Long before Gus G replaced Zakk Wylde in Ozzy Osbourne’s band, the Greek shredder was playing star-shaped guitars. But its pointed silhouette was almost too much for the Prince of Darkness.
Having made his name in the power metal band, Firewind, Gus G helped Ozzy reinvent his sound on 2010’s Scream, when he was brought in as Zakk Wylde's replacement. But speaking in the new issue of Guitar World, Gus G says Ozzy pushed for him to switch up his instrument.
“All my models were the star-shaped guitars I've been known to play since forever,” he tells GW of his signature guitars, which have been made by both ESP and Jackson over the years.
“When I got the gig with Ozzy, he and Sharon were skeptical about my guitar shape. They felt it looked too weird. I think Ozzy was used to Les Pauls from Zakk Wylde and Randy Rhoads. He kept asking me if I could play a Les Paul for a few tracks.”
That’s not to say pointed guitars have been completely absent from Ozzy's stages in the past. Rhoads was also famous for his iconic Jackson Concorde, brought to life shortly before his passing. But that didn’t stop Ozzy’s reluctance.
“Of course, I understood – this was as big a change for him as it was for me,” Gus G relents. “So I asked ESP [to whom he was signed at the time] to send me a couple of Eclipse guitars, which I played on my first few Ozzy shows.”
Gus G was a fan of the single cut, but wasn’t completely sold by them, either. Push came to shove, and he knew he had to go back to what he knew best.
“I always felt my playing was limited on them,” he admits. “Maybe that was because I was so used to playing my Star models that I couldn't get my right arm properly positioned on the Eclipse.
“I talked to Ozzy about it after a few gigs, and he eventually said, ‘You're the guitar player; play whatever feels comfortable.’”
It’s a slightly surprising concession of ground from Ozzy, who Wylde says had some strict gear rules in the band, including the outlawing of one classic pedal.
In related news, Gus G has opened up on missing out on Back to the Beginning, and Jake E. Lee has recalled his greatest gear bargain, which he got while touring the UK with Ozzy.
The new issue of Guitar World is available now, and features a cover story on Rush, as the prog giants ready their hotly anticipated return to the stage.
Print and digital copies can be ordered from Magazines Direct.
