Kirk Hammett first visited EMG back in the early '80s when Metallica was a local group on the rise. The KH20 system joined the EMG-81 with a pair of EMG-S single-coil pickups. These guitar pickups are all built around ceramic magnets for the tightest, most controlled sound. They're mated with a five-position switch and master volume and tone controls. The KH20 comes pre-assembled on a custom pearl white pickguard with contrasting black knobs.

EMG-S

These pickups feature the same construction as the EMG-SA but replaces the Alnico magnets with ceramic. They have the equivalent output of the EMG-SA but feature a brighter tone quality accentuated in the upper middle to high frequency response (similar to later model Strat pickups). By using the EMG tone modeling technique, these pickups have "sparkle" with added definition for depth and increased sensitivity. With accent on high frequency, these guitar pickups have that classic single-coil sound without the disadvantages of high impedance single-coil design.