Zacky Vengeance

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Zacky Vengeance
Avenged Sevenfold-Rock im Park 2014 by 2eight 3SC7794.jpg
Zacky Vengeance performing in 2014, with his Schecter Signature S-1 '6661' Guitar
Background information
Also known as
  • Zacky Vengeance
  • Zacky V.
Born
Zachary James Baker

(1981-12-11) December 11, 1981 (age 44)
Olympia, Washington
Origin Huntington Beach, California
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • guitarist
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
  • piano
Years active1999–present
Labels

Zachary James Baker (born December 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Zacky Vengeance, is an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist, and founding member for the American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] In 2016, Baker alongside Synyster Gates was voted as Best Metal Guitarist in the World by Total Guitar. [9]

Contents

In 2025, he remixed the track "Meine Welt" by German singer Till Lindemann. [10] [11]

He released his debut solo single "Dark Horse" on December 17, 2025 under his given name Zachary Baker. He said a full length solo album was to follow. [12] [13]

Early life and education

Zacky Vengeance with Synyster Gates live in Nova Rock Festival - 2014 Avenged Sevenfold-Rock im Park 2014 by 2eight 3SC7817.jpg
Zacky Vengeance with Synyster Gates live in Nova Rock Festival – 2014

Baker was born to Maria and James Baker in Olympia, Washington, and later moved to Huntington Beach, California along with his older sister Zina and younger brother Matthew, during his high school years.[ citation needed ] Baker's father was a guitarist and a music fan with a large record collection, through which Baker was exposed to The Beatles. His first guitar was a right-handed Yamaha acoustic. [14] Baker attended Huntington Beach High School, and formed Avenged Sevenfold there with M. Shadows and The Rev. The first single he bought was "Something To Believe In" by Poison. He begged his mom to buy it for him after he had heard it on the radio. The first album he bought was Flesh & Blood by Poison. His first concert was a performance by The Monkees in a minor league baseball stadium. He said it "fucking sucked." The first show he played was in a coffee shop in Huntington Beach. Before Avenged Sevenfold, his first band was a crust punk band called Society Down. [15] He said before that a demo exists, but it was lost years ago. After Society Down, he formed a punk band called MPA*, which stands for Mad Porno Action. He implied that they were both unsuccessful. He also came up with Jonathan Seward's stage name "Johnny Christ," saying it suited him. Baker was also responsible for the creation of the initialism "A7X". [16] [ better source needed ]

Artistry

Baker is a self-taught musician, and claims to have never had a guitar lesson in his life. He learned guitar by copying his favorite albums. He said: "I never had any formal training. My teachers were Dimebag Darrell and Slash and the guys in Rancid and Slayer." [17] He told Ultimate Guitar in 2017: "I couldn't tell you the name of a chord. If someone told me I had to tune my guitar down to a C#, and my guitar tech didn't hand it to me already tuned, I would not be able to tune it. [...] If you told me to play an A chord, I wouldn't even know what it was made of. I don't even know what's on my pedalboard -- my tech controls it all. If I had to write a solo, it would probably take me all day and sound pretty poor. [...] I just learned to play by feel, by listening, by playing stuff that sounded cool." [18]

Baker has shown himself to be capable of fingerstyle guitar. [19]

Equipment

While he used Gibson Les Paul models early in Avenged Sevenfold's career, Baker is best known for his use of the Schecter Guitar Research S-1 model. The S-1 is Schecter's take on the Gibson Les Paul Double-Cutout model. Schecter first made signature guitars for Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance around 2005. His signature models are built with a solid mahogany body and set neck with standard Nashville-style Tune-O-Matic bridge and tailpiece, like those on a Gibson Les Paul guitar. Fingerboard inlays vary, but are usually the same as the standard S-1 model with a custom 12th fret inlay on a rosewood fingerboard with 22 extra jumbo frets with a 24.75" scale length. All S-1 based signature models are equipped with Seymour Duncan's SH-4 Jeff Beck and SH-1n P.A.F. chrome covered passive pickups. Aside from a few unique customs, his signature models have a decal at the bottom of the body that read "6661", the year Avenged Sevenfold formed, 1999, upside down and backwards. [20] [21] In 2025, Schecter released two new signature models: the white H6LLYW66D and black H6LLYW66D-S, both based on the Gibson SG shape, now equipped with Schecter USA Custom Shop "Pasadena Custom" pickups (and a SUSTAINIAC in the neck position for the H6LLYW66D-S model).[ citation needed ]

In 2024 Schecter released the ZV-H6LLYW66D, a new signature guitar model for Baker. It is available in both left and right-handed varieties. [22]

Discography

References

  1. ↑ https://www.revolvermag.com/news/hear-avenged-sevenfold-guitarist-zacky-vengeances-debut-new-solo-song-dark-horse/
  2. ↑ https://consequence.net/2025/12/avenged-sevenfold-zacky-vengeance-zachary-baker-dark-horse-stream/
  3. ↑ Blabbermouth (2023-09-20). "AVENGED SEVENFOLD's ZACKY VENGEANCE: 'I Never Wanna Feel Like I'm Phoning It In'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  4. ↑ "Avenged Sevenfold's Zacky Vengeance Responds to Robb Flynn's Allegations". Loudwire. 2013-10-09. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  5. ↑ Ramanand, Liz RamanandLiz (2011-12-20). "Zacky Vengeance of Avenged Sevenfold Speaks Out on Mike Portnoy + Dream Theater Drama". Loudwire. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  6. ↑ Mortonpublished, Luke (2016-12-06). "Famous Firsts: Zacky Vengeance on The Monkees and messing with illegal fireworks". Louder. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  7. ↑ "ZACKY VENGEANCE Discusses Why AVENGED SEVENFOLD Didn't Come Back With An Album Fans Expected". Metal Injection. 2023-09-25. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  8. ↑ "Zacky Vengeance - 'We Gotta Be Willing to Lose Everything'". Loudwire. 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  9. ↑ http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/the-19-best-metal-guitarists-in-the-world-right-now-645557
  10. ↑ Adams, Gregory. "Hear AVENGED SEVENFOLD guitarist ZACKY VENGEANCE's remix of TILL LINDEMANN's "Meine Welt"". Revolver. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  11. ↑ "TILL LINDEMANN Streams "Meine Welt" Remix By AVENGED SEVENFOLD's ZACKY VENGEANCE". Metal Injection. 2025-02-20. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  12. ↑ Blabbermouth (2025-12-17). "AVENGED SEVENFOLD's ZACKY VENGEANCE Releases Debut Solo Single, 'Dark Horse'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
  13. ↑ Adams, Gregory. "Hear AVENGED SEVENFOLD guitarist ZACKY VENGEANCE's debut solo song "Dark Horse"". Revolver. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
  14. ↑ published, Gary Wolsten Holme (2010-11-24). "Avenged Sevenfold Guitarists Discuss Their Wicked Playing Styles". Guitar World. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
  15. ↑ Mortonpublished, Luke (2016-12-06). "Famous Firsts: Zacky Vengeance on The Monkees and messing with illegal fireworks". Louder. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  16. ↑ All Excess , Avenged Sevenfold DVD (2007)
  17. ↑ published, Gary Wolsten Holme (2010-11-24). "Avenged Sevenfold Guitarists Discuss Their Wicked Playing Styles". Guitar World. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
  18. ↑ "A7X's Zacky Vengeance: I've Never Taken a Lesson in My Life, I Can't Name Any of the Chords". www.ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  19. ↑ Adams, Gregory. "Hear AVENGED SEVENFOLD's ZACKY VENGEANCE go country on debut solo song "Dark Horse"". Revolver. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
  20. ↑ Kies, Chris. "Avenged Sevenfold Gear Guide: Gates, Vengeance, Christ - Premier Guitar". www.premierguitar.com. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  21. ↑ "Avenged Sevenfold's Zacky Vengeance with a new familiarly styled signature guitar". Guitar World. 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  22. ↑ "Schecter launches Zacky Vengeance ZV-H6LLYW66D signature model following speculation of a Synyster Gates headless guitar". Guitar.com | All Things Guitar. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
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