James Hetfield Signature Guitar: ESP Snakebyte

- Set-neck construction
- 24-3/4" scale
- Mahogany body
- Mahogany neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Pearloid snake inlay
- 42mm nut width
- Thin-U neck contour
- 22 XJ frets
- Metal logo on headstock
- Black hardware
- Sperzel locking tuners
- TonePros locking Tune-o-matic-style bridge/tailpiece
- EMG-81 active bridge humbucker
- EMG-60 active neck humbucker
- Case included

James Hetfield is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and the main songwriter of Metallica. He co-founded the band in 1981 and has since defined its direction in terms of sound, message and impact.

In an amazing rock career spanning over three decades, Hetfield and his band mates released 9 studio album, 3 live records and 45 single, earning 9 Grammy Awards for their performances and contributions to modern music history. In 2009, Hetfield was ranked number 16 in Joel McIver's book "The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists".

James Hetfield has been playing and endorsing ESP Guitars since the 1980s and has always been a fan of EMG 81/EMG 60 pickups. His tour guitars are often custom-made Explorer-style instruments. Hetfield currently has six signature models under the ESP and LTD brands. He also uses Gibson guitars.

Read more about Metallica's frontman here.

ESP Guitars is a Japanese manufacturer of guitars and basses with a tradition of making high-end instruments since 1975. ESP stands for Electric Sound Products, the name of the small shop in Tokyo where it all began. There, Hisatake Shibuya used to provide custom replacement parts for guitars, then moving on to crafting instruments.

ESP also began crafting custom instruments for local New York artists between 1984 and 1985. Among them were the likes of Page Hamilton (Helmet), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Vinnie Vincent & Bruce Kulick (KISS), and Ronnie Wood (The Rolling Stones). In 1986, guitarist George Lynch discovered ESP while on tour in Tokyo. Lynch walked into an ESP shop looking for a replacement neck and learned that they also built custom guitars. As a result, his famous ESP Kamikaze was made - the first ESP signature model ever.

In 1996, ESP started a new brand, LTD. These guitars are similar to the higher-end ESP models, but are more affordable and designed mainly for markets outside of Japan.

Promoted by many top players of the genre, ESP has become one of the most popular guitar brands for heavy metal.

Read more about ESP Guitars by clicking here.