Walking on the Wylde Syde – The Passion Behind the Exciting New Wylde Audio Line

 

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TheToneKing.com is, for all involved, a labor of love.  We don’t have a company vehicle or foosball table-equipped break room.  We don’t light cigars with $100 bills.  We all have (and need!) day jobs, so pretty much every aspect of running TheToneKing.com is done during our free time…when we can get some (the Tone Kingdom is awash with little princes and princesses, if you know what we mean).  We’re passionate about gear and music, and we love talking about it.

 

So when we’re able to get out there and connect with a legend, it’s like getting a huge bonus in one of our regular jobs. And this past Winter NAMM 2016, the “check” arrived in the form of a one-on-one interview with the legendary Zakk Wylde.  (scroll down to watch)

 

Wylde set the gear industry a-chattering last year when he gave the world a sneak peak at his latest endeavor, the Wylde Audio new line of guitars and amplifiers.  Many folks, including us here at TheToneKing.com, wondered what exactly was going on.  Wylie’s brand loyalties had been in place for years and, without seemingly any indication, he was moving on from them.  Naturally, we began speculating on the reasons.

 

As Zakk put it, this was simply the next logical step for him in his career.  “I was blessed with all the companies I was with because I had the freedom to create there as well,” Zakk said.  “But if you want more…you have to have your own thing.”

 

And that respect for his previous affiliates can be seen in some of his new designs, like the single cut Odin and V-shaped Viking FR.  Zakk wasn’t shy about paying tribute to some of the classic silhouettes we know and love, while incorporating his own berserker-style take on things.   “It’s no different than with songwriting.  You hear a cool riff or whatever, then you get inspired by that, then you morph it, bend it, and twist it.”

 

It turns out that Schecter and Zakk got together after Zakk’s manager, veteran musician, and former Schecter artist Rob “Blasko” Nicholson approached the company with Zakk’s idea about branching out with own line.  Schecter CEO Mike Ciravolo and Zakk hit it off right away and the partnership was born.

 

Ciravolo gave TTK an inside look at the Wylde Audio line during Winter NAMM 2016 and the influences are obvious, but truly taken in a new direction with radical, artistic contouring and shaping that looks right at home strapped to the head of BLS Worldwide. (scroll to the bottom of the page).

 

Of course, Zakk also went a bit off the grid with the intimidating curves and angles of the Warhammer.

 

“Most of [Zakk’s] audience are blue collar players,” Ciravolo told TheToneKing.com.  “He wanted something that he was proud to put his name on, that was his design, [and] that most of his fans could afford.  I think we (Schecter) do that better than anybody.”  Ciravolo noted that players can expect a lot more coming down the pike as well.

 

“It’s very cool working with someone that’s that passionate about instruments,” Ciravolo said of working with Zakk.

 

We here at TheToneKing.com think all of us guitar freaks can relate to that sort of passion.

 

Interview from Winter NAMM 2016

 

Schecter Prez & CEO Ciravolo giving TTK an inside look at the Wylde Audio line during Winter NAMM 2016

 

 

 

 

 

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