Hetfield's Handmade Snakebyte!
Show the world your metal chops with the ESP James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte electric guitar — the same handmade model Metallica's James Hetfield uses night after night on the road! This electric guitar doesn't just look impressive: it delivers the sound that made metal what it is today. The edgy design of its mahogany body confronts you with a ready-for-action aesthetic while maintaining excellent balance on your knee or strap. Chug through a few Metallica classics, and you're sure to relish in the Snakebyte's fast-playing mahogany neck, capped with an ebony fingerboard to keep up with the furious fretting and down-picking madness of its namesake. A set of Hetfield's signature EMG JH "HET" humbuckers offers the best of active and passive tones, with high-end hardware like Sperzel locking tuners and a Tonepros locking Tune-o-matic bridge and tailpiece solidifying the ESP Snakebtye as a formidable choice for the touring metal musician.
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Sleek and balanced Snakebyte body that's ready to strike
Aside from being instantly recognizable as one of the world's most iconic metal guitars, ESP's Snakebyte body style makes it one of the most playable and well-balanced guitars available today. The body shape ensures the guitar won't neck dive when it's on your knee or strapped over your shoulder, with a natural-feeling arm rest on the body for optimal picking placement — there's a reason Snakebytes are a favorite among metal purists here at Sweetwater.
EMG JH "HET" humbuckers bring the thunder...and the lightning
Metallica and EMG have both individually and collectively helped define the modern sound of heavy metal guitar. When James Hetfield tapped into the incredible minds at EMG to design his signature set of pickups, the mission was clear: to create a pair of active humbuckers that offered the output and clarity of the 85 and 81 pair Hetfield had been using for decades, but with the nuance, punch, and dynamics of a great set of passive pickups. EMG's JH "HET" pickup set uses oversized ceramic and steel pole pieces to give your Snakebyte that exact combination for a powerful rock sound.
Exquisite hardware and features deliver a boutique-quality experience
To meet the needs of an arbiter of metal music, ESP made sure to load the Snakebyte with plenty of high-end appointments. The headstock is outfitted with Sperzel locking tuners to make string changes a breeze while keeping your tuning stable. A TonePros locking Tune-o-matic bridge and tailpiece lock the hardware down to the body, giving you optimal string vibration transfer to your guitar's body. We can't forget the sleek ebony fingerboard displaying James's Snakebyte inlay on the 12th fret — whether you're a Metallica diehard or dreaming of harnessing the look and sound of a legendary instrument for yourself, the Snakebyte delivers the goods.
ESP James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte Electric Guitar Features:
- Signature Snakebyte for Metallica cofounder James Hetfield
- Handmade in Japan one at a time
- Balanced mahogany body feels great in all positions while laying a warm tonal foundation
- Mahogany neck feels smooth and solid in the hands; glasslike ebony fingerboard facilitates lightspeed shredding
- EMG JH "HET" active humbuckers deliver blistering levels of gain in complete clarity
- Sperzel locking tuners keep your tuning stable; Tonepros TOM bridge and tailpiece ensure reliable intonation
- Custom Snakebyte inlay adorning the 12th fret
