ESP has teamed up with Metallica's Kirk Hammett to launch the 30th Anniversary KH-3 Spider guitar.
Based on the KH-3 model Hammett used extensively on Metallica's 1992 Black Album tour, the KH-3 Spider features an alder body, extra-thin U-shaped three-piece maple neck with a neck-thru-body construction, and a 24-fret Macassar ebony fingerboard with a 24.75" scale length, skull and crossbone inlays, and scalloped frets from position 17 to 24.
Sounds come by way of Hammett's signature EMG Bonebreaker pickups, while a Floyd Rose 1000 bridge also comes standard on the guitar.
Based on the design from Hammett's original KH-3, the spider graphic on the guitar's lower bout was created by graphic artist Pushead.
“I really like the feel of the single cutaway shape, and thought it would be great to add a locking trem and my usual EMG pickups,” Hammett said. “Not to mention also having the perfect area to plaster the killer Pushead graphic that was drawn specifically for this guitar back in the day!”
The LTD version of the ESP 30th Anniversary KH-3 Spider will be available in February for $1,299, while the hand-crafted ESP version will arrive later this year for $4,699.
For more info on the guitar, stop by espguitars.com.
Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com and GuitarPlayer.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.
