Ask Zac

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Use the code ASKZAC to get $20 off B-Stock. They also have a mailing list signup code for free shipping.
https://www.brownbox.rocks/shop/p/sal...

In 2002, Brad Paisley introduced me to the idea that old tube amps require lower voltages to sound their best. He showed me how to use a Variac and a voltmeter to set the voltage going into his 1962 Vox AC30 at the "sweet spot" of 110 volts. The variac, plus voltmeter, and 4 spot ac plug was a clunky unit, but it did its job. Fast forward to 2015, and Pat Geraghty contacts me to review the AmpRx Brown Box for Vintage Guitar Magazine. It was a brilliant take on Brad's variac rig, that was sleek, elegant, and much easier and safer to use.

Today we look at the Brown Box, and its benefits to tube amp users.

Brown Box's site  https://www.brownbox.rocks/

Gear for this video:

2014 Crook Custom Vintage Paisley - APC Adder (Neck) Peter Florance TE-60 (Bridge)
Glaser B-Bender
http://www.crookcustomguitars.com/
https://www.glaserbender.com/

Strings:
D'Addario NYXL 10-46

Pick:
D'Andrea Medium-Heavy

Amp:
1964 Vox JMI AC10 with 12" Celestion Blue Alnico Speaker in a custom cab built by Kyle Bollendorf.

#askzac #brownbox #telecaster

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Baz Luhrmann's Elvis movie stars Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, and Presley's timeless music. The unseen star of the music is guitarist JD Simo, who was tasked by Lurhmann and Dave Cobb to replicate the original parts and tones played by Scotty Moore, James Burton, Hank Garland, Reggie Young, and Tommy Tedesco. In today's special collaboration with Truetone, we sit down with Simo, as he tells the tale of how he was asked to take part, and the gear he used to replicate the legendary guitarist's riffs.

We also take a look at his soon-to-be-released album Songs From The House Of Grease. Recorded with his trio, the album features his recently acquired Danocaster Singel-Cut, along with an ancient Alamo amp and a venerable 1965 Deluxe Reverb. Simo also shows off his new Xact Tone built pedal board.

#askzac #JDSimo #elvis

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The late Andrew Gold was a mere pup when he walked into the studio with Linda Ronstadt to jumpstart her career with the tracks "You're No Good," and "When Will I Be Loved." His arrangement ideas, harmony vocals, and most noticeably his iconic guitar work, placed the "Gold" stamp on what would end up being two of her greatest hits. Today we will look at both tracks, and lay out the gear he used for both tracks. We will also look at Andrew's career, and how his guitar playing influenced the sound of pop guitar in the 80s and 90s.

Early clip of "You're No Good."
   • Video 

Spotify Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7cn...

Gear Used:
1982 Kubicki body, 2022 Danocaster Neck, Glaser Convertible Bender, 80s Duncan middle, Ron Ellis 50/60 Tele pickup set.

Strings: D'Addario NYXL 10-46 Amazon affiliate link https://amzn.to/3uD1WnZ

Pick: D'Andrea Medium-Heavy

Amp: 2021 Fender Vibro Champ Reverb

Effects used: amp verb & Ibanez Mostortion

#askzac #guitartech #telecaster

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Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” is one of the most well-known songs of the last 50-years. She recorded the tune in the summer of 1973 and it has continued to be a perennial favorite, from one of the world’s favorite singers. Today we get the rare privilege of hearing the two main guitar tracks isolated from the original 16-track master recording. The track spotlights guitarists Chip Young and Wayne Moss, who worked out their intertwining guitar arrangement beforehand.

This track was initially played for me as there was some mystery as to who actually played the gut-string part, as the master had it labeled “Jimmy.” I went down a long rabbit trail to see if Jimmy Colvard, who had played on a number of other cuts off the same album had been the guitarist in question. It ended with the master being mislabeled, as Jimmy Colvard had played on some earlier sessions, but not on the track in question, “Jolene.”

A deep dive into the beautiful guitar tracks on Dolly Parton's "Jolene." From the isolated tracks, we get to hear the intertwining arrangement created by Chip Young & Wayne Moss.

Guitarist Jimmy Colvard's "Caravan."
   • Ferlin Husky - Ca... 

Gear Used:

1983 Takamine EC132 Classical Guitar

DeAndrea thumbpick

#askzac #guitartech #telecaster

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I bought a Kubicki Telecaster out of a local Nashville Buy/Sell paper called the Trader’s Post in 1997. The purchase was to replace my 52 reissue Telecaster that had just been stolen. I thought the single-bound body was cool, but the ebony fretboard neck was not my cup of tea. At $350, it was all I could afford at the time, and I knew I could hot-rod it when I had more discretionary funds. Over the last 25-years, the guitar has had 7 different necks, 2 different B-bender systems, set up as everything from an Esquire to having a mini-humbucker in the neck, and had a wide variety of wiring harnesses. In today’s episode, I show its latest incarnation with a new Danocaster neck, based on the one on my 57 Esquire, an 80s Seymour Duncan Hot Strat Stack middle pickup, new Glaser convertible bender, Ron Ellis 50/60 neck and bridge pickups, and Joe Glaser’s new 3-pickup wiring with a middle pickup blend control. The Franken-Tele lives!

Gear Used:
1982 Kubicki body, 2022 Danocaster Neck, Glaser Convertible Bender, 80s Duncan middle, Ron Ellis 50/60 Tele pickup set.

Strings: D'Addario NYXL 10-46 Amazon affiliate link https://amzn.to/3uD1WnZ

Pick: D'Andrea Medium-Heavy

Amp: 2021 Fender Vibro Champ Reverb Effects used: amp verb

#askzac #guitartech #telecaster

Support the show

To Support the Channel:
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In life, you are blessed to have great teachers. Sometimes teachers go above and beyond and become mentors. My musical mentor, Pat Grogan, took me on his gigs, watched me play, and then we worked on my shortcomings in our weekly lessons. He was also a former Big D Jamboree staff guitarist,  played on Bruce Chanel's huge hit "Hey Baby," and performed in Willie Nelson's band in his pre-outlaw days. We had many great musical adventures together, and I always knew he was looking out for me. Along the way, I tell the tale of us performing a pair of shows with a Country Music Legend, who was too drunk to remember me when I got my photo with him afterward. I learned so much from Pat, and today's episode is a tribute to my friend and teacher who will probably still be gigging at 90.

Gear Used:

1957 Fender Esquire with an 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 Amazon affiliate link https://amzn.to/3uD1WnZ

Pick:
D'Andrea Medium-Heavy

Amp:
2021 Fender Vibro Champ Reverb

Effects used:
amp verb

#askzac #guitartech #telecaster

Support the show

To Support the Channel:
https://www.patreon.com/AskZac
Tip jar:  https://paypal.me/AskZac
Venmo @AskZac 
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In 1990, Guitar Player Magazine released an amazing series of albums through a partnership with Rhino Records titled The Legends of Guitar. The series covered Blues, Rock, Jazz, Classical, and Country. I picked up vol 1 & 2 of the Country series, and my eyes were opened to the founders of the style. These albums launched me down many rabbit holes, gaining a greater appreciation for cats like Chet Atkins, and Albert Lee, and a new appreciation for lesser-known players such as Junior Barnard, Roy Lanham, and Jimmy Colvard. These 2 albums have been in constant rotation in my car for 30 years, hence an episode to spotlight their importance.

Special thanks to Rich Kienzle, who was very instrumental in these compilation albums, and has been a personal music journalism hero of mine.

Spotify playlist with most of the songs of both volumes
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2t7...

#askzac #guitartech #telecaster

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While there have been many great Western Swing guitarists, Junior Barnard was one of the most exciting players of the genre with his ear-catching style and aggressive tone. Today, we look at how of all the swing guitarists, Barnard is the most accessible to modern players, and how you can steal from him to add some spice to your playing.

Spotify playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/11b...

Links to more on Junior:

https://www.adioslounge.com/get-it-lo...

https://www.fretboardjournal.com/colu...

https://mentmorris.podia.com/lead-gui...

Damien Bacci
   • Fat Boy Rag - Jun... 

Tommy Harkenrider Lesson
   • Tiny Grimes compi... 


Gear Used:

1957 Fender Esquire with an 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 Amazon affiliate link https://a

Support the show

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

My 1981 Martin HD-28 has been by my side for close to 30-years. It's seen time in bars, churches, studios, and even a time or two on the Grand Ole Opry. Today, I look a bit at the history of the D-28/HD-28 Martins and then tell the story of how I bought my HD-28, and some of the gigs I have used it on, including one with JD Simo that included an interesting clothing accessory. I end with a tonal comparison between the HD-28, a mid-30s Gibson L-OO, and a Waterloo WL-14.

Gear Used:

1981 Martin HD-28, 1935 Gibson L-OO, Waterloo WL-14 (ladder braced)

#askzac #guitartech #HD28

Support the show

To Support the Channel:
https://www.patreon.com/AskZac
Tip jar:  https://paypal.me/AskZac
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Guitarists have been personalizing or branding their guitars for many years. Some simply used their guitars as portable billboards, like a young BB King, who had his name along with the radio station he played at emblazoned on the top of his guitar. Others just wanted to make sure the audience knew who the hot cat was on guitar. While this has come and gone as far as being the in-style thing to do for the average player, it has always been a part of the showmanship of guitarists. Look at guitar heroes, Stevie Ray Vaughan or Eddie Van Halen. We rarely saw either of them without a guitar branded with "SRV" or "5150" in plain view. In this episode, I give the inspiration behind my personalized pickguard, and how I got help from some artist friends in creating it. The wonderful thing about doing this is that it is fun, and if you grow tired of it, you can easily remove it, and go back to the plain old plastic pickguard you had before.

Gear Used:

1957 Fender Esquire with an 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 Amazon affiliate link https://amzn.to/3uD1WnZ

Pick:
D'Andrea Medium-Heavy

Amp:
2021 Fender Vibro Champ Reverb

Effects used:
amp verb

#askzac #guitartech #telecaster

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