Wylde Audio Nomad

An axe built for the modern rock and metal warrior

The Wylde Audio Nomad represents a bold new vision in guitar design from Zakk Wylde, famed guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and Black Label Society. Built to deliver crushing tones for modern metal and rock, the Nomad melds innovative features with Zakk’s uncompromising approach to build quality. In this extensive review, we’ll explore what makes the Nomad such a beast of a guitar.

Specifications

First, let’s break down the Nomad’s specs. The foundation is a premium mahogany body with a carved maple top, a configuration prized for its richness and sustain. This is paired with a mahogany neck topped with an ebony fretboard sporting jumbo frets for maximum shredability.

Pickups are custom-designed Wylde Audio humbuckers, with a Master of Savagery in the bridge and Sons of Anarchy at the neck. These pickups are tuned for searing leads and tight, aggressive rhythm tones. A TonePros locking tune-o-matic bridge and tailpiece provide rock-solid tuning stability under heavy playing.

Premium components like Black Magic tuning keys, a Graph Tech nut, and USA pots and switches complete the package. Visually, the Nomad has an understated, classy vibe with its violin gloss finish. It’s available in solid colors or eye-catching Tribal and Voodoo graphic finishes.

How It Stacks Up

The Wylde Audio Nomad occupies a fairly unique niche in the market, delivering a flexible modern rock/metal machine at a cost-effective price point. Models like the ESP LTD EC-1000 come closest in competition, but lack the Nomad’s customized pickups.

Compared to Wylde’s own Barbarian and Warhammer models, the Nomad offers much of the same DNA in a more affordable and stripped-down package. The use of mahogany instead of maple for the body changes the sound to be a bit warmer and rounder.

Made for Metal

Make no mistake, the Nomad was purpose-built for heavy music. From the ultra-tight bridge pickup to its fast-playing neck, this guitar is optimized so you can dominate the stage. Chugging rhythm riffs have tremendous power and definition.

Squealing leads blaze across the neck with ease thanks to the extra jumbo frets. And the tone control gives you flexibility to shape your sound, from searing brightness to downright nasty. Zakk’s legendary pinch harmonics absolutely sing from this beast.

Versatile Voice

Yet despite its metal machine vibe, the Nomad is far from a one-trick pony. Its mahogany body gives it a very pleasing organic resonance. Clean tones have rich, piano-like warmth, while the bridge pickup snarls with attitude when cranked. Fans of vintage rock and blues will find the Nomad adept at those genres too.

This guitar loves pedals, with the powerful pickups able to push drive and fuzz pedals into sweet saturation. The Nomad definitely has the sonic chops for modern rock styles like alt, indie and grunge.

Built to Shred

Zakk Wylde partnered with Schecter to create the Nomad from the ground up. Everything about this guitar caters towards serious players. The neck has a comfortable, slim “speed” profile that makes riffing and soloing a breeze. Some Bulkier neck profiles can wear you down over long sessions. Not the Nomad – it’s built for endurance.

The fretwork in particular is outstanding, with perfectly finished jumbo frets. String bending is buttery smooth, with no sharp or scratchy frets to mar sustain. Intonation is incredibly accurate, even when bending strings or employing aggressive techniques. Notes ring out confidently with minimal buzz.

No Compromise Construction

From its premium tone woods to name brand hardware, the Nomad refuses to cut corners. Little details like the luxurious binding on the body, fretboard, and headstock telegraph a pride in workmanship. The matching painted headstock is a classy touch often missing in this price range.

The sturdy mahogany neck has excellent rigidity for increased tuning stability and sustain. The smooth, fast-feeling maple fingerboard doesn’t stick or drag under the fingers. The bone nut provides precise string spacing and buzz-free performance.

Finally, the Nomad comes protected in a padded gig bag, so you can safely transport it to gigs and practice sessions. For intermediate players or working pros on a budget, you’d be hard pressed to find a better metal machine than the Nomad.

The Tone Is In Your Hands

Of course, a guitar is only capable of the tones conjured through the player’s hands. Thankfully, the Nomad is inspiring to play. Something about the smooth playability makes you want to keep practicing. Chords and solos flow off the neck with ease.

And the aggressive voice of the pickups, especially the bridge, begs for some heavy riffing. Yet the Nomad is also capable of remarkably warm, sensitive clean tones thanks to its all-mahogany construction. This guitar may become your go-to ax for everything from metal to blues.

Where To Buy

The Wylde Audio Nomad is available worldwide both online and at many local music stores. Big retailers like Sweetwater Sound, Sam Ash Music and Guitar Center all carry the Nomad. Pricing is set right at around $849 for the solid color models, which is very competitive for a guitar of this caliber.

Of course, you’ll also find the Nomad available directly through Wylde Audio’s website. There you can browse the full range of color and graphic finishes. Plus Wylde Audio allows you to customize your own Nomad with options like personalized inlays and custom finishes.

The Verdict

For intermediate players or working musicians seeking a high-quality shred machine, the Wylde Audio Nomad represents an incredible value. This guitar delivers professional level build, sound and playability for well under $1000.

Compared to brands like Gibson, Fender and PRS, you simply will not find American-made guitars with similar specs anywhere close to this price point. The Nomad proves you don’t need to spend thousands to get a great playing, great sounding guitar.

Zakk Wylde and Schecter deserve credit for making boutique-quality design more accessible. And the Nomad itself deserves credit for being a shred-worthy metal machine that can still nail blues and classic rock. This just may be the most versatile guitar unleashed yet from the Wylde Audio stable.

So if you’re looking to get your hands on an inspiring guitar that can keep up with modern metal, don’t hesitate to grab your own Nomad. This axe is ready to sling some serious sound across the wastelands. Let the shredding commence!