Few guitarists possess the unmistakable personality that Zakk Wylde’s guitar tone does. Thick, heavy, and fueled by attitude, his tone has been pulverized into Ozzy Osbourne’s. The most brutal songs, let alone Black Label Society’s jumbles of crushing riffing.
🔥 Who is Zakk Wylde?
Zakk Wylde is most notable as the guitarist and vocalist of Ozzy Osbourne for half a decade. Now & Black Label Society frontman for over ten years. After decades in the business, he’s become a guitar legend for his blistering solos, haunting melodies & crushing rhythm work. Not only that, he’s also won some of the best fans out there because of his tough-guy persona. Many other factors include Viking skulls, Viking-like dress, and dedication to old-school heavy metal.
Read our very first post – Zakk Wylde’s Legacy in Metal
🎯Why Zakk Wylde’s Guitar Tone Is So Special
There are several reasons for the **Zakk Wylde guitar tone** ( URL_0.1). For starters, there is the massive gai— Zakk’s tone is heavy, saturated, and tight. But it’s not just about distortion. His tone has a clarity and midrange bite that lets the live recordings slide— and the studio recordings slide too.
He also considers **pinch harmonics** an ‘identity’ sound – loud and ugly voices screeching out from the fretboard with snarling force. Coupled with his heavy vibrato and lightning pace, his tone is an expression of his personality – sharp and gritty and not sorry about it.
🛠️Zakk Wylde’s Gear Breakdown
If you want to be heard like Zakk, you have to start with his equipment — though remember that **tone is in the fingers ***.
🎸Guitars
Zakk can never be separated from his own legendary **Gibson Les Paul Custom “Bullseye, but Zakk also plays custom guitars produced by his label – Wylde Audio. These usually have EMG active pickups (81/85 set), which are one of the keys to his signature high-output sound.
🔊Amps
He’s most famous for a ** Marshall JCM800** that he uses ( sometimes with Wylde Audio amps or, sometimes with a modified overdrive rig ) to drive those things to generate a ” wall of gain ” normally through a Marshall 4×12 cabinet with Celestion speakers.
🎛️ Pedals
Zakk’s old-school, minimal pedalboard consists of the following essential pedals:
- MXR Zakk Wylde Overdrive
- MXR Chorus
- Dunlop Cry Baby Wah (Zakk Wylde Signature)
🎵Strings, Picks & Tunings
He plays heavy gauge strings ( typically 010–060) and Dunlop picks. Drop tunings like C# and D standard are also a part of his tone equation to get that chest-thumping low end on his riffs.
🎵 How to Recreate Zakk Wylde’s Guitar Tone
Even if you’re not willing to spend that much money on Zakk Wylde’s equipment, there are ways to emulate the Zakk Wylde guitar sound at home.
- Put an overdrive pedal in front of a high-gain amp. Make sure the gain is a little off on the pedal, but the volume is way up to make the amp get louder.
- Goof on the mids but not 90 ‘s metal on it — Zakk is counting on the mids to cut.
- A little chorus when doing solos to open up the tone.
- If you have a limited budget you can use anything like the Boss SD-1, EMG HZ pickups, or solid state amps with built-in gain channels and EQ.
Also, do not forget attitude, Zakk’s tone is more about how you play than it is about what you play.
🎤Tips from the Pros
Zakk himself repeatedly talks about the importance of simplicity and accuracy. In interviews, he said the gear plays a role, but it ‘s the actual tone that gets made by the hard you pick, vibrato and just how consistent you are with your technique. Several guitar techs have reiterated that point: Zakk ‘s rigs aren’t super complicated — they ‘re loud, bold and full of personality.
🔗Final thought:
You can reproduce the **Zakk Wylde guitar tone** technically, but the whole point is having that vibe going. Start with the right gear, get the tone right, and then work on the technique. Be it jamming to “No More Tears” or playing your heavy metal music, don’t be afraid to get inspired by one of the great artists of the modern era.
🔗 Related Posts:
- Zakk Wylde’s Best Guitar Solos of All Time
- Top 5 Black Label Society Albums Ranked
- Why Zakk Wylde Rejoined Ozzy Osbourne’s Band
