Metallica’s Kirk Hammett has amassed an enviable collection of guitars over the past 40-plus years, and he credits an early job at Burger King for getting him one of his first prized possessions, a Gibson Flying V that he still plays today.
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The metal icon goes in-depth about his guitar collection in a nearly 2-hour video that just premiered on Gibson TV’s YouTube channel. Sitting down with host Mark Agnesi, Hammett discusses a number of his notable guitars, including “Greeny” (originally owned by Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green), a 1963 Gibson Explorer, and more.
When it comes to one of his earliest guitars, the Flying V, Hammett recalls, “I remember I was going out with this one girl at the time, she said, ‘Let’s go to Burger King.’ … So we’re sitting there, eating a Whopper or something, and she goes, ‘I’ll be right back.’ … She comes back and she goes, “I got you an application for a job here. Sign here.’ I’m like, ‘Huh?’”
He continued, “But then … I thought, ‘This is brilliant. I’ll just work at Burger King just long enough for me to save up some money, so I can trade in my [old] Strat and maybe $200 or $300 towarda brand-new black Flying V that was at Leo’s Music in Oakland.”
Hammett went on to say that he friend that worked at that music store, and told him to hold onto it until he had enough money. Eventually, he traded in his Strat and a couple hundred dollars for the black Flying V and “was so happy.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Hammett says a toy Monkees guitar that his grandmother got him when he was 7 years old was one of the first things to ignite his passion for the guitar. “I used to drag it around with me to every single room in the house, outside, and just pretend that I was playing it until it literally fell apart,” recalled the Metallica legend.
Fans can catch Hammett playing some of his prized guitars when Metallica continue their “M72 World Tour” in 2025 with a new North American leg featuring Limp Bizkit and Pantera. Tickets are available here.
Watch Gibson TV’s full video feature on Kirk Hammett’s guitar collection below, and pick up a Kirk Hammett signature guitar via Reverb.