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Kirk Hammett officially joins Gibson, will get signature guitars from Gibson and Epiphone

He’ll still remain an ESP endorsee.

Kirk Hammett

Image: Gibson

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Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has officially joined Gibson, after a tease by the brand yesterday.

The announcement was marked with an interview between brand president Cesar Gueikian and Hammett on Gibson TV. Hammett will receive a range of instruments across both Gibson and Epiphone. The Metallica guitarist will continue being an ESP artist.

The full details about these signature guitars are forthcoming. However, that’s no barrier to healthy speculation: given the focus on Greeny, Hammett’s 1959 Burst Les Paul previously owned by Peter Green and Gary Moore, could there be an official Custom Shop reissue in the works? The Murphy Lab would be a prime candidate for recreating the guitar’s wear-and-tear, too.

Hammett’s first Gibson encounter was with a 1979 Flying V, which has been recreated by the Custom Shop before. However, Gibson specifically notes a range of instruments are to be released in partnership with Hammett. This in itself doesn’t rule out the possibility of limited Custom Shop recreations of either this V or Greeny, however, it’s possible that – similar to Dave Mustaine’s signature Gibson lineup – there’ll be some variation in the offerings from Hammett’s Gibson lineup.

Gueikian said of the partnership in a statement: “Kirk has been carrying the flag for hard rock and heavy metal for decades, and his Gibson guitars have been there with him from the very beginning. From his first Gibson, his 1979 Flying V to ‘Greeny’ and everything in between, Gibson guitars have been an integral part of Kirk’s sound. All of us at Gibson are looking forward to this collaboration and are grateful that Kirk has trusted us to begin a new partnership.”

Watch the interview marking Hammett’s move over to the Gibson camp below.

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