Fans of the legendary rock group Metallica are in awe of a Kirk Hammett guitar they are surprised to see is still working.
The instrument was showcased by Hammett at a recent show, with fans taking to the r/Metallica subreddit to share their surprise at the guitar being in usable condition. Hammett’s range of guitars often stuns fans, but this one in particular has thrilled members of the public who believed the guitar to be retired from the stage. Longtime fans of the group may recognise the guitar, with the instrument a fan favourite and a frequently used instrument which Hammett brings out during live performances. It is believed he may have more than one of the guitars in question, as fans speculate on how he has kept the piece in such good condition over decades of playing.
Hammett appears to be a huge horror movie fan, hence the Boris Karloff feature on his instrument. The image of the Karloff villain from the titular classic, The Mummy, was recently shared and showcases one of several Universal Monster Movie characters Hammett has displayed on his instruments. Hammett is also believed to own guitars with posters from The Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, and Nosferatu printed on the body.
Fans were thrilled by the collection and equally impressed by the longevity of the guitar featuring The Mummy. One user wrote: “I do not know how this guitar still works… it’s hard to say his Karloff Mummy is different from Greeny in terms of road abuse.”
Another fan has since worked out the possible reason The Mummy guitar has made its return to the stage. They wrote: “Like others have said, probably has multiples of this one, but also just from watching their live stuff, it seems like Kirk isn’t as hard on his guitars as James is.”
Another added: “I believe he recently got a second one.” A third shared an image of the original and suggested there may be a collection of Mummy-printed guitars in Hammett’s collection.
Others wondered whether touch-ups to the original guitar had been made. One user wrote: “I mean, most guitar issues are fixable. Hardware can be replaced, electronics can be replaced, etc. Basically, the only way you kill a guitar permanently is by breaking the body wood.”
Another user who attended Hammett’s guitar collection show says the guitarist confirmed he had “multiple” versions of the same design. The user wrote: “I was at the collection show last night in Toronto. He says he has a few of them.
“The original has so much checking on it from being rained on etc, he doesn’t use it much anymore. He had the one he uses on the stage and said I think it was one of the three or four he has.”
A third user had previously suggested separate versions of the guitar were likely, adding: “Aside from having more, which is very likely. They have the best tech at their disposal. Any problem would be fixed overnight unless they break it in half. Dings and finish problems aren’t gonna kill a guitar. It’s quite a lot of hardwood.”
Some have suggested it is unlikely The Mummy guitar will be retired, either, with one user suggesting Hammett has retired very few guitars in his decades-long career.
They wrote: “Kirk has a huge collection of road guitars that he can pick from thus any one of his longtime gear can have a longer ‘stage life’. Other than his original Black V, I don’t know if he’s had to retire any guitar from touring in terms of gear he’s had since the beginning of the band.
“Plus, guitar players take better care of their gear now than they did 40+ years ago. EVH used to throw Franky in the back of his truck when he would visit other musicians for jams at their homes.”
Another added: “In the documentary of making one of their latest albums (I forget which) one of the guys stated that Kirk and James each have about 300-400 guitars.
If I had to guess, there’s probably a lot of ESP backups in that collection, probably a decent amount of Gibson Les Pauls and Flying Vs and Explorers, probably some LTDs as well and Epiphone Vs for Kirk, as well as miscellaneous guitars. I know that off stage, James tends to play Gibson’s more than his ESPs for some reason.”
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