Hey hey, welcome back to yet another installment of the one and only heavy metal guitar column on this website. I’m definitely not your host Cassie, and today I’ve got something real interesting for ya. But before we get into that, I have my usual rambling to do.
So you remember how I said I’d “try to get as many as these in before Christmas as I can”? Well… you see how that worked out. I drastically overestimated the amount of time I had before break and underestimated how lengthy the research for this one would be. But I’m back now, so it’s fine I guess. There was much rejoicing. There. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get into what you’re really here for, shall we? Coming to you live from The Emerald Press, I present… (horribly out of time drumroll please…) James Hetfield and the Lawrence Explorer-AKA “Carl”!
Who is James Hetfield?
What is this, Jeopardy? “Who is James Hetfield?” Who doesn’t know who James Hetfield is? Oh well, James Hetfield, also known as “The Mighty Het” if you’re a black-album era issue of Rip Magazine, is the co-founder of gigantic metal band Metallica. He plays rhythm guitar and does the killer vocals for the band. He and drummer Lars Ulrich started Metallica in 1981 with former bassist Ron McGovney and Megadeth guitarist Dave Mustaine. Their lineup changed quite a bit through the years but that’s not my job to talk about.
Hetfield is also an avid hunter, beekeeper, and cat dad. (I think his cats are named Frankie and Tabs if you’re wondering.)
There. That’s metal’s most dad-joke telling, cat loving, sorrow harvesting rhythm guitarist for you. (Haha get it? Harvester of Sorrow? Okay, I’ll stop.) Now that you know who I’m talking about here, let’s move onto the only slightly atrocious guitar he wields.
Mini History Lesson
So when Metallica first started, they would practice in a garage on a street called Carlson Boulevard. That’s where the nickname “Carl” comes from. Hetfield really figured out the tone and sound he liked there, and the boys wrote the first two albums there. Around the creation of Master of Puppets, the band moved to a better setup, leaving the garage empty once again.
The Ken Lawrence Explorer
Way later on, Metallica revisited their old garage, and James picked up some old boards that had been there for… forever. He had an idea and contacted luthier Kenneth Lawrence to have a guitar made with them. The main body of the guitar is made from mahogany with the boards acting as a veneer I think (none of my sources had good information regarding it). The guitar holds a piece of the band’s history, as well as some fantastic sound.
Electronics and Hardware
The Ken Lawrence Explorer I believe originally had a set of EMG ‘83/’85 pickups, but Hetfield swapped them for a pair of JH Signature EMGs. The bridge is a weird Les Paul looking thing. I don’t know exactly what that specific type of bridge is called. Also, you might have noticed by now that I don’t have a lot of information about this guitar. Most of the websites I looked at during my research were only talking about the history of it, so I had to go off photos and tiny paragraphs added as an afterthought.
In Conclusion
Fun fact: this guitar is the first hardtail to be featured on my column! Metallica continues making history! I think the Ken Lawrence Explorer is fabulous. It’s most definitely not my favorite guitar in James Hetfield’s arsenal, but it’s up there. (My favorite is the classic white explorer if you’re wondering.) I think it’s cool that he used scrap wood from the band’s old garage.
Sorry I kept y’all waiting for so long with this one. January’s always kind of a weird month here at St. Pats, and with snow days and other media lab stuff we’ve been doing, it’s been difficult to find a chance to work on it. I hope you had a good time reading it. So with that, I’ll catch ya later. Until then, Rock on!
Guitar Glossary
Veneer: A paper thin top layer of pretty wood on top of the main guitar body
Pickups: The part of the guitar that pushes sound through the amp
Bridge: The piece that holds the strings at the bottom of the guitar
Hardtail: A type of guitar that doesn’t have a tremolo system. A lot less fun if you ask me.
Luthier: A fancy word for “dude who makes the guitar”
