Easily ranking among the most important heavy metal guitars of all time, Kirk Hammett’s legendary ‘79 Flying V (his first-ever Gibson) has been used by the Metallica legend throughout the majority of his career, used to record some of their most iconic albums including Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, …And Justice for All, and the Black Album, remaining a critical component of Hammett’s rig to this very day. This Custom Shop Murphy Lab offering is one of just 200 such instruments produced.

The Murphy Lab guitars represent the peak of Gibson craftsmanship: from laser-scanned dimensions to chemically-recreated plastics to color-matched finishes, every element of Hammett’s original V has been rendered in unbelievable detail, down to the gaffer’s tape on the back. Tom Murphy, the Master Artisan and namesake of Gibson's Murphy Lab, was central to the creation of the Gibson Custom Shop and personally developed the various processes on display for the aging and specificity of this guitar, representing the culmination of decades of work by Custom Shop's expert team - a tireless quest to bring accuracy and authenticity to the hands of players.

Weighing 6lbs 11oz, the body is crafted from a single piece of lightweight mahogany, carefully selected to match the relative weight and resultant feel of Hammett’s V. This guitar is loaded with a calibrated pair of T-Type pickups, once again painstakingly designed to replicate the pair of late ‘70s T-Tops in Hammett’s original. These pickups are pithy and biting, particularly the bridge, delivering that quintessential early Metallica in-your-face aggression, especially when paired with a boosted Marshall amp.

Neck Specs:

• Wood: Mahogany
• Shape: Hammett-spec C, measuring .830” 1st fret, .995” 12th fret
• Fretboard: Rosewood, dot inlay
• Frets: Medium jumbo, pristine
• Scale Length: 24 3/4”
• Nut: 1.54”, Corian
• Tuners: Schaller M6
• Serialization: KH 189

Body Specs:

• Wood: Mahogany
• Pickups: Calibrated T-Type humbucker x2
• Controls: Volume x2, Tone, Three-way pickup selector
• Hardware: Replica Stars Guitars-style bridge, “Heavy Chrome” stopbar
• Plastics: Three-ply pickguard, black speed knobs

The lacquer checking is accurate, the wear patterns are accurate, and every inch of the original has been captured here, down to the gaffer’s tape on the back of the body. The gloss on the neck profile has been similarly aged, and Hammett himself has underscored just how much it feels like the genuine article.

The original molded hardshell case (again complete with spec’d tape) is included, along with the CoA, signed by Hammett, and all hangtags and case candy.