"How do I become Zakk Wylde?"
It's a question that has driven the former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist and Black Label Society founder his entire career. Following in the footsteps of Randy Rhoads is not an easy task. Just ask Jake Lee and Brad Gillis. Somehow, Wylde managed to transcend the comparisons and impossible shoe-filling by blazing his own trail.
His respect for those who've come before him is clear when you hear him talk about his own style. Zakk Wylde is a student of the instrument as much as he is a master of building his own brand (as evidenced by his many signature pieces of gear - which you can find here).
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And I don't just mean his brand in the build-your-personal-"brand"-social-media-obsessed-millenial sense. Zakk actually partnered with Schecter to build his own line of guitars under the Wylde Audio badge (he's playing a Wylde Audio Warhammer in the above video).
He hasn't yet reached the saintly status he bestows upon Dimebag Darrell and Randy Rhoads. But he's used his extended career to move past being a mere legendary rock guitarist, becoming something else in the process. An icon.