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ESP LTD James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte - Snow White

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Mahogany Body, Mahogany Neck, Ebony Fingerboard, and 2 Active EMG Humbucking Pickups - Snow White
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ESP LTD James Hetfield Signature Snakebyte - Snow White
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James Hetfield's Signature Guitar

Built for performance and loaded with aggressive features, the ESP LTD Snakebyte James Hetfield signature electric solidbody guitar doesn't just looks impressive, it delivers the sound that made metal what it is today. The edgy design of the body confronts you with a look that is combative while maintaining great balance on your knee or strap. A set of Hetfield's signature EMG pickups balance the offer the best of active and passive tones, and high-end hardware and tonewoods make the LTD Snakebtye a good option for the gigging rock or metal guitarist.

Sleek and balanced Snakebyte body

Aside from being instantly recognizable as one of the world's most iconic metal guitars, ESP LTD's Snakebyte body style makes the it one of the most playable and well-balanced guitars you can get your hands on. The body shape ensures the guitar won't neck dive when its on your knee or strapped over your shoulder. And you'll appreciate how your arm naturally rests on the body for optimal picking placement. There's a reason Snakebytes are a favorite among metal purists here at Sweetwater.

EMG JH Het Set active pickups

Metallica and EMG have both individually and collectively helped define the modern sound of heavy metal guitar. When James got together with EMG to design his signature set of pickups they set out to create a pair of active humbuckers that offered the output and clarity of the 85 and 81 pair Hetfield had been using for decades, but with the nuance, punch, and dynamics of a great set of passive pickups. The JH pickup set uses oversized ceramic and steel pole pieces to give your LTD Snakebyte that exact combination for a powerful rock sound.

High-performance features

This LTD Snakebyte James Hetfield signature electric guitar boasts a lot of appointments that are normally reserved for guitars costing considerably more. The headstock is outfitted with six of ESP's LTD locking tuners to make string changes a breeze while keeping your tuning stable. A TonePros locking Tune-O-Matic bridge and tailpiece lock the hardware down to the body, giving you optimal string vibration transfer to your guitar's body. And the sleek ebony fretboard displays James's Snakebyte inlay on the 12th fret.

ESP LTD Snakebyte James Hetfield Signature Electric Guitar Features:

  • Signature guitar designed by and for James Hetfield of Metallica
  • Balanced mahogany body adds huge, warm tones
  • EMG active JH "Het Set" humbuckers
  • LTD locking tuners keep your tuning stable
  • Tonepros locking TOM bridge ensures reliable intonation
  • Stark ebony fretboard with custom Snakebyte inlay

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape Snakebyte
  • Body Material Mahogany
  • Body Finish Polyurethane
  • Color Snow White
  • Neck
  • Neck Material 3-piece Mahogany
  • Neck Shape Thin U
  • Neck Joint Set Neck
  • Radius 13.7"
  • Fingerboard Material Ebony
  • Fingerboard Inlay Snakebyte with Dots
  • Number of Frets 22, XJ
  • Scale Length 24.75"
  • Nut Width 1.654"
  • Nut Material Molded Plastic
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece Tonepros locking TOM
  • Tuners LTD Locking
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup EMG JH-N Active Humbucker
  • Bridge Pickup EMG JH-B Active Humbucker
  • Controls 2 x volume
  • Switching 3-way toggle pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings D'Addario XL110, .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Hardshell Case
  • Manufacturer Part Number: LSNAKEBYTESW

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Best guitar I have ever played!

Was on the fence about this guitar at first, since I couldn't play it before buying it. So glad I went with my gut. It arrived almost tuned and was perfectly set up and intonated . Not one flaw with this guitar at all. It is not neck heavy like most explorer style guitars. It's lighter as well so you can stand up comfortably and even sit down and play it comfortably. No regrets and worth every penny.
Rated 5/5

Hardwired for Metal

I've had a few guitars I've tried to use to simulate a Metallica tone, but finally decided to go straight for the replica of Papa Het's own axe. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. The looks are amazing, and the guitar is surprisingly light and well-balanced; no neck dive here. The fretboard plays beautifully and looks great. The white model has a finished neck-the satin neck on the black model is a bit faster and more comfortable but the finished white neck is still quite playable. Just a tiny bit stickier. The pickups are incredible. Distorted tone is similar to the 81/85 but with more clarity, dynamics, and they clean up much better. Cleans are very warm. I only wish this guitar had a master tone control…but at the end of the day this isn't a guitar you get to play every genre, it's designed for metal and does it very well. If you're a Metallica fan, it's a must have. Stop reading this and buy it already!!!
Music background: Hobbyist
Rated 5/5

It's a one trick pony that does a REALLY good trick!

So you're obviously looking at this guitar because you want that Metallica tone. The aggression, speed, clarity, and chunk. I have had all kinds of guitars and amps over the years. The first guitar I bought was an LTD explorer that I fit out with EMG's. It was close, but it just wasn't there yet.

I plugged a few guitars into my Kemper and BIAS to find those perfect Metallica presets. They were all close... but not right. Enter this guitar.

I decided to give it a try. I have to tell you that when it comes to playing Metallica style songs nothing comes close to this guitar. It just nails that so well. Extraordinarily well.

The next feels fast as hell, the pickups are sharp and weighted, yet clean. The clean sounds really match that live Metallica tone.

It is a one trick pony and it does that trick extraordinarily well. When putting it through its paces to try to play John Mayer, Pink Floyd, and AC/DC it didn't meet the mark. Why? Because this isn't meant to be your swiss army knife guitar. This is meant to be your thrash knife guitar. And it absolutely nails it.

My strat, PRS, and telecaster haven't had much love the last 5 months since getting this. If only the guitar came with a bionic Hetfield forearm capable of downpicking at 5,000 BPM for 8 hours straight.
Rated 5/5

Better than I expected!

I was worried that this would not hold up to the Japanese version.
This is my go to guitar for recording heavy metal riffs, my Gibson explorer is collecting dust now...
Shoutout to my sales engineer Joe Schafer for the guidance!
Rated 5/5

No Disappointments

I own both the ESP and LTD Snakebytes. The LTD version is not all that much different from the ESP. I would take this thing on the road any day. Great playability, great tone. If you're looking for a Hetfield sounding guitar, you can not go wrong with this. Very great crunch tones paired with a Mesa, and great clean tones with a Roland JC. Tone is a Newer type of Metallica sound. So if you're looking for the older sound(Justice/ Black Album), an 81/60 swap would not be that difficult. Either way, it has it's own thing that can be used to your own liking if Metallica ain't your thing. Beware though, this thing is huge and the case is even bigger. Hard to look bad with an Explorer type guitar tho. If an ESP is out of range for you, the LTD does not disappoint.
Music background: Studio Musician/ Hobbyist
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