Kirk Hammett Photo Book: Rare Guitars Revealed
- For Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, a 1959 Gibson Les Paul stands out among his guitars during the M72 world tour.
- The guitar belonged to Peter Green, Fleetwood Mac's founder, and Gary Moore, who played it on Thin Lizzy’s “Black Rose.”
- Hammett's collection includes the guitar nicknamed “Greeny,” and he often watches videos of Green and Moore playing it.
Discover Kirk Hammett‘s guitar collection in a captivating new photo book! The Metallica guitarist unveils his love for vintage instruments in “The Collection,” highlighting the legendary 1959 Gibson Les Paul once owned by Peter Green, a true secondary_keyword. Hammett treasures his guitars,embracing their history and the stories they tell. Featured in the book are rare glimpses of these well-worn treasures from the stage and studio. Find out how the “Greeny” guitar travels with him on tour and is shared with other revered musicians. News Directory 3 has the exclusive, read the full story. Discover what’s next in Hammett’s musical journey!
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Kirk Hammett Treasures Peter Green’s guitar in New Book
Updated June 02, 2025
For Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, a 1959 Gibson Les Paul stands out among his guitars during the M72 world tour. He considers it his Excalibur.
The guitar belonged to Peter Green, Fleetwood Mac’s founder, and Gary Moore, who played it on Thin Lizzy’s “Black Rose.”
Hammett’s collection includes the guitar nicknamed “Greeny,” and he often watches videos of Green and Moore playing it.
“that guitar’s been through so much, and it’s hurt so much and sang so much,” Hammett said. “I just gotta try and keep it going in my own personal way.”
“Greeny” is featured in Hammett’s new book, “The Collection: Kirk Hammett,” a 400-page book from Gibson Publishing with photos by Ross Halfin. The book includes interviews and guitar histories.
The book focuses on specific instruments, with 40 pages dedicated to “Greeny.” Hammett doesn’t know exactly how many guitars he owns.
While touring with Metallica for their “72 Seasons” album, Hammett often plays “Greeny,” carrying it with him everywhere.
“I carry it with me, so I’m directly responsible for anything that happens to it,” he said. “Where I’m sleeping, ‘Greeny’ is usually 10 feet away.”
Hammett has allowed other guitarists to play it, including Pete Townshend, David Gilmour, Billy Gibbons, Mick Fleetwood, and Steven Tyler, who were part of a 2020 tribute to Green.
During the tribute, Hammett played the solo on Green’s “The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown),” and Fleetwood exclaimed, “Nailed it!”
jack White played the guitar during a concert after Hammett handed it to him. Buzz Osborne of the Melvins called it “almost like finding the Holy Grail or the Arc of the Covenant.”
The book is available on the Metallica website,Gibson.com, and at Hammett’s book tour stops. A remastered box set of Metallica’s 1996 “Load” album is coming in June. Metallica will also join Black Sabbath for its final concert on July 5 in Birmingham, England.
The guitars in the book show wear and tear from use in the studio and onstage.Hammett embraces this.
“I can’t help but use them. I know people have to put on white gloves while you’re handling a [collectible] guitar: ‘Take off your belt, take off your leather jacket, no zippers.’ I’m like, ‘huh?’” Hammett said, laughing.
“Literally, I take that guitar out of the case, I plug it in, I start playing it. I’m not precious with my guitars,” he added. “I have some serious issues with that kind of thinking. I just want to play the guitars, and if there’s a scratch or a bump, so what? I don’t go in for mint instruments as mint instruments don’t sound good. They have no soul, bro.”
Gibson approached Hammett about doing the book, following a similar project with Slash. Chris Vinnicombe, editor in chief at Gibson, authored both books. Hammett considers himself the “custodian” of these guitars.
“He loves the rarity and the romance behind them,” Vinnicombe said.“I don’t think he’s just trying to compile a kind of box-ticking collection of vintage classics just as an ownership project. He loves the chase and he loves the romance and the stories.”
