2013 Epiphone Zakk Wylde Signature Les Paul Custom Review

Hi there!

Today we are looking at a really neat hard rock/metal guitar – a 2013 Epiphone Zakk Wylde Custom Plus Bullseye in Antique Ivory. This is an affordable version of the amazing Gibson model, and it comes in at a fraction of the original’s eye-popping list price of $6880 (street $4799). This is the latest version of the Epiphone model, and there have been some important changes.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the man, Zakk Wylde is Ozzy Osborne’s former guitarist, and is the founder of the Black Label Society. He is a guitar hero of the highest order, and this guitar is a fitting tribute to him and his mad skills.

For starters, it is a Les Paul Custom, so it has the traditional body shape, multi-layer binding, pearl block inlays, and gold hardware. It has a one-piece mahogany body -- apparently the carved maple top is a thing of the past. There are gold-plated Grover tuners and a Tune-O-Matic stopbar tailpiece, so there is nothing really out of the ordinary with these parts. It even has the expected trapezoidal inlays in the 12-inch radius fretboard. But, there are a few major differences from the usual Les Paul specs.

The most significant difference is the electronics package. It comes with high-power Zakk Wylde model EMG 81 (neck) and 85 (Bridge) pickups, with two volume controls, two tone controls and a 3-way (3-way!) pickup selector switch. So, it is going to have that EMG sound, love it or hate it. This is a major divergence from previous Epi ZW models, which came with passive EMG HZ pickups. The battery is easy to change, as they put a battery box on the rear control cover.

The other huge difference is that the set neck on these is made of hard maple with a satin finish. These guitars now come with a rosewood fretboard (the Gibson ones and early Epiphone models used ebony).

Cosmetically there are a few neat things going on too, obviously there is the dizzying bullseye paint job, as well as the special Zakk Wylde graphic on the back of the headstock and the gold truss rod cover.

After giving this Les Paul a thorough exam, I have to say that it is really a well-made instrument. There is not a single thing to complain about: the hardware and electronics are all first-rate, and the finish is flawless. Better yet, the fretwork and neck binding is better than I have seen on most modern day guitars that are coming out of Gibson’s US factories. Maybe their quality control staff can learn something from the folks over in China that put these things together.

This all comes together well, and the playing experience is something to write a blog post about. The slim-taper C neck is very fast, and there is no fret buzz or dead spots. Plus, I love the way the maple neck feels. I have it set up with Ernie Ball 0.010s, but if you are a huge fanboy you could always track down a set of the Zakk Wylde GHS Boomers (also 0.010s). Rawk!

It also sounds incredible (I like EMG pickups), with no unwanted noise and an aggressive tone with more than enough output. It takes effects well (wah and distortion) and it is the ultimate rock guitar. By the way, it weighs in at 8 pounds, 15 ounces, which is not bad for a Les Paul.

As I said right up front, the Epiphone Zakk Wylde Les Paul Custom is a tremendous value, too, and you are going to save $4000 by not buying the Gibson version. These guitars have a list price of $1165 and a street price of $699, which is not bad at all. Be careful if you are buying used, as the specs have changed a bit over the years, and you do not want to get stuck with a passive pickup model.

Mahalo!

EMG-ZW Guitar Pickups Review

Sugoi!

I’ve had a few Les Paul guitars with the EMG Zakk Wylde pickups and they were monstrous instruments. The good news is that you do not have to spend 3 or 4 thousand bucks for a Gibson Zakk Wylde Custom Shop Les Paul to get them.

For those of you who do not know of Zakk Wylde, he is a guitar god who got his major break as Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist. He later played with Pride and Glory and is now the frontman and lead guitarist for Black Label Society. He has been a longtime user of active EMG pickups, and they sell a set in his preferred configuration, which includes an EMG-85 at the bridge and an EMG-81 at the neck.

The EMG-85 has a bit more output than the neck pickup, and uses two Alnico magnet coils. This pickup has a heavy low end that is not mushy while maintaining a loud high end that does not sound brittle or shrill. This makes it the ultimate rhythm pickup that loves distortion and overdrive but can still sound good when played clean.

The EMG-81 is a high-output ceramic magnet pickup, and is perfect for playing lead and soloing. It still has a fat tone up top, and has great sustain with no added noise to the signal. Together with the EMG-85 you have the perfect combination for most any rock or metal gig.

When you buy the kit from EMG, it includes everything you will need to rewire a Les Paul. This include the pickups, pots, cable, screws, springs, battery connector and jack. And best of all, no soldering is required, as the cables all have Quik-connect terminals.

After I sold my Zakk Wylde Custom Shop Les Paul, I installed a set of these pickups into an old Aria Les Paul to see if I could get the same tone. The installation was easy, and the end results were impressive. I ended up with a guitar that sounded exactly the same for 1/5 of what I got for the Gibson.

You can pick up the EMG-ZW pickup set from online retailers for around $199. They are a great value, and it is worth spending the extra money for a quality product that you do not have to pay a pro to install.

Mahalo!

Black Label Society: Order of the Black Album Review

Black Label Society has been around since 1998, when it was founded by Zakk Wylde, a true guitar hero and former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne.

BLS is a guilty pleasure for me, in sort of a junior high school sort of way. They are one of the hardest-rocking bands around today, buuuuttttt their music all kind of sounds the same. Plus their fans have an almost Raider-like devotion to the band, which is slightly disturbing.

Anyway, I saw awhile back that they were planning on releasing a new album this summer. And I thought to myself, “Meh, all of their music kind of sounds the same.” Their last few albums were pretty weak-sounding, so I was not terribly enthused. Disregarding all of my better judgment, I decided to try out their 8th album, Order of the Black, when it was released in August.

You know what? It kind of sounds the same as their last few albums. But there was one surprise: this is a REALLY good album. Order of the Black has an energetic vibe that has been lacking, and this could be the best album they have ever released.

Black Label Society has a slightly new line-up for this album, including: Zakk Wylde (vocals, lead guitar and piano), Nick Catanese (guitar), John De Servio (bass and backing vocals) and Will Hunt (drums).

As I said, Order of the Black has a lot of energy, perhaps because of their new drummer, Will Hunt (from Evanescence), and the return of bassist John De Servio. The grooves are really heavy, and their sound has gone back to a more countrified (country-fried!) rock, as found on their earlier albums (think Sonic Brew).

This album is also produced very well, which also adds to the overall hard grinding tone of the album. The drums and guitars are mixed well with the vocals. But, it does seem like the bass is almost inaudible throughout the album.

There is a little bit of everything on this album. The hard-driving songs are my favorites, such as “Darkest Days” and “Riders of the Damned”. There is a little speed metal (“Parade of the Dead”), and even a little finger-picking on “Chupacabra”.

If I could leave out anything on the album, it would probably have to be the ballads “Time Waits for No One” and “Darkest Days”. These are formulaic crap that sound exactly like every other ballad BLS has done in the past. Just let it go, guys.

If the increased energy of their latest is any indicator, seeing them perform live should be a treat. Black Label Society will be starting the Berzerkus tour at the end of September, and will be performing steadily through the end of the year. Check them out if you get the chance.

As far as buying the album, if you want the whole thing, the hot ticket would be to head down to Target to see if they still have the limited edition album with a 50-minute bonus DVD.

Gibson Custom Shop Zakk Wylde Les Paul Custom

Hi there! Today we are looking at the coolest-looking guitar ever made. It is a black and white bullseye Gibson Les Paul Custom Zakk Wylde Model.

For those of you who have spent the last ten years listening to Matchbox 20 and crying at Twilight movies, Zakk Wylde is Ozzy Osborne’s former guitarist, and is the founder of the Black Label Society. He is a guitar hero of the highest order, and this guitar is a fitting tribute to him and his mad skills.

For starters, it is a Les Paul Custom, so it has the traditional body shape, multi-layer binding, pearl block inlays, and gold hardware. It has a one-piece mahogany body with a carved maple top. There is nothing really out of the ordinary with these parts. But, it does have some pretty major differences

The most significant difference is the electronics package. It comes with high-power EMG 81 and 85 pickups, with two volume controls, two tone controls and a 3-way (3-way!) pickup selector switch. So, it is going to have that EMG sound, love it or hate it.

Also, these guitars come with an unfinished 3-piece maple neck with an ebony fretboard.

Cosmetically, obviously there is the dizzying bullseye paint job, as well as the special Zakk Wylde graphic on the back of the neck and the gold truss rod cover.

The guitar we are looking at here is serial number is ZW 478, dating it to early 2001. I sold it a few years back, but it was a very fun to play guitar. It brought out my inner Fonzie.

It was in excellent condition, with no issues. It was unmodified, and never needed any repairs during the time that I owned it. I had it set up with Zakk Wylde GHS Boomers (.010). Not the world’s greatest strings, but it only seemed appropriate. Rawk!

It sounded incredible (I like EMG pickups), but my favorite part of it was the maple neck. It had a great feel, and I felt that the maple neck gave it an even more aggressive tone.

So, it is cool, but here is the deal-breaker. The list price on this guitar is now an eye-popping $6880.00. The cheapest you can get them online is at Musician’s Friend for $4699.99. That is a hard pill to swallow. Perhaps it would be better to build your own, and spend the $2500 you would save on lessons.