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Metallica - FUEL - Guitar Tab

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Metallica - FUEL - Guitar Tab

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Key E minor
Metallica - FUEL guitar tab video
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Reload
1997 4:30
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Metallica Heavy Metal 1997 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

FUEL

"Fuel" is a heavy metal track by Metallica, released as the third single from their 1997 album Reload. Written by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett, the song was inspired by Hetfield's passion for custom cars. Its driving riff, aggressive rhythm playing, and high-energy structure make it an excellent study for electric guitarists looking to develop right-hand stamina, palm muting precision, and the hard-hitting tone that defines Metallica's down-tuned, mid-era style.

  • The song was co-written by all three core members: Hetfield, Ulrich, and Hammett, a collaborative writing credit typical of Metallica.
  • "Fuel" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1999, losing to Jimmy Page and Robert Plant's "Most High".
  • The track peaked at number 2 in Australia and number 6 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, showing solid cross-market reach.
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.

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