An exquisite, tour-ready recreation of the much-loved, much-recorded “blacked-out” guitar is now part of Gibson’s Kirk Hammett Collection
Hot on the heels of several acclaimed collaborations between Metallica’s legendary lead guitarist and the Gibson and Epiphone teams—including Epiphone’s take on the fabled “Greeny” Les Paul—is the new Kirk Hammett 1989 Les Paul Custom from Gibson Custom.
Based on Hammett’s “blacked-out” Les Paul Custom from 1989, the Kirk Hammett 1989 Les Paul Custom is an artfully aged replica of an instrument that the Metallica star has used extensively, both on stage and in the studio. It’s available in a limited quantity of 125 units.
Often featuring on live versions of “Fade To Black,” the fan-favorite guitar can also be seen and heard in action in “A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica,” the 1992 documentary on the making of Metallica’s iconic “Black Album” and the colossal tour that followed in its wake.
“This black 1989 Les Paul Custom is actually the first Les Paul I ever played live on stage and on tour,” says Kirk Hammett. “I got it when we were on the ‘…And Justice For All’ tour, specifically for ‘Fade To Black’ because I really wanted that big, fat, creamy Les Paul sound for the intro. I loved how fast the neck was and after my tech modified a bunch of the hardware, making it ‘none more black,’ it ended up being a great live metal guitar. It’s a very dependable and reliable guitar, and I’ve used it for decades. I hope you all will enjoy it as much as I did!”
True to the original instrument, the Kirk Hammett 1989 Les Paul Custom comes with black hardware and an Ebony finish with Murphy Lab aging, simulating the look and feel of a Les Paul that spent years on the road with one of the world’s biggest rock bands.
In line with Kirk’s preferences, the guitar features T-Type pickups without covers and includes a Fishman® Powerbridge piezo bridge pickup system. Complete with a Fishman Powerchip preamp and volume control, this adds full-bodied acoustic-like sounds to the guitar’s already versatile arsenal of powerful magnetic pickup tones.
The guitar also comes with a Gibson Deluxe Protector Case and an assortment of case candy and is available now.
Shop the Kirk Hammett Collection from Gibson and Epiphone.
