Gibson unveils the Kirk Hammett 1979 Flying V, paying tribute to “one of the most important heavy metal guitars of all time”

Gibson has announced the Kirk Hammett 1979 Flying V, a meticulous Custom Shop replica of the Metallica guitarist’s first Gibson electric guitar.

Hammett’s 1979 V is notable for its appearances on Metallica’s first five albums – Kill ’Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, …And Justice for All and The Black Album. These were the records that established the band as one of the biggest metal and hard-rock acts in the world, and accordingly, Gibson is hailing Hammett’s V as “one of the most important heavy metal guitars of all time”.

For Gibson’s reproduction, the Murphy Lab’s pain-staking ageing procedure has been employed to replicate all the dings and duct tape found on the original – clock the side and rear of the guitar and numerous headstock chips – while the guitar is packaged up in a Metallica Museum case.

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Inside, there’s a wealth of case candy, including a flag, picks and a certificate of authenticity signed by Kirk himself.

The regular guitar specs won’t surprise you: there’s the one-piece mahogany body in a nitrocellulose Ebony finish, with a glued-in set neck shaped to Hammett’s V profile, complete with a 12”-radius Indian rosewood fingerboard.

Interestingly, the Custom Shop replica captures the V in its pre-active pickup state – Hammett kitted his original out with EMG pickups in the late-’80s, but a pair of uncovered T-Type humbuckers are onboard here.

Hardware comprises a stopbar tailpiece, custom replica bridge, black speed knobs and that aged black switch washer around the output jack. Hammett’s upgrades – in the form of two Schaller strap locks and M6 Schaller tuners – are also replicated.

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Just 200 of the Hammett Vs will be produced, and the price tag is a very Gibson Custom Shop $14,999 – just $5,000 shy of its recent Greeny Les Paul Standard, also produced in collaboration with Hammett.

This is likely to be the first of several Flying Vs Hammett will develop with Gibson, as he was spotted playing prototype purple models last year.

For more information, head over to Gibson.com.

Meanwhile, the Metallica lead man has also launched his own line of V-shaped guitars with ESP, the LTD KH-V, which arrived last month.

Indeed, Hammett’s guitar collection is growing by the week, as he recently secured one of the rarest Les Pauls ever made – a Factory Black ’59 Les Paul Standard – and one of the few guitars that could make Greeny jealous.