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Saturday, October 27, 2007

The Black Album Era : James Hetfield's Equipments

Guitars:

Black ESP Explorer #2 Custom - (Recording/Live)
Short description: Set Neck, Ebony Fretboard, Black Hardware.
Inlays:
Dots
Pickups:
EMG 81/60
Controls: 1 Volume, 1 Tone
Note: James' first truly Black Esp Explorer. Used on the road and recording up to this day. Can be seen: "Live Shit: San Diego" - most songs. Last time used live: Before the "Load" gigs.


Black #3 ESP Explorer Man To Wolf Inlays - (Live)
Short description:
Set Neck, Ebony Fretboard, Black Hardware.
Inlays: Man to Wolf inlays
Pickups: EMG 81/60
Controls:
1 Volume, 1 Tone
Note:
Used a ton during the Roam Tour, and still used live today. Can be seen in the video "Live Shit: San Diego" during "Harvester of Sorrow".


Black ESP Custom Explorer #4 Snake Inlays - (Recording/Live)
Short description: Set Neck, Ebony Fretboard, Black Hardware.
Inlays:
Snakes
Pickups:
EMG 81/60
Controls: 1 Volume, 1 Tone
Note: James Still Uses this on the road from time to time. Can be seen in the video "Live Shit: Seattle" during "Sad But True". Mainly used as a D-tuned guitar

Black ESP Explorer #5 NRA logo inlays - (Recording/Live)
Short description:
Set Neck, Ebony Fretboard, Black Hardware.
Inlays: NRA (National Rifle Association) Logo
Pickups:
EMG 81/60
Controls:
1 Volume, 1 Tone
Note: Not Seen or Used a lot, probably never played live.


Black ESP Explorer #6 Deer Skull Inlays - (Recording/Live)
Short description: Set Neck, Ebony Fretboard, Black Hardware.
Inlays:
Deer Skull
Pickups:
EMG 81/60
Controls:
1 Volume, 1 Tone
Note:
Later Converted to the Diamond Plate Top. Last used live: Before the "Load" gigs









Black ESP Doubleneck Explorer - (Live)
Short description: Set Double Neck, Rosewood Fretboard, Black Hardware.
Strings: 12 on Top, 6 on bottom.
Inlays:
Black Ducks
Pickups: EMG 81/60 x 2
Controls:
1 Volume, 1 Tone x 2
Note: Used For Fade To Black Live. In Montreal on 8 August 1992 James was burnt in a pyrotechnics accident with this guitar.




Gibson Chet Atkins Acoustic/Electric (Live)
Short description:
Solid Spruce top, acoustically chambered Mahogany back. Black with gold hardware. Rosewood fingerboard.
Inlays: None
Pickups: Gibson Hex piezo bridge transducer
Controls:
Active volume, Active volume, treble and bass (boost and cut)
Note:
Can be seen in the video" Live Shit: San Diego" during "The Unforgiven".


Gretsch White Falcon (Recording)
Short description:
The maple body has two F-perforations. The 22 frets large fretboard consists of ebony. White with gold hardware. Model 7594.
Inlays:
Pearl blocks
Pickups:
2 Filtertron pickups
Controls: 2 volume controls for each pickup, 1 master volume control and 1 tone control Note: In Gretsch's tradition this guitar was constructed by hand. It is a reissue of the original White Falcon series which has been constructed for the first time in 1950. In contrast to the 'White Falcon I' series that reissue has a double-cutaway Used on the recording of Nothing Else Matters.
Fender 1952 Telecaster (Recording)
Short description: Butterscotch with black hardware.
Inlays: Dots
Pickups:
Controls: Parsons-White B-bender system
Note: Used mainly for recording in the studio. The only live performance was during the "1998 American Music Awards" for "The Unforgiven II".








Other Guitars Used During The Metallica Era:

Olympic White Danelectro 12 string - (Recording) - Nothing Else Matters
Blue Jerry Jones Dano Longhorn Baritone - (Recording - Sad But True main riff)
Red Vincent Bell Coral Sitar - (Recording) - Where Ever I May Roam And My Friend Of Misery
Natural "Hetfield" Stratocaster style - (Recording)
Black Gibson Moderne
Red Gibson SG Doubleneck - Another Trial on Nothing Else Matters
Guild 12 string - Another Trial On Nothing Else Matters
Tom Anderson Electric - Man Guitar Used on Nothing Else Matters
Aria Nylon String Acoustic (Gift from Cliff Burton) - Probably for The Unforgiven
Fender Shenandoah Steel String - Used for its "shimmery, high end qualities."
Red Coral Electric Sitar

Amplifiers:

Mesa Boogie Mk IIC+ - Main Sound Combined With Below
Mesa Boogie Mark IV - Main Sound Combined With Above
Jose Arrengando Modified 100 watt Marshall Head
Roland JC-120 Combo - Used for Pretty Cleans
ADA MP1 - Preamp Modded By Voodoo Amps. Makes for some killer high gains...for crunchy Rhythm tones.
ADA MQ1 - Preamp
Aphex Parametric EQ - Just for Tightning Tones
Marshall 4x12
Mesa Boogie 4x12
Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp
Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 Power Amp

Note: For the "Black Album" gigs and beyond, equipment manager and bass roadie Zack Harmon designed speaker coffins for consistent tone. These were essentially large road cases housing a speaker cabinet, sound dampening and fixed position microphones (Senheiser 421s).

Picks:


Dunlop Green Tortex .88 mm imprinted with the Metallica logo / The Black Album snake.

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