James Hetfield gives EMG’s 50th anniversary a 200-set JH pickup release

EMG is marking its 50th anniversary with a special edition of James Hetfield’s JH “Het” Set, limited to 200 numbered pickup sets. Hetfield designed the engraved anniversary mark himself, using the familiar angular Metallica lettering as the basis for the logo. The set is finished in brushed black chrome and is scheduled to become available directly from EMG on November 13.

Under the commemorative finish, the pair retains the architecture that separates the JH set from the standard active pickups that informed it. The JH-N neck pickup uses individual ceramic poles and taller bobbins with a larger core than an EMG 60, a combination intended to increase attack, output and low-end fullness. The JH-B bridge pickup uses steel pole pieces rather than the bar magnet arrangement of an EMG 81, aiming for the same tight response with less inductance and a cleaner bottom end.

The package includes the two pickups, two 25k volume pots, two 25k tone pots, a stereo output jack and EMG’s solderless installation hardware. Each set also includes anniversary packaging and documentation tied to the limited run. EMG says its pickups are built to order, with the release announcement pointing buyers to the company’s direct store for the 200-piece allocation.

Hetfield’s long association with active pickups made the existing JH set one of EMG’s most recognizable artist products. This anniversary version does not claim to redesign the electronics; its significance is the small production run, the artist-designed engraving and the way it turns a long-running working pickup set into a collectible edition without replacing its core specifications.