Ask Zac cover art

All Episodes

Ask Zac — 279 episodes

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Title
1

Richard Bennett's Genius on Steve Earle's “Guitar Town”

2

My Favorite Seymour Duncan Pickups

3

Why My Baritone Tele Got a B-Bender

4

Remembering Jerry Jones: The Guitar Builder Who Changed Nashville

5

The Danelectro 6-String Bass I Used on the Today Show w/ Brad Paisley | "This Town" Breakdown

6

The Album That Changed Eric Clapton Forever - J.J. Cale's Naturally

7

The Wicked Stepchildren of the Telecaster - The 70s Tele Custom & Telecaster Deluxe

8

What It's Like Playing The Grand Ole Opry

9

My Frankenstein 12-String & Bass 6 Danelectro Double-Neck

10

The Phil Kubicki Story - From Fender To Factor Bass

11

Tracking Brad Paisley's Tackelbox Album & His 2026 European Tour

12

Why I Don't Like Overdrive Pedals & The 4 That Make The Cut

13

Standel & The Tragic Genius of Bob Crooks - The Man Who Invented the Boutique Amp

14

Tales From The Tele Town Concert

15

Learn to Feed Yourself Musically (Don't Be Spoon-Fed)

16

I Built My Perfect String Sets For My Telecaster & Baritone With D'Addario

17

A Look At A 1949 Bigsby Guitar - Rarer Than Rare!

18

James Pennebaker Interview

19

The Gibson ES-335 - Their Best Design

20

Don Rich, Buck Owens & the Telecaster That Vanished

21

The Holy Grail Telecasters At Gruhn Guitars with Joe Spann

22

The Octave 12-String Mando-Guitar - The Tool For Jangle Magic! -

23

Why Even "Clean" Tones Need Some Hair & Grit

24

50s Guild Aristocrat - A Vintage Sleeper - (It's Not A Tele Vol 1)

25

Why I Needed a Baritone Telecaster Guitar

26

Inside the 1962 Fender 6G3 "Brown" Deluxe Amp

27

Why The Telecaster Bridge Is the Heart & Soul of the Tele

28

Lou Toomey Interview (Brooks & Dunn, Keith Whitley, Faith Hill)

29

How I Ended Up Playing on Brad Paisley’s Snow Globe Town (and the Tonight Show!)

30

Early ’60s Telecasters: What Changed & Who Made Them Famous

31

Tele Gumbo: String Stretching, Bridge Covers, Book Review & Gig-Ready Gear

32

The Tour From Hell: My First Time on the Road

33

Telecaster Bridge Shootout! 3-Saddle vs 6-Saddle on My 1957 Esquire

34

Those Infamous Fender F-Tuners (1967 – 1981)

35

Everything You Wanted To Know About Bigsby-Equipped Fender Telecasters

36

The Truth About Tough Gigs & The Difference Between "Shows" & "Gigs"

37

Fender’s Best Bang-for-Buck Telecaster Yet

38

Rosewood Fretboard Telecasters: Tone, Feel & History

39

Albert Lee’s B-Bender Tricks You Can Steal

40

3 Gigs, 2 Sessions, and a Lightning Strike — D'Addario XS Strings Still Going

41

Guitar Nut Width & Why It Matters

42

How Eric Clapton (and Albert Lee) Got Me Into Country Music – Just One Night

43

Alnico 2 vs Alnico 5: Telecaster Tone Showdown

44

Ricky Skaggs’ Telecaster Masterclass on "I’m Tired." - Lesson

45

How Reggie Young Reshaped Merle Haggard’s Sound with a Strat

46

The TC Electronic Chorus Pedal Makes a Comeback

47

Which Pickups Should I Put in My Telecaster?

48

Reviving My 1981 Martin HD-28 with New Frets, Waverly Tuners, K&K Pickup & More!

49

Meet Nashville Guitar Great: Matthew Lee

50

Personalized by Fender: 1969 Telecasters with Factory Neck Inlays!

51

Behind the Scenes of Brad Paisley’s ‘Lost Paisley’ Telecaster

52

A Tele-Guy Discovers The PRS DGT SE

53

A Look At Mike Campbell's Heartbreaker Memoir & His Incredible Musical Legacy

54

Joe Fick of Kelley's Heroes & The Don Kelley Band

55

Why Leo Fender Never Acknowledged The Influence of Paul Bigsby

56

My Favorite Backup Amp - The 1985 Peavey Studio Pro 40

57

The Modified Broadcaster/Telecaster Blend Control & 2 YT Channels I love

58

Baxendale Harmony Conversion Guitars

59

Meet Nashville Tele Slinger - Gabe Tonon

60

The Fender Broadcaster Story

61

A Glaser Strat With A B-Bender?

62

Flat-Wound, Pure Nickel, and Ground-Wound Strings on my Telecaster

63

A Real Road Worn 1952 Telecaster

64

The Tim Lerch Interview

65

The Resurrection of my 1970 Buck Owens "American" Guitar

66

Vintage Solid State? Lab Series Amps

67

Tone Snob Confessions With Barry O'Neal of Xact Tone Solutions

68

Luther Dickinson Interview

69

A Look at the "Champ Killer" 1954 Wide-Panel Fender Princeton Amp

70

The Last Glaser Bender Guitar

71

Playing The American Music Awards

72

Stuie & Sonny French of The French Family Band

73

Ricky Skaggs Highways & Heartaches And The Glaser Mandocaster

74

The Best Speaker For Your Deluxe Reverb

75

That Famed EVM-12L Sound

76

Hardtail Stratocaster: The Lowdown

77

The Vince Gill Interview

78

Celebrating the Don Kelley Band

79

Fender's Marvelous Mandocaster - The Vintage Fender Electric Mandolin

80

The Birth of Light-Gauge Strings

81

The Most Underrated Electric Guitar String Gauge - 9.5-44

82

The Story of Cling Foil & the Blue Flower Telecaster

83

The Impact of The Blues Brothers Movie

84

Delbert McClinton "Live From Austin" Influential Albums

85

How The Telecaster Came To Nashville

86

Tele Pickup Height with JD Simo and Dan Strain

87

Iconic Riffs by Forgotten R&B Guitar Greats

88

Tele Tone Tricks

89

A Conversation With Joe Glaser & Steve Wariner

90

Baffled? How To Baffle Your Amp & Not get Fired

91

Albert Lee Talks Emmylou Harris & Her Luxury Liner Album

92

1950 Broadcaster VS 1953 Telecaster - A Comparison by Nacho Banos

93

The Story Of The 1970s Buck Owens American Guitar by Harmony

94

A Telecaster Fanatic Looks at the PRS NF-53

95

Leo Fender and the Birth of the G&L Broadcaster/ASAT

96

Top Loader Telecaster History & Comparison with String-Thru

97

John Leventhal Talks First Solo Album, Rumble Strip

98

My Direct + Amp Pedalboard Built By XTS

99

Eldon Shamblin & His Gold 1954 Stratocaster

100

Danocaster Talks Telecaster Tone

101

Duke Levine Talks Touring with Bonnie Raitt & the Eternal Tone Hunt

102

My Pedalboard Gets The Xact Tone Solutions Makeover

103

The Inspired Story of the Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive

104

How Did My Stratocaster End Up Playing "Wicked Game" With Chris Isaak?

105

Stratocaster Pioneers Of The 1950s

106

To Float, Or Not To Float, Strats The Question

107

Las Vegas Street Talk

108

Influential Albums - Guitars Cadillacs Etc, Etc. - Dwight Yoakam & Pete Anderson

109

Adam Levy - Jazz Guitarist & Sideman to the Stars

110

Influential Albums - Luxury Liner Emmylou Harris

111

G-Bender History and the Major Players (Jimmy Olander, Jeff King & Brad Paisley)

112

Diamond Rio Talk New Members & New Music In 2023

113

The Dangers of Buying Celebrity-Owned Instruments

114

I Played & Spoke at a Chet Atkins Event - Here's What Happened

115

Jeff King - Juggling the Studio & The Road

116

A Walk Through My Telecaster Collection - 6 Telecasters & Counting - Ask Zac 167

117

What I Take To The Gig - Ask Zac 166

118

Repairs & Restoration on my 1967 Bigsby Telecaster - Ask Zac 165

119

Solving Noise Issues When Using 2 Amps - Ask Zac 164

120

Fender’s Switch from Nitrocellulose Lacquer to Polyurethane in 1968 – Ask Zac 163

121

Rick Holmstrom, Broadcaster Blend Wiring, & My Birthday Trip to New Orleans - Ask Zac 162

122

I Was Given A 1967 Bigsby Fender Telecaster - Ask Zac 162

123

Western Swing Soloing Hacks - Ask Zac 161

124

I Have Arthritis, But I Ain't Quittin' - Ask Zac 160

125

Zac’s Hacks - How to Compensate Your Vintage Tele Saddles - Ask Zac 159

126

The Fabulous Headstrong Lil' King Amp - Ask Zac 158

127

Wiring the Tone Pot only to the Telecaster Bridge Pickup - Ask Zac 157

128

Merle Travis - Musical Giant & Architect of the Solid Body Guitar - Ask Zac 156

129

Meet Chris Stapleton's Guitarist - Mike Eli LoPinto - Ask Zac 155

130

Chris Scruggs - Nashville Music Royalty & Torchbearer - Ask Zac 154

131

Volume Pedals - The History, The Influential Players, and What To Look For When Buying - Ask Zac 153

132

WAH, TELE, & STRING TALK with JD SIMO - Ask Zac 152 @JDSimoMusic

133

Finding the Perfect Wah - Ask Zac 151

134

Gig Stories From Las Vegas - Ask Zac 150 @austinskinner

135

3 Keys to Success in Music - Ask Zac - 147

136

The Bob Warford & Clarence White Telecaster - The Second B-Bender Tele - Ask Zac 146

137

Luke McQueary - Don Kelley’s Last Hero - Ask Zac 145

138

The Story of James Burton's 1969 Paisley Telecaster - Ask Zac 144

139

James Burton's 1952 Tele - The Beginning of the Telecaster Craze - Ask Zac 143

140

The Best $200 Guitar Amp - The Peavey Special 130 - Ask Zac 142

141

Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum - A Nashville Must- Ask Zac 141

142

Bernie Leadon - Eagle on a B-Bender - Ask Zac 140

143

Redd Volkaert - The Telewacker - Ask Zac Player Spotlight - 139

144

My Tribute to the Desert Rose Band - Ask Zac 138

145

The History of the Telecaster Thinline - Ask Zac 137

146

How Leo Fender's Telecaster Bridge Cover Became An Ashtray - Ask Zac 136

147

The Fender JBL Sound - The True Story of the Premier American Guitar Speaker - Ask Zac 135

148

How To Easily Locate A Rattling Tube - Ask Zac 134

149

Don Kelley - Nashville's Greatest Bandleader & Trainer to the Telecaster Titans - Ask Zac 133

150

Swapping Tele Neck Pickups, Setting Pickup Height & Solder Tips - Ask Zac 132

151

Fred Carter Jr - Session Man, Mentor to Robbie Robertson, First Telecaster Man in Nashville - AZ 131

152

Why Vintage Telecaster Pickups Die - Ask Zac 130

153

A Tour of the Ron Ellis Pickup Workshop - Ask Zac 129

154

Steve Gibson - The Consummate Nashville Guitar Chameleon - Ask Zac 128

155

Why I Bought A Brown Box To Protect My Vintage Tube Amps - Ask Zac 127

156

The Elvis Movie Guitarist - JD Simo - Ask Zac 126

157

The Incomparable Guitar of Andrew Gold - Ask Zac 125

158

The Guitars Of Dolly Parton's "Jolene." Featuring Chip Young & Wayne Moss - Ask Zac - 124

159

The Evolution of my Danocaster, Kubicki, Glaser Franken-Tele - Ask Zac 123

160

A Tribute to My Musical Mentor - Pat Grogan - Ask Zac 122

161

Legends of Country Guitar - Two Essential Albums - Ask Zac 121

162

Junior Barnard - Electric Guitar Pioneer - Ask Zac 120

163

Stories about my 30-year gigging companion - My Trusty 1981 Martin HD-28 - Ask Zac 119

164

Branding Your Guitar - Ask Zac 118

165

The Memphis Guitarist that Influenced Reggie Young, Steve Cropper, and Chips Moman. Ask Zac 117

166

My 37-Year Journey To Find The Right Pick - Ask Zac 115

167

How to play the Ask Zac Theme, and the story behind it - Ask Zac 114

168

Pops Staples - Preaching the Tremolo Gospel - Ask Zac 113

169

Baxendale Guitar & Mandocello Conversions - Ask Zac 112

170

LEGO Meets Fender - My Obsessions Colliding - Ask Zac 111

171

Zac's Hacks - How To Best String Your Vintage Style Telecaster - Ask Zac 110

172

Danelectro Baritone - VS - Fender Squier Bass VI - Which is best for you? - Ask Zac 109

173

The Importance of Amp Placement - Ask Zac 108

174

Duane Allman - The Telecaster & Fuzz Years - Ask Zac 107

175

My New Years Gig Story - Ask Zac 106

176

TOP 5 Episodes of 2021 - Ask Zac 105

177

A Vintage Amp Snob Goes Direct - Ask Zac 104

178

Robbie Robertson - Tele-Man of The Band - Ask Zac 103

179

How Small Amps Got Big - Ask Zac 102

180

Hot-Rodding The Brown Princeton - Ask Zac 101

181

'62 Princeton Amp - Chris Stapleton Edition - Ask Zac 100

182

Al Anderson - NRBQ's Big Man of the Telecaster - Ask Zac 99

183

The 1959 Fender Super Amp - Top Of The Heap Of The Mid-Sized Tweeds - Ask Zac 98

184

Giggin' On Tulsa Time - Ask Zac 97

185

The History of Jerry Jones Guitars - Ask Zac 95

186

How To Prepare For A Gig - Ask Zac 94

187

Jimmy Bryant - The First Hero Of The Telecaster - Ask Zac 93

188

How & Why I started my Guitar Related "Ask Zac" Channel using 2 iPhones and a lapel mic - Ask Zac 92

189

Q & A - Princetons, Tele Body Thickness, and Guthrie Trapp's influence - Ask Zac 91

190

1960 Deluxe VS 1959 Harvard - A Fender Tweed Comparison - Ask Zac 90

191

How Grady Martin's 1961 Fuzz Solo birthed Keith Richard's "Satisfaction" in 1965 - Ask Zac 89

192

1957 VS 1967 Vintage Telecaster Comparison - Ask Zac 88 - Leo Fender VS CBS Fender

193

Learning To Love Fuzz & Electric Guitar Capo Tips - Ask Zac 87

194

7 things I stole from John Leventhal - Ask Zac 86

195

Gigging in Downtown Nashville - Ask Zac 85

196

10 Legendary Telecaster Licks - Ask Zac 84

197

An Ask Zac B-Bender Lesson - AZ 83

198

FRANK RECKARD of Emmylou's Hot Band - Ask Zac 82

199

Joe Glaser installs a B-Bender in my Paisley Tele - Ask Zac 81

200

Glaser's New Convertible B/G-Bender and Updated Nashville 3-pickup wiring - Ask Zac 80

201

Fender VS Vox - Ask Zac 79

202

Fender '68 Custom Vibro Champ Reverb - Ask Zac 78

203

Fred Newell, Nashville Now, and the TNN Telecaster - Ask Zac 77

204

My Tales from the 2010 Nashville Flood - Ask Zac 76

205

The Influence of John Jorgenson - Ask Zac 75

206

Glaser Bender Guitars, the first Super-Telecasters and the birth of the Nashville Tele - Ask Zac 74

207

Roy Buchanan - Tele Sorcerer - Ask Zac 73

208

Roy Nichols - No Stranger to a Tele - Ask Zac 72

209

Buck Owens & Don Rich - Telecaster Troubadours - Ask Zac 71

210

The Revenge of the Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb Blonde - Ask Zac 70

211

The Greatest Vox Amp You Haven't Heard Of - Ask Zac 69

212

All-About the Vintage MXR Script Logo Dyna Comp - Ask Zac 68

213

Making Chord Inversions Fun - Ask Zac 67

214

Boss DM-2, DD-2, & DM-3 - Boss Delays of the 1980s - Ask Zac 66

215

Vince Gill - Telecaster Songbird - Ask Zac 65

216

Why A Jazzmaster? Ask Zac 64

217

Roots Electric Rhythm Guitar - Ask Zac 63

218

Ray Flacke - Brit Telecaster Strangler - Ask Zac 62

219

A RUT BUSTING LESSON FOR 2021 - Ask Zac 61

220

Jesse Ed Davis - Unsung Hero of the Telecaster - Ask Zac 60

221

A Very Special "Ask Zac" Christmas - Brad Paisley, Dr. Z, and Me - Ask Zac 59

222

1957 Fender Esquire RESTORATION - Ask Zac 58

223

The True Story of my 1957 Fender Esquire - Ask Zac 57

224

Danny Gatton Tribute - Ask Zac 56

225

Zac's Hacks - Easy Telecaster Setup - Ask Zac 55

226

The Electric Rhythm Styles of James Burton, Albert Lee & Brad Paisley - Ask Zac 54

227

Albert Lee - The Father of Modern Tele Players - Ask Zac 53

228

Telecaster Bridge Pickups 1950-69 - How pickups affect tone - UPDATED/CORRECTED - Ask Zac 52

229

Ricky Skaggs - Reluctant Tele-Master - Ask Zac 51

230

My Top 5 Guitar Books - Ask Zac 50

231

Is Vintage All-That? - Ask Zac 49

232

How Wood Affects Tone - Ask Zac 48

233

Brent Mason Telecaster - Ask Zac 47

234

Relics. The Real Story - Ask Zac 46

235

Gigging 6 Days a Week? - Ask Zac 45

236

How Hardware Affects Tone - Ask Zac 44

237

My 1992 Pedalboard ASK ZAC 43

238

The Klon and the Birth of Boutique - ASK ZAC 42

239

So You Wanna Be A Guitar Tech - ASK ZAC 41

240

The JV Telecaster, Fender Japan & John Jorgenson - ASK ZAC - 40

241

Why Play A Les Paul? ASK ZAC 39

242

Tone Master Deluxe Reverb VS 1967 Deluxe Reverb - ASK ZAC 38

243

Is Chorus "Cool" again? ASK ZAC EP 37

244

Why We Play Guitar - ASK ZAC EP 36

245

Pete Anderson Telecaster Trendsetter - ASK ZAC EP 35

246

5 Tips for Better Guitar Solos - ASK ZAC EP 34

247

Why The Telecaster Is The Best Electric Guitar - ASK ZAC EP 33

248

Inside Nashville's Favorite - ASK ZAC EP 32

249

The Best Playing Advice I Was Given - ASK ZAC EP 31

250

Your Heroes Gear Might Not Be Right For You - ASK ZAC EP 30

251

What Are Strats For? A Tele Player's Musings On The Strat - ASK ZAC EP 29

252

How you can get the most from a Grab & Go - Fly Pedalboard - ASK ZAC - 28

253

How Saying "YES" Changed My Life - ASK ZAC EP 27

254

Tips on playing with Pick and Fingers ASK ZAC EP - 26

255

Why Guitarists Should Play Mandolin - ASK ZAC EP 25

256

10 Albums That Changed Me - ASK ZAC EP 24

257

Tremolo Before Overdrive? and the Pops Staples "Shake" - ASK ZAC EP 23

258

Deluxe Reverb VS Harvard + Viewer Mailbag for April - ASK ZAC EP 22

259

Cornell Dupree - Legend of R&B Guitar - ASK ZAC 21

260

What's The Deal With Pure Nickel Strings? - ASK ZAC EP-20

261

Steve Cropper and the Fender Harvard Amp ASK ZAC EP 19

262

The Maple Cap Neck Telecaster - The Last of the Affordable Vintage Tele's? - ASK ZAC 18

263

Why The Fender Deluxe Reverb Is The Best Guitar Amp Ever - ASK ZAC EP 17

264

The Brad Paisley La Brea Telecaster Pickup Set - ASK ZAC EP-16

265

B-Benders - Missing History of the Evans Pullstring - ASK ZAC 15

266

Ask Zac Intro music breakdown and James Burton's "Ooh Las Vegas" lick - ASK ZAC EP - 14

267

Why You Need a Fender/Squier Bass VI - ASK ZAC - EP 13

268

The Boss VB-2 Vibrato - One Of The Greatest Boss Pedals EVER - ASK ZAC - EP 12

269

The Mighty Mostortion - A Nashville & L.A. Session FAVE - ASK ZAC EP 11

270

My Frankenstein Telecaster & Why You Need One Too- ASK ZAC EP 10

271

A typical day as Brad Paisley's Guitar Tech - ASK ZAC EP 9

272

All About The Nobels ODR-1 - ASK ZAC EP 8

273

Bobby Womack R&B Telecaster Master - ASK ZAC EP 7

274

James Burton - Country/Rock Telecaster King - ASK ZAC EP 6

275

Telecaster Neck Pickups and Practice Tips - ASK ZAC EP 5

276

Tips & Tricks for Soundhole Pickups - ASK ZAC EP 4

277

Danocaster (Ron Ellis Equipped) Blackguard Demo - ASK ZAC 3

278

Remembering Reggie Young - ASK ZAC EP 2

279

Steuart Smith of the Eagles - ASK ZAC EP 1