In honor of Seymour Duncan’s 50th anniversary, I’m taking a look at some of my favorite Seymour Duncan pickups, and the guitars I use them in.

I’ll start with a little Seymour Duncan history, including the famous story about Seymour, Robbie Robertson, and the pickup that helped set him on the path toward building his own pickups. I’ll also talk about my own history with Seymour Duncan, from buying my first Alnico II Pro Tele bridge pickup to eventually getting involved with the Lost Paisley pickup set for Fender.

Then it’s time for the guitars. I pulled out a bunch of my favorite instruments and talk about why I chose the particular Seymour Duncan pickups in each one, including Antiquity humbuckers, Antiquity Tele pickups, the ’53 Tapped Tele set, Hot Strat Stack pickups, Lipstick Tube Strat pickups, the Twang Banger, Vintage Stack Tele pickups, and more.

Along the way, I’ll demonstrate how I use these pickups for everything from classic Tele tones and Nashville/Bakersfield sounds to higher-output Strat sounds, slide, recording, and live work, including some of the guitars I take on the road with Brad Paisley.

It’s a tip of the hat to Seymour Duncan, a look at some great pickups.

Congratulations to Seymour Duncan on 50 years!

www.truetone.com

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Eight months ago, I built a baritone Telecaster with some friends. Since then, it has traveled with me all over the United States and Europe on tours, stages, airplanes, and 18-wheelers. Through all these gigs, I’ve learned a lot about what makes a baritone work in a band setting, and what doesn’t.

In this episode of Ask Zac, I’m taking a deeper look at the evolution of this guitar and the biggest change I’ve made to it: installing a Glaser bender.

The guitar is tuned B-to-B, and I’ve found that the lower register makes it a fantastic complement to other instruments. I’ll discuss what I discovered while playing and soloing onstage, including how the lower range encouraged me to play more melodically and simply rather than trying to compete with the fastest players.

I’ll also share the practical lessons I’ve learned along the way, such as cutting low end, using more dirt, and experimenting with different string sets before settling on a lighter D’Addario set. I’ll explain why my attempt to use an unwound third string failed and how that ultimately led me to add the bender.

Additionally, we’ll take a close look at the Glaser bender itself to hear what happens when you put one on a B-to-B baritone. It delivers a bigger, throatier sound than a conventional Telecaster bender, bringing both unique advantages and drawbacks that open up interesting musical possibilities. Finally, I’ll talk about the Music City Bridge saddles, the Ron Ellis Tele pickups that have been in the guitar for the last seven months, and a few other experiments.

Think of this as a sequel to my original baritone Telecaster video, updated with everything I've learned from eight months of real-world use on the road.

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In this episode of Ask Zac, I’m paying tribute to the late, great Jerry Jones, one of Nashville’s most respected guitar repairmen, builders, and innovators.

Before becoming known for his incredible line of instruments, Jerry was the guitar guru for many of Nashville’s top players, including Chet Atkins, Reggie Young, and Sam Bush. He eventually began building his own instruments, creating unique hybrids and, most famously, a whole range of beautifully made guitars inspired by the classic Danelectro designs.

We’ll look at Jerry’s incredible Bass 6, baritone, 12-string, sitar, double-neck, and other specialty instruments, and the musicians and records that helped make these unusual guitars essential studio tools.

I’ll also talk about Jerry’s work for Merle Haggard, his friendship with Danelectro founder Nat Daniel, the return of the Danelectro name in the 1990s, and the lawsuit that ultimately had a major impact on Jerry’s guitar business.

And, of course, I’ll show you one of my favorite Jerry Jones instruments: Brad Paisley’s Bass 6, a guitar Brad bought in the mid-'90s that has appeared on every Brad Paisley record and continues to be an important part of his musical arsenal.

Jerry Jones made instruments that were innovative, incredibly useful, and built to survive the road. His guitars became the go-to “niche” instruments for countless players, and his influence can still be heard today.

This is a tribute to Jerry Jones, his remarkable instruments, and the lasting mark he left on the world of guitars.

www.truetone.com

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#AskZac #JerryJones #Danelectro #Bass6 #BaritoneGuitar #GuitarHistory #NashvilleGuitars #BradPaisley

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