James Hetfield is the rhythm guitarist and vocalist from the band Metallica. Hetfield was born on August 3, 1963, in Downey, Los Angeles County, California. Hetfield was 9 years old when he took his first piano lessons, before taking on his brother David's drums and finally picking up a guitar in his pre-teens.

Inspired by bands such as Black Sabbath, The Beatles, Venom, Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy, Hetfield formed his first band, Obsession, in his early teens. He started the band (Metallica) in 1981 with Lars Ulrich (Drummer).

James has been a major endorsee of ESP guitars since 1991, and is best known for playing custom-made ESP EX Series guitars with an EMG 81/EMG 60 set for pickups. As well as using EX Series, he uses Eclipses and Vs.

He also is a user of Mesa/Boogie Amplifiers, particularly the rectifier and solo heads and cabinets.