Kirk Hammett - Guitar Setup & Tunings
Metallica
Quick Facts
- Primary Tuning
- Standard
- String Gauge
- .009, .011, .016, .026, .036, .048 (Hybrid: light top, heavy bottom)
- String Brand
- Ernie Ball (Hybrid custom set)
- Genre
- Metal
About Kirk Hammett's Sound
Kirk Lee Hammett (born 1962) joined Metallica in 1983, replacing Dave Mustaine. A student of Joe Satriani, Hammett brought technical proficiency and blues influence to thrash metal soloing. His wah-drenched leads became a Metallica signature. Hammett's playing bridges the gap between pentatonic blues-rock and neoclassical shred. Beyond Metallica, he's an avid horror memorabilia collector and authored a book on his collection. His signature ESP and Gibson guitars feature his characteristic design elements. Hammett continues to evolve, incorporating more classical and jazz influences in recent work.
Tunings Used
E Standard - 8 songs
- One (Solo)Try this tuning →
- Enter Sandman (Solo)Try this tuning →
- Fade to Black (Solo)Try this tuning →
- Master of Puppets (Solo)Try this tuning →
- The Unforgiven (Solo)Try this tuning →
- Nothing Else Matters (Solo)Try this tuning →
- Creeping Death (Solo)Try this tuning →
- Seek & Destroy (Solo)Try this tuning →
String Setup
Primary Strings
Ernie Ball (Hybrid custom set)
.009, .011, .016, .026, .036, .048 (Hybrid: light top, heavy bottom)
Why Kirk Hammett uses these
Hammett uses a hybrid string set - light (.009) on top for easy bending during solos, heavier bottom strings (.048) to match Hetfield's rhythm attack. The top three strings come from a Super Slinky set, bottom three from a heavier set. As a lead player, Hammett needs flexibility for bends while maintaining enough tension for aggressive picking. His wah pedal is always on during solos - it's essentially part of his tone. The EMG pickups in his guitars provide consistent output regardless of string gauge. When Metallica tunes to C#, Hammett uses slightly heavier 9-42 sets.