Zakk Wylde's guitar strings: the Black Label Society + Ozzy rig, sourced

Zakk Wylde is the founder and primary guitarist of Black Label Society, the longtime lead guitarist of Ozzy Osbourne's solo band (1987 to 1995, 2001 to 2009, and 2017 until Osbourne's death in 2025), and as of 2022 the touring guitarist of Pantera in the reunion lineup honoring Dimebag Darrell. He launched the Black Label Society project in 1998 during a hiatus from Ozzy. Twelve studio albums and counting, plus his 1994 Pride & Glory record and a Book of Shadows acoustic side project. Wylde is also the founder of Wylde Audio (2015), a guitar and amplification brand behind his Odin, Barbarian, and Warhammer signature instruments. Schecter Guitar Research has distributed Wylde Audio worldwide since a 2016 deal.

His sound is the bridge between Randy Rhoads's classical-trained heavy metal and the southern-rock pentatonic vocabulary of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Pinch harmonics, wah-driven leads, drop-tuned chug rhythm work, and squealing wide vibrato. The signature guitar tone is the Gibson Les Paul Custom Bullseye plus EMG 81/85 pickups plus Marshall amplification, plus the heavy Dunlop signature strings that survive his picking attack across a tracking week.

Dunlop Zakk Wylde String Lab Electric Guitar Strings, signature line, four gauges total. The .010 to .060 set is the canonical heavy gauge for Drop D and lower work, and his own documented working gauge; the lighter .010 to .046 set covers E and Eb standard; the .010 to .052 set (identical numbers to Ernie Ball's Skinny Top Heavy Bottom Slinky) steps up to Eb standard through Drop D; and the .010 to .056 set sits between the .052 and .060 gauges on every wound string, exactly centered on the low E, without a documented tuning story of its own. Documented at Dunlop's official Zakk Wylde String Lab page, which lists the full run of gauge options.

His primary stage instrument is the Gibson Custom Shop Zakk Wylde Signature Les Paul Custom Bullseye, the production version of his 1981 Alpine White Les Paul Custom (now called The Grail). The Bullseye is the finish Gibson still sells through its Custom Shop; Wylde has also detailed favorite one-off Les Pauls in other finishes, including a 2012 Maple Vertigo, a 1989 Rebel, and a 2009 ZW BFG raw-top, alongside a 1957 Les Paul Jr. he keeps at home. Pickups are EMG 81 bridge and EMG 85 neck across the signature line.

The Wylde Audio brand carries his own designs, including the Odin (Les Paul-shaped), the Barbarian (offset body), and the Warhammer. Schecter Guitar Research distributes Wylde Audio worldwide under a 2016 deal. He uses Wylde Audio instruments alongside the Gibson signatures during Black Label Society performances.

Marshall's JCM800 has been the foundation of his amp tone since the late 1980s. His current touring rig runs his own Wylde Audio Master 100 heads, with an older Marshall JCM800 kept on deck as backup, per Premier Guitar's Pantera Rig Rundown.

The Zakk Wylde signature gauge structure (heavy plain strings paired with very heavy wound strings, e.g. .010 / .013 / .017 / .036 / .052 / .060) is purpose-built for his playing style: aggressive Drop D rhythm work where the .060 low D needs to hold pitch under high-output picking, paired with bendable .010 plain strings for the wide vibrato and pinch harmonics on the lead lines. A more conventional .010 to .046 set goes flabby on the low E in Drop D under his attack; a uniformly heavy set like .011 to .054 gives up too much bend feel on the plain strings. The custom-stepped gauge solves both problems.

The EMG 81 bridge / EMG 85 neck pickup pairing is the canonical high-output active configuration. The 81 is ceramic, hot, and tight, ideal for the rhythm-guitar palm-mute work and the lead pickup attack. The 85 is alnico V and slightly warmer, producing the long sustaining lead tone he uses on the slow ballad sections. Both pickups are buffered by their on-board preamp, which gives consistent output regardless of the volume knob position. That consistency is core to the Zakk Wylde sound.

Marshall's JCM800 platform (historically, and still kept on deck as a backup head) and his own Wylde Audio Master 100 head (his current touring amp) provide the saturation backbone. Both are mid-forward voicings, which complements the EMG 81's tight bottom and the heavy gauge low strings. Together: tight chug, articulate pinch harmonics, and the long sustain on lead notes that defines the Black Label Society catalog.

Multiple endorsement relationships, all documented:

• Dunlop: signature String Lab strings, picks, and Wylde Audio collaboration product. Active.

• Gibson Custom Shop: signature Zakk Wylde Les Paul Custom since 1999. Active.

• EMG: the 81/85 pickup configuration on the signature Les Pauls. Active.

• Wylde Audio: his own brand, founded 2015. Schecter Guitar Research distributes Wylde Audio worldwide. His current touring amp head is the brand's own Master 100, per Premier Guitar's Pantera Rig Rundown.

• Marshall: long-term verified use without explicit endorsement; Marshall's JCM800 is his canonical amp tone from the late 1980s forward, and remains his backup head on tour.