Kirk Hammett Talks About Metallica's Gear and Influences

[@BatcaveComics83]

The real lyrics to Fade To black: "My modded Marshall went away, I hope to get it back some day"

[@FeFeronkaMetallica]

This was funny bro

[@damonring6471]

This comment is the best Metallica comment ever 😂

[@BatcaveComics83]

@@damonring6471 lol

[@BADGERDAD34]

That’s pretty awesome dude! That’ll be bouncing around my head the rest of the day. 😂

[@sianspherica]

It's such a joy to hear such an iconic musician speak with such passion about his craft so deep into his career

[@jmbs9833]

Such such such ?

[@ChrisM541]

07:05 I literally fell of my chair in disbelief and awesomeness here, and I 100% concur with Kirk that he is correct in that no one, indeed, has ever done that before...to both play that, and, outstare Rick with such stunning intensity.

[@OneManAndHisBike123]

The fade to black intro and mid solos always make me feel something. They're beautiful and haunting at the same time.

[@daviddoch4872]

Some of the best intros ever made. I must bow to this man

[@Conada1002]

Kirk is a rock and metal icon Kirk is a great guitar player Musicality isn’t always about shredding It’s about creating emotion and energy This guy is an awesome live player He creates tonnes of energy and emotion

[@vids595]

The isn't always about shredding parts sounds like you are pre-defending against people who find Mustaine to be a better guitar player.

[@ultimatedriversofmachinery]

@@vids595cause he is

[@Tupadre8976]

@@vids595 mustaine the duck cry baby

[@TheDude044]

@@vids595 Notice how he didn’t mention Mustaine and yet you brought him up anyways? Pathetic

[@razzo2538]

Actually he's terrible live. He was the worst part of every metallica show I attended.

[@dub2459]

I could listen to him all day he’s so passionate about music, definitely one of my favorite guitarists.

[@sbrave]

He still has that Bay Area hippie vibe. So mellow and chill.

[@guillermo3564]

He picks up Greeny and I'm thinking wow, it was almost exactly 45 years ago to the day that I watched Gary Moore just tear it up with Greeny at a Thin Lizzy gig in El Paso. F#@%ing memories, man!

[@brianwaitzman]

That's the power of that instrument, right? I wonder who is next for Greeny after Kirk???

[@paullevine1813]

Be nice to see Derek Trucks with that 59 .

[@davehoward22]

Go to someone else with deep pockets.

[@Foxx81362]

Good question,Brian. Anybody who loves Greeny.

[@Foxx81362]

With all its repairs of course.

[@porcelainthunder2213]

One of the few that knows his gear. The Mesa Stuff was new…part of the reason it became standard for metal.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

He is a bit of a meme with his wah wah addiction and pentatonic licks, but he seems like a nice guy that survived in a band with some major egos. He's probably the only lead player without an ego booster on his pedal board.

[@WishMount]

great joke, 10/10

[@jimbaxter8488]

You have to play the solo that fits the song...the solo sections in Metallica songs aren't really asking for sophisticated altered scales ..they are more about aggression and energy...

[@j-mo2453]

Oh you mean like Jimi Hendrix. Lolol

[@evanward4303]

I think he used a vintage Blame Shifter tho

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

@@jimbaxter8488 True. But it is trash metal. Intricate solos with weird scales are allowed. As Megadeth showed. Of course, it's still better then the noises that Slayer tends to make. And credit where credit is due, Kirk always has a tasty sing along melody in his iconic solo. I can't stress enough how important that is. Better tasty melodic pentatonic then weird noises.

[@thetoddkeith]

I've been a Metallica fan my whole life but have never seen an interview of him before. He's so different than I imagined.

[@u.s.m.c.fewproudthemarines2987]

He at easy in life. I'm shock 😲 he still remembers KEA RTL AMPS STILL AT 60

[@jayyoutube8790]

Very down to earth guy. His house is very….. unique? The whole home is 1920-1940 horror movie décor, I mean everything. He’s an interesting guy tho

[@Nikki11369]

Gawd he's just so giving, so generous. Listening to his explanations for how music comes out of him or any explanation of anything really is like receiving a gift. And for that I say THANK YOU, KIRK.

[@andrewwebster2598]

He seems such a cool bro, very understated and modest

[@coversbyajrosales]

Kirk admires James' downstrokes which reminds me of a comment I read on a different video, which says "even when James is brushing his teeth, he only does downstrokes!" :)

[@thromboid]

Hahaha, that's so good! 😂

[@guitarjero552]

Great interview! Kirk Hammet was my first guitar hero when I was a kid. I saw Metallica live many times, and every time they where great.

[@grindmoto9362]

Awesome to hear the stories about the legend Johnny Ramone!

[@heat76rocker]

Rick you are blessed talking to all these music gods. The biggest thank you to you for bringing them into our living rooms.

[@songOmatic]

LOVE that story about Johnny Ramone!

[@Fister_of_Muppets]

"It just feels like it's coming more... from my inner thing." Such is life.

[@chaospoet]

The way he talks about James reminds me of Ronnie James Dio talking about Tony Iommi. "Hey, Tony, got a riff? TONY, STOP! That was about 50 riffs no one has thought of before you just invented on the spot!" Some guys just exist to riff like no one has before and James is one of them.

[@fofrankstank]

I am not a guitarist but I believe James is among the best rhythm guitar players in the music business !

[@davidtollefson8411]

Still brimming with youthful enthusiasm.

[@theniteowl7777]

well, he is extremely wealthy

[@marcblum5348]

You can immediately imagine how many discussions went into Metallica's music. They seem to be so self reflective, constant questioning themselves, pushing boundaries, looking for new ways. That pushes off many fans, but I like them for not staying in one place. Even if sometimes shit hits the fan.

[@underscorejojo]

It’s really fun watching these to talking to each other. They are on the same page about everything and the conversation flows so beautifully.😎

[@satchelmouth1]

Watching this video while I'm sitting here in the office (working from today) dealing with my shitty co-workers every day, relaxes me.

[@crimsontowerfullmoon8646]

Kirk's passion is one of a child, you know when you are small, innocent, easy to satisfy, not full of yourself, not extremely demanding but full of passion and it takes little to make you happy. The guy is a living legend, with a crazy rich legacy yet when he talks gear he's like a child in Toys R us store ! Thank you for the great work Rick. Cheers from Morocco

[@triggSerable]

As a guitar player, i think some worry about gear a bit too much, but it is really cool listening to kirk, him rembering all the details about their early amps and stuff.

[@oopsydaizi3s824]

Apart from Angus Young , Kirk Hammett was my first “guitar hero” thanks to my friend with LimeWire and then *Guitar Hero: Metallica* . Thanks Zak!

[@robertbordevik5072]

Can say what you want about Hammett’s playing, but you can hear it’s him 5-6 notes into the solo, and not many guitar players accomplish that in their lifetime.

[@Gcssdvnkloiutesc]

There is nothing wrong about hammetts playing. Not everyone is going for George lynch. There are aesthetic priorities that doesn’t correlate with difficulty of execution. Kirk is great for Metallicas kind of music. They were never a prog rock band anyway. They are thrash. And he is flashy and technical enough. He also is melodic , and Hendrix influenced. I always liked his solos.

[@V3ntilator]

@@GcssdvnkloiutescMichael Schenker were Kirk's biggest influence.

[@Gcssdvnkloiutesc]

@@V3ntilator was* and I didn’t negate other influences by mentioning Hendrix? Hendrix also influenced Michael so in a sense he is still bigger. In ways you probably don’t understand until you hear other guitarists before Hendrix. Rock Guitar leads used to sound like Chuck Berry until Hendrix.

[@V3ntilator]

@@Gcssdvnkloiutesc I know Chuck Berry very well. If Jerry Lee Lewis played guitar instead of piano, he would maybe have been the first "metal person". I know more about the past than you think. ;) I listened to a lot of Rock music from 1950's and 60's.

[@Gcssdvnkloiutesc]

@@V3ntilator if you look at music in a certain way you can probably trace metal solos in lyre solos in classical Egypt thousands of years ago, likewise with everything else. It’s a reduction to absurdity. So you have to give some credit not just for the notes which are limited anyway, but to the sonic shape of sound and instruments and what not. A piano sounds nothing like a distorted guitar. If you know anything about rock and roll, you cannot underestimate the singular impact of Hendrix which was monumental. Only chuck berry actually had comparable impact to Hendrix.

[@fofrankstank]

Rick's interviews are great , I think this is wholly due to to fact of Rick's vast musical intelligence. I fully believe Rick could do interviews alone and make a great living as he is very good at it.

[@hissinghed]

I like how Kirk can sound like some drunk person raw Raw'ing along about God knows what, but is completely sober. An art that comes from years of experience. But he makes sense!

[@smith8281]

Reminds me of some sort of drunk aunt Thelma type lol. Idk what he’s on.

[@herbertwest9626]

Well, alcohol and drugs leave their traces. Especially on your braincells. What's gone is gone. But wouldn't we all like to have lived their lives? That's the price you pay for rock'n'roll. Nothing wrong with that as long as you know when to stop or slow down.

[@hottotty13]

Sometimes I think Metallica partied so hard that Kirks permanently drunk without drinking.

[@kitrik23]

HAHA I BET ITS JUST THE WAY HE IS , KIRK WAS DRINKING WATER BACK IN THE DAY. SO HE COULD FIT IN WITH ALCOHOLICA

[@progresivo717]

i love kirk He and James inspired me to play the guitar. There is a group of people who always criticize him and compare him to Dave Mustaine, something that seems stupid and childish to me. I personally think Kirk has great solos. I think the unforgiven solo is a masterpiece and he didn't need the speed of light or much technicality to create it.

[@marvinshenk]

The brilliance that Metallica displayed as such young players is still mind boggling to me.

[@tdkdgh]

I just saw a Kirk interview where he said he really liked Yes (The Yes Album through topographic Oceans). Maybe I was dreaming.

[@louise_rose]

Yeah, I'm a lifelong fan of Yes and I can see why he would have appreciated Howe and Squire, the blend of tone, clarity, agility, sharp edges and punch in their playing. Songs like Yours Is No Disgrace (the fabulous live take on the Yessongs album) or Siberian Khatru. Relayer (1974) also strikes me as an album that may have influenced eighties Metallica - Steve's telecaster wizardry and the complex, driving rhythms on it.

[@grahamcollins2350]

​@@louise_rosegreat now I'm cranking Relayer

[@1siriuswolf]

Keeping it real as a human, and a guitarist.. legend 😈

[@bluematrix5001]

Kirk must be a Saint, a very intelligent guy with great patience and self-control to last next to the terrible egos of Hetfield and the obnoxious Lars, definitely is a genuine guy and very artistic..he is extremely fun, interesting and entertaining to listen to

[@stuartmenziesfarrant]

Kirk is a big Michael Schenker fan...he has good taste, Schenker is a rock guitar god!

[@pfzt]

Yeah, Schenker is insanely fluid and melodic but never flashy. I wish he stayed longer in the Scorpions and got more famous.

[@davedecker1725]

@@pfzt He's batshit crazy. He has some serious demons. When he was on your with UFO in the states he would stuff his pockets with hotel stationary so when he was found passed out the cops knew where to take him 🤣

[@jaylordie]

Im so glad Kirk Replaced Mustaine in Metallica, the resentment and bad energy Mustaine has would have imploided Metallica sooner or later.

[@michaelkennedy736]

I've seen Metallica 4 times. First time was Marley Park Dublin and again in Marley Park I think 3 years later. The sound blew me away, mind blowingly loud. Again in Belfast o2 arena.same thing. Then Slane and the sound was NOT the same. Didn't have that loud kick the other gigs did. The bass drum didn't have that loud gut wreching hit to it and it just wasn't the same at all

[@TheSWCantina]

Yeah, I agree. I saw them in the RDS in 03, 04, 06, Marley Park 08, 09, Slane 2018. I wish I went to the shows in Belfast.

[@tonus6559]

I agree 100% with on the subject of using delay… I used to work in a guitar shop and you could tell the sloppy guitarists because they want to turn up the reverb on the amp or they’d play live with a big delay… even delay on a rhythm part?! Learning to play without a delay pedal means you have to be more accurate, you have to fill the sound the whole time… You can’t choke out on a chord or a note even for a moment cause you hear it completely naked. When you bend a note with the delay pedal I think it sounds like a mess, IMO. Great interview!

[@kp4588]

Saw Metallica a few days ago at SoFi in LA. What a great show. Wish Newstead was in the band but RT is great as well. I’m on a huge Metallica trip right now.

[@johnqpublic2718]

Reminds me of when I acquired my Mesa S.O.B. head. Permanent hearing damage soon followed.

[@havefunbesafe]

Love Kirk….my impression of him before the internet was not that it is now…thanks technology!

[@cheneyrobert]

Rick’s chats are pure gold 👌🥂

[@marcusaurealius6129]

I love Rick's interviews! My only wish is that he interviews Robart Pollard of Guided By Voices.

[@deletebilderberg]

Kirk is such a style dude.

[@EthanRusselll]

Finally someone who will listen without interruptions

[@AidanStutzman]

I think something that would have been awesome to talk about is actually rather than the taste they have in common, the stuff they didn’t. You can definitely hear that Kirk likes Van Halen, KISS, UFO, but the fact that James was very into American and UK punk and Hardcore was a huge part of the early sound and riffing style!

[@alteredstate07]

I'm glad he talk about Leper Messiah its the only 'tallica song I play, fabulous song to jam with.

[@Kouros-t6d]

Best band and player he mentioned : UFO (one of the VERY best hard rock band EVER) and Neal Schon as guitar player.

[@Fafafohi]

“Okay, now that you’re done, uh, warming up.” - Bob Rock 😂😂😂

[@satorimystic]

Would love to see Rick react and review "The Warning" band's version of 'Enter Sandman', and their historic rise, amazing talents, and Rock-Solid songs!!! Their 'Teatro Metropolitan' show was absolutely masterful.

[@schlagdog]

Kirk is the best. He always sounds like Jeff Spicoli. I feel like he is very high all the time.

[@J.D.0502]

His golden littel shoes are really fuckin heavy metal!

[@satevo462]

9:58 lol I said Leper Messiah 2 seconds before Kirk did.

[@BrentCizekPhoto]

What a great interview, Rick. I could have watched hours of this.

[@chriswalters2554]

This is just a clip of the two hour interview they had. Full thing is on his page

[@gibsonflyingv2820]

Weird, he skipped the ride the lighting gear. There was a different Marshall used in between the stolen kill em all modded Marshall.

[@alg54]

Can't wait for Thornley 🤗

[@seanj3667]

Kirk has got to be such a tough interview. You gotta give him the space to be Kirk, and Rick did a great job.

[@lifeisdead01]

He seems better than he did around the time 72 Seasons released, so happy to see it!

[@fndrn8]

i enjoyed every second of that interview.

[@louisserafin3369]

You should interview Adam Jones from Tool!

[@davecole2561]

Alex Lifeson from Rush first, please!

[@CollinsTurner-pq4qu]

I literally have a Metallica shirt on right now while watching this and just so you know Kurt, I love you and your music and I’m so inspired by you that I’m even starting to try and take up electric guitar playing. Hope the best for you I was at your 72nd world tour in LA and on in 2023 and just so you know you rocked it.

[@jayjaymerritt2785]

Got his name wrong. It's Kirk😂😂😂

[@leafyleafyleaf]

Real insiders know his name is actually Kurt. Just ask him about the publicist’s typo in the early years. Too much trouble to fix the error after fame hit. Rock on, Kurt, rock on 🤘.

[@TheSWCantina]

What's your thoughts on Kirk from Nirvana?

[@tylermann1827]

Great interview!

[@irevisibel9237]

Awesome talk!

[@raisinsawdust]

Michael Schenker needs to be on your list!

[@carterp3753]

I saw him Friday I’m seeing him again in like 2 hours

[@nealatthecrossfishing]

Leper Messiah is the song that turned me onto Metallica back in 86 or 87.

[@hamacaboy]

Kirk we ❤ u you are so amazing, such a genius, and anybody criticizing is crazy

[@AlecBaldwin5816]

Back in 1983, they were modding these marshall amps, mark 2C+, gives an aggressive piercing metal sound reactive to pickups, so they were making many of them. It wasn't the only 1-2 amp like that in existence. Kirk and James spoke about it like it was the best amp ever made, and couldn't buy it back after been stolen. Kirk adds of what they needed at the time. They might exaggerate a little since when came 1986 and after, the sound gets more massive, within these producer consoles. It is nonetheless an intriguing story, and we got fade to black in consequence of that amp been stolen, by James for who so pissed off about it. These days we have plenty of choices. The Crate, the mesa boogie mark V, the Marshall JCM 800 2203, the Elmwood m90 even through this one adds warmth and luxurious sound.

[@Gmh6477]

Surprised he didn’t mention Graham Oliver, seeing as lots of there first big guitar riff songs are lifted from Graham & Saxon songs… the main riff in seek and destroy is basically princess off the night , creeping death is basically the eagle has landed, even new songs like Lux Eterna sound very close like Altar of the gods !!

[@spottswoode8122]

7:17 Adam Jones often uses this technique

[@babymodel1047]

what player does he namecheck at 3:10?

[@Leper_Messiah.]

Leper Messiah is my favourite song, hilarious he mentioned it.

[@GuitarFuel]

His point about delay is 100% true! You have to work harder when you have a dry guitar tone for soloing

[@mrjackbagginz]

His master of puppet riff is the defenition of the metallica sound

[@DrewSuch]

Thanks, Rick.

[@frankernst1987]

Finally doing a recognition to "Leper Messiah" one the most underrated Metallica's song.

[@leoleishman8695]

siempre hablando en positivo de las personas, como en un "mambo re copado"

[@silentgnome]

Kirk tiene siempre esa actitud y es algo que cae súper bien de él. Es un tipo que conoce muy bien sus fortalezas y sus limitaciones y a veces creo que ni él mismo comprende el alcance de su influencia en el metal y el rock en general.

[@fryintyres6267]

I mean no shade whatsoever, but the riff at 7:06 is identical to the intro of She Wolf by Megadeth

[@annewick3287]

Yeah hes on something but he is a true genius. I saw the M72 tour in arlington texas. One of my most favorite bands of all time

[@wilmathewisp8252]

Man, this Mesa sound 🤤❤❤❤

[@morelife6508]

Just found out hes part philipino. Always wondered why he had such a great looking perma tan

[@mellobotstudio]

Dude is still seventeen. I love it.

[@JasonB808]

The people who say that Kirk can’t shred are forgetting about the solo in One, and many solos in the older albums. The newer solos sound to me like blues guitar solos fused with metal solos and I like it. There is more to guitar solos than just being fast. It’s an artistic preference.

[@MetaITurtle]

I read that they ended up finding that Moded amp from 1984 for the Black album? But of course they still used the Mesa/Boogies with it?

[@jeffrey3498]

Serious passion 😎👍

[@luistijerina]

I love Kirk and James, but that “gallop” thing with pull-offs was done way before Moth Into Flame. At least by Adam Jones from Tool in the 2000s.

[@mrhyde2250]

Or nearly every thrash record ever made! 😂🤣

[@StorageYT]

Slipknot - The Devil In I (came out in 2014, Moth Into Flames in 2016) This one came IMMEDIATELY to my mind

[@herbertwest9626]

Even Metallica did it before.

[@kattycat3502]

I keep hearing James had a Modded Marshall Amp. Nobody ever says what the Mod was? Anybody know?

[@mrhyde2250]

I think it’s pretty safe to say that it was a Jose clone.

[@kattycat3502]

@@mrhyde2250 what is that? I'm not being a smart guy. Really what is that? I'm curious as hell. Lol.

[@mrhyde2250]

@@kattycat3502 there was a guy named Jose Arendondo in LA that modified and repaired amplifiers for the big names like Van Halen, Steve Vai, Lynch, etc. He gave Marshalls more gain. James and Kirk used heads with similar mods as other guys copied his work. Many amp modification gurus today, offer “Jose” mods. And some famous amps are really built around improvements of those mods. The Friedman BE amps are a good example. Hope that helps. 🙂

[@kattycat3502]

@@mrhyde2250 Thanks for the info. I've wondered about this for a long long time. You the man.👍🔥

[@mrhyde2250]

@@kattycat3502 you are most welcome. I have so much useless gear knowledge in my head that it’s nice to put it to good use! 😂🤣

[@brianm2881]

I'll hold my hands up: sometimes when I'm playing downstroke Metallica riffs, I'll add in a 'rest bar' where I cheat with some upstrokes. Otherwise my wrist would disintegrate.

[@DRJTUBECHANNEL]

“No one’s ever done that before” proceeds to play generic chugging 😂

[@drzecelectric4302]

This is good stuff Kinda knew about the mkII but not when

[@grendol6968]

Thank you Kirk. Thank you Rick!

[@natedavid3873]

7:10 uhh slipknot??

[@thomas9079]

Awesome!

[@jimbaxter8488]

Kirk should try Wizard MTL II amps....you can gain them up and they stay super tight with fantastic clarity note separation in chords...and they thump like nobodies business!

[@Ibanezguy2007]

They used Wizard amps on the load through to garage inc albums

[@timothyhouse1622]

The irony is that he has the most energy of all the members of Metallica and he is the oldest at 60.

[@midlifemotox]

He is correct. With too much distortion you loose dynamics.

[@Kimians]

Aaah…but the Mesa Boogies don’t go to Eleven……

[@jimbaxter8488]

The Mk II C+ goes to eleven...the Mk II C++ goes to twelve.