Electric Guitars

When we read the name “The Gibson Custom Shop Zakk Wylde Signature Les Paul, the first thing that came to our mind was, what an amazing combination, Camo/Bull’s-Eye electric guitar. This edition is brand new for 2011; this guitar has been the choice for the shredders for years now, and Epiphone has just stepped it up by a notch with the inclusion of the active Zakk Wylde EMG-81/85 active humbucking pickups. In the following review we will see about the Zakk Wylde Signature Bullseye Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar.

Wowing design:

We actually had to wait a little to get our hands on the Zakk Wylde Signature Bullseye Les Paul Custom, but when we did get to open it, we had a ‘wow’ moment to say the least. The black bulls-eye circles were quite sharp with some expert painting. The antique white finishing on the guitars is a little more of creme coloured. The finishing was just perfect, however, we did notice that the finishing was quite soft in a few areas, somewhat as though the painting or finishing had not yet hardened. We thought it was something like, it was painted and was immediately shipped, without giving enough time for it to harden. But once the finishing hardened, there were no issues what so ever from then on.  As in the case of most of Les Paul Customs, the Zakk Wylde is also quite heavy, weighing 10.6 lbs. The wood used for the body is a thick maple cap over mahogany. After using it for a few years, you will hardly notice any weight. Another thing you would not mind is that, the tone of the guitar gets better with age.

Neck:

The neck material is actually a three piece maple neck that is actually unfinished, but has been lightly sealed. The neck shape also seems to be slightly thicker than a standard neck, but does have more a D-like shaping. As far as the fingerboard is concerned, it is ebony, with Dunlop 6100 extra jumbo fret wire. The finishing is actually quite good, however, we were able to witness some minute hand-filing marks surrounding the neck binding where the nibs touch the frets. Overall, every bit looked level.

Headstock and bridge:

The headstock and finishing was quite typical to that of a Les Paul Custom sporting a headstock inlay of diamond mother of pearl on the above mentioned ebony fretboard. In the headstock’s rear, there is a black silhouette of Zakk playing the guitar, you will also find Gibson Custrom shop decal along with the serial number. The scale of the Gibson Zakk Wylsw Signature Bullseye LP Custom is the standard 24 ¾ scale as in the case of all the Les Pauls. As far as the hardware is concerned, all of the knobs are black speed knobs, and the rest of the hardware is gold and even the Nashville TOM bridge as well as the tailpiece is gold. Again, everything is set up quite well.

Pickups:

The pickups on offer is active EMG; an EMG-81 that has been placed on the bridge slot and an EMG-85 placed in the neck. Both of the pickups require a 9V battery for operation. The manufacturer claims that these pickups will easily last over a year of normal playing, which is definitely not bad. We usually love to check the voltage quite often and also replace the battery when we find it dropping below 9V. The hottest signal we get out of the pickups is always the best.

Sound:

So, all the features are excellent, but what does it matter if the guitar does not manage to sound good? let us now see how it sounds. We were quite surprised at the speedy attack of the Gibson Zakk Wylde Signature Bullseye LP Custom Electric Guitar, certainly most of the credit goes to the EMGs. The sustain looks as though it is much higher, as if you are using a slight boot in the signal, though you are actually not. There is ample attack provided by the 81 bridge, even though we would have liked to see some more treble bite as well as presence than we would have liked. Some of this can also be attributed to the speakers as well as amp settings, the type of tube you are using and lots more. The EMB 85 neck pickup seemed to possess one of our all-time favourite tones. Its neither too bright nor too dark, it seems to be just right with some great load of sustain; something like a perfect lady tone. Just add some SD1 with a bit of chorus, and will absolutely nail the tone of this guitar.

Action:

We feel that the EMG active pickups seems to be having a wider spectrum of frequency. The EMG 81 possess a good low end, and is also balanced quite well with the mid ranges. The top end has got some nice detail, however at times, it will like too much of presence. Obviously, the right thing you can do is, just give the right setting over the tone knob, amp as well as pedal settings; which have the characteristic to activate the pickups. Keeping that aside, one of the biggest enhancements made to the already good tone of the guitar is to make changes the gauges of the string. One of the best gauges is 10-60, which adds a great deal of matter on the lower end, but it still does provide a great deal of quick picking attack. With this kind of set-up, you will get great string bending and even maintains the presence that is essential to make the cut through in a situation of a loud two guitar band; it even measures up for the requirements for playing extreme metal.

Warranty:

Zakk Wylde Bullseye LP Custom electric guitar comes with Epiphone’s limited lifetime warranty.

Verdict:

The Zakk Wylde Signature Bullseye Les Paul Custom guitar has comfortably made its way into our favourite live electric guitars list. Though it attracts quite a lot of dings and scratches, it sure is made to be used. Overall, a great choice! If you are essentially looking for the all important Zakk Wylde sound, well, it just nails it down right. It sounds clean and sweet, but just be aware that it does not sound like a Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul 1957 gold-top reissue. However, it cannot be considered as a con, and overall, it is a complete electric guitar, with some good value.

Zakk Wylde Bullseye Les Paul Custom – Technical Specification Table

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