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The Latest Breaking News from Kirk Hammett

News of the (guitar) world: the biggest, baddest, weirdest and saddest guitar news of 2023

We track the year’s biggest six-string stories – from landmark gear developments to devastating departures and 2023’s most headline-grabbing players

Guitar World

“Big jets moving, bombers, people in battle, distress, crying – the Vietnam War added a lot of darkness to his playing”: Kirk Hammett on how Jimi Hendrix’s guitar style helped birth metal and psychedelia

The Metallica man and Hendrix fan argues that the guitar icon's influence on metal is under-appreciated

Guitar World

Inside the new issue of Total Guitar: The best of 2023!

Also in issue 379! Interviews: Kirk Hammett, Nuno Bettencourt, Cory Wong, Yvette Young, Nita Strauss and more. Reviews: New gear from Epiphone, Fender, Guild, Jackson and more. Learn songs by Led Zeppelin, Phoebe Bridgers and Blink-182

Guitar World

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“I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for Master of Puppets”: Mark Tremonti on how Metallica's classic record changed his life – and how James Hetfield's right hand shaped his picking style

The metal trailblazers had an immeasurable impact on the Alter Bridge axeman – here, he discusses what makes Hetfield and Kirk Hammett such a potent duo

Guitar World

Metallica snuck the Batman theme song into one of their riffs, Kirk Hammett admits

Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has said that 2023 song Shadows Follow contains a nod to the ’60s Batman theme

Metal Hammer

“We called that riff ‘The Batman Riff’”: Kirk Hammett admits Metallica lifted the Batman theme on 72 Seasons

Thought that riff in Shadows Follow sounded awfully similar to a certain classic superhero theme? Turns out Metallica knew exactly what they were doing

Guitar World

Do guitar solos matter? Kirk Hammett says non-musicians won’t remember your solos – but “they are gonna helluva remember a great melody and they’re really gonna remember a great song”

As Metallica's lead guitarist, Hammett has written and performed some of metal's most iconic guitar solos but maintains that the majority of people will forget them

MusicRadar

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“I hate to say it, but non-musicians – who are the majority of the listening world – are not going to remember guitar solos”: Kirk Hammett says it doesn’t matter how good or flashy a solo is – most people are going to forget them anyway

According to the Metallica maestro, the average music listener doesn't share a guitar player's enthusiasm for a ripping solo

Guitar World

Epiphone Kirk Hammett 'Greeny' 1959 Les Paul Standard review – it may be $1.5k, but this is the best-quality Epiphone we've ever played… and better than some Gibson USA builds

It's one of the most talked about builds of 2023, but how does the latest Greeny model fare when it's put under the microscope?

Guitar World

Does anyone else remember the time Metallica’s Kirk Hammett played Bleed onstage with Meshuggah?

Metallica’s guitarist once joined tech-metal heavyweights Meshuggah to shred the solo of Bleed – watch the footage here

Metal Hammer

“It’s called Roman because of the Roman numerals I etched into the back”: James Hetfield owns five ’59 Gibson Les Paul Standard ’Bursts – and he’s carved a massive ‘12’ into one of them

The Metallica man’s new guitar book Messengers showcases perhaps the ultimate example of zero-f**ks-given guitar ownership

Guitar World

Why does the Epiphone Greeny Les Paul cost $1,500?

Opinion: Are Epiphone prices really out of control, and is our perception of what constitutes a guitar's value skewed?

MusicRadar

“It found its right home. Collecting is about what you love and what you are gonna do with it”: Joe Bonamassa confirms he passed up the chance to buy the iconic ‘Greeny’ Les Paul before it ended up with Kirk Hammett

Bonamassa was approached with the prospect of purchasing the prized LP back in 2013 – the same year he played it live at the Royal Albert Hall

Guitar World

“No man was cooler than Geordie, one of the very best and most influential guitarists ever”: Martin ‘Youth’ Glover leads tributes to late Killing Joke Guitarist Geordie Walker

Kirk Hammett, Duff McKagan and Lamb Of God's Randy Blythe are among those to pay their respects to Kevin ‘Geordie’ Walker, who died on 26 November, aged 64

MusicRadar

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Metal Hammer

"He was a huge influence on me." Metallica's Kirk Hammett pays tribute to Killing Joke's Geordie Walker

The Metallica guitarist pays tribute to Walker, who died earlier this week aged 64

MusicRadar

Think Kirk Hammett’s ESP White Zombie KH-WZ is just a metal guitar? Think again. Watch bluegrass phenom Trey Hensley use it as a country twang machine

Active EMG BoneBreaker humbucking pickups? Check. Floyd Rose vibrato? Check. Classic horror graphic? Check. But that doesn't mean you can't be chicken pickin' on it

Metal Hammer

“I tried to write the heaviest thing I could think of”: The track-by-track guide to Metallica’s Black Album

The Black Album catapulted Metallica to number one worldwide and to immortality. Here’s the story behind its every song, from Enter Sandman to The Struggle Within.

Guitar World

“An out-of-this-world limited-edition Flying V”: Gibson’s latest Adam Jones signature guitar is here – and it’s a $20k Murphy Lab recreation of the Tool titan’s prized Flying V with a Futura-style headstock

Staying true to the guitarist's penchant for heavy instruments, the meticulously assembled limited-edition Custom Shop model arrives after Jones debuted a V designed with help from Kirk Hammett, Richie Faulkner and Jim Root in 2022

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Guitar World

“Our Epiphone and Gibson Custom Shop teams are continually collaborating”: Gibson’s Mat Koehler confirms open-book headstock will roll out on more Epiphone models

The much-talked about Gibson-aping headstock will feature on the brand’s new top-tier Inspired by Gibson Custom Shop builds

MusicRadar

Epiphone unveils Kirk Hammett ‘Greeny’ 1959 Les Paul Standard – a top-tier collab with the Gibson Custom Shop and “amazing opportunity for more players to experience the spirit of Greeny”

The Metallica guitarist’s new model replicates one of the most famous Les Pauls ever and features the first Gibson open-book headstock on an Epiphone production build since the '80s

Guitar World

“An amazing opportunity for more players to experience the spirit of Greeny”: the Epiphone Kirk Hammett ‘Greeny’ Les Paul is finally here – complete with a Gibson headstock and a price tag to match

The most anticipated Epiphone model in its history hails the arrival of a new era of Inspired by Gibson Custom Shop models

Guitar World

“Please tell me that’s the new Epiphone headstock in general”: The Epiphone Greeny Les Paul is nearly here – and guitarists are losing their minds over the headstock

Kirk Hammett and Cesar Gueikian have both teased the new model, offering glimpses of a build that looks much more faithful to Gibson’s own design

Guitar World

The 16 most expensive guitars of all time

Fenders owned by Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan, Martins belonging to Kurt Cobain and David Gilmour, and one independently made axe headline the list of most profitable guitars sold at auction

MusicRadar

Epiphone Greeny Les Paul breaks cover early: Kirk Hammett and Gibson CEO have been filmed playing it

Hammett used in onstage with Metallica in Detroit while Cesar Gueikian jams Metallica riffs on the soon-to-be-announced model in his office

Metal Hammer

“Though Dave Mustaine might claim he wrote Leper Messiah, he didn’t”: The track-by-track guide to Metallica’s Master Of Puppets

From Battery to Damage Inc., here’s the story behind every song on Metallica’s game-changing masterpiece

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