Metallica’s Set Up: The Metal God’s Gear
By Max on Mar 24, 2008 in Artists
Many of the individual members of Metallica have risen up from impossible circumstances and climbed to a mottled fame despite them, which is what makes them so intriguing.
Their sound, however, is what makes their gear list so intriguing and as the band changes with each year, their gear does as well. That, combined with the band members private collection of instruments that they choose to play from, some of which they don’t speak to the public about, makes keeping tabs on their gear list so impossible.
I have for you, however, a great list of the known items played by the metal gods.
James Hetfield
Guitars:
ESP Guitars configured with 2 volume knobs and a 3 way toggle switch
White Explorer - middle finger inlays
White Explorer - dot inlays
Black Explorer - Wood burned Elk Skull and Barbed Wire inlays
Black Explorer - Diamond Plate
Black Explorer - Man to Wolf inlays
Black Explorer - Snake inlays
Black Explorer - Deer Skull inlays
Black Explorer - Dot inlays
Black Explorer - Eagle inlays
Black Explorer - NRA inlays
Black Double-Neck Explorer - Ducks inlays (crispy)
Black JH-1 Flying V -Red Hot Rod flames
Black JH-1 Flying V -Green Hot Rod flames w/Hot Rod stickers
Kenny Lawrence Explorer
Gibson Explorer
1966 Martin D-28 acoustic guitar
Fender reissue ‘52 Telecaster w/Parsons White
Three late ’50’s Gibson Les Paul Sunburst Gold Top Custom
1963 Gibson SG
National ResoLectric
Amps:
Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 Power Amplifiers
Mesa Boogie Mark IV
Mesa Boogie Custom Graphic E.Q. Unit
Mesa Boogie Amp Switcher
Mesa Boogie Triaxis Preamp, both stock and modified
Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier
Mesa Boogie 4×12 Speaker Cabinets
Roland JC 120
Celestion Vintage 30w Speakers
Effects and Such:
EMG PickUps
Bradshaw Patch Bay Custom
Boss SE-50 FX Processor
Juice Goose Rack Power 300
Bradshaw RSB-12 Switching System and Pedal Board
Aphex Parametric E.Q.
Morley Rack Mount
Nady 950 UHF Receivers and Transmitters
Sony 820 Wireless Receivers and Transmitters
Ernie Ball Strings
Gibson Strings
Ascot Road Cases
Pro Co Sound Cables
Ultra Case Guitar Stand
Peterson 520 Strobe Tuner
Jason Newsted (former bassist)
Guitars:
Sadowsky Bass Guitars:
4 Strings: Lake Placid Blue Vintage, Black Vintage, PJ Cherry, and PJ Caramel Sunburst
5 Strings: Vintage Black, Vintage Cherry Sunburst, 24 Fret Black w EMG 40J pickups
1981 4 String Spector NS
1958 Fender Precision
Zon Fretless Guitar
1968 Fender Telecaster Bass
Gibson EB-3 6 String
Chandler Metro Bariton Bass
1933 National Dobro
Hagstrom 8 String Bass
Parker Fly
Music Man 4 and 5 String Basses
Stuart Spector Designs 4, 5 and 6 String
Hammer 8 and 12 String Basses
Amps:
1974 Ampeg SVT head
Mesa/Boogie with SWR Heads
Gibson Skylark Guitar amp
Mesa Boogie 1×15 combo
New Ampeg SVT cabinets
Fender Folded Horn 1×18
Ampeg SVT Vintage
Ampeg SVT III
Ampeg SVT 8″x10″ Cabinets
Effects and such:
Boss Flanger
MXR Phase 100
Electro Harmonix Big Muff
Alesis Mediverb II
Korg G-5 Bass Synth Processor
BBE Sonic Maximizer
Morley Power Boost
Kirk Hammett
Guitars:
ESP Guitars
WaveCaster
M-II - Skull #1
M-II - Skull #2
M-II - Boris Karloff Mummy graphic
M-II - Ouija board graphic
M-II - F–k You
Flying V - Devil finger inlays
Eclipse
ESP Semi-Acoustic Eclipse
Fender Stratocaster SRV Black
Fender Stratocaster Natural
Gibson Les Paul Custom Black
Parker Fly
1963 Gold Fender Stratocaster
1958 Gibson Flying V
1960 Gibson Explorer
All Aluminum Roswell Randy Rhoads Flying V
Gibson Super 400
Early Gibson Les Paul Jackson Randy Rhodes V - black
Ibanez Stratocaster Black
Amps:
Mesa Boogie Strategy 400
Mesa Boogie 4 x 12 speaker cabinets
Mesa Boogie Triaxis preamp
Mesa Boogie MK IV Amp
Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier
Marshall JMP-1
Effects and Such:
Roland VG-8
Nady 1200 Wireless receivers and transmitters
ADA MP-1 Preamp
ADA MQ-1 EQ
Boss SE-50
Eventide H3000 SE
Multiple Foot Pedals Custom Rackmount
EMB Audio Remote Wah units
Rocktron Juice Extractor
Custom Audio Electronics preamp
EMB/Ernie Ball Wah Pedals-custom
Aphex Parametric EQ
Bradshaw Switching System
Marshall 4 x 12 speaker cabinets
Ascot Road cases
Dunlop pedals
Pro-Co sound cables
EMG 81 Pickups
Marshall practice amps
Whirlwind channel boxes
Rocktron RSB-18F pedal boards
Peterson 520 strobe tuner
Floyd Rose Tremelo Systems
Dean Markley strings
Ibanez Tube Screamer
R & R road cases
Lars Ulrich
Drums:
Zildjian Cymbals
14″ Z Dyno Beat High Hat
17″ A Medium Crash
18″ A Medium Crash
20″ A Custom Swish
18″ Oriental China Crash
14″ Z Dyno Beat High Hat
17″ A Medium Crash
19″ A Medium Crash
18″ Medium Crash
20″ Z Custom China Boy
Tama Drums
Star Classic Maple kit
16×22 Bass
16×22 Bass
6.5×14 Snare
9×10 Tom Tom
10×12 Tom Tom
16×16 Floor Tom
16×18 Floor Tom
Remo Drumheads
Tom Tom Batterheads D
Tama Titan Cymbal Boom
Tama HP45 Pro Beat Pedals
Tama Titan HS90 Snare Stand
Tama Titan HT90 Throne
Tama Lever-Glide HH95NL Hi-Hat
Tama X-Hat HH95XH
Pinstripes
Tom Tom Bottomheads D Ebony
Bass Batterheads D Pinstripes
Snare Batterheads D Coded Reverse Dot
Snare Bottomheads D Embassador Snarehead
Robert Trujillo (current bassist)
Gear:
Tobias Classic 5-string
Basic 5-string
Basic 6-string called “Uno Mas”
Fretless Basic 6-string
Fernandes 8-string
Music Man StingRay 5-string
Dean Markley Magnum Roundwounds
Nady Wireless Feeds
T.C Electronic Chorus Pedal
DBX 160X Compressor
Uchida Splitter Box
Ampeg SVT III Heads
Ampeg SVT810DL cabinet
Peavy 5150 Amp
Control
In the end, this is a good solid list of some very awesome equipment. And when the equipment is set up properly, learned properly and researched, what you get is a great deal of control over your art. So beef it up Metallica style and start your collection one piece at a time.
