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ESP LTD James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte - Black Satin

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Mahogany Body, Mahogany Neck, Ebony Fingerboard, and 2 Active Humbucking Pickups - Black Satin
8 Write review Item ID: SNAKEBYTEBS
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ESP LTD James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte - Black Satin
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James Hetfield's Signature Guitar

Built for performance and loaded with aggressive features, the ESP LTD Snakebyte James Hetfield signature electric solidbody guitar doesn't just look impressive, it delivers the sound that made metal what it is today. The edgy design of the body confronts you with a look that is combative while maintaining great balance on your knee or strap. A set of Hetfield's signature EMG pickups balances the best of active and passive tones, and high-end hardware and tonewoods make the LTD Snakebyte a good option for the gigging rock or metal guitarist.

Sleek and balanced Snakebyte body

Aside from being instantly recognizable as one of the world's most iconic metal guitars, ESP LTD's Snakebyte body style makes it one of the most playable and well-balanced guitars you can get your hands on. The body shape ensures the guitar won't neck dive when it's on your knee or strapped over your shoulder. And you'll appreciate how your arm naturally rests on the body for optimal picking placement. There's a reason Snakebytes are a favorite among metal purists here at Sweetwater.

EMG JH Het Set active pickups

Metallica and EMG have both individually and collectively helped define the modern sound of heavy metal guitar. When James got together with EMG to design his signature set of pickups, they set out 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. The JH pickup set uses oversized ceramic and steel pole pieces to give your LTD Snakebyte that exact combination for a powerful rock sound.

High-performance features

This LTD Snakebyte James Hetfield signature electric guitar boasts a lot of appointments that are normally reserved for guitars costing considerably more. The headstock is outfitted with six of ESP's LTD 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. And the sleek ebony fretboard displays James's Snakebyte inlay on the 12th fret.

ESP LTD Snakebyte James Hetfield Signature Electric Guitar Features:

  • Signature guitar designed by and for James Hetfield of Metallica
  • Balanced mahogany body adds huge, warm tones
  • EMG active JH Het Set humbuckers
  • LTD locking tuners keep your tuning stable
  • TonePros locking TOM bridge ensures reliable intonation
  • Stark ebony fretboard with custom Snakebyte inlay

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

Additional Media

Electric Guitar Buying Guide

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape Snakebyte
  • Body Material Mahogany
  • Body Finish Polyurethane Satin
  • Color Black Satin
  • Neck
  • Neck Material 3-piece Mahogany
  • Neck Shape Thin U
  • Neck Joint Set Neck
  • Radius 13.7"
  • Fingerboard Material Ebony
  • Fingerboard Inlay Snakebyte with Dots
  • Number of Frets 22, XJ
  • Scale Length 24.75"
  • Nut Width 1.654"
  • Nut Material Molded Plastic
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece Tonepros locking TOM
  • Tuners LTD locking
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup EMG JH-N Active Humbucker
  • Bridge Pickup EMG JH-B Active Humbucker
  • Controls 2 x volume
  • Switching 3-way toggle pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings D'Addario XL110, .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Hardshell case
  • Manufacturer Part Number: LSNAKEBYTEBLKS

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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5

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The best guitar I’ve ever owned

The title says it all. Seriously this is the best rhythm guitar I've ever played. It plays and sounds so good. I put a neck treatment in mine because I wasn't a huge fan of the snake inlay.
by Isaac from NY on

Well I wanted something with attitude

Got this on a scratch and dent offer for we'll below coat. Has a few knicks here and there but it's a Snakebyte and after looking at it strapped on I don't think anyone will notice or care. Its light and well put together and it absolutely males you play with a bit more raunchy. If looks mean as hell with lots of riffing sweat dripping off of the body. It just makes you play with all of you cahones in the fully dropped position. Love this one.
by Tattoo from Hurst Tx. on
Music background: 35 years playing metal, I've bought and old so much equipment in my life

3 months in, I'm loving my daily shredder

I'll tell you about why I both love this guitar and why I decided to buy from Sweetwater.

First, I always played acoustic blues, but I love metal and Metallica. Hetfield rocks, and everything about this guitar's specs are fantastic. The pickups, the construction, the fittings, the finish and the balance are great. There seem to be some hollowed out parts of the body that add a bit of resonance, and frankly I was shocked by how light this weights compared to a Les Paul style I own.

Transitioning to metal rhythm, whether it is all mental or has something to actually do with the guitar itself, things just started playing better immediately. I think it's because this is meant to shred, whereas the Les Paul style isn't bad, just different. Way better sound too.

Now why Sweetwater? I come from a musical family, and you always try your guitars before you buy, so Internet ordering was a first for me. I did plenty of research on what I wanted to buy, as well as checking around to different vendors.

Let's be honest, everyone checks Amazon. However, for guitars it seems like there are all sorts of Amazon sellers who are ripping customers off. You see generic product photos, and you have no idea what you're going to get. People who bought this guitar had reported scratches, open box versions sold as NIB.

=

Enter Sweetwater - you know you're getting an inspected guitar if you're putting down a decent amount of coin. I was able to see the exact photos of the guitar I was buying. It was great to know exactly what I was buying.

Heavily recommend: if you know what strings you use, pay to have them install those strings and adjust the neck to the action you prefer. It was incredibly helpful.
by John from Charleston, SC on
Music background: 20 years self-taught for fun

The Captain

I just got this in yesterday, and I got one of the demo ones because, hey they're cheaper and you don't have too much fear playing with it if its already got a bit of blemish. I named it The Captain, because it's serial number says it was made July 13 (Patrick Stewards birthday) and it absolutely killed every other guitar I own for the go-to guitar. It has an insanely nice satin neck that makes playing fast quite easy. The thin U neck shape is comfortable for chords near the nut or soloing high on the frets.

I had to tune the guitar when i pulled it out of the case and the tuners are fantastic. The higher ratio locking tuners are responsive and really accurate.

The only bad thing about this guitar is the battery box & pots. They are the tiny dime sized pots you usually find on Squiers and other lower end guitars. The battery box is just a cavity with a control plate and a velcro strap. But even then, its not even a problem. The pots are responsive and the battery box is only a slight inconvenience when you finally have to change the battery.

If you are considering purchasing the LTD model, keep in mind that it is a Volume, Volume setup there is no tone knob on this one. That being said the pickups are as warm as you would expect most active pickups to be.
by Michael from Washington on
Music background: Bedroom Rockstar, gigging musician, 10+ years guitarist

What a beast

I've had this guitar for about a week now and I'm blown away by how good it is. All hardware is top notch, all controls are smooth. The Hetset pickups are amazing. The bridge pickup gives that classic Hetfield metal tone, the neck pickup products a great warm tone for clean sounds, but it will still dirty up a bit if you pick hard (like all actives will). This really is a great guitar for all types of heavy metal as long as you don't need a tremolo. It does great for playing rhythm but is also fast enough for most lead work. The only possible down side is how big this thing is, I know it was larger than a stat shape but I was still surprised by just how big it is. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just be aware the body is big.
by Robert from lake worth, FL on
See also: Solid Body Guitars, ESP, ESP Solidbody Guitars
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