Made by hand at the ESP Custom Shop in Japan, the ESP Snakebyte is a Signature Series model of James Hetfield, the frontman of Metallica and one of the world's most highly respected rhythm guitar players. The Snakebyte was created based on James' own original design.

It features set-neck construction at 24.75" scale, with a mahogany body and a single-piece mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard and 22 extra-jumbo frets with a snake inlay at the 12th fret. The ESP Snakebyte is powered by James' own EMG JH SET active pickups, and includes premier components such as a bone nut, Schaller straplocks, Sperzel locking tuners, and a TonePros locking TOM bridge and tailpiece. The ESP Snakebyte includes a hardshell case and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from ESP.