Cliff Burton

In this video Burton can be seen playing a Rickenbacker 4001 in a Burgundyglo finish.

This Bass has been heavily modified with a Gibson EB-0 "Sidewinder" pickup in the neck position, a Seymour Duncan Stacked Jazz pickup in the Bridge position, and a Seymour Duncan Stacked Strat pickup in the chamber for the foam mute under the bridge, activated by a push/pull pot.

This Rickenbacker was Burton's main rig from about Pre-1980 to 1984 and was used in the recording of "Kill 'Em All" and parts of "Ride The Lightning" until it was retired due to malfunction(s). Burton can be seen with this Bass in many pictures from the "K.E.A." tour.

In a handwritten list Burton made for the orginal Metallica Fanclub in the summer of 1983, he lists his gear and modifications as follows:

"Right now, I'm using a Randall 300 watt head into: 1 Randall 1x18 cab and 1 road 2x18 cab."

"At this time I only use 2 effects. A Morley Power Wha Boost and an MXR Limiter."

"I play a Rickenbacker 4001 bass. The 2 stock pickups have been replaced as follows: In the bass position there's a "Gibson EB" pickup. In the treble position, there's a "Seymore Duncan Stacked Jazz" pickup. I have also had a 3rd pickup installed in the bridge. It's a "Seymore Duncan Stacked Strat." Both Duncan pickups are "Humbucking" in design so they help reduce unwanted noise."

After retiring his Rickenbacker 4001 Burton used a number of high-end basses.

Among these was a Black Alembic Spoiler Bass he bought and used breifly in about 1983-1985, This bass probably wasn’t used on the recording of the "Ride The Lightning" album.

This bass was later stolen around 1984-1985.

This bass has never been found, so if you or someone you know owns a Black '83-'85 Spoiler be sure to look for a large chip in the back finish up around the side of the Peghead as it might have belonged to Burton.

In this photo we can see a young Burton with a Black Gibson EB-0.

It can be told that this is not an EB-3 by the fact that this Bass doesn't have a Bridge Pickup and this Bass may also serve as an explaination as to how Burton got the Neck Humbucker for his modified 4001 Rickenbacker.

This photo appears to have been taken in the late 70's when Burton was in the band "Fry By Night" (Originaly "Fly By Night" however the band changed it's name after a typo on a poster).

In this photo, Burton can be seen playing a Black Fender Precision Bass with Metallica's side project Spastik Children.

After the theft of Burton's Black Alembic Spoiler, he acquired a Japanese-made Aria SB-1000 Pro-II Black 'N' Gold. This bass was Burton's main rig from 1985-1986 and was used on the recording and supporting tour of the "Master of Puppets" album.

He used this bass until his death while on the "Master of Puppets" tour in 1986.

Aria later released a Tribute Bass based on this model in Burton's honor.

Cliff used during year 1985 the Aria pro II SB-1000 before playing on an SB-Black'n'Gold.

According to Mixdown Magazine, Cliff Burton used the Alembic Spoiler Series II.

In the video titled "Metallica - For Whom the Bell Tolls (Live) [Cliff 'Em All]," Cliff Burton is seen playing the Aria SB-1000 Bass in black and gold. This bass was used by Burton throughout the recording of the albums "Ride the Lightning" and "Master of Puppets," and was integral to his distinctive sound, including the high-pitched notes featured in songs like "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "Orion." The video, recorded live on August 31, 1985, at Day on the Green in Oakland, CA, is provided by Metallica on their official YouTube channel.