Playing electric guitar like Kirk Hammett

Here you'll learn everything about Kirk Hammett's guitars, amplifiers, effects and accessories. We show you equipment from all price ranges with which you can emulate Kirk's sound and look. Have fun browsing!

About Kirk Hammett

Kirk Hammett was born on 18 November 1962 in San Francisco. Even as a child and teenager the young Kirk showed great interest in his older brother's extensive record collection, which included albums by Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, the Rolling Stones and UFO. His biggest influence, however, was Jimi Hendrix. After learning to play at 15 on a department-store guitar, he first switched to a Fender Stratocaster and then to Gibson Flying V and Les Paul models. Kirk joined Metallica in 1983, after his predecessor Dave Mustaine was dismissed from the band due to drug and alcohol problems. Shortly afterwards Kirk recorded Metallica's first album Kill ’Em All. To further improve his playing, he took lessons from Joe Satriani himself. Although Kirk is primarily a lead guitarist, he has also been involved in songwriting since the 80s. One of his most famous riffs is of course the intro to Enter Sandman.

Discover the Greeny models in our range now!

Affordable electric guitars in the Kirk Hammett style

Signature models and high-end instruments from Kirk Hammett

Kirk is not only a guitarist but also a passionate collector of guitars. He endorses Gibson and ESP Guitars, both of which he often plays on stage. Here you'll find a selection of guitars in the higher price range that Kirk also plays.

Kirk Hammett's guitars

As a long-standing guitarist, Kirk Hammett naturally has a passion for great instruments and is a collector through and through. Over the years Kirk has amassed a considerable collection of guitars, including some real rarities. Long-time fans will certainly know his black 1989 Gibson Les Paul Custom, which he has used on numerous Metallica albums and tours. Kirk is also the current owner of the famous Gibson Les Paul Standard Greeny from 1959 and he loves to play this guitar in the studio and on stage. In addition, he plays various Flying V models from Gibson and similar models from ESP. Of course he also still has his green Fender Strat, which you can spot for example in the video for I Disappear. His success and his passion for Gibson guitars have earned him an endorsement with the storied guitar manufacturer.

Expert opinion

You don't necessarily have to spend thousands of euros to get close to Kirk's sound. There are plenty of affordable instruments that are comparable to Kirk's guitars. Since Kirk mostly plays heavily distorted tones, you should also pay attention to choosing the right amplifier and the right effects units.
If you really want to invest more, you should first check out the following guitars. We've put together a selection of electric guitars from other manufacturers that have similar specifications to Kirk's own guitars and that closely resemble his originals in look and sound.

High-end alternatives for the perfect Metallica sound

Kirk Hammett's amplifiers and speaker cabinets

For his perfect sound Kirk Hammett mainly relies on amplifiers and speaker cabinets from Marshall and Mesa/Boogie. At home he practises on a Boss Katana Air.

Kirk Hammett's effects pedals

Kirk usually plays with distortion and particularly likes to use the two classic Ibanez Tube Screamer pedals TS-9 and TS-808. In addition, Kirk also uses some Boss pedals, which are a bit cheaper to obtain.

The ideal accessories for your Metallica sound and look

With the following accessories you can perfect your look and sound and come even closer to sounding like Kirk Hammett. Whether strings, picks or other accessories, here you'll find everything a Metallica fan's heart desires!