Zac, I can't tell you how important it is that you are willing to share this history and knowledge. Some musicians and techs try to hide their secrets, and make it harder for the new guys to learn. Spreading the knowledge makes all of us better. No secrets here. Thanks man.
First I heard Brad, I thought he was just a singer, and maybe strummed acoustic as per usual and I heard this killer guitar stuff so I went to look, who was this killer axe player in his band. Oh! Brad does all that stuff himself? Hot dog! That boy got mad skills on the six-string. Dang
Hi Zac. I’ve been fascinated with Brad for years. Just a phenomenal talent. What an incredible experience that must have been for you. You are so generous to share it all with us. Keep up the good work.
Two things I learned from this: Brad is great because of the talented people he surrounds himself with and I never want to tech for anyone, I need more sleep!🤘😜
The algorithm brought me here. I am so impressed by your humility. It reminds me of how we all have times when we need help and all the people in our lives that help us get through the challenges. It’s really something that you remember people’s names and thank them. People need to be reminded that none of us succeed alone, and that there’s no shame in asking for help. Thanks.
i love that youtube is recommending smaller channels about stuff i'm actually interested in. you strike me as a very grateful individual. I hope youtube serves you well.
Wow, really enjoyed this Zac! Great stories and insights into working with Brad, an artist I really admire, and the varied responsibilities of a pro guitar tech. So glad I found your channel, thank you!
This was really fun. One things that stands out to me is that you and Brad HAD to have a lot of good relationship (friendship in this case) and TRUST for things to go well in that performance format. Really great stories. Thank you for sharing, Zac.
I got to meet you around 2004 when Brad and Sara Evans we’re touring. Thanks for taking time to chat with me and my 4 year old son before the show. You made this gear geek’s day, and my little guy’s too. When he saw you hold Old Pink in front of him, he glowed. Thanks sir
Thank you very much Zac. Great narrative style of yours with interesting background stories about Brad. What I knew that Brad is one of the few singers who also plays excellent on the tele - and this with an outstanding sound! Always - so this is thanks to you! All the best Zac
This is the best show on the internet, I started 'trying' to play 5 years ago ( I'm 57 now ) and every avenue I've been down ends with one answer 'Telecaster' ! Thankfully because of the show I have now a new found respect for so many players, within the Telecaster scene, keep up the good work and a big thank you from Scotland !
That shirt should be re-released!! LMAO! That’s AWESOME!!.... I dig Brad and Keith Urban because they are true musicians! There’s so much more to being a guitar player than knowing a few chords and trying to look cool! These guys constantly challenge themselves to get better!!
Zac, the True Tone Lounge videos are probably the single best content on youtube. This is a close second. One suggestion for a video is talking about the Vox vs Fender school of more traditional country pickers.
Zac: No question here, just a comment. I dig your vids + the info you convey, but most of all, I appreciate that you respond to your followers' questions. That's class, my man.
At 22:47, I'm gonna guess Zak is referring to rascal Flatts . I went to see Brad and the rascals by myself at the Fulton county Fair in wauseon Ohio during that tour labor day weekend when the "fishing" song was #1. Brad and his band was spot on perfect, the rascals was a rock show, gigantic bottom end bass/drums and Joe-don played a black EVH going through a twin that kept messing up and never played a clean tone the entire set. At that time, Brad's steel guitar player was actually from wauseon Ohio. The keyboard player was set up in the boat, lol. Brad and his band's show was phenomenal. Very cool video Zak 👌👌
Man, I am such a fan of your Vintage Guitar columns and the Truetone Lounge interviews. How in the world am I JUST now learning about your own channel?!?! So glad to have found it.
A pleasant surprise to see this TH-cam video, congrats to you for persevering and succeeding in the Music world Zac! Watching this I couldn’t help but recall the time, many years ago, jamming with you at “Music Man” in Kingsville TX!
Man I love the Deluxe Reverb tremolo! Sweet tone from that Tele and Deluxe pair! Love that shirt! Very informative video. Must have made some very tiring yet rewarding days.
The tip about playing acoustic and finger picking to a click track and slowing it down to see how off you are is priceless ! Subbed , Thank you for the great content
This just showed up in my TH-cam feed and brought back some fond memories of our time on tour together. You had a tough gig and you handled with great talent and class. I hope all is well in your world. I will check out some of your other videos. :)
Nothing like trial by fire. What a time, frightening at the moment but rich in memories today. I am just now (past 10 years) of taking this path of the electric. Makes picking out a fine acoustic guitar child’s play. So many variables for amp to (fill in the blank of hundreds of variants that affect tone). Should have been obsessed with electrics when I was younger. Damn folk music! I blame Early Bob Dylan, Robert Johnson and John Fahey for that.
Loving these videos…Sorry late to the party here. As a metal and jazz fan I wasn’t familiar at all w/Brad’s music or Zach. However, seeing Zach recently on another YT channel and playing the BP Esquire I’ve now been enlightened by both. Teles & Esquires are my favorite guitars and I own a Fender CS 59’ relic which was a bit of a dream guitar for me. I have to say though that years after it’s release I found that the black sparkle Fender road worn BP Esquire is not far off for a Mexican Made instrument. My understanding is that it has a CS pup in the bridge in addition to the SD Secret Agent under the guard (correct me if I’m wrong here). That sandwich body is not only super light (oh boy 6 lbs maybe?), it was very resonant to boot! I may have to not only pick one of these up but I may just check out some of Brad’s music. Thanks for introducing me to some new stuff Zach!
Brad's a huge inspiration to me. It's really cool that you worked for him. Hope you guys are still on good terms :) as far as I hear from people, he's still really cool.
Zac, I am now considering investing in a 15” speaker and cab to switch between with my 12” speaker and cab. How night-and-day is switching between a 12” and a 15” speaker - say, keeping the same amp and settings, but switching between songs in a given set or during parts of a song? Perhaps, rhythm on a 15” and a solo on a 12”, instead of engaging a boost or other pedal to cut in the mix. (I only have experience with 10” and 12” speakers.) Also, thanks for putting one of my questions into a video of yours. Even more, thank you for fielding so many of my questions over the years. You are truly an asset to the online Country guitar community.
Josh, FYI, we did not have a speaker switcher at that point. We would just move the speaker cable to another cab during soundcheck. To me, a 15" just sounds smoother and bigger than a 12". I feel like it also is less beam-y. Meaning the 15" disperses sound better than the 12'. I love a 15", I just don't like to carry them around. My favorite 15" is the EVM 15L. They are VERY heavy. I used to play through (2) Lab Series L9 amps, each with a EV 15". I used a TC Chorus to split the signal, and had a Deluxe Memory Man in front of that. I got tired of the weight, not the tone.
Those were the days! My days, when i did my best playing, were roughly 1958 to 1970. Harmony h1260, and, h48 stratotone. Today, telecasters. Harmonys as collectors
I have been a huge BP fan since the beginning. I remember the tour with the bass boat. Pretty cool stage setup. I probably saw you during that era. I was at all the fan club shows. I almost had Bill Crook build me the exact guitar that you are holding. I still want one. I bought a Prescription ES from the Nashville Guitar Center. It was beautiful and mint, but WAY too much for my living room. Lol. You obviously did some great work for him in those years. This video is what introduced me to your channel. Love it. Keep up the good work.
@@AskZac The ones I went to were the ones he had across the street and upstairs from the original Gruhn Guitars building on Broadway, then the next year was at the Ryman Auditorium. I must have missed the one in Franklin. I guess I should have said a couple of the fan club shows. LOL
That was great Zac, I'm a big Brad Paisley fan. I have the paisley drive but no fender telecaster just a firefly. But your playing and tone is great also.
Thanks Zac great video. I really love all the work you do and was very excited to stumble across your channel. Keep up the great work. Love the paisley tele by the way.
I just discover Country music, it did not really came averseas to France (not much I'd rather say), but your show is good and help to discover. Thanks and keep on "countrin"..
Hey Zac, just found your channel and subscribed. I love the story you shared working with Brad. Hey quick question. Can you share with us Brad's picking style, how he holds his pick etc? Can you also teach us his particular technique of his amazing soloing up and down the neck? Any further information you can share is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jason
Hi ! I’m a strat man ! And recently I tried the brad esquire with the Seymour Duncan secret agent and I totally fall in love with that guitar more tan the Telecaster… I own her now 🙏 there’s something magic in this esquire 😍😍😍😍 I can’t tell anymore I’m a strat man of course I’m in love with my srv but I found a new baby ! I discover your channel and I really appreciate your job thanks for what you do it’s so interesting ! Greetings for France 🇫🇷
@@bryonkidder6199 Hey Bryon, The SG is next. So much history, so much work for each. Maybe Zac and I can do your P90 history. Difference is I'd have to study up and Zac, well, he just knows all this stuff. :)
I used to put dimarzio sdhp's in my guitars back in the late 70s, going through a head and 4x12 cabinet. I wish my current setup of a tele through a low wattage 1x12 combo was with me back then.
I have seen Brad twice and his tech has their hands full. I don't think i have ever seen an artist or band roll from one hit to the next as quickly. The last note is fading from one song as he swaps guitars and leans right into the next song. So many guitar swaps, all seamless. Also, he has great live tone. He played for what seemed like two hours and i dont think he missed a note.
Love your show brother Zac! I recently found out Brad is a brother Mason and Shriner. I'd love to meet him one day. Seems like a great guy to be around!
Love your channel and your relationships with artists. Pete Anderson is a great guy and amazing player. I tried to get that black esquire from him. Great info and authentic playing. Tremendous pressure teaching For Brad I'm sure, its amazing how calm you are. Glad I found your channel.
Very interesting to hear what it was like working for Brad..i got to see him in Concert back in 2007 in Nova Scotia. Right after that concert I put in an order for a blue paisley sparkle with g-bender. Unfortunately I ended up selling it...5 kids and a wife Lol. I emailed Bill the other day about another future build hopefully someday. Now I'm playing a $300 Harley Benton TE-52..pretty good little guitar for the price. I have my eye on the Paisley Fender Esquire. I work as a custodian at a local high school with 2-10 p.m shifts so when I get home at night I put in my headphones and watch You Tube vids. I was trying not to wake my wife last night at the end of your segment when reading the back of the T-shirt, really made me laugh! Any way, keep up the great work Zac!
You mentioned Porter Wagner. I remember a singer on his show with hips and wore among others polka dot dresses. Lady Dolly Pardon. Porter wasn't the most talented singer but someone had enough intelligence to hire Dolly. I'm so glad they did.
Great content zac! Keep the videos coming. Informative and love the stories and details. Have any stories about how you’ve settled on the Teles you own? As in what you look for in feel and tone (all personal preference/subjective I know but interesting none the less), I know you’ve talked about neck pickups, any videos on bridge pickups?
Ha, I cracked up at that shirt. I remember seeing Brad back in about 2004 at a country festival. Think Keith Urban was on the same bill...totally blown away.
Thanks for this, really enjoy the stories as Brad is my #1 inspiration for learning electric guitar. I have a frankinstien tele i just installed Le Brea pickups and they sound so good! I also have a Paisley drive Deluxe and a Dr Z Nova. Look forward to more of these videos 💯👌🎸🎶
You are welcome Zac. I found an old YT vid I did in 2012. The year I heard my first Brad Paisley CD. I actually had it for a year and never listened to it. I was hooked right away and bought everything he recorded. So here is my first venture into playing Country "I'll Take You Back" (Last couple minutes of the vid I play it all up to speed) I need to re do this with my Crook guitars. LOL th-cam.com/video/oTjGLF4YJ8E/w-d-xo.html
Zac, Love all your vids, but this video was awesome! I’m a HUGE BP fan! My parents actually went to school with Mark, Brad’s Monitor Engineer, so I’ve gotten to know quite a bit through him! Keep up the great work!
Hi Zac, I am a bit late to the party, but I am starting to catch up with your videos on this channel. I would just like to thank you for making these videos, they are great :)
QUESTION: What does a .47 orange capacitor do to a telecaster's tone knob? Can it be used on a stratocaster. I own a Fender American Professional Telecaster and a Fender new American Vintage tele, a replica of a 1964 tele. Could orange drop capacitors help either of them. They already sound great. Thanks. I enjoy your interviews of session guitarists. Lots of knowledge there for the asking.
This is gonna be long, but man, I want to tell you my story. First of all, your channel is awesome. Thank you! Here we go. In 2018, I bought a beautiful Telecaster copy from a website. It is double bound, surf green, with maple neck and FB. I wanted to put all top notch electronics, pickups, and Fender Deluxe locking tuners in it. Well I pulled the neck off for some reason, and when I went to bolt it back on, it flopped around in the pocket like a BB in a boxcar. So I found a site that sold name brand guitars by part. So for some reason I thought a good Fender neck would fit that "copy" body's pocket. Guess what! Another BB in a boxcar! 😆 So, I said Im this far in, Im going all the way. So I went back to that site, and ordered a beautiful lake placid blue Fender body. With a white guard and modern bridge. It had good electronics in it, but not what I was after. I wanted a vintage style Tele, so i ordered me a 3 brass saddle vintage Fender Tele bridge. Well, Ive loved Brad Paisley's tone since he started. Especially his pink paisley! So I did a little research, and found out Bill Crook used Peter Florance pickups in some of Brad's custom guitar builds. So I went through an ordeal getting them, but finally got what Peter called the "Paisley set". Its a VooDoo TE59 lead I believe, and I never have been able to pin down what the neck pickup is actually called. Lol. All the specs were pretty secretive on them. So, I got this cool guitar almost back together, with a cool black guard, and vintage hardware. Then I had some health problems hit me, and never finished getting the final touches done on it. Then I started going through some pretty bad depression, and just lost all motivation to play guitar period. I even put my beautiful 2010 Martin D-28 "Irene" in her case, and didnt even crack that case open for over 2 years. Well, I finally got the D-28 out a few months back, and played it a little. Still cant really get motivated to hit it hard again. I kick myself for not finishing that Tele! I think since then, Peter Florance has passed away. Now here I am with a custom set he wired, that have never even been plugged in. Anyway, Im still trying to get that motivation back, so I can finish this Telecaster, and hear those sweet pickups. Channels like yours are helping me with that though, and I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge about the King of ALL electric guitars. Sorry this is such a long post, but I just wanted to share my story. Thought you might like hearing it, and join in, along with myself, in helping me kick my own butt! Haha! Thanks again Zac! Keep making these videos Buddy. Later!
First time on your channel. I heard the intro music and thought, "that sounds like some stuff I had to learn in college..." I'm also a Belmont alum so it makes sense. Great video!
@@AskZac I had Pell for a semester and he was my ensemble director for two semesters. I made the "John Pell shreds" videos which was probably stupid to do. I also ran a Twitter page with all his out of context quotes and analogies. I graduated in 2016 so that's fairly recent but I did get to talk to Chad Weaver a little and hear how Belmont was back in the day. Interesting stuff.
Thank you Zak. Very interesting. I allways enjoy back stage facts. That was very well presented. How are you getting on with the B bender that Joe fitted on you Paisley tele? That olso was very interesting. He seemed to be a really nice guy.
Sorry that I didn’t know your background as a tech! Not that I can respect a man any more with a Tele and a Deluxe. This is a superb channel for the player and music lover alike. Appreciate all of your insight.
I know I’m a little late to the party here, but great video! The clip of Conway Twitty doing “Working Girl” is great, but it’s actually a guy named Lee Houston on pedal steel. He was Conway’s pedal steel guitarist before John Hughey.
Awesome show! I too love teles thru combos with V30s, greenbacks and alnico blues. Did Keeley ever talk mods with you? Specifically for Boss pedals? Thanks bro. Love your channel
Thanks for the response Zac! You mentioned the way huge delay brad used...I was gifted an old CM delayla...any experience with those? Want to dial in a cool fast slap on it. It's interesting. Any tips?
To get your delay to be like the way Brad uses the Aqua Puss, set it for 1 repeat, and set the repeat volume to about 30%. Then set the delay to be really soon after the original note. That is for a slapback echo setting.
Sweet! Thanks a lot zac...keep your channel goin... I'm a subscriber 😎 Also...been looking at a keeley Memphis pedal, seems interesting, any feedback on that?
On that closing part of the video's note, can you talk about Paisleys Wood? What are Brad's Paisley guitars made out of? You've talked about the maple cap necks before, but I don't remember anything about the bodies. Are they Ash or Alder?
The T-shirt fubar reminds me of the Stonehenge stage prop fiasco in the Spinal Tap movie. Yep, you have a one of a kind collectors item. Sounds like being a guitar tech wasn't just about guitars!
Zac, I can't tell you how important it is that you are willing to share this history and knowledge. Some musicians and techs try to hide their secrets, and make it harder for the new guys to learn. Spreading the knowledge makes all of us better. No secrets here. Thanks man.
Your show is peaceful, insightful, and Makes a bad day when they come, manageable
Pro trick: you can watch movies on kaldrostream. Me and my gf have been using them for watching lots of of movies these days.
@Solomon Bowie yup, been watching on KaldroStream for years myself =)
First I heard Brad, I thought he was just a singer, and maybe strummed acoustic as per usual and I heard this killer guitar stuff so I went to look, who was this killer axe player in his band. Oh! Brad does all that stuff himself? Hot dog! That boy got mad skills on the six-string. Dang
That story bout the “gone fishin”shirt was hilarious.
Hi Zac. I’ve been fascinated with Brad for years. Just a phenomenal talent. What an incredible experience that must have been for you. You are so generous to share it all with us. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much!
Two things I learned from this: Brad is great because of the talented people he surrounds himself with and I never want to tech for anyone, I need more sleep!🤘😜
I had a lot of fun too. And you couldn’t outwork Brad. He is a very hard worker.
The algorithm brought me here. I am so impressed by your humility. It reminds me of how we all have times when we need help and all the people in our lives that help us get through the challenges. It’s really something that you remember people’s names and thank them. People need to be reminded that none of us succeed alone, and that there’s no shame in asking for help. Thanks.
THANKS!
i love that youtube is recommending smaller channels about stuff i'm actually interested in. you strike me as a very grateful individual. I hope youtube serves you well.
Thank you for watching and the kind words, Steve.
Wow, really enjoyed this Zac! Great stories and insights into working with Brad, an artist I really admire, and the varied responsibilities of a pro guitar tech. So glad I found your channel, thank you!
Brad's phenomenal. Great talent and seems like a good guy too. Hard to find these days. Digging your channel. Keep up the good work.
Clicked the video because I’m a Brad fan and gear head...now after seeing your humble style and obvious talents I’m a fan you. Subscribed!
I am grateful. Thank you!. I am a Brad fan too!
This was really fun. One things that stands out to me is that you and Brad HAD to have a lot of good relationship (friendship in this case) and TRUST for things to go well in that performance format. Really great stories. Thank you for sharing, Zac.
I got to meet you around 2004 when Brad and Sara Evans we’re touring. Thanks for taking time to chat with me and my 4 year old son before the show. You made this gear geek’s day, and my little guy’s too. When he saw you hold Old Pink in front of him, he glowed. Thanks sir
I remember! That was a good day
Thank you very much Zac. Great narrative style of yours with interesting background stories about Brad. What I knew that Brad is one of the few singers who also plays excellent on the tele - and this with an outstanding sound! Always - so this is thanks to you! All the best Zac
Thank you so much for watching, and the kind words.
This is the best show on the internet, I started 'trying' to play 5 years ago ( I'm 57 now ) and every avenue I've been down ends with one answer 'Telecaster' ! Thankfully because of the show I have now a new found respect for so many players, within the Telecaster scene, keep up the good work and a big thank you from Scotland !
Thank you so much, Gibson!
That was a great trip down memory lane. Thanks for the shout out, we had a lot of fun back than.
We did!!! Thanks, Bill!!!
Hey Bill!
@@ronelliott7262 Hi Ron, Hope all is well with you
@@ronelliott7262 Hi Ron Hope all is well with you
That shirt should be re-released!! LMAO! That’s AWESOME!!.... I dig Brad and Keith Urban because they are true musicians! There’s so much more to being a guitar player than knowing a few chords and trying to look cool! These guys constantly challenge themselves to get better!!
Spot on!!
That was a great story, Zach. Thanks for sharing. Really a unique and insightful glimpse into a day on the road of a big production.
My pleasure!
Zac, the True Tone Lounge videos are probably the single best content on youtube. This is a close second. One suggestion for a video is talking about the Vox vs Fender school of more traditional country pickers.
Great topic! Going on the list. Thanks
Zac: No question here, just a comment. I dig your vids + the info you convey, but most of all, I appreciate that you respond to your followers' questions. That's class, my man.
I appreciate that!
At 22:47, I'm gonna guess Zak is referring to rascal Flatts . I went to see Brad and the rascals by myself at the Fulton county Fair in wauseon Ohio during that tour labor day weekend when the "fishing" song was #1. Brad and his band was spot on perfect, the rascals was a rock show, gigantic bottom end bass/drums and Joe-don played a black EVH going through a twin that kept messing up and never played a clean tone the entire set. At that time, Brad's steel guitar player was actually from wauseon Ohio. The keyboard player was set up in the boat, lol. Brad and his band's show was phenomenal. Very cool video Zak 👌👌
I can say no more......
hey zac, been a fan of your Trutone interviews for some years now. glad I found your channel hear as well. solid content, my friend
Thank you so much, Darrien!
I could listen to these askzac videos all day...
Thank you!
That t-shirt was a Stone Hedge moment from Spinal Tap.
Man, I am such a fan of your Vintage Guitar columns and the Truetone Lounge interviews. How in the world am I JUST now learning about your own channel?!?! So glad to have found it.
Stanley, Thank you so much, and so glad you found it. If you don't mind, please spread the word.
@@AskZac I shall do my best!
You have an amazing speaking voice. Calm, clear, relaxing.
Just discovered your channel Zac....really digging the variety of content, the stories, the tech tips and most of all your playing !
Very interesting to say the least. I’m a drummer half ass but enjoyed your intellect and insight on the guitar and equipment.
Gracias!
A pleasant surprise to see this TH-cam video, congrats to you for persevering and succeeding in the Music world Zac! Watching this I couldn’t help but recall the time, many years ago, jamming with you at “Music Man” in Kingsville TX!
I remember that well, Beau. And you coming over to my parents house in Riviera to jam. Always loved your playing and singing.
Ask Zac Zac that means a lot I sure appreciate it
I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed these stories.
Thanks for sharing Zac! I look forward to these every week.
You are so welcome, Michael.
Man I love the Deluxe Reverb tremolo! Sweet tone from that Tele and Deluxe pair! Love that shirt! Very informative video. Must have made some very tiring yet rewarding days.
Good days
Did not know you play guitar! Thank you for this episode. Really appreciate what you are doing for the guitar world.
Thanks! And I appreciate you taking the time to watch.
Another great show Zac! Excellent variety of topics. Look forward to next weeks. Cheers
Thanks, Ky!
The tip about playing acoustic and finger picking to a click track and slowing it down to see how off you are is priceless ! Subbed , Thank you for the great content
Thanks for subscribing. Yes, that is a great thing to practice
This just showed up in my TH-cam feed and brought back some fond memories of our time on tour together. You had a tough gig and you handled with great talent and class. I hope all is well in your world. I will check out some of your other videos. :)
Jeff! So great to hear from you. You were so kind to me on the B&D tour. Thank you for the kind words
Nothing like trial by fire. What a time, frightening at the moment but rich in memories today. I am just now (past 10 years) of taking this path of the electric. Makes picking out a fine acoustic guitar child’s play. So many variables for amp to (fill in the blank of hundreds of variants that affect tone). Should have been obsessed with electrics when I was younger. Damn folk music! I blame Early Bob Dylan, Robert Johnson and John Fahey for that.
It is a fun journey we are all on. Enlightenment is around every corner
Loving these videos…Sorry late to the party here. As a metal and jazz fan I wasn’t familiar at all w/Brad’s music or Zach.
However, seeing Zach recently on another YT channel and playing the BP Esquire I’ve now been enlightened by both.
Teles & Esquires are my favorite guitars and I own a Fender CS 59’ relic which was a bit of a dream guitar for me.
I have to say though that years after it’s release I found that the black sparkle Fender road worn BP Esquire is not far off for a Mexican Made instrument. My understanding is that it has a CS pup in the bridge in addition to the SD Secret Agent under the guard (correct me if I’m wrong here).
That sandwich body is not only super light (oh boy 6 lbs maybe?), it was very resonant to boot!
I may have to not only pick one of these up but I may just check out some of Brad’s music.
Thanks for introducing me to some new stuff Zach!
I enjoyed the stories....thank you . Keep them coming please .
Thanks! I will keep them coming. Make sure and subscribe.
Brad's a huge inspiration to me. It's really cool that you worked for him. Hope you guys are still on good terms :) as far as I hear from people, he's still really cool.
Still on good terms! And yes, he has always been a good guy.
Just found your channel, Zac. You keep it interesting and easy to follow along!
Thanks, Mike!
Stellar and entertaining video and stories my friend! I'll keep-a-watchin!
Thanks, Michael!!
Zac, I am now considering investing in a 15” speaker and cab to switch between with my 12” speaker and cab. How night-and-day is switching between a 12” and a 15” speaker - say, keeping the same amp and settings, but switching between songs in a given set or during parts of a song? Perhaps, rhythm on a 15” and a solo on a 12”, instead of engaging a boost or other pedal to cut in the mix. (I only have experience with 10” and 12” speakers.)
Also, thanks for putting one of my questions into a video of yours. Even more, thank you for fielding so many of my questions over the years. You are truly an asset to the online Country guitar community.
Josh, FYI, we did not have a speaker switcher at that point. We would just move the speaker cable to another cab during soundcheck. To me, a 15" just sounds smoother and bigger than a 12". I feel like it also is less beam-y. Meaning the 15" disperses sound better than the 12'. I love a 15", I just don't like to carry them around. My favorite 15" is the EVM 15L. They are VERY heavy. I used to play through (2) Lab Series L9 amps, each with a EV 15". I used a TC Chorus to split the signal, and had a Deluxe Memory Man in front of that. I got tired of the weight, not the tone.
Hey Zac, looks like a bass V1 in the background… that’s worth a conversation of its own!!!
There is a whole episode on it. th-cam.com/video/qTOfrAfNCXQ/w-d-xo.html
Great Journey! T-shirt SNAFU is like Spinal Tap's 18" Stonehenge sculpture. How about some Zac Merch?
Thank you! I'll start thinking about some merch
Those were the days! My days, when i did my best playing, were roughly 1958 to 1970. Harmony h1260, and, h48 stratotone. Today, telecasters. Harmonys as collectors
I have been a huge BP fan since the beginning. I remember the tour with the bass boat. Pretty cool stage setup. I probably saw you during that era. I was at all the fan club shows. I almost had Bill Crook build me the exact guitar that you are holding. I still want one. I bought a Prescription ES from the Nashville Guitar Center. It was beautiful and mint, but WAY too much for my living room. Lol. You obviously did some great work for him in those years. This video is what introduced me to your channel. Love it. Keep up the good work.
Did you go to the one at the Factory in Franklin?
@@AskZac The ones I went to were the ones he had across the street and upstairs from the original Gruhn Guitars building on Broadway, then the next year was at the Ryman Auditorium. I must have missed the one in Franklin. I guess I should have said a couple of the fan club shows. LOL
Awesome story telling! Great video, thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Love the relaxed & informative vibe of your channel.
Thanks!
Love the recollections…especially the t-shirt story ! 😂
That was great Zac, I'm a big Brad Paisley fan. I have the paisley drive but no fender telecaster just a firefly. But your playing and tone is great also.
Thanks Zac great video. I really love all the work you do and was very excited to stumble across your channel. Keep up the great work. Love the paisley tele by the way.
Thanks, Freddy. Bill Crook did a great job on it
Great stories. Brad has always seemed like the nicest guy and he’s clearly a gun slinger on those Teles. What an awesome experience.
Great vid. I love the fact you are actually thinking about what you are saying and contemplating things. Not much of that on TH-cam!
Thank you
I just discover Country music, it did not really came averseas to France (not much I'd rather say), but your show is good and help to discover. Thanks and keep on "countrin"..
Hey Zac, just found your channel and subscribed. I love the story you shared working with Brad. Hey quick question. Can you share with us Brad's picking style, how he holds his pick etc? Can you also teach us his particular technique of his amazing soloing up and down the neck? Any further information you can share is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jason
He used a medium pick and his fingers for years, then more recently he started using a heavy Ernie Ball pick
Hi ! I’m a strat man ! And recently I tried the brad esquire with the Seymour Duncan secret agent and I totally fall in love with that guitar more tan the Telecaster… I own her now 🙏 there’s something magic in this esquire 😍😍😍😍 I can’t tell anymore I’m a strat man of course I’m in love with my srv but I found a new baby ! I discover your channel and I really appreciate your job thanks for what you do it’s so interesting ! Greetings for France 🇫🇷
Huge fan of “jazz on the back pickup” Paisley. Wore out the instrumental album!
All before I knew you. Go figure!
five watt world I love that album too. Thanks, Keith
Still waiting for "A Short History of...." P90's...lol
@@bryonkidder6199 Hey Bryon, The SG is next. So much history, so much work for each. Maybe Zac and I can do your P90 history. Difference is I'd have to study up and Zac, well, he just knows all this stuff. :)
I used to put dimarzio sdhp's in my guitars back in the late 70s, going through a head and 4x12 cabinet. I wish my current setup of a tele through a low wattage 1x12 combo was with me back then.
lighter to carry, and less taxing on the ears
I have seen Brad twice and his tech has their hands full. I don't think i have ever seen an artist or band roll from one hit to the next as quickly. The last note is fading from one song as he swaps guitars and leans right into the next song. So many guitar swaps, all seamless. Also, he has great live tone.
He played for what seemed like two hours and i dont think he missed a note.
Good stuff. Thanks. I look forward to the next episode!
Thank you, Chris.
Love your show brother Zac! I recently found out Brad is a brother Mason and Shriner. I'd love to meet him one day. Seems like a great guy to be around!
Zac didn't know you had your own channel. Found out from the Truetone channel. This is totally awesome! Subscribed
Thank you!!!!
Love your channel and your relationships with artists. Pete Anderson is a great guy and amazing player. I tried to get that black esquire from him. Great info and authentic playing. Tremendous pressure teaching For Brad I'm sure, its amazing how calm you are. Glad I found your channel.
Very interesting to hear what it was like working for Brad..i got to see him in Concert back in 2007 in Nova Scotia. Right after that concert I put in an order for a blue paisley sparkle with g-bender. Unfortunately I ended up selling it...5 kids and a wife Lol. I emailed Bill the other day about another future build hopefully someday. Now I'm playing a $300 Harley Benton TE-52..pretty good little guitar for the price. I have my eye on the Paisley Fender Esquire. I work as a custodian at a local high school with 2-10 p.m shifts so when I get home at night I put in my headphones and watch You Tube vids. I was trying not to wake my wife last night at the end of your segment when reading the back of the T-shirt, really made me laugh! Any way, keep up the great work Zac!
You mentioned Porter Wagner. I remember a singer on his show with hips and wore among others polka dot dresses. Lady Dolly Pardon. Porter wasn't the most talented singer but someone had enough intelligence to hire Dolly. I'm so glad they did.
Great content zac! Keep the videos coming. Informative and love the stories and details.
Have any stories about how you’ve settled on the Teles you own? As in what you look for in feel and tone (all personal preference/subjective I know but interesting none the less), I know you’ve talked about neck pickups, any videos on bridge pickups?
Great idea. Going on the list! Thanks for watching.
Another great video! Your tele sounds really good to that deluxe reverb. Is the deluxe reverb stock?
clipped the bright cap, and a Celestion v30 speaker. Otherwise stock.
Great payoff at the end! Was cracking up. Was great to hear your backstory. Keep these videos coming!
I will. Thank you for watching it.
Ha, I cracked up at that shirt.
I remember seeing Brad back in about 2004 at a country festival. Think Keith Urban was on the same bill...totally blown away.
Great story Zac. Touring with Brad Paisley must have been extraordinary. I laughed out load when you were talking about the t-shirt!
It was!
Thanks for this, really enjoy the stories as Brad is my #1 inspiration for learning electric guitar. I have a frankinstien tele i just installed Le Brea pickups and they sound so good! I also have a Paisley drive Deluxe and a Dr Z Nova. Look forward to more of these videos 💯👌🎸🎶
I am going to check out those pickups soon!
Enjoyed that! Thank you so very much, and greetings from Scotland 👍
You are very welcome! Thank you for watching.
I can’t believe they did a production run without send a final version first. Good story!
I can't either
Thanks Zac. Love all your interviews and stories.
Glad you like them!
That t-shirt story is awesome! Very "Spinal Tap"!
Great video Zac! Loved it. Keep up the great work! I also have one of those Tascam Phrase trainers. Loved that story you told.
Thank you, David
You are welcome Zac. I found an old YT vid I did in 2012. The year I heard my first Brad Paisley CD. I actually had it for a year and never listened to it. I was hooked right away and bought everything he recorded. So here is my first venture into playing Country "I'll Take You Back" (Last couple minutes of the vid I play it all up to speed) I need to re do this with my Crook guitars. LOL th-cam.com/video/oTjGLF4YJ8E/w-d-xo.html
Zac,
Love all your vids, but this video was awesome! I’m a HUGE BP fan! My parents actually went to school with Mark, Brad’s Monitor Engineer, so I’ve gotten to know quite a bit through him! Keep up the great work!
Mark is such a great guy and I loved working with him.
Great insights and fascinating stories Zac, thanks for these videos!
You are welcome. Thank you for watching, Paul.
Hi Zac, I am a bit late to the party, but I am starting to catch up with your videos on this channel. I would just like to thank you for making these videos, they are great :)
Hello Zac ! Great stuff !! Could tell the story about your guitar your using : Thank you
Yes. I will tell the story of it in another episode.
QUESTION: What does a .47 orange capacitor do to a telecaster's tone knob? Can it be used on a stratocaster. I own a Fender American Professional Telecaster and a Fender new American Vintage tele, a replica of a 1964 tele. Could orange drop capacitors help either of them. They already sound great. Thanks. I enjoy your interviews of session guitarists. Lots of knowledge there for the asking.
It depends on if you are rolling down the tone knob or not. If you have that cap, solder it in and try it.
This is gonna be long, but man, I want to tell you my story. First of all, your channel is awesome. Thank you! Here we go. In 2018, I bought a beautiful Telecaster copy from a website. It is double bound, surf green, with maple neck and FB. I wanted to put all top notch electronics, pickups, and Fender Deluxe locking tuners in it. Well I pulled the neck off for some reason, and when I went to bolt it back on, it flopped around in the pocket like a BB in a boxcar. So I found a site that sold name brand guitars by part. So for some reason I thought a good Fender neck would fit that "copy" body's pocket. Guess what! Another BB in a boxcar! 😆 So, I said Im this far in, Im going all the way. So I went back to that site, and ordered a beautiful lake placid blue Fender body. With a white guard and modern bridge. It had good electronics in it, but not what I was after. I wanted a vintage style Tele, so i ordered me a 3 brass saddle vintage Fender Tele bridge. Well, Ive loved Brad Paisley's tone since he started. Especially his pink paisley! So I did a little research, and found out Bill Crook used Peter Florance pickups in some of Brad's custom guitar builds. So I went through an ordeal getting them, but finally got what Peter called the "Paisley set". Its a VooDoo TE59 lead I believe, and I never have been able to pin down what the neck pickup is actually called. Lol. All the specs were pretty secretive on them. So, I got this cool guitar almost back together, with a cool black guard, and vintage hardware. Then I had some health problems hit me, and never finished getting the final touches done on it. Then I started going through some pretty bad depression, and just lost all motivation to play guitar period. I even put my beautiful 2010 Martin D-28 "Irene" in her case, and didnt even crack that case open for over 2 years. Well, I finally got the D-28 out a few months back, and played it a little. Still cant really get motivated to hit it hard again. I kick myself for not finishing that Tele! I think since then, Peter Florance has passed away. Now here I am with a custom set he wired, that have never even been plugged in. Anyway, Im still trying to get that motivation back, so I can finish this Telecaster, and hear those sweet pickups. Channels like yours are helping me with that though, and I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge about the King of ALL electric guitars. Sorry this is such a long post, but I just wanted to share my story. Thought you might like hearing it, and join in, along with myself, in helping me kick my own butt! Haha! Thanks again Zac! Keep making these videos Buddy. Later!
Those are killer pickups. Find a host!
Hey it’s Charlie Lou and Eli
. We are such big fans
I am a big fan of you guys!!! I hope to see y’all soon.
First time on your channel. I heard the intro music and thought, "that sounds like some stuff I had to learn in college..."
I'm also a Belmont alum so it makes sense. Great video!
I was a John Pell student. You?
@@AskZac I had Pell for a semester and he was my ensemble director for two semesters. I made the "John Pell shreds" videos which was probably stupid to do. I also ran a Twitter page with all his out of context quotes and analogies. I graduated in 2016 so that's fairly recent but I did get to talk to Chad Weaver a little and hear how Belmont was back in the day. Interesting stuff.
@@jaketurner3890 I just checked out the Pell stuff. FANTASTIC!!!! Kudos to you.
@@AskZac Thanks! I'd love to help if my limited experience is useful to you. Otherwise, I'll keep watching and telling people about your work.
That anecdote was like something out of Spinal Tap!
I loved the blue paisley Crook. Beautiful.
I did too
Great video! Any chance of a J.T. Corenflos interview down the road?
I’ll look into that for the Truetone Lounge
Thank you Zak. Very interesting. I allways enjoy back stage facts. That was very well presented. How are you getting on with the B bender that Joe fitted on you Paisley tele? That olso was very interesting. He seemed to be a really nice guy.
Love mine!
This is probably my favorite episode.
Sorry that I didn’t know your background as a tech! Not that I can respect a man any more with a Tele and a Deluxe. This is a superb channel for the player and music lover alike. Appreciate all of your insight.
Thank you so much, Michael
I know I’m a little late to the party here, but great video! The clip of Conway Twitty doing “Working Girl” is great, but it’s actually a guy named Lee Houston on pedal steel. He was Conway’s pedal steel guitarist before John Hughey.
There is a correction in the description
i loved all this insight of the day , thanks for sharing !!!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Awesome show! I too love teles thru combos with V30s, greenbacks and alnico blues.
Did Keeley ever talk mods with you? Specifically for Boss pedals? Thanks bro. Love your channel
I was just keeping everything working. I did not talk mods.
Thanks for the response Zac! You mentioned the way huge delay brad used...I was gifted an old CM delayla...any experience with those? Want to dial in a cool fast slap on it. It's interesting. Any tips?
To get your delay to be like the way Brad uses the Aqua Puss, set it for 1 repeat, and set the repeat volume to about 30%. Then set the delay to be really soon after the original note. That is for a slapback echo setting.
Sweet! Thanks a lot zac...keep your channel goin... I'm a subscriber 😎
Also...been looking at a keeley Memphis pedal, seems interesting, any feedback on that?
I liked the demos I heard on the Memphis. Saw one with Pete Anderson
Fish With Doo Doo LMAO, Classic Spinal Tap
Excellent story. Thanks!
On that closing part of the video's note, can you talk about Paisleys Wood? What are Brad's Paisley guitars made out of? You've talked about the maple cap necks before, but I don't remember anything about the bodies. Are they Ash or Alder?
His old paisley is alder.
The T-shirt fubar reminds me of the Stonehenge stage prop fiasco in the Spinal Tap movie. Yep, you have a one of a kind collectors item. Sounds like being a guitar tech wasn't just about guitars!
So much more
Zac,
Very enjoyable....keep 'em coming
I will! Thanks for watching.
Can't wait for this Zac!
It has some funny moments.