Kirk Hammett

Latest about Kirk Hammett

Butch Walker and Kirk Hammett comp
Butch Walker turned down the opportunity to buy the Greeny Les Paul before Kirk Hammett bought it

By Phil Weller Published

The singer-songwriter has since come to regret the decision, even if his bank balance thanks him for it

Guitarists
Metallica EMG pickups 2026 comp
Metallica has rolled out something special to help celebrate 50 years of EMG

By Phil Weller Published

Updated sets for James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo will only be available in 2026

Guitar Pickups
Iron Maiden Killers Cry Baby Wah
Jim Dunlop drops an Iron Maiden Killers edition of its Cry Baby wah

By Phil Weller Published

Emblazoned with the album’s unmistakable art, the pedal celebrates the band’s gritty beginnings

Guitar Pedals
Daron Malakian and James Hetfield
Daron Malakian on the time he saved a Metallica gig – and ended up filling in for an injured James Hetfield

By Phil Weller Published

Malakian stepped up to sub for Hetfield at the last minute while on tour – and stuck around until he was fully recovered

Guitarists
Kirk Hammett and Adrian Smith comp
Adrian Smith had a chance encounter with Kirk Hammett – and ended up babysitting his iconic Les Paul

By Phil Weller Published

The fabled Gibson has been making plenty of big-name players weak at the knees recently

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Guitarists
Gibson CEO-4
Kirk Hammett’s guitar auction shatters expectations – with his mystery Back to the Beginning SG fetching $70,000 more than anticipated

By Phil Weller Published

Around 150 of Hammett’s guitars were part of Julien’s latest Played, Worn & Torn auction

Electric Guitars
Cear Gueikian building the Gibson CEO-4 SG and Kirk Hammett playing the Gibson CEO-4 SG at Back to the Beginning
Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian has spent 3 years learning how to build guitars – and his prized SG was played at metal’s most historic concert

By Matt Owen Published

Gueikian has juggled the demands of his CEO role with learning the art of guitar making, and his builds already have some high-profile admirers – including Jason Momoa, Kirk Hammett and Tony Iommi

Guitarists
Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro wears a custard-colored jacket and green T-shirt and poses with a sunburst Fender Stratocaster
Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil on why he fell in love with Kirk Hammett’s Greeny – even if he’s still Team Strat

By Amit Sharma Published

With their 10th album, Futique, Biffy Clyro remind us exactly why they are one of the most important rock bands of the modern age

Guitarists
James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett
EMG founder on why this Metallica guitarist’s pickup set was the most challenging he’s ever made

By Phil Weller Published

The band first started working with the pickup builder before they scored their first record deal

Guitar Pickups
Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian building a Gibson SG
The hardest part of building a Gibson guitar from scratch, according to CEO Cesar Gueikian

By Matt Owen Published

Gueikian has spent around three years learning and building guitars under the CEO Series – and one of his most recent builds was played by Kirk Hammett at Back to the Beginning

Artists
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