New Hammett's Pickups ? Confirmed ?

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New Hammett's Pickups ? Confirmed ?

Hi guys,

You remember The Night Before Show, and the Custom EMG that Kirk fitted onto his Red Les Paul in the bridge position ?

 

I've spotted a pic last night during their show with the Sharks and I've seen this :

That's right, in one of his standard Vintage he has for heating his fingers up, he has a new EMG Prototype at the neck (or JH ?) with plots. Don't know if he has a new one in the bridge position too ... 

It's seems like we'll have new signature pickup over 2016 or 2017 

Cheers,

G.

Pushead

Well there you go!  I have a set like that, too.  (Sort of.)

Guiguitarz

You know that the James Trussart Steel X has 81/60 EMGs with a chrome/brush/aged cover with GLUED Screw-heads pole-pieces !!

Pushead

Yeah, that's how I had to do it, too.  Well, with an epoxy.

Guiguitarz

The story is strange tho ... He asked EMG to get only his bridge 81 with pole-pieces ... And he used to have the original pickups the first months of use of this guitar, with both "old-style" PUs : 

Mark P.

Not sure if I can shed any light on the red Les Paul but here goes... EMG told me directly that the bridge pickup in the Les Paul was one of the Het Set prototypes he stuck in there. Apparently the early Het Set prototypes they sent to Hetfield had screws instead of slugs. That may have changed but that's what they told me when I spoke to them after the Night Before show. I guess he is just trying different pickups, haven't heard any evidence of a new Hammett EMG set.

 

That EMG 81 in the pic above from Justin I think is the original pickup that was in the guitar and not the new one with the poles. I base my statement from two things. First, it was manufactured in 2009 and still has the epoxy intact which means the poles could not have been added as that cover has not been removed. Secondly, a 2009 manufactured EMG would predate the appearance of the new pickup in this guitar by 6+ years.

 

Based off of these facts I would say that either he is trying different versions of the Het Set to see if he likes them or that something went bad with the original bridge pickup in the red LP and the Het prototype happened to be around and he liked it. His black LP custom, amber sunburst LP and trans black LP all have their original 81/60 pickups still in them.

Guiguitarz

Wow, thanks for sharing that Mark ! That's good informations in this Topic !

ESP 348

Great info, cheers Mark.

Breadfan32

That's a pretty solid answer Mark! 

Mark P.

Basically. I suppose that would mean the picture from Justin could be the new pickup although it wouldn't matter, either way it definitely was around before the change and unmodified whether the pickup in the picture was one of the first Het prototypes or the 81 that was in Kirk's guitar up until late last year.

 

I have noticed that Kirk has all but retired his amber sunburst LP Standard he used from the 1990's until the late 2000's and is using his black LP Custom less. The trans black and trans red LPs have seen the most play in the last few years. (They keep multiple sets of gear, the black is with one set and the red with the other set much like Hetfield's two Ken Lawrences and his 2 acoustics, one with the Unforgiven art and one plain.)

 

I believe Kirk's black and red LPs are essentially 59 reissues wiith the EMG pickups and custom finishes so perhaps he prefers the feel of them since he also has Greeny on the road with him now. Just wild speculation on my part there.

Guiguitarz

You know what guys, I'll be in Copenhagen in February, so, I'll ask him, because I'll won a Meet & Greet ...  

I don't know if I posted it somewhere, but here's my version of the Red LP, Enjoy :

(The contrasts and the colors look very very weird when loaded by the ESP Pictures Manager ... so it doesn't look like this ... I'll try an other pic....)

Mark P.

Nice looking LP and congrats on winning the meet and greet! I've never won one of them but I did meet Kirk at the Orion Festial in 2012, super nice guy! Got to chat with him about horror movies and guitars for a few. 

Breadfan32

How did you win a meet and great already they don't announce who wins till a few days before the show?

Or did you but the "hardwire" package?  I hope you did because I'm wanting to know your experience and if it's worth getting.   

Guiguitarz

Ahah sorry guys, that was like a supposition, to force the luck to win one. I did write "I'll ..." because as you guys, I never won one, I won the On Stage in Milano and the Snake Pit at the Rock'am Ring. 

Big Daddy B

Yeah and in addition to asking him about the pickup, also ask him what "Sarge" means on the back of the Anderson Pro Am

 

Enquiring minds want to know

Guiguitarz

Ahaha ! I did not forget B ! I'll ask to someone near me who can ask him... I'll keep you in touch about that 

Big Daddy B

Thank you my friend. If you can ask multiple questions, the article here states James recorded the intro to Sandman using Kirk's Pro Am. 

http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/membre_groupe/membre_groupe-nom-Hetfield_James-id-1614-l-en.html 

"Occasionally, James will use Kirk's electric guitars in the studio, in particular his Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters, as well as his Tom Anderson Pro Am (which was used for the clean guitar intro of "Enter Sandman"). "

Would be cool to find out if it was this gold one or the grey one. I have a pic of Kirk using this one in the studio but that was during the St. Anger sessions. From what I could see in Year and a Half, only the grey one appeared.

ESP 348

I was thinking about buying one of those awesome meet and gree packages for the Copenhagen show.

Tickets with my flights and accomodation, it will cost me $10K Aussie dollars.

Haven't run it past the Wife yet, but it would definitely be a once in a lifetime event for me.

Only trouble is, baby Pap #3 is due for us the same time their shows are on over there February 2017.

So I will more than likely miss out on this one, but hopefully they do something like this again in future so I can go.

It will probably be the only time in my life I would get to meet the band in person as I will never have any lucky in winning a meet and greet pass.

Breadfan32

Too late looks like all 4 shows are sold out for that package.

ESP 348

Man!!!! :(

I could purchased the same day they let you, but again dates clashed with the new baby and if they didn't clash, I reckon I would have just done it and deal with the Wife later.

I also thought that ticket price for the show, with what you received was awesome. Ticket price was AU $2500, which is A LOT more than the standard $200 ticket. Lol. But at least you get to meet the band and get that one photo with them before they hit the stage.

Imagine standing beside Kirk and the Mummy as he is ready to go and blow the roof off the joint?

My pathetic life would be complete then.

Breadfan32

I agree 348!

When they come to Canada I'm going to consider that package.  It's really once in a lifetime.  

Either way I will at least select one of the other packages and go to any concerts within driving distances.  

I wonder if this tour will make it out your way this time? 

ESP 348

Definitely consider it if they offer it.  But don't be surprised if they don't man. I have feeling it's a one off for the Copenhagen shows for now, but I dare say they will do it again in future.

They have toured Australia since forever when every new album comes out. So they will definitely come out this way, but I don't expect to see them until 2018 or even 2019. 2019 sounds like a way long away, but it's not really as we are nearing 2017 now and I reckon they will tour Australia last as they did with the Death Magnetic tour. The ended the tour in Melbourne Australia with an "end of tour party", that was documented with pics in the Metallica Club 'So What' magazine!

They will do another 2+ year tour again this time I am sure. It won't be long before they start to announce tour dates after the album is released and I must say, I haven't been this excited for a Metallica album since the Black Album! I was 11 years old when they released that album and my Mum purchased it for me on tape. Lol, we could not afford to buy a CD player back then when we were kids.

They first came to Australia in 1989 with the Justice Tour.

They then toured again in 1993 for the Black Album tour.

They toured again 1997 for the Load tour. I got a free ticket to the show from a friend, but I was still in school then and had no money to fly or bus down to the show. Bus ride is 24 hours to Brisbane and the plane ride to Brisbane takes 3 hours. lol

I first went and saw Metallica play live in 2004 at the Big Day Out Festival here in Australia. They were doing the St Anger tour then. I followed it up the next night at one of their shows. So 2x concerts back to back, it was amazing!

I then saw them again in late 2010 with the Death Magnetic tour. Again, I watched 2x shows over two nights in a row.

I flew down to Brisbane again in 2013 and watched them play at the Soundwave Festival. That was a one night show, went for nearly 3 hours. I was front row, in front of James all night and he tossed me 2x guitar picks at the end of the show.

I also tossed my Aussie flat up on stage at the end of the show but it was very hard to get a good throw because of the 50,000+ people jammed in behind me. Lol

So my flag ended up landing on top of one of the stage monitors. I thought fuck this!!!

I yelled out to James around 5  times before he looked down at me *a little angry too I might add* and he said "WHAT!!" Lol

I pointed to my flag on the sound monitor and he saw it, gave me a BIG smile and thumbs and grabbed it. He passed the flag onto Rob who layed it over Lar's drum kit.

Was the best day of my life having that little exchange with the legend that is James Hetfield.

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