World Best Guitar Players: Zakk Wylde

Zachary Phillip Wylde (born January 14, 1967), best known by the stage name Zakk Wylde, is an American musician, songwriter, and occasional actor who is best known as the former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and founder of the heavy metal band Black Label Society. He was the lead guitarist and vocalist in Pride & Glory, who released one self-titled album in 1994 before disbanding. As a solo artist he releasedBook of Shadows in 1996. Wylde was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. Wylde started playing the guitar at the age of 14 and worked at Silverton Music in Silverton, New Jersey. He grew up in Jackson, New Jersey, and went to Jackson Memorial High School, where he graduated in 1985. Wylde has stated that he would practice playing the guitar as much as 12 hours per day and would often play the guitar almost non-stop between coming home from school and leaving for school the next morning, then sleeping through the school day.

Videos

Equipment

Guitars

- Gibson Les Paul Customs with "Bullseye" Graphics (Black/Mirrored, Red/Natural, Black/Vintage White)

Gibson Custom Shop Limited Run Zakk Wylde Bullseye Aged Les Paul Electric Guitar

Gibson Custom Shop Zakk Wylde Signature Les Paul Electric Guitar - Bull's Eye

- Gibson "Buzzsaw" Les Paul Custom (the design was taken from that of a Zippo lighter)
- Gibson "Black Label Society" Les Paul Custom
- Gibson "Rebel" Les Paul Custom decorated with the confederate flag and bottle caps
- Gibson "Camo Bullseye" Les Paul custom. He named it 'Stormin Norman'

Gibson Custom Shop Zakk Wylde Signature Les Paul - Camo/Bull s-Eye Electric Guitar Camo Bullseye

- Jackson Rhoads (Custom Made for him by the same luthier that built Randy's guitars to the exact same specifications
- Dean Bulls-eye Razorback (Given to him by Dimebag Darrell days before his death and signed by him; this guitar is usually only seen once a performance, when Zakk is playing the song "In This River")
- Gibson Flying V with a bull's eye paint design

Gibson Custom Shop Limited Edition Zakk Wylde Flying V Custom Electric Guitar Bullseye

- Gibson Zakk Wylde ZV Custom guitar

Gibson Custom Zakk Wylde ZV Electric Guitar

- Epiphone Graveyard Disciple (new in 2009)

Epiphone Zakk Wylde Graveyard Disciple Electric Guitar Ebony

- GMW Randy Rhoads Flying V in white with black polka dots
- GMW Randy Rhoads Flying V in black with white polka dots (the polka-dot guitars were made custom for Zakk in honor of Randy Rhoads. Both of these guitars also feature a Floyd Rose tremolo.)
- Gibson EDS-1275 with EMG pickups (seen in the music video for "In This River")

Gibson EDS 1275 Double-Neck Electric Guitar Alpine White

- Dean "Muddy Bullseye" Splittail with Bullseye Graphics
- Custom Gibson guitar made similarly to the Dean "Muddy Bullseye" Splittail with bullseye graphics
- Gibson EDS-1275 (white with gold pickups) used for "Mama I'm Comin' Home" live with Ozzy Osbourne. (can be seen in Osbourne's "Live At Budokan" DVD)