Former Metallica Bassist Is Selling a Piece of Heavy Metal History

If someone ever constructed a Mt. Rushmore of heavy metal bands, Metallica would be on it right next to Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer. Throughout their four-decade career, Metallica has nabbed eight GRAMMY Awards, leaving an indelible mark on the music industry. Now, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted is selling some of his gear.

You Can Buy The Bass From Metallica’s ‘Black Album’ Tour

Jason Newsted joined Metallica in 1986 after bassist Cliff Burton died following a tour bus crash in Sweden. He left the band in 2001, having co-written three songs: “Blackened, “My Friend of Misery,” and “Where the Wild Things Are.”

After his departure from Metallica, Newsted played with metal bands Echobrain and Voivod. Since 2012, he has fronted the heavy metal band Newsted. Now, Newsted is selling the 1992 Alembic Europa Custom 10-string bass used on the Black Album tour. The instrument is among more than 60 electric guitars, basses, and “oddball rarities” going up for sale July 24 on his official Reverb page.

“This thing is an absolute beast,” Newsted told Guitar World. “The weight alone—you’ll have to be a straight bada– just to carry it, let alone play it. I was never able to give it enough time… I want to see what someone can do with it. It’s a really special piece of metal history.”

[RELATED: Remember When: Metallica Finally Made Their First Music Video 35 Years Ago]

Metallica’s self-titled fifth studio album, released in 1991, has become commonly known as The Black Album. The certified 16-time platinum record became the band’s first album to top the Billboard 200 chart. Additionally, The Black Album spawned several of Metallica’s most recognizable hits, including “Enter Sandman” and “Sad But True.”

Jason Newsted Had An Advantage During Auditions

After Cliff Burton’s death, Jason Newsted was the last of more than 50 musicians to audition for the role of Metallica’s bassist. To get a leg up on the competition, he acquired the band’s setlist and studied it intensely. At the time of his audition, he (truthfully) told a highly impressed Lars Ulrich that he knew all of the songs.

“It wasn’t that hard to figure out,” Newstead said in a 2015 interview. “It’s not any kind of giant secret that you get your s— together if you really want a gig and you prepare the songs that they’ve been playing.”

Featured image by Larry Marano/Shutterstock