Metallica’s Kirk Hammett obtains “rarest of the grails” guitar

Metallica‘s Kirk Hammett has obtained a new, legendary guitar dubbed the “rarest of grails.”

The instrument is a factory black 1959 Les Paul Standard and was purchased from the company Carter Vintage Guitars. In an Instagram post showing off his latest axe, Hammett writes, “This is one unique, amazing sounding guitar.”

The guitar originally belonged to a jazz musician named Joseph Arena, who, as Carter Vintage explains, “wanted a black guitar to match his tuxedo.”

“But a Les Paul Custom was out of his price range so he opted to custom order for the [less] expensive Standard but with a black finish,” the story continues. “The guitar was ordered through Sam Ash in Hempstead, New York, and has stayed in the original family until now.”

The guitar is so special that Hammett says his famed Greeny guitar, a ’59 Les Paul once owned by late Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green, is “a little jealous.”