James Hetfield's Amazing Story About His First Guitar

[@SoCal780]

A message to James Hetfield’s football coach: James NOW has much shorter hair, doesn’t have chronically aching football injuries, is the frontman for the WORLD’S BIGGEST rock band EVER, and is now worth in excess of $300 million. Thanks for setting him on the right path! Metal up your ass! 🤘

[@jeremiah9608]

That coach has probably kicked the bucket

[@SoCal780]

@@jeremiah9608 well, I’m the exact same age as James, we’re 19 days apart. Many of my teachers are still alive but you’re right, it is possible.

[@scottjustscott3730]

​@@SoCal780 Coach probably ate a round because his mission to destroy metal was obviously a dismal failure 🤘

[@dismalfist]

Coach was Dave Mustaine.

[@prettynoose8497]

The coach is probably dead now

[@rathgarredbeard4808]

When James mentions how he and his buddy from school used to try to one up each other by learning new stuff on guitar, that reminded me of me and a good friend way back in the day when I was first starting out on guitar. We did the exact same thing. We'd both learn some new riffs from like Metallica, Slayer, Sabbath, etc. and it was just like what James said. We'd be like, "hey, check this out" , and then we'd show each other the new Slayer or Metallica riffs that we'd just learned. It made us both get better and those were just like really good times. Ah those were the halcyon days of my youth.

[@user-yw5ct1px3x]

the ambition in him is very inspiring

[@robertward5047]

So cool that he has the pictures of him with the guitar. From the age of 15 to about 25 I had long hair, walked around with painted leather jacket, iron maiden patches, tight jeans and high tops. The I entered the world of conforming to the man, got jobs, cut my hair. I'm now 48, still into the music but have no pictures at all of me back then. Makes me sad. Sometimes I'm like "did I actually do that?"

[@jimmybanta4520]

U did

[@MattJimmy]

I'm 49 and it took me until I was nineteen or twenty to learn that I needed to get pictures of my life. I got some Metallica in 1988 and I had "The Shortest Straw" song big backpatch for my Jean jacket and also had an Iron Maiden one on the shoulders not to mention the Overkill one. (Yet just like yourself, I unfortunately have no pictures of that jacket that had Sex Pistols pins on it and all that other stuff... but I got a leather jacket so I was good!)

[@willmcwithey6796]

Man. I'm with ya. I have 1 picture of me when I was actually me.

[@michaelking42]

Same here, but I'm 53. I have not seen a picture of myself with the hair and playing in a band.

[@uslegions2619]

I'm going to be 41 next month and started hair farming at age 12, but it's thinning out 😢

[@ShatterScript]

Very eye opening perspective, crazy to see how far along he's come!

[@dekapitatorr]

James is that cool uncle we all needed in our lives.

[@roux5044]

Somewhere in an alternate universe, James Hetfield is in the pro football Hall of Fame😂.

[@gabrieldzwonowski3363]

Football ain't important after high school lmao

[@jeffnovak568]

Nah. James was meant to play music. He said he was a second string football player. The alternate universe James that cut his hair, finished high school without any football scholarships, so he farted around for a few years, worked odd jobs, then started a band.

[@neutralbychoice3584]

Yeah, and in another alternate universe, he tried to go pro for a couple years but it went nowhere and he never got to form a band with Lars Ulrich…

[@martinkuliza]

@@jeffnovak568 and.... in that universe that band was called MEGADETH LOL

[@martinkuliza]

@@neutralbychoice3584 But instead Dave Mustaine formed a band called Metallica and he accidentally met this guy called james Hetfield who ended up being a roadie for Metallica

[@Gypsyjoe67]

Good to see he made the right choice in his early days!

[@sped6954]

Yep, and just think, if he'd knuckled under and cut his hair to play football, there would be no such thing as Metallica. Every single move that he made from that point on would have been completely different than it is now. He'd probably pick up his guitar and noodle around on it for a half hour after he gets home from his job of selling shoes at the mall.

[@Gypsyjoe67]

@@sped6954 so true, when I was his age I always wanted to play the guitar, instead I worked all my life in ordinary jobs, some better than others with titles, but still kicking shit in my mid 50’s and never learned guitar, some are lucky to pick their chosen paths early in life, some not so, lol! 🙄

[@thorny3218]

The boys in Metallica inspired me to pick up a guitar about 25 years ago. I still have that first guitar.

[@MetalHeart8787]

Lars inspried me to play Drums, did a video about it. But switched to Guitar 1991.

[@kristoffer7536]

What was your first guitar?

[@martinkuliza]

I've been playing for over 30 years now i remember my first guitar If possible you should keep your first guitar but you SHOULD UPGRADE to a 2nd or 3rd, then by that point you likely won't need to upgrade anymore My first was an Ranger STC-3R (not to be confused with the one that came out later ST3-CR) i had a 30W Gorilla Amp at the time After like 3 or 4 years i upgraded to an Ibanez RG Series then in the 90s i got myself a Genuine Les Paul Gibson, Studio, Gold Hardware (limited edition) i still have my Les Paul to this day I've had a few Acoustics over the years as well (but i'll just mention the electrics) YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY UPGRADE and my 30W Amp go upgraded to a Marshal VS-100 then a Roland Cube 60 Currently roland BluesCube Artist you should definitely upgrade dude, don't limit yourself

[@jaymcbakerk]

“Do I want to be a second string footballer, or do I want to be up on stage?” ….damn. You did it, son. You really did it

[@olmerrendonyepes3709]

So Inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing your inner self through music all these years with so many people around the world. Love and respect forever man.

[@CristianSurvive1]

Woah, never knew this is how Hetfield started and how very similar it is to how I started. My first guitar was an Epiphone SG and I would take it to middle school everyday and jam with the only other guitar player there. We were both obsessed with Metallica and would "compete" and see who could learn their songs quicker. Eventually we started a band together and the first songs we played as a band were by Black Sabbath, Ramones, and Misfits. Those were good times.

[@rockygraziano2339]

Well we sure thank you for a decision well made. There’s plenty of football players in the world, but we only have 1 James H. !!! Thanks again

[@Dodzfather]

Love your content keep on clipping em all

[@brushwolf]

When James mentioned choosing between football and music, I couldn't help but think of Jani Lane who passed up a division 1 football scholarship for a musical career. I've always wondered if the decision at his "fork in the road" brought about his too soon tragic end.

[@DethronerX]

Well said, Master James

[@haveyouheard9305]

Coach blessed us!

[@kellybates1972]

Awesome pic of the OGV!

[@MrE51917]

Seeing James with an SG is weird, but i wish he still played one too.

[@scootscoot97warlock90]

wish theyd bring Jason back & get back to kicking butt again.

[@MedardKrzisnik]

Very inspiring words, thoughts of Mr Hetfield.

[@rdsaplala]

2:00 Aha, I knew James and Lars go way back 😎

[@flyntno7391]

#messagetojames thank you 🙏 🙏 so much for choosing the path you chose. You helped this old dog 🐕 when I was younger. Suicide is 1 hell of a drug. Depression is it’s cousin. There was none one else but there always be Metallica !! #rockon #metallica4ever #thankyoujamesh #iloverocknroll

[@AnthonyLeeBand]

What a great story and pics

[@BITESIZEJONES]

Thanks for all your great Heavy Music sir

[@hector_nimrod]

Hope to see that SG again someday

[@ICECREAMane1017]

Wow. He's ALWAYS had the same stance since the very beginning.

[@sped6954]

And it was some 15 years later that he finally got around to getting that haircut!

[@shanequigley7552]

Guys a legend

[@pkj77]

wow awesome pictures

[@mickey6357]

Raising the bar!

[@krksajrk]

That was awesome!!!

[@MIGELGLORIA]

MY IDOL❤

[@mikestanislaus1107]

Music or football: so glad he chose the former. The world is better for it. Thank you James!

[@golderjames]

Love this. Love him.

[@tfejulienewmar]

I always wondered why Het had such an athletic build. I guess he's been into sports since childhood

[@uslegions2619]

Skateboarding too

[@TheLarryburns84]

​@@uslegions2619 fucked up his arm approx. one night before Tallica were gonna be on Saturday Night Live- after this a clause was put in his contract that said no skating while on tour 😂

[@uslegions2619]

@@TheLarryburns84 Haha

[@nomad1517]

I always was interested in how he got into guitar, but also how he learned to write music as well. Same thing with Lars, and his journey to playing lighting fast.

[@charlestresnicky1144]

Maybe it was thanks to that coach, I have amazing memories of my youth with Metallica albums as my soundtrack. Thank You James

[@Somewondude]

I believe Downey High has some pictures of James in their office

[@montanezonemusic]

This story sounds eerily familiar. I played football as.a kid for five years, got hurt my freshman year of high school, then promptly dumped it for rock and roll.

[@hangtimedangjang]

This made me remember when I was in HS...the thing then was if a bassist could play Anesthesia, he was a bass master.

[@MM-ig1iv]

I think you made the right choice James..lol And a lot of us had that same experience growing up. that quest. but unfortunately a lot of us grown up at the wrong time.. when everything's been done already! it's very very hard to beat anything out there. You have to be very special indeed. like Eddie or SRV, the one's that come along once every 30 years it seems. That and music's just not the same anymore. it's becoming not music!? EDIT: Let's hope the guitar never dies.. like solo's and just badass playing in general. Let's never forget our roots.

[@bryansteele832]

I like your channel but it would be very honorable of you to say in the description of where you pulled these clips from.

[@kamaboko1]

I think with the assistance of the therapy he has received over the years, James can better articulate what was going through his mind as a kid. One of the benefits of therapy.

[@shanemcconnell1736]

Funny, that was my first guitar to, 69SG standard, same finish, wish I still had it

[@Jenzemannen]

That's passion!

[@DemonHunterx16]

Like Clark. North Hollywood. all my cousins lived in Downey. Long beach arena did you see Iron madein There? Well you certainly overcame that it is noce to know that you are koved by many. Makes me know that our Lords workd is in good hands. Well-seasoned. You have seen it all. The four of you looknlike your getting younger like me. Zake, Alice Dave, Jerry, even ozzy looks young. Rod Stewart, elton, demon hunter dave and martin etc. Thank you for your music and being the best front man ever.

[@efremlee6990]

I'm glad you did bud

[@mht525]

Very nice 1st guitar 🎸. ✌️🤘🏴🇦🇺

[@WilfeFishing]

What’s the real interview of this called?

[@ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid]

This story almost made me wanna cry, man. It's not even that I'm inspired by James' story, it's that I'm genuinely happy that the quiet kid *made it.*

[@JDB1184]

My first good electric guitar was also a. ‘69 Gibson SG Standard ! It ; along with a silver face Fender Twin Reverb ; got stolen from our church about 46 years ago ! 😬

[@notintohandles]

Straight goods.

[@omerta316]

Yeah

[@yoshikigrg8]

A legend!

[@pearljaime2]

Let me tell y'all the story behind my first guitar. I bought it in a store and brought it back home and yeah... that's pretty much it.

[@justinschexnayder8485]

Me too

[@RGVSkaterzz]

What kind of guitar did u get

[@dirtyandnasty9011]

I got mine like online before internet 😆 We were buying catalogs in the magazines store and ordered the gear with a letter with the payment, it sounds sick nowadays😅 I had a hard time chosing between rhoads and King V. I eventualy bought a rhoads but fate chose the King V : the rhoads came broken and they had no other one so I had the King V. I still have it, totaly rotten now but still kicking ass🤟

[@pearljaime2]

@@RGVSkaterzz an epiphone les paul special

[@The_Invisible_Self]

True story, guys.

[@gitanopnmex]

Cool story

[@ApriliaRacer14]

He chose the right fork in the road and then some!

[@вснорм]

Здоровья тебе Джеймс старина. МЕТАЛЛИКА НА ВСЕ ВРЕМЕНА 🤘🇷🇺

[@careercriticalthinker]

Can you imagine what that SG would be worth today?....If Hetffield still has it, that is.

[@rudevalve]

Certified icom!!!!!

[@H.E.M.]

And people say Dave taught him guitar. I swear Dave created the world at this point 🤣

[@dirtyandnasty9011]

Nobody said that, James already had recorded a demo with Lloyd grant when Dave joined the band. But James was a pretty basic guitar player, with glam rock/pentatonic stuff and Mustaine was already an accomplished shredder. You can read Dee Snider talking about that (when they opened for him and were still just another local band). So for sure he has bring new stuff into James's playing who went from writting glamy hit the lights with diamond head like vocals to suddenly writting Wiplash which has nothing to do with the riffing style of Hit the Lights.

[@Bls-of1ld]

​@@dirtyandnasty9011Dave said that

[@stevew6910]

$200 back then was a lot of money, That is back when min wage was $3.35 an hour , 2 bedroom apartment was $300 a month, I wonder if that guitar is still around someplace

[@spankyharland9845]

my very first guitar was a 1969 SG Gibson guitar.....bought it at a pawn store for $75.00 and had it appraised a few years ago and now it is worth $5000.00 - great investment.

[@jeffbowlds4610]

So somehow it's about you ?

[@spankyharland9845]

@@jeffbowlds4610 it's always about me. me always comes first.

[@jeffbowlds4610]

@@spankyharland9845 ok little man.

[@spankyharland9845]

@@jeffbowlds4610 I wish I was little, but everything about me is large.

[@jeffbowlds4610]

@@spankyharland9845 wow legend in your own mind.

[@chrisj3318]

but does he still have the SG?

[@sue_m]

No. He sold it to get the money to buy a PA, since he decided for a while that he was just going to be a singer. When he settled on playing *and* singing, he bought the white Flying V (I assume the pic with Lars gesturing to it was shortly after James acquired it.)

[@ArtHoward]

​​@sue m The V was also bought from a high school classmate. James was told it was a genuine Gibson, but he discovered it was a Japanese copy with a bolt on neck called an Electra. He still got KEA and RTL out of it!

[@sue_m]

@@ArtHoward and he's recorded parts of the most recent three albums with it. Not too shabby for a cheap guitar! 😺

[@nextphase7675]

great shit, James

[@fougee1]

So where is that guitar now it's gotta be around somewhere ?

[@yeanisch]

Wow, puberty did it's thing with hetfield

[@Shonschannel]

The greatest man in heavy metal…

[@SuperDrumwolf]

where is the amazing story?

[@Visionsfromwithin]

If that doesn't send a message of positivity to strive for your goals in life that I don't know what does James pretty much summed it all up

[@gravm]

No more censorship t shirt. That takes me back...

[@endezeichengrimm]

Where was this clip taken from?

[@ElishaCheeseman]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3bUaoWMgLlsjrM

[@nickmoore385]

I believe it’s from a video where James Hetfield visited Guitar Center. Have a search for that.

[@Fister_of_Muppets]

This is from the "Guitar Center presents" video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2jGiYGVmNKLbdE

[@DyslexicGod]

Thank you!

[@clyv2660]

a guy from his school sold him his first guitar wow amazing!

[@tonysams7261]

Wonder if James even knows that he's the biggest rock star front man in the world?

[@gravm]

Metallic Steve Albini

[@jakelecroy5553]

It's so awesome when rock gods are relatable. I was in the civil air patrol at 16 with plans to join the air force after highschool to be a fighter pilot. I was also learning how to play guitar and started growing my hair out. We had an inspection and was told my hair was too long... 36 years later I don't fly jets but I have a bunch of guitars to play 🤘😝🤘

[@AlienAI51nomad]

🤘💀

[@EF.music.]

🙌

[@Dru-v9u]

Lars in the photo at 2:05, look like the lady from the cranberries, circa 1990s

[@blademancano8035]

That was a wise decision , follow your gut

[@Oogiesgarage]

The boys in Metallica made me pick up my first pogo stick 30 years ago and still use it on my wife..

[@JMGarcia0303]

If I'd said to my dad: well, Hetfield has long hair.

[@ronpanozzo5213]

Was that coach Mac😂

[@DropDMurphy]

This audio was taken from the Guitar Center interview. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3bUaoWMgLlsjrM

[@darkkrenaissance42]

Imagine trying to play and "be" black sabbath back then... fun, easy and heavy... Kids trying to make music now? holy shit, the complexity and musicianship is just DAUNTING~

[@hassaface5204]

lotsa pictures..

[@mojopin70]

2:08 my god, lars looks like a girl. Hetfield said he ' stank ' when they first met....but thank god they did.

[@kattycat3502]

I'll bet the old band members wish they could have a do over😂. Must kick themselves in the ass everyday since 1978.

[@andydufresne8034]

He's finally getting comfortable in his own skin.

[@martinkuliza]

This is great and all and i don't want to shoot him down but let's also remember the reality that Metallica did not plan to be the greatest metal band of all time, Wanting something is one thing, going out and getting it is another (but still not enough sometimes) there is also the right conditions that have to come into play for it all to mesh successfully

[@bappandi007]

Britney Spears at 2:00

[@petercarmeci8317]

I’m glad James chose Metal over football.

[@Sommertest]

I pretty much did everything James did, except now I don’t play football or the guitar. Somewhere along the way a should have also tried being good at either.

[@matt_matt757]

Can we be sure that he didn’t file a lawsuit so that kid had to stop using the guitar and he could have it to himself?

[@rk-ec7kx]

Back in the 90s I was watching bevis and butt head, they were goofing on a Metallica video, when one of them pointed out how much James hetfield looks like the cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz 😂

[@PhilomathBret]

Then when he cut his hair in the 90s, he went back to the football coach to join the team.

[@stpepe3708]

Thank God, his friends wanted to play only covers... so he left and meet Lars...

[@_vDdog]

So James left the fockin band?