Electric Guitar Review

A couple of months back we covered ESP’s surprisingly affordable James Hetfield Signature guitar, the LTD Truckster, but I thought today we’d take a look at that instrument’s more refined (and hence more expensive) sibling – the ESP James Hetfield Signature Truckster.

I’m guessing just about any serious Metallica fan (and plenty of non-fans too,) would be happy to have the Truckster in their arsenal of guitars, though I have to admit that ESP hasn’t done the greatest job of differentiating between the two models.

For a whopping $1700 difference in list price you get the addition of a bone nut, Schaller strap locks, and the knowledge that your guitar was built by master craftsmen in ESP’s Custom Shop in Japan instead of on the production-line in South Korea or Indonesia (where the LTDs are built.)

Of course, being the owner of a gorgeous LTD EC-400AT, I have to wonder just how much better the Japanese-built Trucksters are – the cheaper LTDs are incredible as it is.

Besides the seriously head-banging hardware – including a pair of active EMG 81/60 pickups, and Sperzel locking tuners – the James Hetfield Truckster makes it’s real mark via its strikingly cool finish, which has been sanded down and “distressed” to accurately reproduce the heavily-abused look of Hetfield’s own Custom ESP, which was used extensively on Metallica’s St. Anger Tour.
The ESP James Hetfield Truckster Features–

• Single Cutaway Mahogany Body
• Three-Piece Mahogany Neck
• 24.75“ Scale Length
• Rosewood Fretboard With 22 Extra Jumbo Frets
• Dual Active EMG 81/60 Pickups
• Two Volume & One Tone Control
• 2x3-Way Pickup Switching
• Sperzel Locking Tuning Machines
• Schaller Strap-Locks
• Bone Nut
• Tonepros Locking Bridge
• White Headstock, Neck & Body Binding
• Satin Chrome Hardware

And for those more into Metallica’s other guitarist, well, there’s always the Kirk Hammett Signature LTD KH-203… another truly badass guitar from ESP.