Gibson Kirk Hammett Les Paul Standard Greeny Burst

The 1959 Les Paul Standard known as “Greeny” is one of the most storied instruments ever made, with a unique sound as recognizable as the guitar itself. Untold millions have heard its tone on stage or in the studio, played by a trio of famous owners: Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green, Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore, and Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett.

Peter Green, its eponymous original owner, played Greeny throughout his time with the Bluesbreakers and Fleetwood Mac. While tinkering with the guitar, he accidentally reinstalled the neck pickup backward, but it’s the reverse magnetic polarity of the neck pickup magnet that is, in part, responsible for creating the distinctive, out-of-phase whine in the middle switch position that haunted Green’s solos on songs like “The Super-Natural” and “Black Magic Woman.”

Around 1970, Green met Gary Moore, whose band was opening for Fleetwood Mac. After loaning Moore the guitar for a few days, Green offered to sell it to him, and the torch was passed. Over the next 35 years, Moore played Greeny with the band Thin Lizzy and on solo albums, including Blues for Greeny, a tribute album to Peter Green.

Moore sold Greeny in 2006 for reportedly around a million dollars. It passed through the hands of various collectors until 2014, when a private dealer brought it to the hotel room of Kirk Hammett. The Metallica guitarist sought advice from none other than Jimmy Page, who urged him to buy the legendary Les Paul Standard. Hammett has played Greeny ever since.