I forget to mention this in the previous post about album #6. Zao’s most lasting influence on my guitar playing from their album (Self-Titled) was my choice of fiddle. Scott Mellinger’s axe of choice was an ESP LTD Viper, so naturally I too played an ESP LTD Viper. He played a black one, but I found the red one more visually appealing. I actually had the chance to see Zao in high school and asked Scott why he plays the Viper, and he loved it so much that I had to get one. Here’s a picture of a younger, fatter, more poorly dressed, and unbearded me playing my old Viper:

I got the guitar for Christmas my freshman year of high schoolcollege (before that I played an Ibanez RG570) and kept it until the spring before my junior year ended. I sold it on eBay and bought a different guitar because of another guitar player I grew to admire. It’s a few albums before we get to him though so you’ll just have to wait to see…