“It’s like Brian May walked over to his tone booth and just turned it up to 11!” Kirk Hammett names his favorite Queen song – and it’s a seriously deep cut By Jonathan Horsley published 20 March 24 Metallica may have covered Stone Cold Crazy, but that’s not Hammett’s no. 1…
“Artfully aged by the Murphy Lab to match the look and feel of Kirk’s original”: Gibson’s Custom Shop takes on Kirk Hammett’s mod-heavy, “blacked-out” 1989 Les Paul Custom – and it’s safe to say it’s nothing like Greeny... By Matt Parker published 23 January 24 The Metallica guitar god debuts his latest signature Les Paul – and it’s a little different to his other recent custom shop build...
“It was a huge risk – to this day I’m wondering if I pulled it off or not. But it was how I felt inside. I didn’t want picture-perfect solos”: Kirk Hammett reflects on his all-improv lead approach – and explains why he doesn’t sweat onstage mistakes By Jonathan Horsley published 12 January 24 Kirk Hammett looks back on a landmark year in Metallica, reveals how Joe Bonamassa helped him snag one of the rarest Les Pauls ever made, and explains what caused him to mess up the intro to Nothing Else Matters – and why it doesn’t matter
“Joe Bonamassa texted me and said, ‘I know you love that black Les Paul. It’s at Carter Vintage right now. Call them ASAP!’”: Kirk Hammett says he only got his ultra-rare Factory Black ’59 Les Paul thanks to the help of his collector friend By Matt Parker published 28 December 23 The Metallica guitarist also reveals he had “30 guitars stolen” in a previous attempt to buy the unicorn electric guitar
“Big jets moving, bombers, people in battle, distress, crying – the Vietnam War added a lot of darkness to his playing”: Kirk Hammett on how Jimi Hendrix’s guitar style helped birth metal and psychedelia By Jonathan Horsley published 22 December 23 The Metallica man and Hendrix fan argues that the guitar icon's influence on metal is under-appreciated
“I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for Master of Puppets”: Mark Tremonti on how Metallica's classic record changed his life – and how James Hetfield's right hand shaped his picking style By Amit Sharma published 20 December 23 The metal trailblazers had an immeasurable impact on the Alter Bridge axeman – here, he discusses what makes Hetfield and Kirk Hammett such a potent duo
“We called that riff ‘The Batman Riff’”: Kirk Hammett admits Metallica lifted the Batman theme on 72 Seasons By Matt Owen published 19 December 23 Thought that riff in Shadows Follow sounded awfully similar to a certain classic superhero theme? Turns out Metallica knew exactly what they were doing
“I hate to say it, but non-musicians – who are the majority of the listening world – are not going to remember guitar solos”: Kirk Hammett says it doesn’t matter how good or flashy a solo is – most people are going to forget them anyway By Matt Owen published 15 December 23 According to the Metallica maestro, the average music listener doesn't share a guitar player's enthusiasm for a ripping solo
“It found its right home. Collecting is about what you love and what you are gonna do with it”: Joe Bonamassa confirms he passed up the chance to buy the iconic ‘Greeny’ Les Paul before it ended up with Kirk Hammett By Matt Owen published 1 December 23 Bonamassa was approached with the prospect of purchasing the prized LP back in 2013 – the same year he played it live at the Royal Albert Hall
“An amazing opportunity for more players to experience the spirit of Greeny”: the Epiphone Kirk Hammett ‘Greeny’ Les Paul is finally here – complete with a Gibson headstock and a price tag to match By Matt Parker published 21 November 23 The most anticipated Epiphone model in its history hails the arrival of a new era of Inspired by Gibson Custom Shop models
“Please tell me that’s the new Epiphone headstock in general”: The Epiphone Greeny Les Paul is nearly here – and guitarists are losing their minds over the headstock By Matt Parker published 20 November 23 Kirk Hammett and Cesar Gueikian have both teased the new model, offering glimpses of a build that looks much more faithful to Gibson’s own design
“A meticulous recreation of Kirk’s prized original”: Epiphone has launched a Kirk Hammett signature 1979 Flying V – and it’s a lot more affordable than the Gibson Custom Shop version By Matt Owen published 31 October 23 Made in partnership with the Gibson Custom Shop, the Metallica man’s accessible Epi pays homage to “one of the most important heavy metal guitars of all time”
“My go-to guitar in the studio”: This Fender Telecaster lived in Metallica’s HQ and became Kirk Hammett’s writing workhorse – now it’s going under the hammer By Matt Owen published 10 October 23 The single-cut became an integral part of Metallica’s writing process, and helped craft St. Anger and Death Magnetic
“I can’t build a guitar, I can’t wire an amp. Woodworking? That’s not my role here. My role is to push guitar culture forward”: Gibson’s Mark Agnesi is on a mission to create more guitar players By Matt Parker published 3 October 23 The vintage obsessive sits at the pivot point between fan and brand. We discuss Gibson’s hits, misses and the daily joy of curating its Certified Vintage program
Kirk Hammett rarely plays guest solos, but he teamed up with folk-rockers Goodnight, Texas to deliver “an absolute vintage wah solo” on Greeny – hear it now By Matt Owen published 25 September 23 Hear how the Metallica maestro helped the band usher in a heavy new sonic direction with the help of one of music's most famed Les Pauls in this Guitar World exclusive premiere
“If Greeny was broccoli then Sunny is mango”: Kirk Hammett is selling a 1960 Gibson Les Paul that ranks among the finest ever made – he reveals how it compares to his most famous ’Burst By Matt Parker published 21 September 23 Fame, flame and punchy tone – meet the ’Burst that has it all. And it’s yours for $500,000...
“We can do things with a Fractal that we can’t do with a real amp”: Kirk Hammett’s guitar tech reveals why Metallica converted to Axe-Fx By Jonathan Horsley published 14 September 23 The Bay Area metal behemoths’ 2013 Freeze ‘Em All gig in Antarctica opened their eyes – and ears – to the potential of digital amp modeling
“It’s the greatest wah, for me, that’s ever been made”: Kirk Hammett owns 200 wah pedals, but this is his studio go-to – and it’s not his signature Cry Baby By Matt Parker published 23 August 23 The Metallica guitarist says he uses someone else’s signature wah every time he’s in the studio
Holy grail Greeny tone from any Les Paul? Gibson just made its Greenybucker pickups available as a standalone set for the first time By Matt Owen published 22 August 23 Previously available only in Kirk Hammett's USA Greeny signature model, these $299 humbuckers were made in collaboration with the Metallica man, and in consultation with actual PAF specs
“I hate admitting this but I started bawling like a baby”: Kirk Hammett says his iconic ‘Greeny’ Les Paul recently had another gut-wrenching injury By Matt Owen published 18 August 23 Another footnote has just been added to the iconic Les Paul's long medical history – but, as the Metallica maestro explains to Rick Beato, it could have been a whole lot worse