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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ต.ค. 2024
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My dear friend and mentor, Bill McCumber, contacted me a couple of weeks ago saying he wanted to give me his 1967 factory-equipped Bigsby Telecaster. I was blown away, not just by the gift, but also remembering the many kindnesses Bill had done for me through the years. I share about Bill and the modifications that he had done to the guitar since he bought it from Clawson's Music in Corpus Christi, Texas in the mid-1960s. Through the years, it received an electronics upgrade from Bill Lawrence, who did the modifications himself, and a neck change to a mid-70s model.
I also show how Bill's Tele has aged differently from my 1967 Telecaster, as his 1967 has much less wear, yet is much darker due to the number of gigs he played in the smoke-filled Honky Tonks and Dance Halls of South Texas.
Book Nook Amazon link - Fender The Inside Story by Forrest White
amzn.to/3MidRQQ
Gear used:
1967 factory Bigsby-equipped Fender Telecaster with Bill Lawrence pickups, and a mid-70s neck.
2023 Headstrong Lil' King with 12" Eminence GA-SC64 speaker
headstrongamps...
Effects used:
Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay
#askzac #billlawrence #bigsbytelecaster
Bill McCumber
Thank you Zac for your comments on the tele. I have know Zac since his late teens. He used to come by the house and we would discuss guitars and pick some. I have never met a finer young gentleman. To give you an example. Many years ago, Zac was helping me load my gear into my van. Someone made a jokingly derogatory remark for Zac to tell me. Zac's reply was "i can't do that to Bill" . Those few words said everything you needed to know about Zac. Zac was taught well by his wonderful Mon & Dad. I am so proud of Zac's accomplishments. The gift of my favorite guitar of all times means as much to me as it does Zac. I know he will cherish it forever. Zac,
Ruth and I want to thank you for your heartfelt comments. Also thanks to all the wonderful comments from your viewers.
Love you Zac
'
Bill,
I am very grateful for your friendship, the lessons you taught me, and this wonderful guitar.
Respect & Love to you and Ruth.
Zac
What a wonderful gift to receive a treasured guitar from an even more treasured, mentor, and friend!
Nothing more special than an instrument passed down. About 15 years ago, my sister gave me her YAMAHA 12 string acoustic, which I always coveted. It was her first guitar, which she got in 1977. I’ve had it freshened up, and added a fishman transducer in the bridge. I converted it to the Rickenbacker string pattern, with the octave notes reversed. It travels the continent in the sleeper with me often.
Three cheers for Bill McCumber!
Fun with the TH-cam algorithm: I wasn't familiar w/ Bill when I watched this video a few weeks ago, but today YT suggested a video for me...Bill McCumber playing steel about 5 years ago!
Awesome that Bill wanted you to be the next care taker of that guitar. Someday, when it’s time for you to pass it along, you will need to choose the next care taker very wisely
that telecaster in your hands just sounds amazing. glad to see it’s been gifted with much love and respect and is being given just as much respect in return.
Zac, you have such a soft touch on your tele's. Your tone is your touch and I use only your sound on clean and ramp up from there.
What a Gift ! More than a guitar got passed down here. And then you share it all with us. Thank you !
I have a request, do you know Al Perkins signal chain along with the Son of Hyde ?, which I purchased, thanks to you.
It may be modified but it was very tastefully done. Add to that, it sounds amazing. Plus being a gift from a dear friend; you just won the lottery!🎸🎸 personally I think it looks best with the black guard.
Amazing guitar gift and truly well deserved!
Re: Forest White -- he lived not too far from where I do after he retired and I had the good fortune to meet him at an LA area vintage guitar show, not long before he passed away. He was very congenial and generous with his time and I have to chuckle and say he was still trying to set the record straight even during my conversation with him. I got his book shortly thereafter, great read about a time period in the history of Fender.
That is one of the best gifts you could ever receive and from a long-time friend and mentor makes it extra special. Your collection of teles just got a little more eclectic with this one. If I have been watching and keeping track correctly you don’t have one with a Bigsby. Awesome!!!!
It says a lot about the person you are to be entrusted with a guitar that was in someone's life for that long. Those are very special friendships. I'm sure you'll keep it's history alive.
Fabulous gift to a deserving cat…it’s a beautiful thing to both give and receive the gift of music…I’ve been on both sides of that equation and it’s heartwarming. Love the pickup selection arrangement; it just makes sense. Cheers, Zac!
Treasure Bill's Tele! No other guitar has the history and mojo of that one. We all reach that point when we realize that our guitars need a new home. For me, that time is several years away. I'm 71 and still gigging. When the time comes, I'll look for young, dedicated players who can't afford to buy the gear they need. Most of my Teles are Warmoths and are great guitars. I speced them to be light and resonant for toneful, responsive playing. When the time comes - and it shall.
What a priceless heirloom and a real working axe steeped in mojo. No better custodian for this to go to than Zac.
This is great,i played that guitar last year at his home!! Very cool Zac.
Quite the honor to be gifted a guitar from someone you respect
What a nice gift ,from a legend . Also ,Zac always has a way of telling the great old stories that us Fender fans crave . Way to go Zac.🎸👍
It couldn't have happened to a nicer person ! What a great gift ... sounds great!
Congratulations! Quite an honor to be selected as a caretaker of a cherished instrument. ❤
Zac! Been a player for over 61 years! Let me tell you, my friend ... THIS Telecaster is a KEEPER! God has blessed you with this beauty!
That's great! Bill holds you in high regard; the feeling is obviously mutual. Thanks for sharing Zac
That's a good friend you have there, Zak.
What a lovely little blessing. Couldn’t of happened to a nicer chap !
I can’t think of a better curator than Zak for this fine axe.
That's awesome! Something you will always love from someone you love.
Congratulations on your new guitar, what a kind man Bill must be. Wonderful video!
Very nice gesture from your friend Bill and that instrument sounds great. Mr. Lawrence did a great job in modifying it. How cool that you’ve become the steward of this guitar!
That’s just a great gift from your dear friend!
It says a lot about this man, but I do think his message to you is very clear, here: it says a lot about you too, Zac.
🖖
What a beautiful thing for Bill to have done. It shows just what a true gentleman & musician he is.
We could all use a "Bill McCumber" in our lives but Guitar players need a mentor more than they need Heroes.
How very generous of him. 👍🏼 It couldn't happen to a more generous fellow. 😉
I must admit, the sin i struggle with the most is envy. Congrats my friend.
I just love the chilled vibe on this channel. Now where can I get myself a tele!
Well that was really nice of your friend. I hope you poured out some chips for him!
I was also gifted a 1967 Telecaster, no Bigsby, rosewood fingerboard. Beautiful guitar
Terrific story…I would encourage everyone to research Bill Lawrence. Fascinating career.
I was once GIVEN a '65 Mustang by a student. It was pretty rough, but it was playable. I gave it to Travis, my stepson.
Wow Zac that baby sounds so good ! Great story and even better gift … thanks
Loved hearing the story of your relationship with Bill and also the demo of the guitar Zac! The out of phase sounds are super cool!
I was going to suggest a video with a bigsby equipped Tele and... I saw the video you released and it made me smile. Thanks for making and sharing this amazing content
Congratulations Zac. It is beautiful.
I have been gifted two telecasters in my life and I will say, there is nothing quite as good as the gift of a nice Tele❤
What a great tribute and gift. I’m always surprised at the similarities of our lives. There’s a pedal steel player backbone in Saskatchewan that brought me up just like Dian did with you. Thanks for sharing
I’m so playing a Kelton Swade with a bigsby myself love the tone a bigsby provides.
Zac, my MASTERBUILD CUSTOM SHOP BLUNGEON arrives tomorrow. A 2 year wait. In Tele heaven. That tele sounds great, much better than I thought. Love Bigsbys, I have 4.
Prefect for you as while you have some cool Teles, nothing like this. And then the whole history with Bill. You live a blessed life Zac.
That's a sweet sounding Tele. That neck pickup is heaven. ✌
Thank you once again! I love that you keep sending me down new rabbit holes.
That beautiful Telecaster is Gretsch killer!
What a sound with the Bigsby swell!!!!
That's a great sounding pickup mod - very rich and articulate... and noiseless of course!
Beautiful piece and played with great finesse.
...that is an insanely cool sounding Telecaster! ...and an amazing gift:)
What a great relationship you two have shared!
It sounds & looks fantastic
Wonderful story and wonderful guitar! Bill Lawrence was absolute pickup royalty! Keep up the great vids.
Very very cool. I'm a big fan of Bill Lawrence & his work RIP. His Wilde pickups are incredible & his family are still making them.
That's how you know it's for real. Zac said "...treasure it *forever & ever"* 😆👌 you only say that when you really mean it 👍
Nice history adding those Bill Lawrence pickups
Hey I recognize those pickups! I have an old Rickenbacker Model 59 lap steel, that someone modded for an aftermarket pickup just like that one but with a red strip on it instead of black. Pretty funny, I thought I might not see another pickup like that ever!
Edit: Just went and took a look at it, it's a Lawrence pickup! Funny I saw that name and went "huh must have been some 80's era cheapo brand." Never would have thought it was a real Bill Lawrence pickup! No wonder it sounds so good.
Beautiful bridge pickup tone!
I learned on That Pedal Show that early poly finished necks were still finished with nitro on the face of the headstock because they were having problems with incompatibility of the decal and the poly. Hence the orange headstock face.
Would love to know more about the specs and tone of the Lawrence pickups in there. They sounded incredible, but then again you alway get the best out of guitars
Yes on the above. Nitro over the logo. I believe they are modified ft145 pickups that normally were soundhole pickups for acoustics
@@AskZac humbuckers? Again they sure sound good
Your a blessed man!
I love the sound of those pickups! Great book too! I've always thought about how Forrest presented his viewpoint. On one hand, no one is the villain in their own story. On the other, I wonder how others would recount it. He was quite specific about certain events.
I love stories about new used modified guitars! Zac, you did great!
Well Lucky You!! Congratulations, and I'm sure the instrument will bring years of playing pleasure, which is of course what your friend Bill would want. Enjoy!!
Cool guitar and it sounds great. Thanks for sharing it with us!
That is a special Guitar 🎸
That sound is unique 🙌
Great guitar! You should do a sound comparison between the black and white pick guard! 😆
Wow! Beautiful sounding and looking tele! Congratulations and thank you for sharing. Got my Ask Zac Amp schematic T-shirt! Cheers
THANK YOU!!!
What a beautiful video - it makes my day!
What an amazing tribute. First time hearing you tonight after seeing you on Rhett Shull’s video from Tulsa. Thought I would subscribe. Glad I did.
Wow, thank you!
I acquired a 82 American Telecaster from a dear friend - the hard way.
He passed December 1st, 2011.
RIP Terry Kenneley. 😇
I am sorry for your loss. Glad you have the Tele to remember him with.
@@AskZac Thank you...
Friends and guitars....it's a beautiful thing ✨️
Awesome one of a kind. Pick ups sound amazing
Wow that's a lovely gift! Thanks for sharing it and the backstory of it with us 👍
Cool guitar to own, cool way to wind up with it especially with Bill Lawrence involved.
Good for you.
Thanks for sharing.😊
My main gigging guitar for 20 years was my ‘72 Tele w stock Bigsby
Bigsby Tele just feels like something that should be more of a thing.
If anybody deserves it, Zac's the guy.
Love the Forest White book it’s really terrific!
Thanks for sharing the story of your new guitar, Zac.
Damn Zac that is some gift…congrats brotha that’s such a unique guitar
What a Blessing! ❤️🙏🏻
Alan Parker is a famous British session guitarist who studied under the tuition of Julian Bream and has played on some very well known tracks. At one point Jimi Hendrix gave him his Epiphone FT-79 Texan- which is still in its case with A PARKER stencilled on it although he made the mistake of selling it. Anyway, he recorded the song "Whispering Softly I Love You" as an instrumental and ultimately his guitar was spliced on to a vocal recording by Brian Keith along with a choir and an orchestra- all of which had been recorded separately but were mixed together later and it was a monster hit in 1971/1972 under the name of The (English) Congregation. Anyway, here is Alan with Brian on some German TV show on what I assume is a mimed performance but he has one of those Telecasters with the Bigsby and it is the same colour. I don't know if he used the Telecaster when he recorded the song as an instrumental which is where the guitar track comes from. You can load this into You Tube to find it: English Congregation - Softly Whispering I Love You (1972) HD 0815007
So good congrats!
I love Zac’s vids… full of info and cool cool telecasters👌
That’s a cool tele. Great tone. Congratulations!!
Thanks!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
I think that white pick guard looks good on that guitar!!! IMHO
Super awesome!!!
That's a great story and it looks like a great guitar! This is the first video I see on this channel, I've subscribed. Cheers!
Thanks!!!
Beautiful gift and wonderful sounding guitar. The mods give the guitar a powerful vibrant tone I like a lot. Thanks for sharing the story of your friendship will Bill and his kind generosity. The guitar has found a good new home with you. Did Bill happen to give the guitar a name?
I'm calling the guitar "Bill," but I should ask him
Zac that is a Great gift. Bill obviously holds you friendship in high regard. I noticed when you held up your 67' and Bill's 67' that Bill's is Not a String through body Tele. Was that normal for back in 1967?
Factory Bigsby Telecasters from the 60s and 70s do not have holes through the body as the strings attach to the vibrato
@@AskZac, Sorry Zac, I guess I missed the part where you said it was a Factory installed Bigsby Telecaster. DOOH.........😂
Wow! Sounds amazing!! :)
That's really goshdarned cool, man!
Beautiful, sexy and sounds great .The guitar …… not you Zac! Lol You’ve got a fine friend and you’re a lucky man.
That wiring is so cool. I may have to have my super clever electronics engineer buddy figure out that switching scheme. I've got a Sterling Albert Lee sig. with pickups that are pretty good, but the Bridge one is a little thin and a little microphonic. I also have a vintage pair of Bill Lawrence L90s that I've had in a couple different guitars over the years that I think might be great in it.
Check out the Freeway 3x3 switch. It'll achieve the same results w/o changing the appearance of the guitar.
Great Gift. Sounds like you guys had a lovely relationship. Also, a terrific sounding guitar. Has a hi-fi tone in the best sense, like a grand piano. Are those heavy strings?
Light strings, 9.5-44. It does have a cool Hi-Fi sound
Just watched your vid about the Tonemaster amps ,I am a home player,which Tonemaster would you recommend,thanks
blonde Deluxe
@@AskZac thank you Zac,appreciate it
That guitar sounds good man. I really like the out of phase feature. I wouldn't mind having a Bigsby on my Squier Telecaster. It might balance out the weight a little bit too, it's a light weight guitar, but full thickness body.
This looks like if Zappa played a tele? And its making my GAS go crazy. I love it when music makers ultra mod guitars.
I had a full maple neck ‘69 (at that time they had switched from the maple caps) with the factory F Bigsby for over 25 years that weighed a ton and sounded that way. I foolishly sold it and I’ve regretted it many times.