Metallica’s James Hetfield recently talked about his signature Papa Het’s Hardwired Master Core electric guitar strings. The singer and guitarist also reflected on how playing with Heavy Core strings made him a better guitar player.
James Hetfield has been rocking the guitar since 1978, and he formed Metallica along with his bandmates in 1981. Metallica partially owes its continuous success to Hetfield’s guitar talents. In the band, he is often leaning toward playing rhythmic riffs but also contributes with his solos from time to time. As years went by, Hetfield became more and more open to sharing his techniques and secrets that raised the band and himself to success.
Papa Het’s ventures with Metallica helped him create his legacy. He found himself in the top half of the 100 greatest guitar players of all time in many respectable magazines since his techniques inspired many musicians who emerged after him. Recently, the guitarist and vocalist revealed what made him a better guitar player while talking about his new string collection.
As a notable electric guitar figure, it was about time he put his specialized strings out there, and so he did this year. According to Hetfield, the stings are tight, and he must adjust himself to play with them. Thanks to this minor challenge, this adjustment makes him a better guitar player because he needs to work harder than usual.
About what makes him a better guitar player, James Hetfield explained:
“Coming up with the Heavy Core was a major milestone in strings. It makes me a better player, actually. It makes me work a little harder. You’ve got to have some Metallica callouses to play some of these things at times. What I’ve found also is I get to add a little more gain to my amp to give it a little more forgiveness in my playing because it’s so tight.”
You can watch Hetfield’s explanation below.
