ESP James Hetfield Iron Cross, Snow White

Full Description

Perfect Playability

Created with one of the most famous rhythm guitarists in mind, the ESP iron cross is hand-built for chordal consistency and accurate performance. A “Thin U” neck is sculpted to provide a secure grasp and comfortable support, while still providing the freedom to effortlessly glide across the fretboard. 22 extra jumbo frets offer an abundance of room to accurately position your chords. The ebony fretboard provides a smooth surface to move across, perfect for those lightning-fast riffs. Tonally, the ebony fretboard offers up a snappy, bright attack and resembles a perfect companion to the mahogany body. Tonal stability is provided by Sparzel locking tuners and a Tune-O-Matic bridge and tail piece system, guaranteeing more time is spent performing and less is spent tuning. All of this combines to produce a guitar that is a pleasure to play.

Iron Style

The ESP Iron Cross James Hetfield is based off James’ personal custom design. The guitar is certainly eye-catching, featuring a bold black Iron Cross that contrasts to the Snow-white finish, this guitar certainly stands out from the crowd. The naturally dark ebony fretboard is embellished with an Iron cross inlay at the 12th fret, acting to juxtapose the colouring of the guitar. Constructed with a mahogany body, and a one-piece set mahogany neck, you can be assured that whilst the guitar is striking aesthetically, it is still durable and resistant. Handcrafted in Japan the guitar comes with a certificate of authenticity. All of this allows you to shine on stage, letting you focus on your showmanship.

EMG signature pickups

The Iron Cross guitar is equipped with James Hetfield’s own custom pickups. Created in 2009, Hetfield contacted the president of EMG pickups and asked him to produce a discrete looking pickup, which possessed the clarity and power of a passive pickup, whilst retaining the iconic active tone. The set consists of two humbucker pickups, JH-N for the neck and JH-B for the bridge. The JH-N is designed to offer a higher attack and fuller low end for the neck position, whilst the JH-B offers a similar tight attack - it too provides a clean, crisp low end. As you can imagine this creates the perfect tone, specifically designed for Metallica’s iconic metal sound.

The History of ESP

ESP have been creating guitars for over 30 years and have since become one of the world’s leading manufacturers. Specialising in instruments built for rock and metal, they have created signature models for artists such as Will Adler, Kirk Hammett, Alexi Laiho, and of course, James Hetfield. All ESP guitars are built to the highest quality to ensure each instrument holds up to a professional standard.

James Hetfield

James Hetfield has been at the forefront of metal for over 40 years. As co-founder, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the genre defining band Metallica, it is obvious why his name is etched into rock n roll’s hall of fame. Voted by Guitar World readers as the 19th greatest guitarist of all time and placing 2nd in their greatest metal guitarists of all time, it is clear his prestige and ability has not gone unnoticed. Most notably a rhythm guitarist, with his iconic percussive picking and fast tempo chord patterns, Hetfield still takes the opportunity to play soaring solos. All of this makes him an incredibly well-rounded guitar player. ESP here have produced a guitar that not only equals James’ fame but also supports his personal playstyle.

Specifications

Body

• Series: Signature
• Body Material: Mahogany
• Body Top: Maple
• Construction: Set-Neck
• Body Finish: Snow White W/Stripes Graphic

Neck

• Neck Material: 1-Piece Mahogany
• Neck Shape: Thin U
• Scale Length: 24.75"
• Fingerboard Radius: 305mm
• Fingerboard: Ebony
• Number of Frets: 22
• Fret Size: Extra Jumbo
• Nut: Bone
• Nut Width: 42mm

Hardware & Electronics

• Bridge Pickup: EMG JH Set
• Neck Pickup: EMG JH Set
• Controls: Vol/Vol/Toggle Switch
• Bridge: Tonepros Locking TOM & Tailpiece
• Tuning Machines: Sperzel Locking
• Control Knobs: Black
• Case Included: Yes - CECFF