{"id":23679,"date":"2025-08-06T15:17:32","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T15:17:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/?p=23679"},"modified":"2025-08-06T15:17:32","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T15:17:32","slug":"it-survived-crashing-onto-the-highway-and-turned-up-in-a-pawnshop-how-zakk-wyldes-the-grail-ozzy-osbourne-les-paul-found-its-way-back-to-him-3-y","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/2025\/08\/06\/it-survived-crashing-onto-the-highway-and-turned-up-in-a-pawnshop-how-zakk-wyldes-the-grail-ozzy-osbourne-les-paul-found-its-way-back-to-him-3-y\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIt survived crashing onto the highway and turned up in a pawnshop\u201d: How Zakk Wylde\u2019s \u2018The Grail\u2019 Ozzy Osbourne Les Paul found its way back to him \u2013 3 years after it fell out of a moving vehicle"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p>When <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/zakk-wylde\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/zakk-wylde\">Zakk Wylde<\/a>\u2019s famed \u201cThe Grail\u201d <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/features\/best-gibson-les-pauls-for-every-budget\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/features\/best-gibson-les-pauls-for-every-budget\">Gibson Les Paul<\/a> \u2013 unmistakable for its black and white bullseye finish \u2013 fell off the back of a truck, he feared it was lost forever. Then, against the odds, he got it back.<\/p>\n<p>The guitar featured prominently throughout his career as <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/ozzy-osbourne\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/ozzy-osbourne\">Ozzy Osbourne<\/a>\u2019s guitarist. He used it to write and record some of the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/prince\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/prince\">Prince<\/a> of Darkness\u2019 biggest tracks and remains the guitar he\u2019s perhaps most synonymous with. Alas, it nearly met a tragic end.<\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-base\" \/>\n<p>\u201cA friend of mine, Scott Quinn, who used to work at Garden State Music in New Jersey, made a deal with me,\u201d he tells <em>Guitar World<\/em> of his origins with the instrument. \u201cI was endorsed by Gibson after I&#8217;d gotten the gig with Ozzy. Scott, a huge John McLaughlin fan, said that if I could get him a double-neck, he&#8217;d trade the Grail for it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGibson hooked me up, and I made the trade. I&#8217;d played this guitar and been knocked out by how amazing it sounded and how well it played. It was one of those moments where you just really connect with an instrument.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A big part of its ear-blasting sound was its EMG <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/features\/best-humbucker-pickups\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/features\/best-humbucker-pickups\">humbuckers<\/a>. Wylde had discovered the might of active pickups <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/artists\/guitarists\/zakk-wylde-on-the-moment-he-fell-in-love-with-emg-pickups\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/artists\/guitarists\/zakk-wylde-on-the-moment-he-fell-in-love-with-emg-pickups\">after one of his guitar students let him rip on his EMG-laced Fender Jaguar<\/a>, and from there, there was no looking back. Even if he was baffled about them needing batteries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wrote my first Ozzy song, <em>Miracle Man<\/em>, on this one,\u201d Wylde adds. \u201cMost of the records I did with Ozzy featured this guitar.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-video youtube-facade\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<div class=\"video-aspect-box\">\n<div class=\"watch-on-iframe-j34juXrJWqw\" data-yt-video-token=\"j34juXrJWqw\" title=\"OZZY OSBOURNE - \"><span class=\"youtube-video-title\">OZZY OSBOURNE &#8211; &#8220;Miracle Man&#8221; (Official Video) &#8211; YouTube<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/j34juXrJWqw\/maxresdefault.jpg\" alt=\"OZZY OSBOURNE - \" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"watch-on-youtube-j34juXrJWqw\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/j34juXrJWqw\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/j34juXrJWqw\" data-hl-processed=\"none\">Watch On <\/a><\/div>\n<p>Then, after more than a decade with the guitar by his side, disaster struck.<\/p>\n<p> {        window.reliablePageLoad.then(() =&gt; {            var componentContainer = document.querySelector(&#8220;#slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-6v3vtvVw2Nk5kpAsLu4XS3&#8221;);            if (componentContainer) {                var data = {&#8220;layout&#8221;:&#8221;inbodyContent&#8221;,&#8221;header&#8221;:&#8221;Get The Pick Newsletter&#8221;,&#8221;tagline&#8221;:&#8221;All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!&#8221;,&#8221;formFooterText&#8221;:&#8221;By submitting your information you agree to the <a href=\"https:\/\/futureplc.com\/terms-conditions\/\" target=\"_blank\">Terms &amp; Conditions<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/futureplc.com\/privacy-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and are aged 16 or over.&#8221;,&#8221;successMessage&#8221;:{&#8220;body&#8221;:&#8221;Thank you for signing up. 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It turned up in a pawn shop. Someone bought it, realized it was mine and, three years after I&#8217;d lost it, contacted me and sold it back.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Zakk Wylde The Grail Les Paul\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NBMc2WXsVGV82KgeGEgERj.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NBMc2WXsVGV82KgeGEgERj.jpg\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Wylde has previously opened up about <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/artists\/guitarists\/zakk-wylde-ozzy-osbourne-guitar-rules\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/artists\/guitarists\/zakk-wylde-ozzy-osbourne-guitar-rules\">Ozzy&#8217;s oddly specific gear rules<\/a>, and how <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/artists\/guitarists\/zakk-wylde-1989-interview\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/artists\/guitarists\/zakk-wylde-1989-interview\">the singer expected his appointment to be met with backlash<\/a> from certain fans. Fortunately, he never saw any animosity.<\/p>\n<p>The Osbourne-Wylde partnership is <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/artists\/ozzy-osbourne-zakk-wylde-becoming-metals-most-beloved-partnership\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/artists\/ozzy-osbourne-zakk-wylde-becoming-metals-most-beloved-partnership\">one of heavy metal&#8217;s most heartwarming pairings<\/a>, with the guitarist ending <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/artists\/ozzy-osbourne-rates-his-guitarists-1990-interview\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/artists\/ozzy-osbourne-rates-his-guitarists-1990-interview\">Ozzy&#8217;s search for a guitarist who could \u201ckick Eddie Van Halen&#8217;s ass.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>To read Zakk Wylde\u2019s <em>Guitar World <\/em>interview in full, pick up a copy of the magazine from <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/awclick.php?awinmid=2961&amp;awinaffid=103504&amp;clickref=guitarworld-gb-1072746869610960362&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.magazinesdirect.com%2Fuk%2Fguitar-world-subscription%2Fdp%2Fa3cb6acc\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.magazinesdirect.com\/uk\/guitar-world-subscription\/dp\/a3cb6acc\" rel=\"sponsored noopener\" data-hl-processed=\"hawklinks\" data-placeholder-url=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/awclick.php?awinmid=2961&amp;awinaffid=103504&amp;clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.magazinesdirect.com%2Fuk%2Fguitar-world-subscription%2Fdp%2Fa3cb6acc\" data-google-interstitial=\"false\" data-merchant-name=\"Magazines Direct\" data-merchant-id=\"6539\" data-merchant-network=\"AW\" data-merchant-url=\"magazinesdirect.com\">Magazines Direct<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Zakk Wylde\u2019s famed \u201cThe Grail\u201d Gibson Les Paul \u2013 unmistakable for its black and white bullseye finish \u2013 fell off the back of a truck, he feared it was lost forever. Then, against the odds, he got it back. The guitar featured prominently throughout his career as Ozzy Osbourne\u2019s guitarist. He used it to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":23680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23679"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23681,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23679\/revisions\/23681"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}