ESP KH-OUIJA Guitar Review

Kirk Hammett is one of the most well known faces of the metal world. He is the lead guitarist for the best selling metal band of all time, Metallica, and has made a name for himself in a big way by writing some of the best riffs and solos out there. What few know is that he plays almost exclusively ESP instruments. One of them, for sale now, is the ESP KH-OUIJA Kirk Hammet signature guitar. Let's take a closer look at it to see what separates it from the rest.

Features: The body of the ESP KH-OUIJA, as opposed to most other ESP's available on the market today, is made of alder wood. This equates to a different feel and some minor tonal differences from other ESP's. The finish, as evinced by the name, is black with accents based off the Ouija board. Kirk Hammet himself is known for playing a guitar with this finish. The neck, on the other hand, is made of maple wood and is set through the body. It has twenty four extra jumbo frets with a rosewood fretboard, and inlays designed as a crescent moon with stars. The hardware on the ESP KH-OUIJA is specialized for metal and durability. The tuners are ESP brand, and the nut locks to keep the strings in place. Also, it has a Floyd Rose tremolo bridge system. Electronically, the ESP KH-OUIJA has an EMG-81 active humbucker pickup in the bridge position and an EMG-60 active humbucker in the neck position. It also has a volume and tone control, and a five way selector switch.

Playability: The ESP KH-OUIJA has a design that is specifically catered to ease of use and playability. In a word, it is a shredder's dream. It has a neck-thru-body design, which along with deep cutaways on both ends completely eliminates any obstructions to the higher frets. Also, the neck itself has a thin U shaped design to make it easier on the hands, and to fly up and down the fretboard. Also, the body itself, since it's made of alder, is extremely lightweight and contoured for comfortable playing.

Sound: The EMG pickup combination is unrivaled for tonal capabilities in the metal genre. When combined with the five way switching system, it's nearly impossible to find any distortion tone that the ESP KH-OUIJA can't match or do better with. It's not necessarily the best for completely clean tones (they are a bit trebly) but it can perform decently in those less heavy genres as well.

Overall: As one would expect from a guitar made after the one Kirk Hammet plays, the ESP KH-OUIJA is hard to beat in the hard rock and metal genres. It can scream with the best of them, is extremely easy to play, and has a cool unique look about it. It is on the higher end of ESP's price range, but for a serious musician looking for these specifications fits the bill well. You can find the ESP KH-OUIJA in music stores for about $1,400.