ESP Ltd James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte, Satin Black

For more than 30 years James Hetfield has been helping to redefine the Metal Genre - his unique guitar sound, whether he's playing those signature guitar riffs or his ever-smooth and articulate solos, is almost instantly recognisable to most metal fans the world over - and this is largely down to his choice of guitars and pickups. Around 1987, prior to the recording of "...And Justice for All", James started to replace the pickups in his guitars with EMG 81/60 pickup combinations, preferring their high-powered output over what he'd been using previously. Shortly afterwards he begain using his first ESP guitar (an MS220 Explorer) and so a legend was born.

...and the Earth becomes my throne

The Snakebyte is the result of one of James's more recent collaboration with ESP. Featuring a mahogany body finished in black satin, a modified "Explorer" shape, set neck with ebony fingerboard, locking tuners and tailpiece, and James Hetfield's very own EMG JH pickup set, this guitar is an absolute must for musicians wanting to recreate that classic metal sound that helped to completely redefine the genre.

Rock Solid Construction

James Hetfield's love of the classic Explorer guitar is no secret, in fact it's the guitar that he's most associated with using. The unique looks and severe angles of the instrument help it to stand out from the crowd, and the Snakebyte continues in this tradition. Featuring some slight alterations to the more traditional Explorer shape, the Snakebyte was created based on James' own original design. The slightly shorter (24.75" scale) neck makes for more comfortable playing and easier bends, whilst the 22 XJ Fret ebony fingerboard sports a gorgeous snake inlay at the 12th fret, adding a bit of extra class to the satin black finish and black features of the instrument.

The Neck

Although not usually known for super-fast guitar solos, the neck of this signature guitar is perfectly suited to that should you with. The Thin "U" contour makes those rip-roaring shred-fests and riff-heavy masterpieces that bit more accessible, and the ebony fretboard makes for the perfect finishing touch, accurately matching the the body and headstock colours.

The Pickups

During 2009 James Hetfield approached the president of EMG Pickups with an idea: he wanted them to construct him a new pickup set that helped capture the clarity and punch of a passive pickup, whilst retaining that legendary active tone that drew him to EMG in the first place - and thus the EMG JH "Het" pickup set was born. Both pickups were patterned after the EMG 81/60 combination that James had used for 30 years, whilst at the same time being a completely new kind of monster.

The JH-N (Neck pickup) comes with individual ceramic poles and bobbins that feature a larger core and are taller than the classic EMG-60, giving you plenty of attack, a higher output and a fuller low end in the neck position.

The JH-B (Bridge pickup) uses the same kind of core as the JH-N but has steel pole pieces, unlike the 81 that uses bar magnets, giving you that familiar tight attack with less inductance for a cleaner low end.

The Price

This premium-quality guitar is purposefully built with professional working musicians in mind - despite the looks and the connotations with Metallica, this guitar is as versatile as you could want it to be, with truly professional-grade hardware and electronics at your disposal.

Order this guitar online before 3pm today to qualify for our fast, free and reliable next day delivery service!

Specifications

• Construction: Set-Neck
• Scale: 24.75"
• Body: Mahogany
• Neck: 3pc Mahogany
• Fingerboard: Ebony
• Fingerboard Radius: 350mm
• Finish: Black Satin
• Nut Width: 42mm
• Nut Type: Molded
• Neck Contour: Thin U
• Frets/Type: 22 Xtra Jumbo
• Hardware Colour: Black
• Strap Button: Standard
• Tuners: LTD Locking
• Bridge: Tonepros Locking TOM & Tailpiece
• Pickups: EMG JH Set (Neck & Bridge)
• Electronics: Active
• Electronics Layout: Volume x 2, Toggle Switch