Kirk Hammett
| Kirk Hammett | |
|---|---|
| Birth Name | Kirk Hammett |
| Birth Date | November 18, 1962 |
| Place of Birth | San Francisco, California |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Eyes | Brown |
| Hair | Brown |
| Height | 5'8" / 1.75 meters |
Kirk Hammett (born November 18, 1962 in San Francisco, California, USA) is the lead guitarist in heavy metal group Metallica.
Biography
Hammett was born to a Filipino mother and a Merchant Seaman father. He learned how to play the guitar at age 15. He received his formal training from guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani in Berkeley, CA. Hammett later joined Metallica in 1983 (replacing former Metallica guitarist and Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine) having previously been in the band Exodus. His lead guitar playing is regarded by some as being more varied than his heavy metal contemporaries, while others regard him as little more than a pentatonic player. In 2002, he was the first inductee into Guitar World magazine's "Hall of Fame." He has toured with Metallica for more than 20 years and is a role model for many modern guitarists. Despite his significant musical abilities he didn't write his first riff for Metallica until 1990. His first effort, Enter Sandman, was written in a hotel room at 3:00 am, and became perhaps Metallica's best recognized song. It was the first track and single on Metallica's self-titled breakout album and was ranked 399th on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
Equipment
Guitars
- ESP Flying V
- ESP Mummy
- ESP Ouija
- ESP Skull
- ESP Spider
- ESP Wavecaster (Only 3 in existence)
- Gibson Les Paul
- Jackson Randy Rhodes Model
- ESP KH-2(Main touring guitar) Kirk's signature model guitar is based upon the modifications he made to his M-II. (Kirk's Favorite guitar, nicknamed "Skully" because of the skull and crossbone inlays)
Amplifiers
- Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Amp
- Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 Stereo power Amp
- Mesa Boogie Tremoverb 2x12 Combo Amp
- Mesa Boogie Triaxis Pre-Amp
- Marshall Amps
Cabinets
- Mesa Boogie 2x12 Speaker Cabinet
- Mesa Boogie 4x12 Speaker Cabinet
- Marshall 4x12 Speaker Cabinet
Accessories
- Dunlop Tortex 0.88mm Custom Picks
- Ernie Ball "Skinny Top Heavy Bottom" Strings (.10 - .54)