“19 prototypes later: How James Hetfield pushed EMG to reinvent the modern metal pickup”

“19 prototypes later: How James Hetfield pushed EMG to reinvent the modern metal pickup”

EMG founder Rob Turner has revealed that crafting James Hetfield’s signature pickups was the most demanding project the company has ever undertaken — one that ultimately forced EMG to rethink its core design philosophy.

Metallica’s relationship with EMG goes back to the band’s earliest days, long before their first record deal. Turner recalls that the first to reach out was Kirk Hammett — at the time simply “a young guitarist with a purple Strat trying to land a record contract.”

It wasn’t long before James Hetfield joined the conversation, and that’s when the real challenges began.
According to Turner, Hetfield’s meticulous demands pushed EMG's engineering team to its limits.

“Hetfield was the hardest to voice a pickup for. We built 19 different models, and each one basically changed the direction of what we were doing,” Turner says.

Hetfield insisted on using visible pole pieces, which went directly against EMG’s traditional narrow-core design. Adopting a larger magnetic core resulted in excessive low-end response, which meant the entire coil structure had to be redesigned — taller, slimmer coils and re-engineered winding geometry.

The most complex part wasn’t the bridge pickup but the neck pickup, where Hetfield demanded ceramic pole pieces — an unusual choice due to their sheer magnetic strength. EMG had to partially demagnetize the poles to make them usable.

To make matters even more challenging, Hetfield selected the most difficult finish in EMG’s sample tray: a high-gloss stealth-black coating known for being notoriously sensitive to scratches during production.

All of this culminated in the development of the now-iconic Het Set — a pair of active humbuckers that reshaped the DNA of EMG’s classic 81-based design. Hetfield had requested something “unique and historic,” and the final product delivered exactly that.

In related news, Dave Mustaine recently confirmed that Megadeth’s final album will include a cover of Ride the Lightning — co-written by Mustaine and Hetfield before the guitarist’s departure from Metallica.

Review of ESP Iron Cross Snow White James Hetfield Signature