The Tale of ‘Carl’: James Hetfield’s Most Sentimental Guitar Crafted from Reclaimed Wood of Metallica’s Inaugural Rehearsal Space

The ‘Garage Days Guitar,’ a creation of luthier Ken Lawrence, stands out as a distinctive piece within Papa Het’s guitar collection.

Long before the rise of any monumental rock act commanding arenas, there exists a group of aspiring youngsters honing their craft in less-than-ideal rehearsal spaces – a garage, a basement, perhaps even a derelict warehouse – where the seeds of future stardom are sown.

For Metallica, their journey to becoming the foremost and most influential metal band on the planet began in a modest garage in El Cerrito, nestled within the East San Francisco Bay area. It was within this unassuming garage that two of Metallica’s most pivotal albums – “Master Of Puppets” and “Ride The Lightning” – were conceived, alongside an early EP.

Though the band has traversed great distances since their El Cerrito days, they often reminisce fondly about the time spent crafting and rehearsing in that garage. In fact, during the late 90s and early 2000s, the band entertained the idea of purchasing the old garage, intending to reconstruct it within their contemporary rehearsal space. Regrettably, this aspiration never materialized, and they later learned of the garage’s demolition, much to their dismay.

However, the tale did not conclude there. Thankfully, an old acquaintance of Hetfield’s from the Bay Area punk/thrash scene, Andy Andersen, had preserved some remnants of the garage’s wood. Though the reasons for Andersen’s preservation remain unknown, he ultimately gifted the salvaged wood to Hetfield, who, in a gesture of reverence, entrusted it to Ken Lawrence, a distinguished luthier renowned for crafting five custom guitars for him previously. The outcome was a guitar for Hetfield unlike any other, affectionately dubbed ‘The Garage Days Guitar’ by enthusiasts or ‘Carl,’ paying homage to the garage’s former address – 3132 Carlson Blvd.

Lawrence is renowned for his meticulous craftsmanship, refusing to compromise quality and demanding a four-year wait time for custom guitar requests. He handcrafts just 25 guitars annually, each a masterpiece both visually and sonically.

Nevertheless, this project posed unique challenges for Lawrence. Crafting a guitar from aged wood salvaged from a demolished garage required innovative solutions.

“I was approached by Zach Harmon (the band’s main equipment/gear tech), who I’ve worked with on all of James’ KL projects,” Lawrence elaborates. “He felt that I would be the right person to take this to the place it needed to go. It was a fun journey, very challenging and truly rewarding.”

The ‘Garage Days Guitar’ or ‘Carl,’ a testament to craftsmanship and sentimentality, stands as a tangible link to Metallica’s formative years, encapsulating the essence of their humble beginnings amidst the echoes of El Cerrito’s garage.