Kirk Hammett, who joined Metallica in 1983 with the recording of "Kill 'Em All", is one of the most famous and influential guitarists of the thrash metal movement from the Bay Area around San Francisco. Since 1987 he belongs to the illustrious circle of endorsers of ESP and the ESP LTD KH-602 Black is probably one of the most successful Signature models ever made. With a full-length maple neck, alder body wings, active EMG Bone Breaker Pickups and Floyd Rose tremolo, this is the ideal electric guitar for fat leads and fast riffs.
At the heart of the ESP LTD KH-602 Black is the neck-thru maple neck, whose flat "Extra Thin U" profile guarantees comfortable playability at the speed of light. Here, the 24 extra jumbo frets of the Pau-Ferro fingerboard offer a full two-octave range, while the typical "Skull and Crossbones" inlays mark the positions in the usual place. Alder body wings are also glued to the neck, which, in combination with the continuous neck, promise a crisp sound with long sustain.
The ESP LTD KH-602 Black's electrical sound conversion is provided by the active EMG KH-BB Bone Breaker Humbucker Set, which was developed in close cooperation with the Metallica guitarist. Consisting of the Alnico-V-proven EMG BB-N humbucker on the neck and the EMG BB-B ceramic humbucker on the bridge, it delivers crisp metal sounds for burning leads and tight riffing. The pickups are controlled by the usual 3-way circuitry with separate volume controls and a general treble control.
As a true lead guitar, the ESP LTD KH-602 Black naturally features the Floyd Rose 1000 Double-Locking Tremolo, which makes it easy to create aggressive dive bombs and squeals. The system convinces with its smooth handling and absolute tuning stability even with frequent use. The electric guitar's features are rounded off by high-quality LTD die-cast tuners on the headstock, which is designed as a reverse headstock.