Creator Area
Sign in Creator Area

Metallica - THE SHORTEST STRAW - Guitar Tab

Practice Studio

Metallica - THE SHORTEST STRAW - Guitar Tab

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

Not in tune?

SECTIONS

Select a Loop

Start of your loop
End of your loop

Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key E minor
Metallica - THE SHORTEST STRAW guitar tab video
Tabs EM All
Tabs EM All Top Contributor
YouTube: 68Ksubs 131Kviews
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.
...And Justice for All (Remastered Deluxe Box Set) album cover
...And Justice for All (Remastered Deluxe Box Set)
1988 6:35
Listen on Spotify
Metallica Thrash Metal 1988 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

THE SHORTEST STRAW

"The Shortest Straw" is a track by Metallica from their fourth studio album ...And Justice for All, released in 1988 on Elektra Records. The album marked the band's first full-length record with bassist Jason Newsted after the loss of Cliff Burton. For electric guitar players, the song offers a strong study in Metallica's complex rhythm work, featuring tight palm-muted riffing, tempo shifts, and the layered, dry guitar tone that defines the album's distinctive sound.

  • The rhythm guitar parts rely heavily on palm muting and precise picking, ideal practice for developing right-hand control and endurance.
  • ...And Justice for All is widely noted for its dry, bass-light mix, giving the guitars an unusually prominent and sharp sonic presence.
  • The album was released September 7, 1988, and represents a peak period of Metallica's technically demanding songwriting and guitar arrangement.
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