“Morley is designing a new pedal for me that produces this really weird ‘wah’ –type sound,” reports the guitarist. His processors include a CryBaby wah-wah, a Boss Octaver, a Yamaha SPX90, a Simmons Octaver, and an Akai rack eq/mixer combination. The Wylde man’s use of effects is pretty minimal. I’ve played Strats through the same system and it just doesn’t work.” Ultimately, it’s really the combination of the Les Paul, the EMG’s and the Metaltronix that keep my sound both heavy and crisp. When you play something like “I Don’t know,” those strings are crucial. I’ve played on amps where the bottom end is so muddy that playing on the low E and A string is a lost cause. Also, the Metaltraonix’s bottom-end sound is really tight.
![zakk wylde guitar rig zakk wylde guitar rig](http://www.effectsbay.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/zakk-wylde-pedal-board-moby-interview.jpg)
You can turn some digital amps up to 20 and the speakers won’t move-there’s no power. “When the power chords kick in, just watch the speakers move. “I think they sound great-I mean if you need any proof, just listen to “Crazy Babies” on a good car stereo,” says Wylde.
![zakk wylde guitar rig zakk wylde guitar rig](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kJLlIrGEy6Y/maxresdefault.jpg)
I also bought the guitar with the red circles for $800 at Voltage Guitars in Hollywood.”Īnother important element in Zakk’s tone is the tight tube sound generated by Lee Jackson’s Metaltronix amps. For example, I bought a ’59 reissue and a black Les Paul with a custom maple neck. But I’m not spoiled, I still buy my own guitars when I hear and see something I like. Gibson’s Roger Bell gave me both as part of an endorsement deal. The other sunburst is a plain Gibson Standard. I’ve been using the ’59 sunburst reissue quite a bit because it has a huge sound live-it really projects. Since each guitar has its own special sonic quality the soundman usually tells me which guitar to use, depending on the sound of the hall. “I’ll usually bring six or seven Les Pauls with me when I’m on the road. It was originally tobacco sunburst, but I wanted something distinct so I had it custom-painted by some guy in New Jersey. “The shattered glass guitar is the oldest of the original five guitars, I bought that before I joined Ozzy’s band. I originally wanted the circles to start very small and get bigger-more like the graphic found on posters promoting Vertigo, the old Alfred Hitchcock movie-but I’m happy with the end result. It was custom-painted for me by Max of Max Guitars, which is located just off of Sunset in Hollywood near the Guitar Center.
![zakk wylde guitar rig zakk wylde guitar rig](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/62/75/50/627550bff7c2132966c9fd12280a18f6.jpg)
“The only guitar I’ve used for recording is the black and white bull’s-eye Les Paul. Part of that equation includes the hard-hitting humbucker sound of a Les Paul outfitted with EMG pickups. The overdriven Zakk searched long and hard to arrive at the ultimate combination of instruments, amps and effects that meet his criterion for a sound both heavy and clear. Zakk Wylde’s omnipresent bull’s-eye perfectly symbolizes the guitarist’s almost ruthless determination to get things right. He talks about his first bulls-eye Gibson, Lee Jackson amplifier and where it took his music back in the 90’s. Digging through some old-old achieves, I found some interesting tid-bits on the 1990’s Zakk Wylde.