Zakk makes Guitars (and other works of fiction)

I just read on Blabbermouth that Zakk Wylde is introducing his own brand of guitars, amps and accessories. This ends his decades long Gibson and Marshal endorsements. Weird...

I am in business. I realize that Zakk was probably approached by someone about making his signature brand, and I do not assume that he is in the manufacturing business. My best guess is that he is still only a figurehead of some sort.

In order to actually do something like that is a large undertaking. Design, engineering, materials, labor and so on was probably not done by Zakk in any form. He probably had some say in the final product, but did he design and build a guitar and amp? Hell no.

More then likely, they are built to the Gibson and Marshal specs with minor tweaks to avoid lawsuits. I have seen the pics, and they look basically identical to the products he used that bared his name. So why would anyone buy this guitar with a bullseye when there are plenty of them out there with a Gibson or Epiphone logo?

I honestly couldn't even begin to guess why anyone buys any signature series anything. You are paying for the signature. Not many artist's signature sound actually came from a signature guitar, except maybe the late great Eddie Van Halen (I know he is still alive), and Brian May.

Remember when Eddie was a God?

Both Brian and Eddie have great back stories in regards to their instruments. Eddie hand winding his pick-up coils to create the balls out "frankenstrat", and Brian building his beloved Red Special with his dad. Both legendary, both very much in the spirit of Rock and Roll.

So back to Zakk... Separating yourself from the big dogs takes balls. I still don't think its rooted in DIY, but I could be wrong. In a way, it makes perfect sense though. Zakk wanted a raise. A larger portion of the profit. Dr Dre figured this out when he introduced his "Beats" line of music accessories, and he netted millions and became the top earner in 2014 in the entertainment industry.

I only hope that Zakk is half the businessman that Dre is, I think it's time for the Metal community to have it's own mogul besides Gene Simmons, but again, who will buy these things?

By the way, Zakk did not invent the bullseye design...

A long time ago, when Domicile MK 1 was looking for a guitar player, we tried out this big dude who played like a generic version of Zakk. It was all pinch harmonics on the breaks and fills. What I remember the most about this guy is his absolute obsession with King Diamond. He couldn't believe that no one in Erie was interested in starting a King Diamond cover band.

He did not get the gig.

Point: I believe that guy will want a Zakk signature brand guitar, and I imagine he will be pissed when he finds out that no one in Erie will actually carry the brand. I really don't think that people are lining up to get their hands on one, but I could be wrong.

Here's a fact: I own (and love) an Epiphone '84 Explorer, which at one time was a Hetfield signature. I bought it because it's badass. I love it because it's badass. It had little to do with Hetfield, because at its core it's just a light Explorer with EMG Active pickups, but it's badass. I would not have bought it had it had a goofy Zakk Wylde bullseye on it any more then I would buy a guitar with a Twisted Sister goofy bullseye on it. I want to make my own name, and I want a Nago design plastered on the side of Eddie Ojeda's guitar, not the other way around.

I'm a poser. It's my thing.

Nago