Carefully inspected and professionally set up by our luthier workshop, this guitar is a brand-new instrument.

ESP Deluxe hardcase, original cardbox, and adjustment tools included.

ESP LTD Snakebyte BLKS Black Satin

• James Hetfield (Metallica) Signature
• Serial: CI25100637
• Weight: 4,250 kg
• Solid body electric guitar – Gibson Explorer style
• Mahogany body
• Set mahogany neck
• Macassar ebony fingerboard
• Neck profile: Thin U
• Fingerboard radius: 350 mm
• Scale length: 629 mm
• Nut width: 42 mm
• 22 Extra Jumbo frets
• 2 EMG JH active humbucker pickups
• 2 volume controls
• 3-way selector switch
• Locking TOM bridge and TonePros tailpiece
• LTD locking tuners
• Black hardware
• D’Addario XL110 strings /.010–.046

For more than forty years, the Japanese manufacturer has built an outstanding reputation thanks to its uncompromising craftsmanship, exceptional build quality, and collaborations with some of the world's greatest guitarists. Among these, its partnership with James Hetfield stands as one of the most iconic. As Metallica's legendary rhythm guitarist and the creator of some of the most influential riffs in the history of heavy metal, Hetfield has played a key role in developing several ESP models that have since become true classics. The Snakebyte represents the pinnacle of this collaboration: a guitar designed to meet the demands of a musician accustomed to the world's biggest stages, combining raw power, precision, and absolute reliability.

Inspired by the legendary Explorer silhouette, the Snakebyte distinguishes itself with completely reworked proportions. Its more compact body, refined contours, and superb balance provide a significantly more comfortable playing experience, whether standing or seated. The mahogany body delivers a rich, warm, and full-bodied tone with pronounced midrange, outstanding sustain, and a powerful attack that perfectly complements crushing rhythm work as well as wide-open chords.

The set-neck mahogany construction, paired with the fast "Thin U" neck profile, offers exceptionally smooth playability, while the Macassar ebony fingerboard provides speed, precision, and remarkable note definition across the entire neck. The signature cross inlays instantly reinforce the guitar's unmistakable identity and perfectly complement the understated elegance of the iconic Black Satin finish closely associated with James Hetfield.

One of the Snakebyte's greatest strengths lies in its electronics. The active EMG JH "Het Set" pickups, developed in close collaboration with James Hetfield, retain the legendary power of traditional EMGs while offering a noticeably more organic, dynamic, and responsive character than the classic EMG 81/60 combination. The neck pickup produces warm, articulate, and highly defined tones, while the bridge pickup delivers razor-sharp attack, exceptional clarity, and perfectly controlled compression. The result is a massive, precise, and incredibly effective sound that remains crystal clear even under extreme levels of gain, making it equally at home in thrash, heavy metal, and virtually every style of modern metal.

Like all LTD Signature models, the Snakebyte benefits from an exceptionally high level of craftsmanship. The construction is flawless, the finishing is meticulous down to the smallest detail, and every component has been carefully selected to meet the expectations of professional musicians. The locking TonePros bridge ensures excellent vibration transfer and outstanding tuning stability, while the LTD locking tuners keep the guitar perfectly in tune even under the most demanding playing conditions.

Over the years, the Snakebyte has become far more than just another signature model. It has established itself as a true benchmark among modern metal guitars, admired as much for its instantly recognizable design as for its exceptional tone and effortless playability. Despite its unmistakably metal-oriented DNA, it offers impressive versatility and will appeal not only to devoted Metallica fans, but also to any guitarist seeking a premium-quality instrument that is reliable, powerful, and built to deliver professional performance both on stage and in the studio.