Rig Rundown: Zakk Wylde

PG’s John Bohlinger hung with Zakk Wylde before soundcheck during the Nashville stop of the Generation Axe tour. Wylde, an intimidating muscle-bound shred monster turned out to be perhaps the nicest guy on the planet, is a renaissance man, and a titian of industry. Zakk humbly took us through his rig full of newly-launched Wylde Audio wares.

The guitars Wylde tours with are the same off-the-shelf models that are available through Wylde Audio. Typically, the Black Label Society frontman hangs on to one axe through an entire set and on this particular night this Warhammer model got the call. It features a mahogany body, maple neck, ebony fretboard, Floyd Rose tremolo, and a set of Wylde’s signature EMG pickups.

Wylde also plays this Wylde Audio Viking V. It has nearly identical specs as the Warhammer, but with a pinstripe finish.

Another tour favorite is this Wylde Audio Warhammer with a vertigo graphic over a flame maple top.All guitars are strung up with Dunlop Heavy Core strings (.010–.013–.017–.028–.038–.048).

After a lifetime of playing Marshall amps, Wylde designed his own amps that take his favorite aspects and tweaks it to his ear. Wylde tours with two Wylde Audio Master Model 100-watt heads, one white and one black.

He runs the Model 100s into two 4x12 cabs with EV custom-designed speakers.

Wylde Audio is currently in the process of designing some pedals, but until they are finished, the metal lord populates his board with a variety of stomps from Dunlop. Using Monster Cable out of his guitar, he plugs into a Dunlop ZW-45 Zakk Wylde Signature Wah, Dunlop ZW357 Zakk Wylde Signature Rotovibe, MXR Uni-Vibe, MXR ZW90 Wylde Phaser, MXR ZW44 Berzerker Overdrive, and a MXR Carbon Copy delay. He keeps a Keith McMillen Batt-O-Meter handy because he takes the old-school approach of loading 9V batteries in each pedal.