Bill Kelliher is a guitarist and founding member of the widely-respected heavy metal band Mastodon.
ESP, known for its premium guitars built with professional players in mind, has partnered with Bill to create signature models that carry his aggressive yet melodic playing style.
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Who is Bill Kelliher?
William Bryn Kelliher was born on March 23, 1971. Kelliher holds dual citizenship with the United States and Ireland. His father is an Irish immigrant who moved to the United States from Killorglin, County Kerry, Ireland as a teenager.
Mastodon was formed on January 13, 2000, after Bill Kelliher and Brann Dailor (drums) moved from their home state of New York to Atlanta, Georgia, and met bassist Troy Sanders and guitarist Brent Hinds at a High on Fire concert. They discovered they liked the sludge metal of the Melvins and Neurosis, heavy metal legends Iron Maiden, and 1970s hard rockers Thin Lizzy, and began working on music together soon after.
Kelliher plays a number of different roles in Mastodon, including backing vocals during live performances, complex guitar parts, and lead guitar. He shares the stage with Brent Hinds, playing mostly complex rhythm parts, although Kelliher occasionally plays solos, such as on “Sleeping Giant.”
In 2007, Hinds and Kelliher won the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award for Best Shredders, Mastodon’s first award. Mastodon won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for “Sultan’s Curse” in 2018.
Like his bandmate Hinds, Kelliher also uses three tunings in Mastodon:
- D Standard on a Les Paul;
- Drop C on a Yamaha SBG;
- Tuning similar to D standard but with the sixth string tuned to A (A G C F A D) on his Explorer.
Gear
Kelliher uses multiple guitars. His main guitar has long been a Gibson Les Paul Custom in a Silverburst finish. He used other Les Paul Customs in Ebony and Alpine White during the band’s 2009 tour with Dethklok.
Kelliher has also used several Gibson Explorers, including a vintage Explorer CMT in a tobacco burst finish.
He used two custom Yamaha SBGs.
In 2013, Kelliher received a signature Gibson Explorer called “The Golden Axe.” It features a mahogany body and neck, a rosewood fingerboard with figured acrylic trapezoid inlays, a Gold Burst finish, and Lace Nitro Hemi humbucker pickups.
In 2014, Gibson released a Bill Kelliher signature model Les Paul, the “Halcyon,” with Lace Dissonant Aggressor pickups.
Kelliher used Laney amplification in the past (specifically the VH100R head). He subsequently played a proprietary Marshall JCM 800 Kerry King.
Since 2010, Kelliher and bandmate Brent Hinds have performed live with Orange Thunderverb series amps.
In 2016, Friedman Amplification released a signature amp for Kelliher called the Butterslax.
In terms of pedals, Kelliher uses an A Line 6 HELIX and a Digitech Jamman Looper pedal.
In 2013, Kelliher collaborated with Lace Pickups on his signature “Dissonant Aggressors” guitar pickups.
Bill Kelliher ESP Signature Guitars
In June 2016, ESP Guitars announced that Kelliher had begun endorsing their guitars and that they would be releasing two signature models for him: the high-end ESP Bill Kelliher and the more affordable LTD BK-600. Both guitars feature Eclipse bodies with full-thickness, no-cutaway mahogany bodies, three-piece mahogany necks with 22-fret ebony fingerboards, and a 24.75 scale length. They also feature Tone Pros Tunomatic and Stoptail locking tuners and bridges, and Kelliher’s signature Lace Dissonant Aggressor pickups.
ESP Bill Kelliher Eclipse
Co-designed with Bill, the Bill Kelliher ESP Eclipse is a traditional full-body guitar with no cutaway waist. It was designed to deliver the wide range of tones Mastodon demands while being strong and durable enough for his punishing rhythms and brutal riffs.
Its three-piece mahogany neck is joined to the body via a set-thru design at a 24.75″ scale length for smooth, easy, and quick access to the upper frets. It features an ebony fingerboard with real shell, “ESP Flag” inlays, 22 frets, and binding on the body, neck, and headstock.
It comes with a set of custom Seymour Duncan Distortion pickups, a custom humbucker with a massive ceramic magnet and hot coil windings for full-bodied rock and metal tones. These are controlled by master volume and tone knobs, each offering push-pull control to separate the bridge and neck pickups respectively.
Other features include Sperzel Trim Lok tuners, ESP strap locks, and a TonePros Locking TOM Bridge & Tailpiece.
It is available in Military Green Sunburst Satin.
Specification Table
| Category | Specification |
|---|---|
| General | |
| Brand: | ESP |
| Year: | 2016 |
| Configuration: | HH |
| Strings: | 6 |
| Made in: | Japan |
| Series: | Signature |
| Colors: | Military Green Sunburst Satin |
| Left-Handed Version: | No |
| Body | |
| Type: | Solid Body |
| Body Material: | Mahogany w/ Maple Cap |
| Bridge: | Tonepros Locking TOM Bridge & Tailpiece |
| Neck | |
| Neck Joint: | Set |
| Tuners: | Sperzel Locking |
| Fretboard: | Ebony |
| Neck Material: | Mahogany |
| Decoration: | Flags |
| Scale Size: | 24.75″ |
| Shape: | Thin U |
| Thickness: | 1st Fret: 0.787” (20mm) – 12th Fret: 0.866” (22mm) |
| Frets: | 22 XL Jumbo |
| Fretboard Radius: | 12″ |
| Nut: | Graphite |
| Nut Width: | 42mm (1.654”) |
| Electronics | |
| Switch: | 3 Way |
| Knobs: | Dome |
| Pickup Mods: | Coil Split |
| Volume Controls: | 1 |
| Tone Controls: | 1 |
| Bridge Pickup: | Seymour Duncan Distortion SH-6 (Humbucker / Passive) |
| Neck Pickup: | Seymour Duncan Distortion SH-6 (Humbucker / Passive) |
ESP LTD BK-600
Based on the ESP Eclipse single-cutaway shape, the BK-600 features a copper-toned Vintage Silver Sunburst finish and multi-layer binding on the body and headstock.
This guitar has a traditional body thickness and is designed to deliver the wide range of tones required for Mastodon music.
It features a mahogany body, a three-piece mahogany neck, and a Macassar ebony fingerboard with 22 extra-jumbo frets and pearloid ESP flag inlays.
Another upgrade on the BK-600 is a set of Bill’s signature Mojotone Hellbender humbucker pickups. These nickel-plated pickups offer everything from raw and menacing tones to complex and open cleans. The bridge and neck pickups can be split using the push-pull buttons on the volume and tone knobs.
The BK-600 features a set-thru design with a 24.75″ scale length for easy access to the highest frets.
Other LTD BK-600 features include LTD locking tuners and a TonePros locking bridge and tailpiece.
It also comes with a deluxe ESP hardshell case.
Specification Table
| Category | Specification |
|---|---|
| General | |
| Brand: | ESP LTD |
| Configuration: | HH |
| Strings: | 6 |
| Made in: | Indonesia |
| Series: | Signature |
| Colors: | Military Green Sunburst Satin |
| Left-Handed Version: | No |
| Body | |
| Type: | Solid Body |
| Body Material: | Mahogany (full thickness) |
| Bridge: | Tonepros Locking TOM Bridge & Tailpiece |
| Neck | |
| Neck Joint: | Set |
| Tuners: | LTD Locking |
| Fretboard: | Macassar Ebony |
| Neck Material: | 3Pc Mahogany |
| Decoration: | Flags |
| Scale Size: | 24.75″ |
| Shape: | Thin U |
| Thickness: | 1st Fret: 0.787” (20mm) – 12th Fret: 0.866” (22mm) |
| Frets: | 22 XL Jumbo |
| Fretboard Radius: | 12″ |
| Nut: | Plastic |
| Nut Width: | 42mm (1.654”) |
| Electronics | |
| Switch: | 3 Way |
| Knobs: | Dome |
| Pickup Mods: | Coil Split |
| Volume Controls: | 1 |
| Tone Controls: | 1 |
| Bridge Pickup: | Seymour Duncan Distortion SH-6 (Humbucker / Passive) |
| Neck Pickup: | Seymour Duncan Distortion SH-6 (Humbucker / Passive) |
ESP LTD Sparrowhawk
The LTD Bill Kelliher Signature Series Sparrowhawk is offered in a stunning Vintage Silver Sunburst finish with copper tones, multi-layer white/black binding on the body and headstock, and a fully bound neck.
This 24.75″ scale set-thru guitar features a mahogany body with maple tuners and a three-piece mahogany neck with a comfortable, thin U-shaped contour. The fingerboard is made of Macassar ebony with mother-of-pearl block inlays and has 22 extra-jumbo frets.
The Sparrowhawk Vintage Silver Sunburst components include nickel-plated hardware with a locking TonePros bridge and tailpiece and locking LTD tuners.
The big upgrade on this model is a set of Bill’s signature Mojotone Hellbender humbuckers. These nickel-plated pickups are designed for both ruggedness and beauty. The bridge and neck pickups can be separated using push-pull controls on the volume and tone knobs.
The guitar includes a deluxe ESP hardshell case.
Specification Table
ESP LTD Royal Shiva
The LTD Royal Shiva is based on a guitar that Bill Kelliher built at the ESP Custom Shop and has used extensively on recent tours. It is a completely unique double cutaway body shape with a Silver Sunburst finish that extends to the back of the guitar’s body and neck, with white binding on the body, neck and headstock.
The Royal Shiva uses a traditional set-neck construction at 25″ scale, pairing a mahogany body with a maple fingerboard and a three-piece U-shaped mahogany neck.
The Macassar ebony fingerboard features large mother-of-pearl inlays and 22 extra-jumbo frets.
The professional nickel-plated hardware on the guitar includes a TonePros TOM bridge and tailpiece, LTD locking tuners, a bone nut, a multi-layer black pickguard, and a set of Bill’s signature Mojotone Hellbender humbucker pickups. Both the bridge and neck pickups can be individually separated using the push-pull controls on the volume and tone knobs.
The instrument includes a deluxe ESP hardshell case.
Specification Table
| Category | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Construction | Set-Neck |
| Scale | 25″ |
| Body | Mahogany w/ Maple Cap |
| Neck | 3Pc Mahogany |
| Fingerboard | Macassar Ebony |
| Fingerboard Radius | 305mm |
| Finish | SILVER SUNBURST |
| Nut Width | 43mm |
| Nut Type | Bone |
| Neck Contour | U |
| Frets/Type | 22 XJ |
| Hardware Color | Nickel |
| Strap Button | Standard |
| Tuners | LTD Locking |
| Bridge | TonePros Locking TOM & Tailpiece |
| Neck PU | MojoTone Hell Bender Neck w/ Nickel Cover (Pull Tone for Split) |
| Bridge PU | MojoTone Hell Bender Bridge w/ Nickel Cover (Pull Volume for Split) |
| Electronics Layout | Volume (Push/Pull) / Tone (Push/Pull) / Toggle Switch |
| Strings | D’Addario XL110 (.010/.013/.017/.026/.036/.046) |
| Case | ROYAL SHIVA FORM FIT CASE |
| Case Included | Y |
| Electronics | Passive |