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by Zac Childs
Zac Childs is a music insider and historian. He is the host of the acclaimed Truetone Lounge interview series and contributed to Vintage Guitar Magazine for 15 years via his Ask Zac column, and numerous featured articles, product reviews, and cover stories. On his ASK ZAC channel, Zac takes a look at players and gear and also answers guitar-related questions in ways that were never possible via print.
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- 3 weeks ago21 min
Learn to Feed Yourself Musically (Don't Be Spoon-Fed)
Most players hit a wall the same way, cycling through the same licks, searching for something new, and ending up lost in endless videos. Here’s a better way. In this video, we break out of that loop by using a simple, lifelong skill: take a song you love, learn the melody, and learn how to harmonize it. No tabs. No shortcuts. No spoon-feeding. This is how you build real musical independence, and actually start growing every time you pick up the guitar. Support the show
- 3 weeks ago30 min
Tales From The Tele Town Concert
The lowdown on Fender's concert at the historic Ryman Auditorium to celebrate the Telecaster's 75th Anniversary. What a night at the Mother Church of Country Music. On May 4th, I had the honor of hosting and performing at the Tele Town concert celebrating 75 years of the legendary Fender Telecaster at the historic Ryman Auditorium. This recap captures some of the unforgettable moments from an incredible evening filled with world-class players, iconic tones, deep musical history, and ...
- 3 weeks ago25 min
Standel & The Tragic Genius of Bob Crooks - The Man Who Invented the Boutique Amp
The Man Who Invented the Boutique Amp: The Tragic Genius of Bob Crooks Before Dumble was a household name, and before Mesa/Boogie revolutionized the high-gain stack, there was Standel. In today’s video, we’re diving into the legendary twenty-year original run of Bob Crooks, the man who provided the sonic blueprint for the 1950s, yet spent his final years feeling like the industry had robbed him blind. High Fidelity in a Low-Fi World From his early days at Lockheed to his "almost" collaborat...
- Apr 7, 202619 min
I Built My Perfect String Sets For My Telecaster & Baritone With D'Addario
Most players settle for whatever string set is on the shelf, but I’ve been piecing together custom sets since the early ’90s. In this video, I build my perfect custom string sets using my preferred D'Addario NYXL strings through their Custom String Shop. For my 1957 Fender Esquire, I dialed in a set gauged 10, 12, 16, 24, 34, 44 balanced for feel, tension, and snap. It’s based on their NYXL 9.5–44 set, but with slightly more robust high E and B strings. Then I went further, building a barit...
- Mar 31, 202613 min
A Look At A 1949 Bigsby Guitar - Rarer Than Rare!
Before the Telecaster… before the Les Paul & the Strat… there was Bigsby. In this video, we take a deep dive into a 1949 Bigsby electric guitar, one of the earliest solid-body electrics ever made, and a true cornerstone in the evolution of the modern guitar. Built by Paul Bigsby, these instruments weren’t mass-produced, they were individually handcrafted works of art. Bigsby guitars are incredibly rare, as he built around 27 guitars from the mid-1940s through the late 1950s. Each one wa...
- Mar 17, 20262h 7m
James Pennebaker Interview
Best known for his longtime work with Delbert McClinton, James Pennebaker has been one of the most tasteful and versatile guitarists in Nashville for decades. Starting his professional career at just 19 years old with McClinton, he went on to become a key part of the band on and off for more than forty years. But Pennebaker is far more than just a sideman. He’s a true multi-instrumentalist—equally comfortable on electric guitar, acoustic guitar, pedal steel, fiddle, mandolin, and more. Over ...
- Mar 10, 202624 min
The Gibson ES-335 - Their Best Design
The only Gibson model I’ve ever really connected with is the ES-335. While I’ve always gravitated toward Fender, the 335 is one Gibson that I think absolutely got right. Much like the Fender Telecaster, it’s simply a brilliant piece of guitar design. The magic of the 335 is in how balanced the concept is. The semi-hollow body combined with the center block gives you the warmth and air of a hollowbody while still delivering the sustain, focus, and feedback resistance of a solidbody. The resul...
- Mar 3, 202637 min
Don Rich, Buck Owens & the Telecaster That Vanished
In this episode, Joe Spann and I dive deep into the legacy of Don Rich and one of the most fascinating lost instruments in Fender history, his 1964 Gold Sparkle Fender Custom Telecaster. Joe breaks down exactly how Fender created the Gold Sparkle finish using crushed mirror material, why it was so visually striking under stage lights, and how unusual the process was for the era. We also discuss the many Buck Owens hits Don Rich recorded while using this Telecaster, and how central it was to ...
About Ask Zac
Zac Childs is a music insider and historian. He is the host of the acclaimed Truetone Lounge interview series and contributed to Vintage Guitar Magazine for 15 years via his Ask Zac column, and numerous featured articles, product reviews, and cover stories. On his ASK ZAC channel, Zac takes a look at players and gear and also answers guitar-related questions in ways that were never possible via print.
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