![When Adrian Smith ran into Hammett – and jammed with Greeny.]](https://backingtracksfullcollection.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/When-Adrian-Smith-ran-into-Hammett-–-and-jammed-with-758x426.jpg "When Adrian Smith ran into Hammett – and jammed with Greeny.] 1")
Adrian Smith has become the latest in a growing list of superstar players to have become infatuated with the illustrious “Greeny” Les Paul.
When Kirk Hammett became the third high-profile owner of the legendary Gibson, he had no intention of keeping it as an ornament. The electric guitar, famous for its quirky and quacky middle position – and for its starring role on a host of classic blues rock tracks – is a key part of his touring rig, and he’s also been keen to share the love.
Suffice to say, Smith – who’s just released a new signature guitar as part of a band-wide Fender drop – eagerly took Hammett up on his offer.
“I went to his room. Ross Halfin [photographer] was there as well, because he’s a mutual friend, and he gave me the guitar and a little practice amp, and of course, I did [Fleetwood Mac’s] Oh Well.”
But Smith’s playing session didn’t end there. When Hammett and Halfin left for a photoshoot, Smith was left to babysit.
“He said, ‘Take the guitar’, so I took it to my hotel room, and I had a little practice amp in there,” Smith says. “I played it all afternoon. It plays great. It’s the intonation, the feel, the sound.
“There’s no doubt about it, that is a special guitar. The mojo is off the charts. I’m glad somebody’s using it, and it’s not on a wall in somebody’s climate-controlled guitar locker. It’s out there being played, as it should be.”
Gibson produced a reissue of the guitar in 2023, with an Epiphone version arriving shortly after. Smith is just the latest star to fall head over heels for “Greeny.” He certainly won’t be the last.
