Mesa Boogie Stiletto Deuce Review

Around 2005 I bought a Mesa Boogie Stiletto Deuce. While I had owned a couple of different tube amps in the past this amp was different. It was loaded with features I had never used before, built better than anything I'd ever owned. Also it didn't immediately sound like I thought it would. Had I made a mistake? Were those videos of Andy Timmons sounding so amazing a lie? Sure there were mixed reviews on the internet but Mesa builds fantastic stuff... right? The truth was I had no idea what I was getting into.

The Mesa Boogie Stiletto is a two channel amp based around the EL34 platform. Each channel features three voice settings, and independent 100w/50w swiches. You can choose between tube rectified, for a spongier more dynamic feel or solid state rectified for tighter tracking. On the back there is a built in variac switch that knocks about 20 percent off the power. There is also master volume and boost switch for solos. Like all Mesa Boogie gear it was built like a tank, and almost as heavy. 

A lot of people thought that the Stiletto was an EL34 based Dual Rectifier. It's not. There are a lot of reviews on the internet that state that it is bright and fizzy, and admittedly it can be. You can spend an hours with this amp and never find a good sound out of this amp. The knobs don't change the sound as much as changing guitars. It's bright in your face sound can sound thin and if you rely on the preamp gain for your distortion it can sound fizzy. But I called up an older friend of mine who had been in the game a long time, and was a huge Mesa Boogie fan. He laughed and told me Mesa's are hard to dial in sometimes because they are so versatile and to bring it by his place. 

When I got there he set it on top of his 4x12 cab and played a few licks, then he handed me the guitar told me to play some chords. He cranked the amp up and it immediately it opened up and sounded full. Then he spent a few minutes fiddling with the knobs. After about five minutes he told me to play some leads, there was no fizzy sounds as most of the distrtion was coming from the EL34's and then we added a little with the preamp gain. While it didn't have the roar of a Dual Rectifier or JCM800 it sounded great. One of the things I learned very quickly is that it responded to my playing more than any other amp I'd ever owned. If I used a different guitar pick it sounded like I was using a different guitar. If I used a different guitar it almost sounded like a different amp. I also learned I was sloppy! I'd never noticed that before but it quickly forced me to clean up my playing because it had amplified my mistakes like no other amp.

A close up of Andy Timmons settings

Next I added it to band practice, no more getting lost on stage the amp cut through the mix. Everyone had to adjust, but everyone liked it. It reminded me of an old plexi I had once played and, as I found out, with good reason. Channel 1 is a clone of Andy Timmons 68 superlead! Channel 2 is one of Mr. Timmons early 70 JMP amps! Then the guys at Mesa Boogie added the extra switches and options to tweak the sound. These switches don't do much until you crank the amp up even then they can be subtle. But in a band setting or in a recording studio this amp excels. At loud volumes it opens up and sounds full and with the rest of the band it just seems to find a nice home. 

But this is not an amp to play at home, you have to crank it up. Even on the 50w settings and with the variac on and running though a 2x12 this amp is insanely loud, and if you turn it down... it starts sounding thin. But it takes pedals extremely well for such an in your face sound and so at home I would often use a marshally sounding pedal for practice. 

Andy's Stiletto's and Lonestars in the studio

So who is this amp for and who shouldn't use it. If your looking for lush fendery clean tones this isn't it, it's bright and takes pedals well but more like a Hiwatt. If your looking to primarily play at home this isn't it, there are a lot of great amps out there that can sound good at lower volumes, a lot of the new lunchbox amps like the Egnator Tweaker and also gig ready amps like the new EVH 5150 III sound just fine at low volumes. There is a difference between preamp gain and power amp gain. It's hard to describe, but the preamp gain on this amp is fine for adding a little extra gain but not great at being the main distortion sound, the power amp gain however is fantastic. In a band mix this amp excels at 70's and early 80's Marshall type tones for obvious reasons and recording with this amp is amazing. If you want to play better and use your guitars volume and tone knobs to find different sounds this is an excellent amp. To learn more about Andy Timmons Gear check out the Andy Timmons Gear Guide.

When my kids were born I stopped playing in bands for now and this amp found itself not being used. I started playing at home regularly and with friends on occasion, so I sold it to fund other gear. Sometimes I miss it, even though it's not practical for me at the moment. In the Mesa line it has been replaced by the Royal Atlantic which I have yet to try. The Stiletto is probably the most misunderstood amp that Mesa has ever put out, but if your considering finding a used one it really is fantastic at what it is.

This review was completely unsolicited and any opinion is my own.

The Story of David Gilmour's The Black Strat

Some instruments take on a life of their own and become legends in their own right. They have stories to them, which may or may not be 100% factual. It's important to remember that these instruments would not be so interesting if it had not been for the players playing them. I'm writing down some of these stories mostly for my own interest, and this is one such instrument.

David Gilmour's Black Fender Stratocaster
David picked up his now legendary Black Strat in May of 1970 from Manny's in New York City to replace another black strat that had been stolen a few weeks before. It was originally a 68 or 69 sunburst body that was painted black. It had a late 60's maple neck with a large headstock and 21 frets. It had a white pickguard and a 3-way pickup selector. It's the same guitar that was featured on Pink Floyd's Live at Pompeii. In the film you can see it changes volume knobs from a strat to a tele knobs. 

David has experimented a lot with the guitar, changing knobs, pickups, and necks. In 1972 he tried to add an XLR input to help eliminate noise when using the Fuzz Face, apparently he wasn't happy with the results and they reversed the mod filling in and repainting the hole. Later that same year the neck was replaced with a 63 neck that had a rosewood fretboard, he used the rosewood fretboard for recording and touring for Dark Side of the Moon all the way up through 1978 when he recorded his first solo album. In 1973 he added a humbucker briefly between the bridge and middle pickup and also added the mini switch. After the humbucker was removed the mini switch was changed to turn on the bridge and neck pickups at the same time.

In 1974 the white pickguard was changed to the black single ply pickguard that we are now familiar with. The middle and neck pickups have remained the same but the bridge pickup was changed in 76 to a DiMarzio FS-1 and then changed to an over wound Seymour Duncan SSL1C ("C" for custom) which was later offered as a production model now known as the SSL5. 

In 1978 the rosewood neck was replaced by a Grover Jackson neck with a Fender logo, which was replaced again by a Charvel neck in 1982. During 1983 Floyd Rose and Kahler wammy's were becoming very popular due to guys like Eddie Van Halen and David decided to try having a Kahler wammy installed, which he used on the About Face album and tour. To do this a large chunk was taken out of the body and when the modification was reversed they had to fill it back in and paint over it. David then started using a shortened wammy bar and then switched from a 3-way switch to a 5-way. 

At this time vintage strat prices began rising and David had begun playing a red 57 reissue strat. So in 1986 The Black Strat was loaned to Hard Rock Cafe in Dallas, Texas through 1997. At the request of David the guitar was brought back, the neck was replaced again with a new 57 reissue neck, an orignial Fender bridge was put back in and the hole from the Kahler was filled and painted. 

In July of 2005 I was causally watching Live 8 and witnessed something I thought I would never see in my life time. All four members of the classic line up of Pink Floyd including Rodger Water stepped on to stage to perform. David and Rodger put aside their differences for the first time in 30 years to help raise money for a great cause. For me though, and many other guitar buffs, the icing on the cake was the return of The Black Strat which David has continued to use since. 

If you want to learn more about The Black Strat check out this amazing book by David's long time guitar tech Phil Taylor. And to learn more about David's gear on each album check out Gilmourish.com. 

Dave Navarro Gear Guide

ADHD's Gear Guides at any Budget. I'm a firm believer that the tone comes from the hands. If your trying to achieve a certain guitar hero's tone you have to not just have the chops but you've got to get down their style of attack with your picking hand as well. That said every step you take toward finding the right gear is often very inspiring and WILL get you closer to “that” sound. I'm going to break these down into Guitars, Pickups, Pedals and Amps.

Dave Navarro Gear Guide.

Dave Navarro is one of those guys who just doesn't care about what guitar nerds think of him, and for some reason that seems to get under the skin of a lot of guitar players. But lets give the guy some credit, he's been a member of two of the most influential alternative rock bands in history, and been an A list session player for literally dozens of artist from Michael Jackson to Nine Inch Nails to Glen Hughes. He has an amazing cover band Royal Machines which brings out all kinds of guest stars and has done quite a bit of TV.

Guitars – Dave has used Ibanez guitars, Gibson Les Pauls and Fender Strats but his main weapon of choice is his signature Paul Reed Smith

PRS Dave Navarro Signature – Dave busted up most of his Ibanez guitars while on tour with Janes Addiction in the late 80's and borrowed a PRS from a friend. He was blown away by the quality of the instrument and ordered one right away. A few years later he settled on a white Custom 24 which stood out from the rest of the PRS line.

PRS SE Dave Navarro – The incredibly well built PRS SE line is one of the best built budget lines in the industry. Dave was cautious, wanting it to be as close to the original as possible. It's an excellent budget friendly model.

Note: the PRS Signiture line has been dropped for the time being but Dave is still an advocate of the guitars. Any Custom 24 in the Core, S2 or SE line up will get you there. 

Ibanez RG Series - Dave used Ibanez guitars in the early days of Jane's Addiction and has recently pulled one out for older songs. The Ibanez Premium and Prestige lines are well built but heads up if your looking at the budget models, some are fine, others have problems.

Pickups – Dave's Pickups haven't changed at all since his early days with PRS. A PRS HFS in the bridge and a Vintage Bass in the neck.

Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded Humbucker Set – I've mentioned this set on the site before and I still recommend it to anyone who needs a good versatile 2 humbucker set. It's the number one replacement set for a reason.

Pedals- While Dave likes to try out new pedals every so often, his live rig is a “if it ain't broke don't fix it” type situation. Wah, overdrive, chorus, and 2 delays. He's also been known to also throw in a phaser or an octave pedal at times.

Dunlop Hendrix Wah – While he has a couple of others Dave's choice has always been the Hendrix wah. It's simple, it sounds good, it works.

IbanezTS808- So sometimes this is a TS9 or a Boss OD1, Dave is not picky he just needs something to boost the mids for solos. 

Boss CH-1 Chorus – Dave sometimes has two of these, one for the clean sound and one to add some shimmer or thickness to the leads. It's been used by everyone from David Gilmour to Zakk Wylde.

Boss DD-3 Digital Delay - Dave loves delay. Check out his solo on Three Days. He keeps 2 or sometimes 3 on his board. One for ambient repeats, One for harder repeats that he likes to play with. Sometimes he has a third one for the cleans.

Visual Sound H2O - Not what Dave uses but it includes a beautiful sounding chorus and an analog voiced digital delay. Well built and well priced considering what you get, this is the new version of one of my favorite pedals. 

Amps – In the studio Dave likes to use a lot of different amps including a Bogner Uberschall, a Vox AC30, a Fender Twin, and Fender Deluxe. But his work horse for many years now has been a pair of Marshall JCM900's nicknamed Tangerine and Peach.

By the way, which one is Peach?

Marshall JCM900 - Dave Navarro played JCM900's since they came out. There is an internet rumor that Dave has his 900's modded but he says he hasn't. A lot of guys don't care for them because they can be bright sounding if not cranked up. And like a lot of Marshalls, some sound better than others.

Fender Deluxe Reverb – For larger gigs Dave needed something to use for cleans at louder volumes other than his Marshall's. A favorite of players everywhere, it makes a killer pedal platform to work with.

MarshallDSL40C – For a cheaper alternative the little brother of the DSL100 is hard to beat. It has a nice clean tone and a killer lead channel for all types of rock and blues.

UPDATE 2022- on the YouTube channel ToneTalk Dave talked about playing in his cover band Royal Machines. He said that he was playing with guys like Steve Stevens and Jerry Cantrell and was impressed with their Friedman amps so he called up Dave Friedman and ended up buying a Friedman BE Deluxe which he has been using ever since. Friedman designed the BE Deluxe to be a Swiss army knife of Marshalls. Navarro stated that he gets that Marshall high gain sound while being very clear and being able to hear each string better and that it cleans up much better so that he doesn't need the Fenders anymore. 

Obviously there are a lot of alternatives out there but these are a great place to start your tone search. 

Joe Bonamassa Gear Guide

ADHD's Gear Guides at any Budget. I'm a firm believer that the tone comes from the hands. If your trying to achieve a certain guitar hero's tone you have to not just have the chops but you've got to get down their style of attack with your picking hand as well. That said every step you take toward finding the right gear is often very inspiring and WILL get you closer to “that” sound. I'm going to break these down into Guitars, Pickups, Pedals and Amps.

Joe Bonamassa Gear Guide.

Joe Bonamassa is perfect guitar hero for the modern age. He penchant for vintage and boutique gear, his DIY attitude in promotion and touring and his monster chops all come together to create a modern guitar hero in an era that struggles to find stand out musicians.

Guitars – Joe has used a lot of guitars, but is best known for his love of vintage Les Pauls. He has also used Strats, Flying V's and Music Man's. He owns several 59 burst, but usually takes copies on tour with him as the originals are worth six figures each.

Gibson Joe Bonamassa“Skinnerburst”- Holy Moly! For the price of a good used car you can own a limited run copy of Joe's #1 59 Les Paul. Even the most wealthy among us might pass on such an instrument but if you were to buy the real thing you'd probably pay 50 times that amount... ok maybe it's not such a bad deal.

Gibson Les PaulTraditional – With the Les Paul Standard changing quite a bit from the original die hard purist have turned to the Traditional line which is closer to what Les Pauls were in the early years. While not dead on to a 59 burst these are still everything you want in a Les Paul for the average guitarist. 

Epiphone Joe Bonamassa LesPaul– This Pelham Blue Les Paul takes the place of the Bonamassa Gold Top Epiphone put out a couple of years ago. It comes with Gibson Burstbuckers that Joe likes in his own guitars and is better built that the standard Epiphone Les Paul.

Pickups- While almost any PAF style humbucker will work Joe seems to like a slightly hotter than PAF humbucker in all but his original 59's

Gibson Burstbuckers- While the new Standards have Burstbucker Pro's Joe perfers the Burstbucker 2 in the neck and Burstbucker 3 in the bridge possition.

Seymour Duncan Joe Bonamassa Pickup Set- Joe's 59 Skinnerburst took a ride over to the Seymour Duncan custom shop where it was then measured and tested to get as close as possible to the real thing. The were released in a limited run with only 1959 sets of them being made. Contact the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop for more info.

Seymour Duncan Vintage Blues Set- This is a great sounding replacement set for any lover of classic blues rock. For a bit more grit try the Pearly Gates set, a copy of reverend Billy's 59.

Pedals- Joe likes to switch up his pedalboard quite a bit. But his basic sound is very straight forward. A wah, a fuzz, a few different low gain overdrives and a delay or two. He talked about his lack of need for pedals here.

Ibanez TS808- This pedal into a cranked up clean amp is the sound of everyone from Stevie Ray Vaughn to Gary Moore to... well, Joe Bonamassa of course. Not everyone is a fan of these but every guitarist should have one in their stash.

EHX East River Drive - My favorite budget version of the TS808 pedal. Period. When looking to make the best TS clone EHX founder Mike Matthews reached out to renowned TS808 expert Mike Piera of Analogman fame. They nailed it!

Way Huge Pork Loin – A very tweakable pedal, it features a blend knob to mix your clean and the new drive. It also has several internal trimpots to change the sound.

Dunlop Joe Bonamassa CryBaby- One of the flagship wah pedals from Dunlop it features full sized electronic components and none of the surface mounted components that some people feel robs tone. It also has a switchable buffer, which Joe leaves on but you can turn it off if your fuzz doesn't play well with it.

Dunlop Joe Bonamassa Fuzz Face- Fuzz Faces don't always play well with humbuckers, Joe's Fuzz Face is the exception. It sounds fantastic with a slightly hot humbucker and now there is a Mini Fuzz Face version.

Fulltone Supa-Trem – Many people including Joe consider this be the most natural sounding Tremolo sound outside of a Fender Deluxe Reverb.

BossDD-3 Delay- Hold on a minute, this isn't vintage or boutique. Nope this is as straight forward a Digital Delay pedal that is made. And it rocks.

Fuchs Cerberus Tri-Mode Overdrive- This isn't used by Joe but his main sound is a blend of Marshall's, Dumble's, and Fender's. This pedal by renowned amp builder Andy Fuchs is designed to give you all three.

Wampler Plexi-Drive- Wampler's amp in a box pedals are a great way to expand your tonal pallet without spending money on another amp. This one does everything from a JTM45 to JMP. Their Euphoria is a great alternative to the Dumble.

Amps- This is a tough category. Joe relies Marshall Silver Jubilee heads and Dumble clones. These can get expensive, especially with Jubilee heads being bought up by Mr. Bonamassa and Mr. Slash and Alexander Dumble's amps running the price of a house in some places. But don't worry I've got some ideas

Marshall DSL100H – This thing is a favorite not only of metal guys but blues rock guys like Gary Moore and Joe Bonamassa. It sounds great at low volumes, but also comes in a 40w and a 15w. Crank up the clean channel and throw a TS9 up front and the magic starts to happen.

Fender Blues Junior- These are great little amps used by people for more than just blues, it covers the Fender spectrum in spades, add a Wampler Euphoria pedal and your gold.

Fuchs Full House 50 - The casino series from Mr. Fuchs covers Dumble sounds and vintage Marshall-y tones all day long. With a built in boost, channel switching, fantastic sounding reverb and amazing touch sensitivity this may be the only thing you need other than a guitar and a cable.

Egnator Tweaker- When these came out they were all the rage in internet chat rooms and for a good reason. They are well built, flexible, and take pedals well. They also sound good at lower volumes which can't be said about all tube amps.

Obviously there are a lot of alternatives out there but these are a great place to start your tone search. 

Jim Root Gear Guide

ADHD's Gear Guides at any Budget. I'm a firm believer that the tone comes from the hands. If your trying to achieve a certain guitar hero's tone you have to not just have the chops but you've got to get down their style of attack with your picking hand as well. That said every step you take toward finding the right gear is often very inspiring and WILL get you closer to “that” sound. I'm going to break these down into Guitars, Pickups, Pedals and Amps.

Jim Root Gear Guide.

Jim Root is the epitome of rock n roll cool. Serving as the principle riff-mister in both Stone Sour and Slipknot his brutal down tuned riffs are powerful and memorable. His weapons of choice have changed over the years but we are going to focus on the last few years. Despite his use of complicated switching systems you can easily get his sound using a pretty straight forward setup. Jim has been using various Fender signature models, EMG pickups, and Orange amps for his straight up tone, and uses effects pedals to add flavors.

Guitars – Jim Root has been using Fender guitars for the last several years. He is the only artist with a signiture Telecaster, Stratocaster and a Jazzmaster. All three are setup mostly the same with Mahogany bodies, and maple necks. He prefers harder ebony and maple fretboards over rosewood. A single volume knob and a three way switch for the EMG 81/60 humbucker set.

Fender Jim Root Signature Telecaster- This was Jim's first production signature guitar. It comes in either a black or white flat nitrocellulose finish that beats up easily. The fretboard has a 12” radius not quite as flat as most modern shred guitars but still easy to get low action. The neck has a modern Fender C shape, again not as thin as a lot of modern shreders but not what I would call thick.

Fender Jim Root Stratocaster- A few years later, Fender put out a Stratocaster version of Jim's Telecaster. Other than the body shape, the only difference is a compound radius fretboard.

Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster – The most recent addition to the Jim Root line up is a signature Jazzmaster. Again featuring the compound radius it also uses a more durable polyurethane finish.

Squire Jim Root Telecaster- For a budget model the Squire Jim Root Telecaster is a well built guitar. It saves money by having a rosewood fretboard and covered passive pickups, but still includes the 12” radius fretboard. And you can always add the EMG's later.

Fender Blacktop Stratocaster – Another cool budget alternative, the Fender Blacktop series packs a lot of bang for the buck. Add in some extra springs on the wammy for more stable tuning and your in business.

A Tip on Strings- If you want to try out down tuned riffs slap a higher string gauge on your guitar. Rule of thumb is for every full step down, go up a gauge. If your used to 9's or 10's try 11's or 12's for Slipknots songs.

Pickups- Jim's choice of pickups hasn't changed much over the years. He likes the EMG 81/60 set that a lot of modern metal guys favor.

EMGJH James Hetfield Humbucker Set- The EMG JH set is an 81/60 combo that is aggressive. The 60 cleans up well while the 81 has a sound favored by Zakk Wylde, Kerry King and of course Jim Root.

SeymourDuncan JB/Jazz Set- EMG's have a particular sound and while Duncan's Blackouts also have that covered if you want a passive set that can be used for similar tones the Duncan Hotrod set does an excellent job of covering a lot of territory. This is the number one replacement pickup set in the world for a reason.

Pedals- Jim has a lot of gear, pedals and racks galore but his sound is pretty straight forward. He likes pedals to add flavor and likes to get most of his sound from his guitars and amps.

Dunlop Rotovibe – While neither a UniVibe or a Phaser, Jim has stated that he loves the Rotovibe in the studio but that it's not always practical for use in a Slipknot show.

EHX Small Stone Nano Phaser- Jim swaps this and an MXR Phase 90 on a regular basis. Either one works great, run it in front of your drive pedals for more of a vibe feel.

Digitech Envelope Filter Synth Wah- Jim loves Envelope Filters, often having three different ones for crazy sound effects. While most of the analog filters only cover certain sound the Digitech and do those and so much more.

MXR Carbon Copy- Most delays will work for the way Jim uses them but the versatile Carbon Copy has become a favorite of players everywhere. Unless you need a lot of different delay presets this pedal works great.

Maxon Overdrive OD-9 – The original TS9 pedal by the guys who made them originally. Great for punching up solos, cutting through the mix, or giving your passive pickups a hotter sound.

Wampler Triple Wreck – While Jim has used a Rectifier in the past he is more recently associated with Orange amps. I find I can get extremely close to his sound using this pedal running into a clean amp. Plus it's just so versatile.

Amps- Jim Root's live set up uses the Orange Rockerverb, but in the studio he has used everything including Mesa Rectifiers, Bogner's and Budda's. He also has a signature Orange Terror head that is voiced to sound like his Rockerverb.

OrangeRockerverb 100 – Available as a two channel head or combo this amp has an aggressive upper midrange that Orange amps are famous for. It's also available in a 100w or 50w.

Orange #4 Jim Root Signature Terror Head- voiced after Jim's trademark Rockerverb heads this signature head takes the Tiny Terror head platform to a whole new level. For a single channel head they are remarkably flexible, and sound killer. And while made for bedrooms and small clubs put it on top of a miked 4x12 cab and it can handle the job.

Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier- Used early in Jim's career these amps are very versatile, and can be found on stages around the world.

If you want to experiment with the Orange sound but your not sure if that's what you want check out IK Multimedia's Amplitube. They have a great model of the Rockerverb making dialing in those brutal sounds is easy.

Obviously there are a lot of alternatives out there but these are a great place to start your tone search. 

D'Addario NYXL Strings Review

Strings are a very personal thing. When you start playing you try out a few different brands before you settle on something. It's a balancing act that is a bit different for each of us. How they feel, the tension of the string, how well they stay in tune, how long they last, the cost and how they sound are all considerations. Through different points in my life I've tried different strings and tend to like certain strings on certain guitars. Some strings feel rough to me, some don't seem to last very long and still others just don't sound right. A few months ago I received a pack some of the new D'Addario NYXL strings. So I thought it was time to do a review.

First let's talk about how long they last. I've read a lot of stories about guitar players who change their strings everyday or after each gig. But most guys I know change their strings between 1 and 4 months. I tend to rotate my guitars and have two out all the time, with the others in cases. I also wash my hands before playing and wipe down the strings with a clean cloth when I'm done. I'm guessing my guitars get new strings between 2 and 4 months. So when I say that my Ibanez has had NYXL strings on it for over 6 months, and they feel and sound BRAND NEW that seems impressive to me. 

I played D'Addario XL's for many years before switching to a different brand. They feel very smooth to me, and have a higher tension than other strings I've played. The new NYXL strings are the same, slightly higher in tension than the XL's but very smooth, slick even, as if each string feels polished. Some strings feel very course to me, like running your fingers up and down an old wire fence. The smoothness is great, I do wish the tension was a little less. It's not difficult to adjust to but be prepared to reset up your guitars if you like low action and thinner necks. 

When I first put on strings I like to stretch them out a bit, then for the first day or two I find myself constantly retuning them. Then they seem to "settle in" and I only retune every so often. With the NYXL strings I don't find myself retuning as often as I did. Even with the floating floyd style wammy bar. I can dive or pull up on the bar and it seems to go back to zero with fantastic accuracy. In fact the first time I tuned it up it stayed in tune very well and the settling period was over very quickly. 

So how do they sound? The first thing you'll notice is that these things are LOUD. Even acoustically, compared to my other electrics it's noticeably louder. This means it hits your pickups harder, which hits your amp harder. If you are a player that focuses on dynamics your going to have to adjust pedals and your amp, but having this louder output isn't a bad thing at all. In fact it gives you a wider range of dynamics to work with. They also sound like a bigger string. I'm using the 10's but they sound like 11's but with the clarity of 10's

Ibby vs Strat, different guitars for different sounds

So lets talk about the cost factor. Currently these strings run around $10-$12 a pack. That's a big jump from the standard XL's that can be had for $4-$5. But your looking at a string that can last at least three times as long and stays in tune much better. And if you buy in bulk you can save quite a bit of money. Still if your someone who constantly wants new strings on your guitars this may not work for you, but I would urge you to try them. They really do feel great. 

I really like the D'Addario NYXL's on my Strat, but I haven't decided if I like them on my Ibanez. They are different guitars and I like them for very different things. For me the real test comes when I switch them back to the old strings, and I'll see if I miss the NYXL's or if I feel like I've come home. That's the real test for me.

This review was completely unsolicited and any opinion is my own.

Zakk Wylde Gear Guide

ADHD's Gear Guides at any Budget. I'm a firm believer that the tone comes from the hands. If your trying to achieve a certain guitar hero's tone it's not enough to have the chops but you've got to get down their style of attack with your picking hand as well. That said every step you take toward finding the right gear is often very inspiring and WILL get you closer to “that” sound. I'm going to break these down into Guitars, Pickups, Pedals and Amps.

Zakk Wylde Gear Guide

Zakk Wylde is one of the biggest guitar heroes in the world. His Les Paul through a Marshall on steroids approach takes the classic rock-n-roll formula and turns it up to 10. He has always kept a Keep It Simple Stupid attitude to gear every since his early days in the late 80's with Ozzy. A Les Paul, loaded with EMG's, and a handful of pedals into a Marshall JCM800 is the backbone of his sound. Zakk is famous for shredding pentatonics and pitch harmonics, but he is more than capable of playing everything from bluegrass to piano ballads to Al Di Meola style fusion.

Guitars – Zakk Wylde has a lot of different guitars, Gibson Flying V's and ZV's, Dean Razorbacks, and a few others. But he is most known for wielding the Bulleye Les Paul. According to legend it was originally cream but he didn't want people to think he was trying to be another Randy Rhoads so he asked someone to paint it with a vertigo spiral. When it came back it had a bulleye on it and it was time for his first photo shoot with Ozzy. Zakk just rolled with it joking that the bullseye would give the haters in the audience something to aim for.

NOTE: Zakk Wylde has started Wylde Audio and the Gibson/Epiphone models are discontinued.

Wylde Audio Odin Grail- While Wylde Audio has a plethora of offerings the Odin Grail has that famous Bullseye that the man made legendary. Some people don't like the tweaked shape on this guitar but if it doesn't throw you then rock on.   

Gibson Zakk Wylde Les Paul- There have been different versions that Zakk has played over the years but this is the guitar everyone associates with him. It's a Les Paul custom with a maple cap and neck, ebony fretboard, and EMG pickups. And of course the Bulleye graphic.

Epiphone Zakk Wylde LesPaul- The import version of Zakk's iconic “Grail” is a great deal. It's better built than the typical Epi Paul, and already loaded with EMG's. If your shopping used there are some great deals but makes sure the EMG's are the 81-85 set as the HZ set won't get you the same sound.

PRS SE Tremonti- At first it might seem odd to include this model in the budget offerings but the PRS SE line has some of the best built budget models in the business. Couple that with already hot humbuckers and a similar control layout, if your looking for something other than the “bullseye” you can't go wrong with these.

Pickups- EMG's have a unique, modern sound and if you want that Zakk Wylde tone the EMG 81-85 set there isn't much else to choose from. But don't think they are just for metal, a lot of country guys use them and even tone guru David Gilmour was a fan for many years. EMG's use a preamp that acts as a buffer to drive your guitar signal down long cables. I always have at least one guitar with EMG's in it for a smooth modern metal sound.

EMG Zakk Wylde Set- If your loading a Les Paul with EMG's this is the set your going to need. It comes with replacement parts for all the electronics and quick connects for everything. You can drop this in almost any dual humbucker mahogany bodied guitar and get the Zakk sound.

Seymour Duncan Blackouts- Not exactly the same sound as the EMG's SD's Blackouts have been a big hit with the metal community. They have a more open sound and wider frequency response but the preamp is very much the same. If EMG's weren't exactly what you were looking for but you still want that modern sound try these.

Pedals- Zakk Wylde's choice of pedals hasn't changed that much over the years. In the early days it was Wah, Vibe, Drive, Chorus. Recently he's toyed with a few other pedals but it's still basically the same.

Dunlop Zakk Wylde Crybaby- This pedal has become a favorite of players everywhere, based on the Hendrix wah, it has a thick sound that cuts through the live mix and no extra knobs to distract from your playing.

Dunlop Hendrix Crybaby- A favorite wah of many players the Hendrix Crybaby is what Zakk used for years before his signature wah pedal. A great choice for players wanting to accent their leads.

MXRZW44 Berzerker Overdrive- an overdrive with less of a mid hump than a tube screamer. Zakk uses this to push his JCM800's from crunchy into screaming distortion.

Boss SD1 Overdrive- Before the ZW44 this was the main stay on Zakk's board, they are cheap and work great to cut through the mix.

Dunlop Rotovibe- Not exactly a UniVibe or a Phaser but a useful replacement for both on a cramped pedalboard. Sounds get thick and swirly when engaged. Vibe purist won't like it but it's an underrated pedal IMO.

MXRZW90 Wylde Phase- I talked about what surprising fun this pedal is in my review. Zakk has been using the EVH Phase 90 in the modern setting but his signature pedal is the same thing without the toggle switch. I use it for Phaser and Vibe-ish sounds and it can be bought for cheap when they go on sale. This is my “make it sound cool” pedal.

MXRZW38 Black Label Chorus- Zakk uses Chorus to thicken up sounds almost like a doubler. Give it a lot of width but keep the speed down. It also adds a sparkle to the sound making Zakk's signature pitch harmonics easier.

Boss CH1 Super Chorus- As with some of his other pedals this is what Zakk used before MXR started putting his name on everything. It's a favorite of a lot of players. 

SuhrRiot- If you'd rather play though a clean low watt amp like a Fender Hotrod this pedal sounds very similar to an over driven JCM800. It's my personal favorite 800 in a box pedal.

In the last few years Zakk has also been experimenting with the MXR EVH Flanger and MXR Carbon Copy as well as the Boss Octave pedal.

Amps- Despite a few early adds with a different manufacturer Zakk has always used Marshall JCM800's. But a word of caution, these amps have to be cranked and according to long time BLS guitarist Nick Catanese  “most people sound like ACDC when they play though them, you have to really hit the strings hard”. They also tend to sound different from each other so don't judge them all by one experience.

Marshall JCM800 Reissue- With guys like Kerry King and Zakk Wylde playing 800's the demand for these forced Marshall to reissue the popular amp. Couple it with your favorite overdrive pedal and this is the sound of 80's shred.

Marshall DLS Reissue-This reissue is a great mid priced amp, that sounds great at lower volumes and has a bit more gain than the JCM800. It's a great amp, don't over look it. 

The JCM800 tone on a budget is difficult, The Suhr Riot and other Marshall in a box pedals are close. Another option is amp modelers, which seem to be getting better every couple of years. Still there is nothing quite the same as the feeling of standing in front of a great sounding JCM800 half stack.

Obviously there are a lot of alternatives out there but these are a great place to start your tone search.