James bought this guitar in 1979 from a friend from high school who played in the school’s jazz band. His mother helped him out with the payment, which was around $200.
There was a kid in my high school, Downey High, who was in the jazz band, who was selling his guitar. He had – I think it was a 69 SG with the tremolo and he wanted to sell it. He said “You want it?”, and I said, “Yeah how much do you want?”.
He said 200 bucks, and so I begged my mom and, you know, did chores, did whatever I could and she said yeah – she bought me my first real guitar.
Metallica’s James Hetfield At Guitar Center
James used this guitar to write some of his first songs, and while playing in a couple of high school bands, including “Obsession”.
By the time Metallica came together, James had transitioned to using a white Flying V guitar, and the SG was no longer in his possession. Hetfield explained that he had exchanged the SG for a PA system, as he was aspiring to become a singer – a dream he ultimately fulfilled.
And the second guitar I had was, like, a ’69 SG that some kid sold me in high school for $200. I traded it for a PA because I wanted to be the singer, because everyone was looking for a singer back then.
James Hetfield – source unknown
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