Zakk Wylde has played guitar with Ozzy Osbourne, as well as Pride & Glory, and is the founder of the heavy metal band Black Label Society. At age 41, he proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can definitely rock hard after the age of 30! Today’s Guitar of the Day, the Gibson Custom Zakk Wylde ZV Buzzsaw, is every bit as unique as the man who helped create it! According to urban legend, this half SG, half Flying V was designed on the back of a cocktail napkin. Whether that’s true or not is less important than the fact that the instrument eventually went into production! With a solid mahogany body wrapped in an ebony finish with a dark orange “buzzsaw” pattern, it’s clear that this guitar means business right from the get-go. The only concession to classic styling are the real mother-of-pearl position inlays on the 22-fret bound-ebony fingerboard, which sits atop a maple neck with a comfortable rounded profile that’s similar to Zakk’s “Bullseye” Les Paul model. Only 100 of these guitars are being built at this time, with a mere 75 reserved for the U.S., making this a sure-fire collector’s item. This merging of two longtime Gibson classics could be just the instrument design you need to start making your own musical statement (or to simply create heavy metal mayhem in your studio).
This is one of only a small number of guitars for which Gibson does not provide the pickups. (For bonus points, guess which other models come equipped with non-Gibson pickups.) Wylde has always depended on flaming-hot EMG 81 and 85 pickups for his signature sound. Their simple styling (solid black with a white silkscreened “EMG” logo) is deceptive, because within the heart of each pickup is a molten-hot core of tonal fury, ready to pour out from your amplifier of choice and hit listeners with an over-the-top sonic assault! Simple black hardware (including the unmistakable metal “Flying V” tailpiece) complete the appointments. Way out on the far end of the fingerboard is what is clearly a Les Paul Custom headstock, with its split-diamond pearl inlay and multi-ply binding. Flip it over, though, and you see a silkscreened image of the guitar’s designer. The Gibson Custom Zakk Wylde ZV is strung with vintage reissue .10 strings and includes a Custom Shop case, custom-care kit, and a certificate of authenticity signed by Wylde himself. Naturally, this limited-run axe also includes our 2-year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty™ and free FedEx shipping right to your door.
