Remember back in January when we broke the news that Zack Wylde would be leaving behind his Gibson and Marshall days to tread his own gear path in the Wylde Audio? Since then, people have been starved for information about the company – although a musician starting his own gear company is certainly no novelty, it’s rare that a guitarist of Wylde’s fame, respect, and ability sets out to try and make it in the music merchant business.
I’m quite excited by the prospects of this company. It’s still unclear whether it is a trend in the industry or in the overall economy that’s causing companies like Guitar Center so many problems, and it’s also not as though indie/DIY/boutique companies are going to rise to the occasion and start sucking up giant portions of the market share left behind by GC and others. I see Wylde Audio as fitting in to the picture sort of like a mid-tier independent film distributor, like IFC Films or Drafthouse Films, as Zack has a level of artistic vision that a giant corporate machine inevitably loses, while also having more financial capabilities and public influence than a more underground company.
Now, probably like you guys, I don’t really keep up with VH1‘s That Metal Show, so I wasn’t aware that the show had a new web feature, “That Metal Gear” in which they run down the rigs of their musical guests. Zack is the guest on this episode. VH1 didn’t necessarily get too much new information from what we already know, but they did get a nice interview with Zack and we hear some more details about the inspiration behind the gear. See below:
