Creator Area
Sign in Creator Area

Metallica - The Unforgiven III - Guitar Lesson

Practice Studio

Metallica - The Unforgiven III - Guitar Lesson

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

Not in tune?

Select a Loop

Start of your loop
End of your loop

Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key A minor
Metallica - The Unforgiven III guitar lesson video
Guitar 365
Guitar 365 Top Contributor
YouTube: 1.6Msubs 83Kviews
Creator Page →
·
–50¢ 0 +50¢
· Tap to start

Your browser will ask for microphone permission.

Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Death Magnetic album cover
Death Magnetic
2008 7:47
Listen on Spotify
Metallica Heavy Metal 2008 A minor
Capo Advisor 0 A minor · Original key

The Unforgiven III

"The Unforgiven III" by Metallica is the third installment in the band's renowned Unforgiven trilogy, continuing the themes of personal struggle and identity explored in earlier chapters. Rooted in Metallica's signature blend of heavy riffs and melodic restraint, the song offers electric guitarists a study in dynamic contrast, balancing clean, expressive passages with powerful distorted sections. It is a rewarding piece for intermediate to advanced players looking to develop both technical precision and emotional phrasing.

  • The Unforgiven series spans three Metallica albums, making it a rare long-form narrative trilogy in hard rock songwriting.
  • The song demands control over clean and distorted tones, making amp and pickup selection an important part of nailing the sound.
  • Metallica's Unforgiven songs are known for their cinematic structure, requiring guitarists to focus on dynamics as much as technique.
Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Kirk Hammett's vintage 1959 'Greeny' Les Paul Standard delivers warmer, more dynamic PAF-style tones that contrast his EMG-equipped ESP guitars, adding organic sustain to his lead work. This guitar's traditional construction gives his solos a thicker, less compressed character than his signature models.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

While not Hammett's primary choice, the Les Paul Custom shares the Les Paul's warm PAF pickup character and thick body resonance, offering heavier players an alternative to Strat-style designs for achieving Metallica's crushing rhythm tones.

Gibson Explorer
Guitar

Gibson Explorer

James Hetfield's early Gibson Explorer established his signature angular shape and thick body tone, delivering the aggressive midrange attack essential to Metallica's crushing rhythm style before his ESP signature models became his primary tool.

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier
Amp

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

Kirk Hammett's Dual Rectifier heads provide the high-gain, midrange-forward aggression that lets his solos cut through Hetfield's scooped rhythm tone, creating definition and clarity in Metallica's dense wall of distortion.

EMG 81
Pickup

EMG 81

Hetfield's bridge EMG 81 delivers the hot, compressed output with tight low-end that defines Metallica's palm-muted riffs, the ceramic magnet and active preamp cutting through heavy arrangements with focused, aggressive attack.

EMG 60
Pickup

EMG 60

Both guitarists use the neck EMG 60 for warmer, more articulate rhythm tones and smoother lead voicings, balancing the 81's aggression with clearer note definition across Metallica's dense arrangements.

Recommended for You