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KIRK's EQUIPMENT CHRONOLOGY
- KILL 'EM ALL
- Guitars
- Gibson Flying V #1
- Black w/ white pickguard
- 2 pickups which were eventually changed to EMG 81s in 1987
- 2 volume controls, 1 tone, triangle layout, set neck
- Was the main recording guitar for the first four albums
- The neck is glued on
- Can be seen: "Cliff 'Em All" inbetween "No Remorse" & "Metal Militia"
- Last time used live: "Master of Puppets" gigs
- Gibson Flying V #2
- Red w/ white pickguard
- 1 Seymore Duncan pickup, the other pickup was taped over
- 2 volume controls, 1 tone, straight line layout, set neck
- Can be seen: Is an infamous picture of Lars holding 2 V's while getting
- hit with a sledgehammer.
- Last time used live: "Kill 'Em All" gigs
- Fernandes Flying V
- Black w/ white pickguard
- 1 bridge pickup, set neck
- 1 volume control, 1 tone
- Can be seen: "Cliff 'Em All" - ("No Remorse")
- Last time used live: "Kill 'Em All" gigs
- Amps
- Marshall 2-100 watt head and 4x12 cabinets
- he also used James Hetfield's modified Marshall amp
Effects
- Boss distortion pedal
- RIDE THE LIGHTNING
- Guitars
- Jackson Randy Rhodes Custom
- Black, EMG 81 humbucker
- Neck-through body, string through body (no stop bar, only
- tune-o-matic)
- Kirk picked this guitar up at the Jackson factory while they
were on tour. The guitar was just finished. In fact, he had
to wait 2 hours for the glue on the nut to dry and for the
guitar to be setup and strung!
- After the "... And Justice For All" tour, the guitar became
mostly a D-tuned guitar
- Can be seen: Cliff 'Em All - (Creeping Death),
- and Live Shit: San Diego- (Sad But True)
- Still used live
- Fernandes Stratocaster #1
- Black w/ white pickguard
- 3 single coil pickups (lace sensors?), Bolt-on neck, Floyd Rose trem
- 1 volume control, 2 tone
- Unknown graphic below trem
- Can be seen: "Cliff 'Em All" - ("The Four Horsemen")
- Last time used live: "Master of Puppets" gigs
- Amps
- Marshall 100 watt head and 4x12 cabinets
- MASTER OF PUPPETS
- Guitars
- Same as on previous albums
- Amps
- Mesa-Boogie Mark 2C amp (re-wired as a pre-amp)
- Marshall 100 watt power amp
- Marshall 4x12 cabinets
- GARAGE DAYS RE-REVISITED
Guitars
- Same as on previous albums
- Amps
- Same as on Master of Puppets
- ... AND JUSTICE FOR ALL
- Guitars
- ESP M-II #1 "Skull and Crossbone"
- Black, 2x EMG 81 humbuckers
- Skull and Crossbone inlays, reverse headstock
- Pushead skull sticker on body
- This guitar was Kirk's original ESP MII. The headstock is slightly
different than his following ESPs, the flat part is on the side of the
headstock on this guitar, while the following ones are flat at the top of
the headstock. Also, the skull inlays on this first ESP are oriented
differently than his other one. The skulls are up and down when the
guitar is in its stand, and his second one the skulls are up and down
when the guitar is actually being played.
- This guitar now resides at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland
Ohio.
- Can be seen: "Live Shit: Seattle" - ("The Four Horsemen")
- Only used live: "...And Justice For All" gigs
- Gibson Les Paul Custom
- Black, white binding on body, tune-o-matic bridge
- 2x EMG 81 humbuckers, gold hardware
- 2 volume, 2 tone
- Can be seen: "Live Shit: Seattle" - ("Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"),
- "Cunning Stunts" - ("Guitar/Bass doodle")
- Still used live
- Tom Anderson ProAM (x2)
- Ash, Basswood body and Floyd Rose bridge
- The neck and middle pickup are ultrasonic stacked single coils and
the bridge is a Tom Anderson H3. This one has a Floyd with a
switcheroo switching system. The finish is a black & white bowling
ball. The neck is maple/ Pau Ferro and has TA standard back shape
with a 1 11/16" nut width EMG 81(neck), Anderson single coil pickups
(during "Justice" tours)
- For recording "Metallica" and "Black" tours: EMG 81(neck), EMG-S
single coil pickups
- Bolt-on neck, dot inlays
- Can be seen: "Live Shit: Seattle" - ("Seek and Destroy")
- Last time used live: "Black Album" gigs
- Jackson Soloist
- Red w/ black pickguard
- 1x EMG 81, 2x single coil pickups
- Floyd Rose bridge, bolt on neck
- Can be seen: "Live Shit: Seattle" - ("The Thing That Should Not Be")
- Amps
- Mesa-Boogie power-amp
- Mesa-Boogie '88 preamp
- Effects
- Aphex parametric EQ
- Around the time of "...And Justice for All", Kirk starts using a midi based and controlled
system. Presets are controlled for each song (EQ, wah ect.) and can be changed off stage by
his roadie Ian Ferguson. There is a large ammount of gear in Kirk's sound.
- METALLICA
Guitars
-
ESP KH-1 Flying V "Devil"
- Black w/ white, EMG 81 humbucker, 1 volume control
- Dancing devils inlays
- Similar model available ESP KH-1
- Can be seen: "Live Shit: San Diego" - ("Last Caress")
- Only rarely used live
- Still used live
- ESP KH-2 M-II #2 "Skull & Crossbones II"
- Black, 2x EMG 81 humbuckers, 2 volume and 1 tone control
- Skull & crossbone inlays
- A red "Caution HOT" sticker now covers a large chip in the finish
below the bridge, and a small sticker saying "Kirk's Guitar" above the
neck pickup.
- Similar model available as ESP KH-2
- Can be seen: "Live Shit: San Diego" - ("Harvester of Sorrow")
- Still used live
- ESP KH-2 M-II #3 "Ouija"
- Black, 2x EMG 81 humbuckers, 2 volume and 1 tone control
- Ouija board graphics between the pickups
- Half moon & star, star inlays
- Similar model available as ESP KH-2 Ouija
- (The ESP KH-2 Ouija with the 'Half Moon & Star' inlays are the later
constructions and the ones with the 'Skull & Crossbones' inlays are
the earlier constructions of the signature ESP KH-2 "Ouija" serie)
- Can be seen: "Cunning Stunts" - ("Ain't My Bitch")
- Still used live
- ESP Eclipse #1 "Spider"
- Black, 2x EMG 81 humbuckers, 2 volume and 1 tone control
- A pushead designed spider graphic is located below the trem
- Similar model available ESP KH-3
- Can be seen: "Live Shit: San Diego" - ("Enter Sandman")
- Still used live
- ESP KH-4 M-II #4
- Black, with mother-of-pearl pickguard
- 2x EMG 81 humbuckers, 2 volume and 1 tone control
- Neck-through-body, rosewood fretboard, dot inlays
- Floyd Rose bridge, black hardware
- You can see the order form for this guitar in the Live Shit book.
Kirk uses this guitar with his Roland VG-8 midi processor for
recording.
- Similar model available as ESP KH-4
- Never used live
- Fender Stratocaster
- Cream with white pickguard, 3 Fender Lace Sensor pickups,
- 1 volume and 2 tone control
- Bolt-on neck, rosewood fretboard
- Can be seen: "Live Shit: San Diego" - ("The Unforgiven")
- Last time used live: "Black Album" gigs
- Ibanez RG470
- Black, Ibanez Infinity pickups
- (humbuckers at neck and bridge, single coil at mid)
- 1 volume and 1 tone control
- Bolt-on neck, rosewood fretboard
- Floyd Rose Bridge, black hardware
- The guitar has been beaten up pretty bad, the bottom of the guitar is
duct taped together.
- Can be seen: "Live Shit: San Diego" - ("Guitar solo (Mistreated)")
- Gibson Flying V #3
- Black w/ white pickguard
- 2 Gibson PAF pickups
- 2 volume controls 1 tone, straight line layout, set neck
- Gold hardware, tune-o-matic bridge
- Can be seen: "Live Shit: San Diego" - ("Fade to Black")
- Only used live: "Black Album" gigs
- Amps
- Roland Jazz Chorus 120
- Mesa-Boogie Triaxis preamps
- Mesa-Boogie Mark IV amp (re-wired as a pre-amp)
- Mesa-Boogie 100 watt power amp
- Mesa-Boogie 4x12 cabinets
- Studio:
- Marshall cabinets with 30 watt speakers
- VHT power-amp
Effects
- Bradshaw preamp
For the "Black Album" gigs and beyond, equip manager and bass roadie Zack Harmon
designed speaker coffins for consistant tone. These were essentially large road cases
housing a speaker cabinet, sound dampening and fixed positon microphones (maybe: Senheiser
421s).
- Kirk Hammett: "I used a Bradshaw because the mids were clean and the low end
sounded real percussive. The harmonic distortion also sounded nice and dirty. For the
highs we used two Marshalls. We combined all the sounds and put the Bradshaw pre-amp
through a VHT power-amp. We put it all through Marshall cabinets with 30-watt speakers
and blended all the room mikes. My sound is a lot thicker and punchier than before, and
I think it's better than ever. For the majority of the leads on this album I used a
third ESP guitar. I also used my 1989 black Gibson Les Paul Custom. For the clean sound,
I used a '61 stock white Strat [stratocaster] and a Fender blac- face Deluxe. I also
used a '53 Gibson ES-295 style, and an ESP Les Paul Junior with EMG pickups."
source: GuitarWorld issue of '91
- LOAD
Guitars
- ESP KH-2 M-II #5 "Mummy"
- Original graphic from the movie "The Mummy" staring Boris Karloff
- 2x EMG 81 humbuckers, 2 volume and 1 tone control
- 'The Eye of Horus' inlays
- This guitar can not be ordered, because Kirk owns the rights of the
drawing
- Can be seen: "Cunning Stunts"
- Still used live
- ESP Wavecaster
- Hollow plexi-glass Telecaster body filled with blue wave machine fluid,
- rosewood fretbard
- 1x EMG 81 humbucker, 1 volume control
- This is one of two guitars made by ESP. It was initally supposed to be
a lava lamp, then a snow globe. The guitar is filled with the same
fluids as a wave machine.
- Can be seen: "Cunning Stunts" - ("Am I Evil")
- Only used live for "Cunning Stunts"
- ESP LTD
- Black, dot inlays
- Seymour duncan humbucker (bridge), single coil (neck)
- 1 volume and 1 tone control
- Can be seen: "Cunning Stunts" (Kirk's guitar-smash)
- Amps
- Roland Jazz Chorus 120
- Mesa-Boogie Mark IV amp (re-wired as a pre-amp)
- Mesa-Boogie Triaxis preamps
- Mesa-Boogie 100 watt power amp
- Mesa-Boogie 4x12 cabinets in sound coffins described above
- For amplification, Hammett uses a Marshall JMP-1 preamp, and a Mesa-Boogie Rectifier
preamp into a Mesa-Boogie Strategy 400 Stereo power amp. Effects and preamp switching are
accomplished with a BRADSHAW RSB 18R Rack Switcher with a remote pedal board. Kirk's tech,
Justin Crew, uses the pedalboard enabling Hammett to have free reign of the stage. This
also keeps the stage less cluttered due to the size of the pedalboard.
- RE-LOAD
Guitars
- Gibson Les Paul Standard
- Cherry Burst
- Gibson PAF pickups, gold hardware
- Can be seen: "Memory Remains" video
- Dan Electro U2
- Black with white pickguard
- Standard lipstick pickups
- Can be seen: "The Unforgiven II" video
- Godin Multiac
- Blonde
- Used for accoustic sets during the "ReLoad" tours
-
ESP Semi-Acoustic Eclipse
- Red, semi-hollow mahogany body, rosewood fingerboard, dot inlays
- Piezo electric pickup with active EQ system, 1 volume control
- Used for the acoustic parts of the live show
- Amps
- Roland Jazz Chorus 120
- Mesa-Boogie Mark IV amp (re-wired as a pre-amp)
- Mesa-Boogie Triaxis preamps
- Mesa-Boogie 100 watt power amp
- Marshall JCM 900 preamps
- Marshall 4x12 cabinets in sound coffins described above
- GARAGE INC. / S&M
- Guitars
- ESP Eclipse #2
- Black, tune-o-matic bridge, black hardware
- Neck-through-body, rosewood fretboard
- EMG 81/81 pickups, 2 volume and 1 tone control
- Pushead spider inlays at frets 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9
- Skull and crossbone inlays at frets 12, 15, 17, 19, 21 and 24
- This guitar is similar to the one ESP made for Kirk during the "Black
Album" gigs (the KH-3 model) except it is missing the Spider graphic
and the Floyd Rose trem.
- This guitar is used to be played D tuned.
- Can be seen: "MTV's: Metallica at Roseland Ballroom" - ("The Small Hours"). Could possibly be the replacement for his Jackson Rhodes.
- Still used live
- Amps
- Same as on previous album
- Kirk also used Wizard 4x12" cabinets during the "Garage Inc." gigs
- SUMMER SANITARIUM TOUR
Guitars
-
ESP M-II #6 "Frankenstein"
- Its body's graphic is Boris Karloff as "Frankensetin's Monster"
- 2x EMG 81 humbuckers, 2 volume and 1 tone control
- The writing THE MONSTER IS ALIVE! as inlays
2 red lights as the graphic's eyes, inlays glow green in the dark
- Still used live
- Amps
- Same as on previous tour
- Kirk's ESP guitars (unless otherwise noted):
Are built or overseen by Matt Masciandaro. Kirk's guitars are maple neck-through-body
designs with alder bodies. All of the ESP guitars have rosewood fretboards. All hardware
(tune-o-matic bridges, stop piece, or Floyd Rose bridges and arms, and tuners) is black.
Most have Fender style 3 way slot switches, 2 volume controls (one for each pickup) and 1 tone.
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