ESP officially announces Kirk Hammett's new 30th Anniversary Signature KH-3 Spider

NAMM 2021 isn't taking place in the physical realm this year, but you'll find all the hottest January gear launches in our guide to the biggest guitar, amp and pedal releases of 2021 so far.

In the wake of NAMM 2021's cancelation, ESP last week announced its own three-day livestream event – ESP Presents 2021 – to showcase the cornucopia of new electric guitars and basses it has lined up.

In the same announcement, the guitar giant revealed the return of Kirk Hammett's KH-3 Spider Eclipse, a signature guitar based on the KH-3 model the guitarist played heavily during Metallica's 1992 Black Album tour.

The 30th Anniversary KH-3 Spider – requested by The Ripper himself – was born of his desire for a single-cutaway guitar with the features of his Strat-style KH-2 signature model.

The spider graphic on the guitar's lower bout is designed by graphic artist Pushead, and based on the decal found on Hammett's original KH-3.

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Construction-wise, the KH-3 Spider Eclipse boasts an alder body, extra-thin U-shaped three-piece maple neck with a neck-thru-body construction and a 24-fret Macassar ebony fingerboard with skull and crossbone inlays and scalloped frets from position 17 to 24.

Other features include a set of Hammett's signature EMG Bonebreaker pickups, a Floyd Rose 1000 bridge and a 24.75" scale length.

“I really like the feel of the single cutaway shape, and thought it would be great to add a locking trem and my usual EMG pickups,” Hammett says. “Not to mention also having the perfect area to plaster the killer Pushead graphic that was drawn specifically for this guitar back in the day!”

The 30th Anniversary KH-3 Spider comes either as an LTD model – available from February 2021 – or a hand-crafted ESP version – available later in the year. For more information, head to ESP Guitars.