Ask Zac – Details, episodes & analysis

The hardtail Strat is a different beast from it's tremolo equipped brother, with a tone, and feel of it's own. Today we look at the history, and spotlight the famous players, all with a beautiful 1957 hardtail Stratocaster.

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#askzac #hardtailstrat #stratocaster

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Vince Gill is at the top of his game. He recently completed a 4-night run at the Ryman where he played a three-and-a-half hour show each night, still singing & playing the songs in the same keys, or higher. Gill is some kind of superhero, as artists half his age could barely do this. Today we sit down with Vince, as he shares stories about some of his favorite guitars and a life well lived.

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#vincegill #telecaster #askzac

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

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A discussion with my friends, JD Simo, and Dan "Danocaster" Strain about how they set pickup height on Telecaster type guitars. The discussion begins with a look at Simo's 2nd Danocaster, and how he had just changed the pickups to a set of Budz 58s, that then evolves into a discussion on pickups as JD adjusts his new instrument. We also discuss pickups that favor harmonics over fundamental tones, and how JD and I love our Headstrong Lil King amps.

2023 Headstrong Lil' King with 12" Eminence GA-SC64 speaker
https://headstrongamps.com/lil-king-amp

Danocaster Guitars
https://danocaster.com/

#askzac #jdsimo #danocaster

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

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As I was contemplating my last AZ episode of 2021, I realized that 4 out of 5 of my top videos of the year were all focused on amps. So this episode both looks at the importance of amps and lends some additional insight into those amp videos. I take a look at my videos featuring the Deluxe Reverb, Tone Master Deluxe, Vibro Champ Reverb, and the episode on how small amps got big.

Gear for this video:

1957 Fender Esquire with added vintage neck pickup. Restoration and aging on the body by Dan "Danocaster" Strain. Rewind of bridge pickup by Ron Ellis.

Strings:
D'Addario NYXL 10-46

Pick:
D'Andrea Medium-Heavy

Amp:
1965 Deluxe Reverb with Celestion Vintage 30 speaker, and bright cap clipped on the vibrato channel.

Effects used:
amp verb

#askzac #guitartech #telecaster #askzac #guitartech #telecaster

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You don't change until you have to.....

I have always been an amp guy, and have always had a preference for tube amps. With a recent fly date I did with Paul Bogart, I ran into a situation that caused me to finally make the jump to using a direct setup. In the video, I cover how I began to see more and more of my friends and heroes go direct when the situation called for it. My solution was the Strymon Iridium with a Tone Junkie Celestion Vintage 30 IR pack. With it, I could get a nice BF Deluxe Reverb sound, along with the V30 IR to give me a sound I was comfortable with. Though others I spoke with used the Kemper or Line 6 HX, I chose the Strymon as it had actual knobs, and was much easier for me to use on the gig. 

This is my beginner's guide to going direct. 

Gear for this video
1957 Fender Esquire with an added neck pickup. Restoration and aging on the body by Dan "Danocaster" Strain. Bridge pickup re-wind by Ron Ellis

Strings:
D'Addario NYXL 10-46

Pick:
D'Andrea MH 351

Pedalboard
Turbo Tuner
Mirage Compressor
Karma MTN-10 Mostortion
Boss DM-3
Strymon Flint
Line 6 Echo Park
Strymon Iridium
9v power via Truetone CS6

JBL powered speakers for this video #askzac #guitartech #telecaster

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Robbie Robertson and The Band turned the music world on its collective ear with the release of Music From Big Pink. Extended guitar solos, fuzz, psychedelic references, and screaming vocals were nowhere to be found. Instead, the listener found the understated guitar, storytelling songs, thoughtful arrangements, and brother-like vocal harmonies. In today's player spotlight, we take a look at Robertson's early days with the Hawk, through the mid-era of The Band, mainly focusing on the period of time that Robertson played a Telecaster. We also take a look at the black Tele he was gifted by Dylan, which was modified through the years and was his main guitar through much of the Band era.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/65w...

Gear used:
1959 Fender Harvard with stock Jensen P10R

1957 Fender Esquire with added neck pickup. Restoration and aging on the body by Dan "Danocaster" Strain. Bridge re-wind by Ron Ellis

Strings:
D'Addario NYXL 10-46

Pick:
Medium-Heavy
#askzac  #robbierobertson  #telecaster

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Ever wondered why the amp world shifted from 100-watt amps to 25-watts or less? The short answer is the advancement of P.A. systems. In the not-so-distant past, the typical P.A.  was only capable of handling 2-3 vocal mics. Because of this, the guitar amp, and it alone, had to make the guitarist heard in whatever venue or situation they were in. This "amp dependency" was most often the case all the way up until the 1980s when it began to become more common for instrument amps to be reinforced through the more advanced P.A. systems that could handle the additional work. Thus the shift to smaller amps allowed the stage volume to be lowered and gave the vocalists a much-needed break.

A Celestion Blue Alnico speaker is in the amp for the entire video

Gear for this video
1957 Fender Esquire with an added neck pickup. Restoration and aging on the body by Dan "Danocaster" Strain. Bridge pickup re-wind by Ron Ellis

Strings:
D'Addario NYXL 10-46

Pick:
D'Andrea MH 351

Amp:
Fender '62 Princeton Amp - Chris Stapleton Edition #askzac #guitartech #telecaster

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I couldn't help myself, I had to mess with the amp that really did not to be messed with. In this video, I tell how using different tubes and speakers in the Chris Stapleton Princeton changed the sound. Just to be clear, I thought it was great out of the box, I just wanted to hear how the amp could be steered differently both in its gain, and tone.

An Eminence GB128 speaker is in the amp for the entire video

Gear for this video
1957 Fender Esquire with an added neck pickup. Restoration and aging on the body by Dan "Danocaster" Strain. Bridge pickup re-wind by Ron Ellis

Strings:
D'Addario NYXL 10-46

Pick:
D'Andrea MH 351

Amp:
Fender '62 Princeton Amp - Chris Stapleton Edition #askzac #guitartech #telecaster

Support the show

To Support the Channel:
Patreon  https://www.patreon.com/AskZac
Tip jar:  https://paypal.me/AskZac
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Or check out my store for merch  - www.askzac.com

Owning and loving both a 1965 Deluxe Reverb and a 1959 Harvard has caused me to become more and more curious about revisiting the brownface amps of 1960-1963. The last time I owned a brown amp, I was in High School. I looked around and realized that Fender had recently released a hand-wired 62 Princeton. Kindly, they sent me one to check out. In this video, I take a look at the history of the Princeton from the tweeds through the BF model, and of course, put Fender's new Chris Stapleton Edition amp through its paces. 

Gear for this video
1957 Fender Esquire with an added neck pickup. Restoration and aging on the body by Dan "Danocaster" Strain. Bridge pickup re-wind by Ron Ellis

Strings:
D'Addario NYXL 10-46

Pick:
D'Andrea MH 351

Amp:
Fender '62 Princeton Amp - Chris Stapleton Edition

Effects used:
Boss DM-2 Delay
Boss RV-2 Reverb on PLATE setting
#askzac #chrisstapletonprinceton #telecaster

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NRBQ was one of the most talented, versatile, and wacky groups to ever play together. From 1971-1994, Big Al Anderson held the guitar seat, usually with a Telecaster in hand. Al's singing, writing, and playing helped define the group during his 23-year stay, yet he was to go on to even greater heights as a hit songwriter in Nashville, TN. In today's spotlight, we cover his story, some bits of his playing, and the gear he has used through the years.

Tom Bukovac demonstrating Al's rhythm guitar style
   • Homeskoolin’ Volu... 

Spotify Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2p6...

Gear for this video
1957 Fender Esquire with an added neck pickup. Restoration and aging on the body by Dan "Danocaster" Strain. Bridge pickup re-wind by Ron Ellis

Strings:
D'Addario NYXL 10-46

Pick:
D'Andrea MH 351

Amp:
Fender '62 Princeton Amp - Chris Stapleton Edition

Effects used:
Boss DM-2 Delay
Boss VB-2W  Vibrato #askzac #guitartech #telecaster

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