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ESP LTD James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte - Snow White

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Mahogany Body, Mahogany Neck, Ebony Fingerboard, and 2 Active EMG Humbucking Pickups - Snow White
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Item ID: SNAKEBYTESW
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ESP LTD James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte - Snow White
ESP LTD James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte - Snow White
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ESP LTD James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte - Snow White
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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 looks 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 balance the offer the best of active and passive tones, and high-end hardware and tonewoods make the LTD Snakebtye a good option for the gigging rock or metal guitarist.

Related Videos: LTD James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte - Snow White

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 the 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 its 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.

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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
  • Color Snow White
  • 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: LSNAKEBYTESW

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Reviews

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Best guitar I have ever played!
Was on the fence about this guitar at first, since I couldn't play it before buying it. So glad I went with my gut. It arrived almost tuned and was perfectly set up and intonated . Not one flaw with this guitar at all. It is not neck heavy like most explorer style guitars. It's lighter as well so you can stand up comfortably and even sit down and play it comfortably. No regrets and worth every penny.
by Sweetwater Customer on
Amazing Guitar
I had been looking at one of these for a while now since I'd always wanted a James Hetfield guitar. I wasn't sure what to expect since I wasn't able to play one first so I went ahead and got it anyways. I'm glad I did. I was expecting it to sound better than my old guitars but not this much better. I have it going through a 6505+ thru a 212 v30 cabinet and it crushes. I wish I had gotten one years ago. I highly recommend it to anybody looking into getting one of these.
by Matt on
Plays and sounds just like you'd expect... perfect
Chris Neyman is THE MAN. I've bought somewhere from 8-10 guitars from him and he always gets me the exact guitar I want, spec'd out my way along with any accessories I might need in. Chris usually gets my new order to me anywhere up to 5 days after I ordered it. Chris and the whole sweetwater team are GREAT and have taken all of my skepticism away when purchasing a guitar online. Sweet Waters plaque tuning option is incredible. My other guitars have been set up by Dimebag Darrell's past luthier, and the plate tuning is just does good of work as him if not better.

Now for the guitar:

Metallica and James Hetfield in particular have always been my personal Heroes. The fact that I get to pick up the guitar he helped design and plays and produce sounds just like him (well close enough at least) is a dream come true. With the right amp, I play a Peavey 6505, this guitar emulates Metallica's sound perfectly.

I own seven electrics and one acoustic. This might be the most fun one to play even though it's the only fixed bridge in my collection. The pinch harmonics come so easily it's insane. You can get all those fun Zakk Wylde 3rd fret harmonics until your heart is content. I've always loved the Explorer shaped guitars. I owned an LTD EX about 20 years ago. I now have the Jeff Loomis Jackson Kelly and the snakebyte. They are both so comfortable to play on, whether you are having some fun with chugging or flying around high up on the fretboard. These guitars are just comfortable. Some Explorer shaped guitars are notorious for neck diving, but neither of these do that at all, especially when paired with a proper strap.

One thing I do want to mention is that I was surprised by how amazing this guitar sounds when it's played clean. It's beautiful. If you had your back turned you would never expect a guitar like this to sound as deep and warm and vibrant as it does with the way it looks and considering it's a Metallica signature series. If there's anything I want to play clean, especially in a studio, I will always use this guitar.

Overall, if you are on the fence about buying this guitar, I have to tell you you can't go wrong. The only drawbacks I can think of is that the 23rd and 24th Frets are missing and it's a fixed bridge. But it's also James Hetfield's and how he designed and plays his guitar, and no one can deny that he is one of the best of all time.

You absolutely will not regret buying this guitar. It's hard to stop playing. Unbox it and after it acclimates properly, play disposable Heroes or the fun part of one. You will think you are a member of Metallica.
by James Torgerson from Glen ellyn il on
Hardwired for Metal
I've had a few guitars I've tried to use to simulate a Metallica tone, but finally decided to go straight for the replica of Papa Het's own axe. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. The looks are amazing, and the guitar is surprisingly light and well-balanced; no neck dive here. The fretboard plays beautifully and looks great. The white model has a finished neck-the satin neck on the black model is a bit faster and more comfortable but the finished white neck is still quite playable. Just a tiny bit stickier. The pickups are incredible. Distorted tone is similar to the 81/85 but with more clarity, dynamics, and they clean up much better. Cleans are very warm. I only wish this guitar had a master tone control…but at the end of the day this isn't a guitar you get to play every genre, it's designed for metal and does it very well. If you're a Metallica fan, it's a must have. Stop reading this and buy it already!!!
by Caleb from St. Louis, MO on
Music background: Hobbyist
It's a one trick pony that does a REALLY good trick!
So you're obviously looking at this guitar because you want that Metallica tone. The aggression, speed, clarity, and chunk. I have had all kinds of guitars and amps over the years. The first guitar I bought was an LTD explorer that I fit out with EMG's. It was close, but it just wasn't there yet.

I plugged a few guitars into my Kemper and BIAS to find those perfect Metallica presets. They were all close... but not right. Enter this guitar.

I decided to give it a try. I have to tell you that when it comes to playing Metallica style songs nothing comes close to this guitar. It just nails that so well. Extraordinarily well.

The next feels fast as hell, the pickups are sharp and weighted, yet clean. The clean sounds really match that live Metallica tone.

It is a one trick pony and it does that trick extraordinarily well. When putting it through its paces to try to play John Mayer, Pink Floyd, and AC/DC it didn't meet the mark. Why? Because this isn't meant to be your swiss army knife guitar. This is meant to be your thrash knife guitar. And it absolutely nails it.

My strat, PRS, and telecaster haven't had much love the last 5 months since getting this. If only the guitar came with a bionic Hetfield forearm capable of downpicking at 5,000 BPM for 8 hours straight.
by Tom Camp on
See also: Solid Body Guitars, ESP, ESP Solidbody Guitars