James Hetfield’s Fender Shenandoah 12-string

According to James, he used a Fender Shenandoah 12-string acoustic guitar to record some parts of “The Unforgiven” from Metallica’s 1991 Black Album. The guitar appears near the end of the song, around the 5-minute mark.

The acoustic on ‘The Unforgiven’ is an old classical guitar someone gave me years ago. That song also has some Tele for the background twangy parts, and at the tail there’s some Fender Shenandoag 12 string.

James Hetfield, Guitar Player, September 1991

The Fender Shenandoah is a 12-string acoustic produced between 1965 and 1971, known for its rich, resonant tone and jangly sound. It had a spruce top with mahogany back, and a mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard.