Kirk hammett

Kirk Lee Hammett (San Francisco, California, November 18, 1962) is an American guitarist, currently a member of the thrash metal band Metallica. He is considered the ninth best guitarist of the moment according to Total Guitar magazine and number 11 according to a list of Rolling Stone magazine selected in 2003 by David Fricke, a contributor to the same.

Kirk is one of the best-known disciples of legendary guitarist and teacher Joe Satriani. In 2011 Rolling Stone magazine drew up a new list based on the votes of renowned guitarists, including Kirk Hammett himself.

Biography

Kirk Hammett was born in the city of San Francisco and raised in the El Sobrante community. Hammett is of Filipino descent on his mother's side and Irish-American on his father's side. From a very young age he showed a great interest in music since he started playing the guitar when he was approximately thirteen or fourteen years old. And his brother Rick's large collection of hard rock records, including material by: Jimi Hendrix (Hammett sometimes performs parts of some Hendrix songs during his solos), among others.

He started playing at the age of fifteen and his first guitar was a Montgomery Ward. After owning his first Stratocaster in 1978, Hammett attempted to customize his sound with parts from various types of guitars.

Hammett's musical interests led him to the genre known as thrash metal. In 1982 he formed the group Exodus, with vocalist Paul Baloff, guitarist Gary Holt, and drummer Tom Hunting. Exodus were pivotal in the thrash metal movement in California during the 1980s.

In 1983, when Metallica was about to record their first studio album, Kill 'Em All, they invited Hammett to join the group, as the band's then lead guitarist, Dave Mustaine, was expelled for alcoholism problems. After recording the album, Hammett began receiving guitar lessons from soloist Joe Satriani, with whom he learned new techniques and more melodic sounds for subsequent albums, Satriani claims Kirk was one of his best students.

In 2002 he was given a place in the "Hall of Fame" from Guitar World magazine. He has recorded and performed live with Metallica for over thirty years and is a role model for many modern guitarists.

As a lead guitarist for Metallica, Hammett has written and contributed riffs and solos for the group since 1983. One of these riffs, the one from the song "Enter Sandman », was written in a hotel room at 3:00 in the morning.^{[citation needed]} It was the first song on the album Metallica (The Black Album), published in 1991.

On April 12, 2015, he joined Meshuggah onstage at RockBar Theater in San Jose, during the second installment of their annual Fear FestEvil, a music and memorabilia event.

Discography

Solo

• 2022: Portals EP [1]

With Metallica

• 1983: Kill 'Em All
• 1984: Ride the Lightning
• 1986: Master of Puppets
• 1987: The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited
• 1988: ...And Justice for All
• 1991: Metallica
• 1993: Live Shit: Binge & Purge
• 1996: Load
• 1997: ReLoad
• 1998: Garage Inc.
• 1999: S luminous
• 2003: St. Anger
• 2004: Some Kind of Monster
• 2008: Death Magnetic
• 2009: Français Pour Une Nuit
• 2009: Pride, Passion and Glory: Three Nights in Mexico City
• 2010: The Big 4 Live From Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2011: Lulu
• 2011: Beyond Magnetic
• 2013: Metallica: Through the Never
• 2016: Hardwired... to Self-Destruct
• 2020: S luminousM2
• 2023: 72 Seasons

With Exodus (1979-1983)

• 1982: 1982
• 1983: Die by His Hand (Demo)

Equipment and skills

Guitars

• ESP Spider
• ESP Skull
• ESP Lerpin
• ESP (guitars) ESP RZK Signature
• Jackson Randy Rhoads Model (1985-presente)
• ESP Flying V
• ESP Flying V Death Magnetic
• ESP KH2
• ESP KH-2 Vintage
• ESP KH-3 Spider (1991-present)
• ESP MM-270 “Zorlac” (1986)
• ESP Wave Caster
• Gibson Flying V (1979-1989)
• Gibson Les Paul
• Gibson Les Paul Luis Gordon Custom Signature
• Jackson Randy Rhoads
• Fernandes Stratocaster (1984-1987)
• Ibanez RGT42

Hammett has primarily used ESP signature Stratocaster-shaped and active EMG Humbucker pickups with movie or horror-themed designs. Some of the most famous are a black design with a white ouija and another with inverted colors, the movie The Mummy, White Zombie or Dracula. He also owns Gibson Les Paul and Gibson Flying V guitars with active EMGs. Below is a list of his signature models:

▪ ENG White Zombie

• ESP Mummy
• ESP Dracula
• ESP Bride of Frankenstein
• ESP White Ouija Guitar
• ESP Black Ouija Guitar

Amplifiers

• Table Boogie Tremoverb 2x12 Combo Amp
• Table Boogie Triaxis Pre-Amp
• Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 Stereo power Amp
• Table Boogie 4x12 Speaker Cabinet
• Table Boogie 2x12 Speaker Cabinet
• Table Boogie Dual Rectifier Amp
• Table Boogie Mark V Amp
• Randall Kirk Hammett Signature Amplifiers

Accessories

• Ernie Ball 0.11
• Pedal Dunlop Crybaby Kirk Hammett Signature Wah
• EMB Audio Remote Wah System
• Pedal Digitech Whammy
• Pedal Lovetone Meatball (used in 'I Disappear')
• Pedal KHDK Kirk Hammett Ghoul Screamer OD
• Pedal BOSS SE-50
• Púas Jimdunlop Kirk Hammett Signature Jazz III

Techniques used

• Artificial harmonic
• Natural harmonic
• Tapping
• Hammer on
• Pull-off
• Bend and release
• Wah wah
• Slide
• Take it.
• Palm muting
• Bending Microtonal
• Let it Ring P.A.U.D.
• Hard-pick P.A.U.D.
• Sweep picking In some solos of the discs Ride the Lightning,...And Justice for All and Master of Puppets
• As an extra, Kirk Hammett usually combines these techniques, especially in solos, with the use of Wah-Wah.