost identical to the “So What” Explorer, this one featured different stickers on it – making it easier to separate the two. The contest launches today, September 7, and runs through October 31. - ESP Explorers, including a black and chrome version. Ah yes, the industry standard . After the amp was stolen prior to the recording of “Ride The Lightning”, James had to buy replacement Marshall JCM800 head and Marshall cabinets loaded with Celestion G12-65 speakers. As for the gauge, Malmsteen himself chimes in, “People have an illusion that heavy strings will give them more sustain—bulls**t,” he says. This guitar was custom-made by Ken Lawrence in 1996. For a more in-depth look into James’ setup and technique be sure to pick up The Art of James Hetfield book co-written by James Himself. Hammett mixes two Ernie Ball string sets to achieve his ideal string gauges. Now back around 10-15 years ago my son followed a guy with custom Metallica guitars and he had James pre Gibson lawsuit explorer EET Fuk And now it’s worth the investment. The guitar actually predates Dave Mustaine’s first Jackson – who is one of the people responsible for promoting Jackson guitars in the early years and making them relatively popular. – TC Electronic G-Major 2 Check out James Hetfield’s monstrous attack and how tight his riffs still sound, and you’ll understand why he needs a thicker set of strings. . In 2011 a white version with black hardware was also released, featuring identical specs. The guitar was officially released in 2008, and James used it often for live gigs ever since. The guitar looked pretty much stock, and James most likely used the 12-string neck to record some of the fills during chorus of the song. Many electric guitar players used to use a 10s, or 11s for the high E, Stevie used 13s! This obviously annoyed Hetfield, which resulted in the iconic sticker being added to the guitar. After the studio session, the band’s equipment manager Zack Harmon designed custom speaker coffins for James to used in the future, achieving the same result on a much practical level. The guitar had the usual EMG 81/60 pickup setup, with one of necks being the twelve string and other one a regular six string. It also means our strings have been along for the epic ride of ‘Seek & Destroy,’ ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls,’ ‘Sad But True’ and many of the band’s biggest hits. One can be seen in this video: This guitar was seen briefly in the music video for “Nothing Else Matter” (around 3:00 mark). What’s genuinely sad but true is that you’ll need to spend a fortune if you want to duplicate James Hetfield’s monstrous rhythm guitar tone on this track with a rig identical to what he originally used. – Ibanez Tube Screamer And no, not a house painter, but a real artist in his own right. He uses it as his main guitar on stage. Kirk Hammett: So what I use is the three top strings are from a 10 set and then the bottom three strings are from a 48 set. This was the last time he’d use a distortion pedal in his signal chain, as he moved toward using a Mesa Boogie/Marshall combo to get most of his sound. However, for the Black Fang, Dunlop uses modern Ultex. – Garage Inc. James used this guitar to record “Some Kind of Monster” from the 2003 album St.Anger. James used this guitar to record the intro on “The Unforgiven II” from the 1997 album “Reload”, and it was seen in the music video for the song. Check out our stellar "Who Plays What" section to get the news scoop on what your favorite players use for gear in their rigs. The point is that the gauge of your strings is not the gauge … Do big guitar strings sound different? Then you'd put the .010 on as your high E string. ESP kh-20 the blk n white 2009 limited run of ouijas some James hetfield trucksters n vulture ESP ... ESP only and the james hetfield esps jh-1 hot rod jh-3 eclipse 2 trucksters ESP only blk camo emg 81/60 and the hetfield … Martin Authentic Acoustic MA175 Custom-Light-Gauge Acoustic Guitar Strings, 80/20 Bronze. It is custom fitted with a B-Bender system, which allows you to mechanically bend the B-string up a whole tone to C-sharp. Used for studio recording of “Mama Said” and live on few occasions. You throw away the low E string and move them all down one. Few of them had custom inlays, most noticeably the one known as “man-to-wolf”, and the one featuring a coiled snake instead of the standard dots. James Hetfield's gear and equipment including the Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar and Shure SM7B Vocal Dynamic Microphone. For Master of Puppets both James and Kirk started using Mesa Boogie amps. Another string spec is the scale length. James Hetfield:.009-.042 As you can see, a lot of the great players of our time have used some pretty everyday-player gauges. James used this guitar predominantly during the “Reload” tour, having another two nearly identical guitars as a backup. Note: James has hundreds of guitars, in this section you can find the most used. As far as his gear goes, James started out with a relatively cheap Gibson Flying V copy which he used on Metallica’s debut album “Kill ’em All”, but soon replaced it with a couple of white 1984 Gibson Explorers that served him well for the next two albums. For instance, a .010 gauge means 0.01 diameter inches. James’ third ESP, which first appeared sometime after the release of “…And Justice For All” in 1988. Other famous guitarists that used heavy gauges are Joe Bonamassa , James Hetfield , Dick Dale , and Jeff Beck . Used for the unplugged show on MTV in 1998. What soon came to be his main one was a white 1984 Gibson Explorer decorated with a sticker on it reading “So What”. James’s first ESP, and one of this most recognizable guitars. There's hundreds more guitar rigs in our famous Who Plays What section! ... Dunlop James Hetfield Pick Tin Papahet + 6 Guitar Picks Metallica JIM DUNLOP. “And the reason for that is, as a lead guitar player, I need to be able to bend the light strings, and if … Shop the best selection of Ernie Ball strings: guaranteed low price, free shipping, 0% financing, 8% back in rewards. The guitar wasn’t really James’, but Bob Rock’s (music produced on the album) – he just used it to record some parts of song on it. It’s equipped with a pair of EMG HZ-707 passive pickups, and a Tune-o-matic bridge. it plays great and looks great too. James used it as a backup guitar from around 1984 to 1988. The second one is the gold stripe above the pickups which was added sometime later, and was present on the guitar during the St.Anger studio sessions. James used this guitar for the tour that followed the release of the “Load” album. They were all MX-250 models, which is largely similar to the older 220 model – except for the ebony fretboard instead of rosewood, and some minor differences in body and headstock shape. James used/uses this guitar extensively since 2008 during live gigs. Guitarists such as Billy Gibbons, Dave Navarro, Eddie Van Halen, James Hetfield, and many gigging guitarists at Sweetwater all turn to Dunlop for their tonal tools. Used on “Kill ’em All” in combination with a modified Marshall. He still uses it live occasionally. Do big guitar strings sound different? 1977 - James Hetfileld very first guitar 1979 - GIBSON COPY SG 1969 with tremolo 1980 - ELECTRA 2236 Flying Wedge. The first number at the top is the gauge, or size, of the high E string and the bottom is the gauge of the low E string. One of James’ main guitar during the St. Anger album, seen both during the studio sessions and on the tour that followed the release of the album. And James Hetfield by the way played a heavier gauge strings and commonly stuck with 11’s. James Hetfield is the vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter in Metallica, the biggest heavy metal band of all time. “I use a hybrid .008-.048 set because thicker unwound strings don’t make much of a difference, yet they’re harder to play. 4.7 out of 5 stars 3,278. 49. Appearently James using Jackson Randy Rhoad model.. could you please add that James is back using Jackson guitar. Yikes, that's a big string gauge. Used nowadays for his effects during live performances. $4.49 $ 4. EET FUKs go for between $10-$15000 at the present. EMGs didn’t come into play until the EP: Garage Days Re-revisited (1987) and …And Justice for All (1988). - Roland JC-120 (James uses the head version more recently of this amp), - Wizard Modern Classic Amp heads and Wizard 4x12 cabs, - Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ (Master of Puppets), - Line 6 POD X3 Pro (to emulate the JC120 sound). The barbed wire extended on the fretboard as well, serving as inlay. We use a 13.5 and on a set of 9s it’s an 11 when I think it really should be a 12. Heavy gauge strings (.013 to .053) add the finishing touch. FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon. Arrives before Christmas. At first, even James … Welcome to ÜberProAudio - your definitive source for all things music gear. Most noticeable feature on the guitar is without a doubt the black diamond plate which is fitted on top of the body, giving this guitar it’s recognizable look. James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963 in Downey, California, United States) is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. The string gauge is indicated by its thickness diameter. I remember watching a video awhile back where James said he sold his SG, his first guitar, so he could buy a PA system since he wanted to be a singer. The guitar has the usual EMG 81/60 set of pickups, mahogany body and maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, Tune-o-Matic Bridge and Sperzel Locking Tuners. Blabbermouth Archive Search - posts including james hetfield from an archive of over two hundred thousand heavy metal and hard rock articles spanning over a decade. Wait! This is not to say that heavy strings don’t produce a different tone. Used on various occasions for acoustic renditions of “The Unforgiven”, “Fade to Black” etc. This guitar is heavily inspired by James’ 1973 Gibson Les Paul which he used extensively during St.Anger era. James has been using a new ESP JH model called the “Vulture” on couple of occasions in 2016. The guitar features see-thru black cherry finish on a mahogany body with figured maple top, and the neck is a 7-string featuring rosewood fingerboard. Get it as soon as Thu, Dec 24. 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. - Dunlop Ultex Black Fang guitar picks (by James and Dunlop), - Custom Yellow/Black Picks from pick factory. For these two albums, James added a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier and began to use the TriAxis preamp next his old ADA MP-1. . Partial list of guitar players who use "wimpy" 9 gauge strings: Jimi Hendrix Ed Van Halen James Hetfield BB King Carlos Santana And how about even wimpier 8 gauge: Tony Iommi Jimmy Page Eric Clapton Billy Gibbons Peter Frampton Now that's certainly a laundry list of thin, crappy tone. This is the second James Hetfield signature model from ESP, released in 1998. He uses .010, .013, .017 strings from the Ernie Ball RPS-10 Slinky set on the bottom , and .028, .038, .048 from the heavier Ernie Ball RPS-11 Slinky set on the top. Ernie ball 2221 Regular Slinky Electric guitar strings Gauge 10 - 46. HH = 1 x EMG JH (James Hetfield) Set (bridge pickup) + 1 x EMG JH (James Hetfield) Set (neck pickup) chrome satin hardware; ESP Ltd locking tuners; Tonepros locking TOM bridge ; strings: D'Addario EXL110 nickel wound (roundwound - regular light gauge plain steel .010 .013 .017 nickel wound .026 .036 .046) James Hetfield signature on headstock http://www.guitarscollector.com/1989—esp-mx-220–fuck-em-up-.html. On the other hand, for a Marshall-style, midrange-heavy, tight-crunch tone, lighter strings with humbuckers and a gain-y amp—without too much bass in the preamp—will get you there. In case you notice anything wrong with the information posted on this page, or you have knowledge of something that you would like to share, be sure to leave a comment above. He also enclosed his Marshall cabinets with foam and blankets to cancel out the unwanted frequencies. The Don of Downpicking, James Hetfield, was something of a string snapper in Metallica’s garage days. The only strings I've ever found to do that were Ernie Ball's, I mean end of story. Kirk Taylor also paints James' hotrods and motorcycles. Contest runs September 7 through October 31, 2017. The Don of Downpicking, James Hetfield, was something of a string snapper in Metallica’s garage days. Stevie Ray Vaughan used very big strings and his guitar tone was fantastic. Ernie Ball presents the “Hetfield + Hammett Experience” sweepstakes. James is a firm believer in wah pedals and selective signal filtering in general. If you’re interested in his current live gig, be sure to watch Metallica Gear Run on YouTube. After signing the deal with ESP in 1988, James added a Jagermeister sticker over the original Gibson logo on the headstock, and added another larger Jagermeister sticker just behind the bridge. Instead of mahogany, the neck was built using maple with rosewood being used for the fretboard, and the body featured somewhat more aggressive design – similar to ESP EXP model. Also seen briefly during the music video of “Nothing Else Matters”. So I don’t remember the signature amount were made and any idea of some left and what worth approx. It's odd to ever Imagine Hetfield using 9s, IIRC he uses 11-54s nowadays. They are available in 3 gauges: .73 mm, .94 mm, and 1.14 mm. On St. Anger James started using a Diezel VH4 alongside his old Wizard Modern Classics and some Marshall amps. Around 2007, prior to the recording of Death Magnetic James started experimenting with Krank Krankenstein and Revolution 1 amps, which he ended up using on the album. – ProCo Rat Distortion pedal Terms. And the reason for that is, you know, as a lead guitar player, I need to be able to like bend out the light strings. The Dirty Donny pick tin comes with 6 designs inspired by Hetfield. Handcrafted in the USA, this piece of wearable memorabilia features a recycled string donated by the musician of your choice. GroundGuitar counts on your criticism and feedback. James used this guitar extensively from 1996 as one of his main live guitars. James started using two ESP-made Flying Vs in 1996 called the model JH-1, designed and built by Matt Masciandaro. Oh boy..tell the virtuosos that use 9 (and lower) gauge strings that they are useless for tone and don't stay in tune live. Get the gear to sound like James Hetfield and get their tone. When buying a set of guitar strings, there will usually be six different numbers listed on the package. The number you see is 1/1000 of an inch. All the hardware is gold-plated, including the pickup covers which were custom made by EMG to feature a metal top piece. The contest launches today, September 7, and runs through October 31. James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963 in Downey, California, United States) is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. This guitar in contrast to the previously mentioned MX220 styles quite an amount of stickers on it. What happened to it after Metallica was formed is unfortunately unknown, since James started using a white Flying V by that time. Few months after that, the neck on it snapped and James just didn’t bother repairing it. That’s Kirk’s guitar. First one is the Maltese cross behind the bridge, which added sometime in 2002. Playability, bending, vibrato. What started as a single sticker on the body reading “So Fucking What”, over the years became sort of a collage of various different stickers – among others, a mudflap woman, LA Raiders logo, and Wyoming’s Bucking Horse and Rider Logo. Oh boy..tell the virtuosos that use 9 (and lower) gauge strings that they are useless for tone and don't stay in tune live. These two pedals are what he turns to when it is time to spice things up. 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From EMG gauge strings that started with a.013 guitar and Shure SM7B Vocal Dynamic Microphone also the bands guitarist.
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