Trash to Thrash #21 - James Hetfield Rusty Explorer Rebuild (Ethan) - S2E01 (Epiphone Gothic) 

I'm SO glad we could finally see a guitar start to finish in a single episode, I really hope the rest will be like this too, it's so satisfying.

Makes a guitar from the St Anger era Plays Enter Sandman on it 😂😂😂

James Hetfield is the reason I like Explorer shaped guitars, and also the EMG 60 into a clean chorus

Only problem with this is having to open the pick guard everytime you want to change the battery.

That tone at the end was freaking killer man. Mission success.

My favourite album, not only by Metallica but whatsoever, is "...And Justice For All".

Yeah! -James Hetfield

St. Anger is a terrible album… for best album (excluding the black album), it’s a toss up between and justice for all and master of puppets.

I prefer explorers without pickguard but that rusty pickguard looks fantastic!! My favourite album is ...And justice for all \m/ Great work!!

The part where he's explaining what he's wanting to do to the guitar while the other guy is "writing" the ideas down, I cringe hard. The acting is just stupid and embarrassing.

Love the channel! Have a question if anyone can help, I got me a new Jackson RR24 with a floating bridge, beautiful guitar and it’s neck through, anyways after playing with it for a bout a week the high e (especially at the 5th fret) makes a pinching noise, I don’t know if it’s a fret problem or a string issue, I’m still new to the Floyd rose system so any had issues like this and can help id greatly appreciate it 🤘🏻🤘🏻

The photo of hetfeild at 4:13 looks like me when I started growing my hair out

This guitar was probably the only good part of the St Anger era tbh haha Fr though amazing job, looks sick!

Only 8 screws to remove to replace your 9V Battery!!

Guitar sounds nasty, my favorite metallica album is ride the lightning and master of puppets🤘🔥

Fav album, wow, that’s tough. Either Master of Puppets, or And Justice For All. Love that rust guitar, sic looking man.

I’ve always wanted the Def Leppard Phil’s guitar that black and white with the gold I’ve seen reps built but way to princely. I thought of doing a diy but I’m not that great on setting strings and wiring. And to find one to look like his with the black and white trim. The body. Is hard. ..I like the black album.

@guitarguts I have a b.c. rich mokingbird bronze series that is a project needs pick-ups has new wiring neck is good Needs paint job and some work can you either quote a price to buy or fix up

I cannot believe you give these things away. Wow. I'm seriously considering joining your patreon dude. Love this fucking channel

Was this for Ethan Luck from Metal Up Your Podcast, perchance?

Hey man, I have an LTD snakebyte in ruined state (thanks to my stupidity). Do you want to work on it?

Can you work on my 2010 Epiphone les paul, I'll pay for yout time

Wow i need this guitar !!!!!

Dude… you talk waay to much omg

GREAT JOB !!! this explorer is FUCKING AMAZING !! 🤘🤘

I've got a Goth hanging on my wall, this vid just made me want to bring him back to life with a fresh look!!! And my Fav Metallica lp is hands down "Kill Em All" with "Ride the Lightning" in a close 2nd🤘🇺🇸🙏

My favourite Papa Het guitar is the EXP MX250, I sure wish they would start making them again! I realise circumstances wouldn't allow that now (The fact that Gibson sued LTD/ESP over the explorer shape and likeness copyright) and probably the fact that Hetfield won't probably be sticking around with Esp for too much longer, I heard that Gibson are in the process of making him an offer he can't refuse, just like they did with Dave Mustaine .. P.s. can anybody tell me the year and the details of the ruling outcome for the Gibson vs ESP/LTD suit - if you have any links for transcripts also, that would be neat!

I think this is your best build yet. Tho admittedly, I'm not really a "loud, flashy guitar" guy anyway. Very cool going understated. Double thumbs up!

Always been a dream of mine to make this: PRS 8 string semi hollow body with an Ibanez Q series vibe

My buddy is building me, from scratch, a custom Explorer. Follow his work at ru-vid.com/show-UCJHaZbMHWUrW1HfsdOuNM4Q

Wonder if you could do Johnny Silverhand's guitar from Cyberpunk 2077

Metallica started my passion for music. I kinda fell off with them after load. Then I fell in love with PANTERA. Playing metallica for years helped with the transition for sure. They will always have a place in my heart. But yeah not a fan of their recent stuff.

Solder, not sodder lol

Hey great video, is it possible to fill the cavity on this guitar under the pickguard and rewire it so it's like the 84 explorer or the ESP MX's?

Wow, incredible build! I have an Epiphone goth explorer with emgs and this makes me want to give it a guitar guts makeover. If only I had the cash.

Every album up to justice was great! The black album was the beginning of the end…

mark killer job see you on sunday and again great job

I'd kill for you to build me a J Yuenger Iceman, his rare sig Iceman that was sparkly green with the silver stars in the paint,but...sadly,will never be able to afford to pay you to do it. Im a 30 yr musician, and retired motocross racer with 2 state championships and like 45 trophies etc. I had to retire EARLY from that,right as I had 6 sponsors and was headed to be a top AMA pro rider as I was already a mini expert(they called mini riders "experts" instead of pros for some reason even tho was same tier) and my point is that I had gotten into a # of accidents and a final BAD one that destroyed my knee,and ended up wither a tumor/cyct on the other knee at the same approx time. had to have cadaver parts bolted in me and I ended up snapping those in half too, cadaver ACL's etc snapped 4 x after,lol. So I was 14, had been racing since I was 7, and retired and became a musician but long so try short, struggled with pain pills from all the injuries for 17 yrs, was a drunk for 20+ yrs, got sober finally almost 3 yrs ago, had actually died, flatlined a few times during the bad times, I shouldnt even be here, and so Im on disability, Kawasaki even signed off on me "working" for them when i was permanently injured and so Ive been living off of disability for like 13 yrs. It does NOT pay well, and having a family and raising 3 stepkids and 1 of my own, I dont have the $$ for this. I wish I did, Ive always wanted that J Yuenger Iceman. Even just one of Hetfields iconic EET FUK Explorers, plain jane what was it an MX220?? Hetfield was the main reason I started playing, was a HUGE Metallica fan as a kid and always have been. I know this is already long,but just want to add, a sorta out of place for me guitar I want to build too is a copy of Billy Joes old surf green strat that was I think an Alvarez or..I always get the make mixed up..reason being is I grew up with him and Mike from Green Day and used to watch them in BJ's garage practice and they were a HUGE push for me to start playing. We all grew up in Rodeo,Ca about 15 mins from Oakland,CA and 20 mins from S.F. the infamous garage Metallica wrote Master in in El Cerrito,Ca was right down the street from my dads shop, Les Claypool lived 10 mins from my grandmas house in El Sobrante,Ca...lol..Pushead that did Metallicas shirt designs in the 80s and 90s lived like 2 mins from my grandmas house, Mike Patton used to date my friend Ray Marshalls sister, and more..my point is that music was the natural progression from racing motorcycles as I was a metalhead by like age 6 in 1983 with Shout at The Devils release, Black Sabbath, Zepp, my brother is 6 yrs older and was into metal and turned me onto it and my dad had the Sabbath and Zepplin 8 tracks etc...my aunt was a Berkley,Ca gutter punk who had a zebra striped Ford Pinto,lol, a green mohawk,and got her bass lessons from Matt Freeman of Rancid if I remember right. Small world in the Bay Area in the 80s and 90s back then. I miss those days. Anyways, wish *i could commission this Iceman, anyways, love the channel,will be watching all your vids from now on. :-)

2:07 nice BTBAM shirt :) and btw, of the 4 Metallica albums, Ride the Lightning is my favorite. ;)

my favorite metallica albums are master of puppets,and justice for all,death magnetic and hardwired to self destruct 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🎸🎶🎶

Master of Puppets and Ride The Lightning are #1 but Kill Em All and And Justice For All are close seconds

You would love to get your hands on my stash I have enough guitar parts laying around to build 15 to 20 full guitars I have so much on my plate right now I could use somebody to help me

Really like these

Hi @guitarguts, can you share the all the types and brand of hardware (tuning pegs, bridge, jackplate, etc) ?

Thank God trash to thrash is back. That rusty is raging, I'm not much for Gibson's but I'd take that one any day. Not a fan of newer Metallica, so my favorite would be a tie between Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets.

I do like most Metallica albums (St. Anger not so much but that was the tour when I first saw them live in 04) but Kill Em All and And Justice For All are my favorite.

From what I remember rusty's pick guard is actually a really tarnished brass pickguard.

That white blood splattered Jackson V is a thing of beauty. 😍😍🥰🥰🥰😍😍

Hi, I just have one question here. You replaced one of the original potentiometers with the input switch. On the JH set or this one, they provide you with 2 tonality potentiometers and 2 volume potentiometers. Which one have you kept ? I suppose it is the volume potentiometers based on high-end guitars already using this set, but asking anyway to be sure before buying. Thanks a lot for the instructions by the way.

Rusty looks great! I'm about to build a white Hetfield inspired Explorer myself! I'm torn between Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning as far as my favorite album of all time, I can't decide between the two. That said, I also love St Anger and Death Magnetic is way under rated. Also Garage Inc. has some killer tracks, especially on the 2nd disk. Greatest rock band ever. Great channel, keep up the good work.

Perfection and and justice for all and black album are my favorites but I like all of there music

Pretty much every metallica riffs where written by Kirk not james. James is still a badass at guitar, But I still love you vids they are so awesome to watch.

Playing along with the background songs while watching this

Now that is a cool remake of this cool guitar!!! James is my favorite musician of all time!! I mostly love his Snakebytes and Explorers! Those are his best guitars and sound super killer for the inspiration of us Metallica fans!!!!! Nice job on that guitar restoration, bro! I love your style. Rock on, and be awesome!!!

Great Build and awesome tone! I love the mat black, but I'd have to say the way that pick guard came out is my favorite part. I'm a metal rhythm guitarist and have Explorers and Vs. Metallica was the reason I started playing back in the early 90's. Personal favorite album is Ride The Lighting.

With an EMG81 you don’t need a sound demo, people have literally attached them to shovels and it still sounds like an 81

Any way you can make me an exact pickguard? If so, how much?

Ride the lightning, because call of ktulu , that's why

Think the rusty pick guard on hetfields was lighter in colour

Only thing I would do different is make the truss rod cover rust too

Is it possible to fill in the channel where the wires run for the toggle switch? Make it solid, and no pick guard?

You and your channel inspired me to build some guitars that I've been putting off for a while. I'm about to try some of your paint techniques on a flying v bass that I just put together, next up I'll finish the strat I built for punk/metal, then my dream explorer.

I'm a new follower Got all the notification bell on But a lefty!! Got a DFH But I want a guitar I can tune to whatever I want not just e standed and no bolt ons 😊 please 🤣

...and justise for all has the best sound out of all of metallica's albums

And Justice For All is my fav Metallica album

And justice for all. I just pretend st anger never happened

This is my first time watching your videos this is cool

Favorite Metallica hafta say Black Album and anything before that.🤘

Cool videos man. Wish there was someone over here in the UK that would do them custom and left handed. Yours look so professionally made. Good job dude.

Not bad. Wish it had fret markers and a different truss rod cover though.

...And Justice For All without a doubt.

That was awesome!!! can you do the Dave Murray stratocaster?

Theres a wax hot rodders use to maintain the rusty patina might be more effective than a clear on that surface?

that rusty gibson was awesome. when papahet played usty, the chugg sound in the st anger rehearsal DVD (which is miles better than the actual CD) is powerful

cool video bro, though hard to listen to the voice over. use an antipop filter for cleaner results!

too much lemon oil on the fretboard. not that it hurts anything but it leaves residue in the pores of the wood that you can see.

And justice for all best album!!!

the guitar has to be by your knees, like james does

My fav metallica album gotta be ride the lighting

Measures of the pickguard? Trying to find a replacement for my goth.. 🤭 thanks for the video

I liked this because i have a gothic explorer

St. Anger was their best album

This was a great episode. Love the guitar. Mater Master Master of puppets!

i have a guitar for you to do a vid on - i have a Burny Les Paul that i want a Floyd Rose installed and the finish taken off the back of the neck with a refret job - interested? i have a vid on my channel about the Burny

Master ALL FUCKIN" DAY!!!!!

Hey man I have a question regarding the emg pickups and the cavities on the rusty explorer. Do you think that it would be possible for me to fit in all the wiring for the emgs PLUS the battery into the small hole on the back of the explorer? I’m asking because I have an 84 explorer body so therefor it doesnt have a front cavity. So is it at all possible in anyway to fit everything for the emgs in the small hole in the back because I cant do any cutting into the body. Thank you!

someone who goes to my school's high school has a replica just not this one, dont think its the same one tho

I have an 88 Peavy tracer custom I would love to have back to its original state

What episode of trash to thrash will have all of the evh guitars

Hey mark, would you be willing to trade a few project guitars for a finished guitar,?

great job buddy thanks for the work

No Epiphone logo on the headstock? ☺️

That’s really cool. Two things though, why not route out a battery box on the back. Every time you have to change the battery you have to take the pick guard off. Also you didn’t put a Epiphone logo back on the headstock.

Old rusty! Super cool man

Makes me miss my Epi Goth Explorer

Nissssssssssssssssssce 🍻 Master of puppets! Allday!

From trash to trash with the iron maiden logo font

Love your channel 🎸🤘🤘

I only really love the first 4 albums

TE EXTRAÑE UN CHINGO, CABRÓN!